The end of the road...

It's the end of an epic journey and an amazing adventure. 

As I type this, we are somewhere over WA, flying back to Melbourne after a wonderful 23 days of fun, laughter, song, dance, joy, happiness, sunsets, trains, roller coasters, boats, river cruises, theme parks, observation wheels, shopping malls, strange food, museums, plane rides, monorails, trains, taxis, markets, hawker stalls, famous white coffee, batik painting and much, much more!

People have said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Two years ago I booked a flight from Singapore to KL on Air Asia for about this time last year because I'd planned on taking this trip then. Sadly (or fortunately, depending on how you like looking at your 50% glass of water), I had to cancel it due to my shoulder surgery. 

No matter how dire a situation may seem at the time, you must never lose hope. 54 weeks ago I was in incredible pain, stuck in a sling, unable to dress or feed myself properly and...unemployed! This adventure totally seemed like the ultimate pipe dream back then. 

However, planning this trip gave me something to look forward to during all the painful physio sessions after my shoulder reconstruction surgery, all the nights and weekends spent at home or working out at the gym while my friends were out having fun, going without heating all winter to save money, making lots of sacrifices and doing without stuff, all to ensure that I could have the adventure that I feel I truly deserved and have thoroughly enjoyed!

I refer to this trip as having been all about Malaysia, even though I spent four days in Singapore. This trip was never about visiting Singapore; it was just about tying up a few loose ends there that I missed six years ago - like the Singapore Flyer, the Zoo, the Night Safari, the DUCK tour and doing a little shopping. Of course, it's been Ramadhan for most of the time I've been away, so going back to Geylang Serai for the annual pasar malam was on the list there too.

Malaysia has definitely stolen my heart and run off into a beautiful a Kuching sunset with it. There are so many more places I want to visit there and I'm definitely not done with the country yet! I don't need to go anywhere else yet, there's heaps left to see and do in Malaysia - plus it's cheap, super cheerful and beautiful. Friendly people, amazing food, beautiful sights, warm hospitality, gorgeous beaches, astonishing sunsets...what more do you need?

Here's where I've been this trip, with two words to describe each place, a nutshell summary and my highlights and low lights. 

Langkawi - tranquil, relaxed.

I adored Langkawi. Pantai Cenang is my new favourite beach, out of some pretty fantastic candidates for this title that I've visited in the Asia Pacific region. I loved that five minutes walk down the road you'll find paddy fields and water buffalo. 

The mass development in the Cenang area is a bit annoying and challenging to navigate as a pedestrian but as long as it leads to good and not evil then I suppose I'm okay with it. I'm a little disturbed about what has happened with Reggae Mat Bar and Beach Garden Resort - progress is one thing, destruction of the character of the area is quite another. I don't want Cenang turning into another Tanjong on Sentosa. So sad. 

I loved the diverse scenery out on the water and outside Cenang, the gorgeous friendly people, the street food and the shopping. I'm so glad I started my trip here! I'd fly all the way back for the weekend once a month if money allowed. Seriously, it was THAT awesome. 

Highlights: Riding the world's steepest cable car, Pantai Cenang, Island Hopping, Around Island Tour, Alun-Alun spa (still thinking about that Lemongrass and Ginger Tea), Nasi Kandar Red Tomato food centre, Billion at Langkawi Fair

Lowlights: eagle feeding, developments at Pantai Cenang, being chased by otters at Underwater World (LOL). 

Penang - frantic, eclectic. 

After the tranquility, serenity, peace, quiet and relaxed atmosphere of Langkawi, Georgetown was a bloody rude shock to the system! Kinda reminded me of arriving in KL after being in Singapore for three weeks back in 2007. I hated KL that time. 

I'm still not sold on some of Penang. I loved Chinatown, I loved the Peranakan Mansion, I loved the temples. Might need another couple of days there. Perhaps if I'd had one or two more days it would have been different!

Highlights: temples, temples and more temples, airport bus 401, Peranakan Mansion, the malls outside main area of George Town (e.g. Queensbay, Gurney Plaza).

Lowlights: motorcycles, traffic, questionable feelings around personal safety), being a pedestrian, sleazy south Asians, footpaths (or lack thereof), 

Kuching - lush, exotic.

