At Thailands end we stranded in Phuket where we were about to hop on a plane.
Next stop Singapore! Cleanest city ever, but dirtiest hostel so far (and the most expensive one as well). But we were out all day to check out the city so no biggy. We had a fun time exploring the city but a less fun time trying to figure out what to do next…
High season in Malaysia meant that everything was very expensive and finding reasonable accommodation was very very hard! So the cheapest and only available option was to go north up to Georgetown.
What was supposed to be a cultural city rich for its food, seemed like a dirty place with repainted old English buildings to fool tourists. Oh and good food was hard to find.
Once again Malaysia was giving us a hard time when we wanted to head on with our trip. So we decided to not spend too much of our money and time in Malaysia, just enough to see the things we want to see and then quickly head back to Thailand. That said we already booked our flight back.
Then next three weeks we did however see the most impressive and beautiful things of the entire 4 months spend in SEA. The stay wasn’t at all comfortable, nice or friendly but we don’t regret visiting Malaysia.
At the Perhentian Islands hotel owners take the tourist for granted by saying they go ‘back to basics’ but by over charging dirty accommodation without electricity. The islands are very polluted and there is an increasingly stinky swamp behind all of the hotels BUT we did have the most incredible snorkeling trip ever! Experiencing to swim with Black tip Reef Sharks, Sea Turtles and uncountable amounts of other fish and breathtaking coral.
At Taman Negara we enjoyed the most beautiful rainforest and its wildlife. Sadly on the way there we also saw how much of it is cut down for palm oil plantations.
During our stay here it was the end of the Ramadan, which meant that no service was given to any tourist during this time. Try finding food when no shops or restaurants are open.
And a snake tested our comfort zone while eating a bird just out on our patio!
After the rainforest we went up to the Cameron Highlands. The agricultural heart of Malaysia. Our main reason to come here: the Rafflesia Flower. We booked a hiking tour that would take us to see ons. We were lucky since one flower started blooming the day before. The guide warned us a couple of times that we only had 3 hours to do a 5 hour hike. The hike was heavy but showed us pieces of nature so untouched we could’ve never imagined. And to top that off we got to see a huge perfectly blooming Rafflesia!
To end Malaysia we went to Kuala Lumpur since our flight back to Thailand was leaving from there. Kuala Lumpur is built for one main purpose: shopping. One big shopping mall after another with theme parks and sea worlds to keep the visitors occupied. After a few days of city tripping we were very ready to leave Malaysia behind us and head back to heavenly Thailand.
Koh Tao was the only Island we hadn’t visited yet and since it is known as divers paradise it was a must see for me! Felt great to have a cheap good bungalows and the epicThai food again. We explored the island on a ATV which I personally liked even more than the scooters and I also took the time to get my next diving license, advanced open water.
Since we still had time to spare before heading back home we wanted to pay another visit to our favorite spot in Thailand. Shiralea backpackers resort. At first we only booked a week but then we didn’t see the point in spending money in traveling to see parts of Thailand we had already visited so we ended up staying our entire last month. We got to know Koh Phangan pretty well, making good friends at the resort, wakeboarding/surfing, going for a massage, enjoying Thai food, having some great nights out and loving every moment of each day. We felt pretty much at home!
We got to realize how little it takes to be happy. Life was so cheap and we learned to be happy for all the little things. Taking the scooter for a 3 minute drive gave us the best bay views, almost every day we were blessed with an awesome sunset followed by a starry sky that just didn’t get boring and I won’t forget the midnight toasties from the 7/11 that was always open!
Can’t wait to go back!
Next stop Singapore! Cleanest city ever, but dirtiest hostel so far (and the most expensive one as well). But we were out all day to check out the city so no biggy. We had a fun time exploring the city but a less fun time trying to figure out what to do next…
High season in Malaysia meant that everything was very expensive and finding reasonable accommodation was very very hard! So the cheapest and only available option was to go north up to Georgetown.
What was supposed to be a cultural city rich for its food, seemed like a dirty place with repainted old English buildings to fool tourists. Oh and good food was hard to find.
Once again Malaysia was giving us a hard time when we wanted to head on with our trip. So we decided to not spend too much of our money and time in Malaysia, just enough to see the things we want to see and then quickly head back to Thailand. That said we already booked our flight back.
Then next three weeks we did however see the most impressive and beautiful things of the entire 4 months spend in SEA. The stay wasn’t at all comfortable, nice or friendly but we don’t regret visiting Malaysia.
At the Perhentian Islands hotel owners take the tourist for granted by saying they go ‘back to basics’ but by over charging dirty accommodation without electricity. The islands are very polluted and there is an increasingly stinky swamp behind all of the hotels BUT we did have the most incredible snorkeling trip ever! Experiencing to swim with Black tip Reef Sharks, Sea Turtles and uncountable amounts of other fish and breathtaking coral.
At Taman Negara we enjoyed the most beautiful rainforest and its wildlife. Sadly on the way there we also saw how much of it is cut down for palm oil plantations.
During our stay here it was the end of the Ramadan, which meant that no service was given to any tourist during this time. Try finding food when no shops or restaurants are open.
And a snake tested our comfort zone while eating a bird just out on our patio!
After the rainforest we went up to the Cameron Highlands. The agricultural heart of Malaysia. Our main reason to come here: the Rafflesia Flower. We booked a hiking tour that would take us to see ons. We were lucky since one flower started blooming the day before. The guide warned us a couple of times that we only had 3 hours to do a 5 hour hike. The hike was heavy but showed us pieces of nature so untouched we could’ve never imagined. And to top that off we got to see a huge perfectly blooming Rafflesia!
To end Malaysia we went to Kuala Lumpur since our flight back to Thailand was leaving from there. Kuala Lumpur is built for one main purpose: shopping. One big shopping mall after another with theme parks and sea worlds to keep the visitors occupied. After a few days of city tripping we were very ready to leave Malaysia behind us and head back to heavenly Thailand.
Koh Tao was the only Island we hadn’t visited yet and since it is known as divers paradise it was a must see for me! Felt great to have a cheap good bungalows and the epicThai food again. We explored the island on a ATV which I personally liked even more than the scooters and I also took the time to get my next diving license, advanced open water.
Since we still had time to spare before heading back home we wanted to pay another visit to our favorite spot in Thailand. Shiralea backpackers resort. At first we only booked a week but then we didn’t see the point in spending money in traveling to see parts of Thailand we had already visited so we ended up staying our entire last month. We got to know Koh Phangan pretty well, making good friends at the resort, wakeboarding/surfing, going for a massage, enjoying Thai food, having some great nights out and loving every moment of each day. We felt pretty much at home!
We got to realize how little it takes to be happy. Life was so cheap and we learned to be happy for all the little things. Taking the scooter for a 3 minute drive gave us the best bay views, almost every day we were blessed with an awesome sunset followed by a starry sky that just didn’t get boring and I won’t forget the midnight toasties from the 7/11 that was always open!
Can’t wait to go back!
| Special thanks to: Shiralea Backpackers Resort |