I loved Borneo the first time I went there, when I spent a week in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah state. Turns out I still love and adore Borneo. There's just something so laid back, civilised and polite about it. 

Taxi drivers speak English and don't try to rip you off (and they're not dodgy sleazeballs like some of the ones i was unfortunate enough to come across in KL). Borneans are beautiful, helpful, sweet and friendly people. All those who were rude to me in Penang, Singapore and KL should be sent there for etiquette lessons and finishing school. 

Highlights: river cruise, cat museum, riverfront shops, that Tandoori buffet a d as sick as it sounds, Hartz chicken buffet LOL.

Lowlights: no taxis hanging around at the cat museum. Seriously, WTF? Taxis without meters were hell expensive. 

Johor Bahru - surprising, fun.

Yes, yes, I know I've done a backflip on JB. I saw quite a bit more of it this time, because there was more there to see. It's surprising how much of a different vibe the place has this time around. Plus, Legoland is there and the malls are pretty awesome too. Needs more exploring time next visit. And of course another trip to Legoland! 

Singapore - sterile, clinical.

This was sad. I don't think I'd bother going back UNLESS there was something awesome and new to do. Universal studios was not awesome enoughGoing back just to visit the other dome at Gardens by the Bay won't make up for the sterile, cold, clinical feel that Singapore had this time around. 

I guess it was a good place to start my Asian travels six years ago but I've outgrown the training wheels, safety net and floaties. I've grown up, I'm wiser, more confident, more assertive (just ask the rude taxi drivers in KL, LOL!) and while its nice that its a safe and FINE city, I'm kinda over it. There's only so many plates of roasted pork rice you can enjoy. 

I still really hate what has happened to Tanjong Beach. Stupid developers, talk about taking the beauty of a deserted beach and turning it into a sin pit. Seeing this broke my heart. Nice work. NOT!

Kuala Lumpur - frenetic, exciting

KL, you and I certainly had some fleeting moments of sheer hatred six years ago. About ten days worth, if memory serves. This time however, it was about five minutes worth in seven days. I love your malls (although your stalker shop assistants aren't cool), I love your tourist attractions (still got some to see next time), I love your airport trains. 

However, I hate the Mosquitos on your public buses, I hate 99% of your taxi drivers and I hate how disintegrated your "integrated" public transport system is. Having to buy two different passes to ride your trains is a pain in the ass. So is the hike between lines. And none of it makes any sense. How about making a brochure or website or app that has a list of the key tourist attractions and malls etc, with how to get there? 

BTW your hop on hop off bus is a bit crap, particularly in the afternoon and evening. The price increase from RM38 to RM45 doesn't justify the poor service. You also might want to tell people that lithe last bus (6:30pm from Pasar Seni) will drive around at 30 km/h, skip half the attractions and then dump them at KLCC at 8pm. Just saying. Your commentators are great though.

Other than that, keep up the awesome work! You're doing really well!

Highlights: Petronas Towers, Jadi Batek Gallery for Batik Painting, Sim Flight KL 737 flight simulator, Stars Indoor Archery, Berjaya Times Square, KL monorail, airport trains, 

Lowlights: taxi drivers in general, link from KL Sentral to KL monorail still not completed (yes guys, I did notice. You promised to have this finished six years ago...), disintegrated public transport, buses running on Malaysian time and not to the timetable. Aga-aga lah. 

Ipoh - quaint, traditional

Ipoh was a spur of the moment, seat of my pants decision that I don't regret, even though it took over 10 mins to cross a road one night. Probably best visited before or well after Ramadan, not during. Too hard to find food in the evenings (around the breaking of the fast), as places were booked out weeks and even months in advance. Or do what I did and eat earlier, before the fast breaks. Makes more sense. 

Lowlights: The Lost World of Tambun should never be found, quite frankly. Yes, the night Hot Springs visit is worth it but the park is crap. Sorry, but it is. The playground in my beachside town in Melbourne has better rides and they're free. 

Highlights: The Lost World Hotel was pretty lush after two weeks in Tune Hotels, a semi-grubby beachfront "resort" in Langkawi and a semi-grubby backpackers in Singapore. The malls here are great - not excellent, but pretty darn good. Lots of shoes, lots of books. Worth it. 

And now a few words on Air Asia. 

I've had seven flights with them in 23 days. Five short (up to two hours), two longhaul (MEL/KUL and KUL/MEL). 

I've flown: 

• Melbourne to KL (LCCT), international longhaul 
• KL (LCCT) to Langkawi
• Langkawi to Penang (dang short hop that one)
• Penang to Kuching
• Kuching to Johor Bahru (Senai)
• Singapore to KL (LCCT), international short haul flight
• KL (LCCT) to Melbourne, international longhaul

All except two of these flights have left early, those two left on time (Singapore to KL and KL to Melbourne). All except one have taken less than the scheduled flight time (the Singapore to KL one, bloody Singaporean efficiency) and all bar one have arrived early - that pesky Singapore to KL flight strikes once again. Pretty dang good efficiency - most airlines in Oz can't top that!

Yes, it's a low cost airline. Yes, you have to use stairs and not air bridges. Yes, its a long and hot walk from your plane to the LCCT terminal. Yes, they do give you cute red Air Asia umbrellas to use if it is raining (like it was when I first flew into KL from Melbourne). Yes, they are strict on baggage (although that being said the only time they weighed my hand carry bag was in Melbourne when I left for my trip). 

And yes, you have to buy meals, snacks and drinks on board (get over it). You can pre-book up to two meals for each longhaul flight, which I did. You can also pre-purchase a mat kelapa (young coconut) to drink between islands, like I did between KL and Langkawi, then again between Langkawi and Penang - forgot about the second one and boy was it a ice surprise). Their snack and drink selection is pretty good and you pay in Ringgit Malaysia (RM), so if you happen to be an Aussie you're laughing.

It's a nice sized plane for the longhaul trips - an Airbus A330. The seats are 3x3, i.e. three rows of three seats across). They are comfy and have a bit of recline. They are not the widest seats, so if you're over a 14 on the bottom you'll be a little squished. The seat pitch is okay though, for a low cost carrier. I didn't require any seatbelt extensions this trip, having lost a whole woman in weight since my first trip to Malaysia six years ago. Woohoo!!!

I had the good sense and apparently the good fortune to apply and pre-pay for an ESO (empty seat option) upgrade through Optiontown for the longhaul flights, which gave me a row of three seats to myself on both longhaul flights. Believe me, it's totally worth the $28 AUD each way. 

My flight to Malaysia was an overnighter, so I was able to sleep a bit in between feeling like crap and spewing my guts out (think it was the chill pills actually, not the plane food. I've been totally fine eating the same things this flight). My flight back to Melbourne was an afternoon/evening one so I've had plenty of space to just sit back, relax, put my feet up, stretch out my legs across three seats and not have to climb over anyone to get in and out of my seat. Score!

The domestic and Simgapore to KL flights were on the Airbus A320, similar to Jetstar. Again, perfectly fine planes and comfy seats. 

Service-wise, the crew are faultless. Polite, friendly, super-helpful and really efficient. They go out of their way to find stuff for you (nuts without honey roasting, for one), are constantly smiling and clearly all love their jobs. Their uniforms are cool, they are beautifully groomed and if they promise you something, they make it happen. One of the guys on my flight tonight was super cute and friendly, but sadly for me he's married (lucky, lucky, lucky wife!). 

The flights have all been fantastic. This was the perfect way and the perfect airline to get over my previous flying irrational fears - these guys and girls are slick! Only one flight required chemical assistance (two tablets of anti-anxiety medication, which I threw up at 4am anyway) and that was, I am very proud to say, on the first flight from Melbourne to KL. I've now done six flights, including the 8hrs from KL to Melbourne, with no more chill pills required. Way to go me! 

I'd totally fly Air Asia again. Anytime, anywhere! Tony Fernandes, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you're onto a winner mate, because your awesome airline has won the Skytrax award for being the world's best low-cost airline for the fifth year in a row. Love your work!

So, there you have it. While I'm really sad to have left beautiful Malaysia and I can hear the engines powering down and feel the nose tilting forwards, I am looking forward to getting home to cold, rainy, windy, silly old Melbourne.

Planes, trains and automobiles

This morning I got up early, had a shower, finished packing, smashed down an iced coffee and got a taxi to KL Sentral. I had a skybus ticket but couldn't be bothered with that much farting around so I got the transit express train to Sekat Tingghi and the shuttle to LCCT. Easy as and only RM12.50. Bargain - fast, easy, no traffic and child's play really. Totally doing that again!

On arrival at the LLCT Airport I had some time to kill so it was off to wrap the bags in glad wrap and then have my last meal for this trip at Old Town White Coffee.  Knowing I had a long day of flying ahead of me, I chose the kaya toast and iced white coffee breakfast set. I stopped off at the book shop and bought some red duct tape as the handle on my purple carry on bag was looking a little worst for wear. After strapping it back together I checked in my 32kg of baggage and had a lovely boarding pass with 18 HJK printed on it for my ESO upgrade. Awesome!

LCCT is like Avalon Airport crossed with Langkawi Airport. It's a strange mix of shops, food outlets and tiny little boarding gates with big ass walk to and from your plane. I prefer the domestic side to the international - more shops, more massage chairs and better food. Don't spend hours here, you'll do your own head in. The lolly shop upstairs is pretty good but in true airport style, all food and drink is hideously overpriced. There's a food court within walking distance which while priced slightly better than the airport, is still overpriced. 

I'm now waiting for my plane back to Aussie and already thinking about what to do on my next trip here. 

Bring it on. 

A random assortment of Thursday activities

I woke up late again today and smashed yet another iced coffee. How I'm going to go with drinking hot coffee when I get back to Aussie is beyond comprehension right now. Sleeping in to try and get up at a normal Aussie time is not working, probably because Malaysia is current two hours behind. Think that's a FAIL.

Anyway, I had the choice of going to Genting Highlands or Malacca today. I chose Genting, so got the Monorel to KL sentral with the intention of buying a Genting Gold pass which includes bus transport, cable car, theme park entry and something else for RM60.  

On the Monorail I met English former expats John and Annie, who were killing time before they could check into their hotel. They'd lived in Penang and Singapore in past working lives and have been in Aussie for a few years. They were stopped over in KL on their way back to the UK for a visit. They were bored and not much was do-able due to it being the first day of the Hari Raya holidays, so I put them on atrain to Mid Valley Mega Mall. 

Genting was sold out - no buses back and no packages left, so I figured I'd just go do some more malls. I thought I'd go back to 1 Utama so I caught a train to Kelana Jaya, where I'd been in 2007.  Once again, there were no buses to 1 Utama in sight so I caught the free shuttle bus to Paradigm Mall. I stopped for a good Malay breakfast of kaya toast and coffee before discovereing Tesco!

In Tesco I decided I needed badminton shuttles, Ipoh white coffee mix, a four outlet power board, highlighters, notebooks and some random food items to take back to Melbourne. After a nice lunch at Nandos, I caught the bus back to KJ and then another bus to Sunway Pyramid.  Sunway Pyramid is wiggidy wiggidy whack - there's an ice skating rink in the middle of the mall and a bunch of random themed shopping areas with fake pyramids and fake sphinx and fake everything. There's even a fake souk next to the ice rink. 

I did the obligatory lap before committing to a location, bought a learn the harmonica set and a second copy of a great NLP book, a feng shui book and some shoes.  I didn't buy much else because I was followed in shops again - ugh. 

I got the bus back to KJ station, the train to KL Sentral and the Monorail to Bukit Bintang. It was pretty late by this stage and I was hungry and grumpy, so I walked around trying to find something to eat. I settled on 

a bowl of Kolo Mee at Sarawak stand in the basement food court in Pavilion mall, bought a dharma book and bag at Pavilion and caught the monoraill back to the hotel.

Once again the front desk is out of 50 sen pieces so it looks like I'm taking all my dirty clothes home to Melbourne. Awesome.  Packing commences and I start feeling sick.  I'm think, dude, WTF was in my kolo mee? Cramps, bloating, metaclopramide and buscopan tablets later, I'm going to try and sleep this off. 

Final day in KL tomorrow - this will be interesting!

Squishy train rides and time for the Monorail, monorail, monorail

I had a whole bunch of fun this morning trying to pack my bags. I've bought a fair whack of stuff in iPoh, including a new outfit for Hari Raya (a Malay outfit) that I won't wear this week. I struggled like hell to get the bags closed. Oops.

After ditching the bags at the hotel, I set off in a taxi to Ipoh's oldest and original white coffee shop. They had these amazing little bun/brioche/muffin things in Orange, Blueberry and Chocolate flavour, so I bought two orange, an Iced white coffee and some kaya toast. Awesome breakfast and only RM6 which is like $2 in Aussie. Wicked.

I took a few photos and will post them when I pull them off my iPad and iPhone.  I wasn't sure where to get a taxi back from so I walked back to the hotel. Turns out it was only 15 mins walk and I stopped to get some beautiful Malay fabric on the way back. Double oops.

I returned to the hotel with just enough time to wait for a taxi to take me back to the train station, where I smashed down another can of iced coffee before being squished into my train seat by a woman so big that she took 1/3rd of my seat in addition to her own. She spent the first hour eating non-stop, then refused to move and went to sleep. I was really glad to get off the train at KL Sentral.

To clarify, I caught the Ekspress Rakyat, which is the train from Butterworth in Penang to Woodlands in Singapore. It was cheaper than the ETS and had seats available when I went to book. It was RM44 return from KL to Ipoh, which wasn't bad in Aircon Second Class. The train ride was lovely on the way to Ipoh, I took some awesome photos out the window on the way back to KL and realised too late that there were dining cars in the carriage behind mine. Ah well, next time!

Arriving back in KL, I caught a taxi back to the hotel and dumped my bags before heading back to Berjaya Times Square for dinner. There's a strange food court in the basement level where you buy a prepaid card to purchase your food and drinks with. The vendors take your order, swipe your card and make your food. When you're done, you return the card to the desk at the front and they refund the balance.

I had black pepper beef for dinner which wasn't half bad (wasn't half good either but that's life) and then wandered around the shops, trying to find the sunglass lady from last week. No good, there's ten stories to Berjaya Times Square and I was over it, so I had a nice massage from a lovely Chinese lady on the fourth or fifth floor and caught the monorail back to the hotel.

And here I am, in bed and bemoaning the fact that the fun is nearly over and it's back to reality soon.

Bugger.

Shop Stalkers, Hawkers and the end of Ramadhan

It's day two in Ipoh and having decided to wing it while I was here so i could indulge in a little chill out time, i decided to have a good old fashioned lie-in. I basically stayed in bed half the morning as once again, I was Fodmapped last night and I was a bit sick this morning.

I've been using the downtime productively today to update this blog before I forgot all the cool stuff I've seen, done and experienced while on this amazing trip. It's been a wild ride, lots of fun, lots of laughs, lots of Hari Raya songs (I can hum along to all of them now and know some of the words too). It's really Important to me to capture all of these memories in words now, I can add the pictures in later!

Breakfast forgaing has been frustrating today. I couldn't find anything suitable close by, so I found myself walking back to Ipoh Parade Shopping Mall. I settled for ramen noodles with sliced beef at Wong Kok Char Chan Teng, washed down with a nice iced lemon tea. Yes, I'm turning into a Malaysian - noodles for breakfast!

After smashing down the noodles, it was time for buying books and shoes. I found "Popular" and spent up large on NLP and Tony Robbins books, Bahasa Melayu lamguage books, a dictionary and a CD pack, plus a few magazines at $2 AUD each.  $60 AUD later I had copies of "Awaken the Giant Within" and "Ultimate Power", four magazines, an NLP book similar to a textbook and a small Malay Phrasebook.

I went back to Esari shoes and bought another two pairs of sandals - the bronze pair that matches the black pair I bought last night and another pair in hues of purple. At $8 AUD each you would be crazy not to buy them and I didn't feel crazy. These shoes would be at least 5-10 times that price in Melbourne and nowhere near as comfortable! I like to think of Malaysia as the "Pretty Shoe Heaven of Asia". 

By now I'd done the rounds of Ipoh Parade and was over it. It was time to try another mall. RM10 ($3.50 AUD) and a very entertaining taxi ride later (I'll upload the video later) I arrived at Kinta City Shopping Centre. 

Kinta City has a Jusco Aeon, lots of brand stores and a pretty decent food court. It also had an MPH Bookstore where I found yet more NLP and Malay language books, some motivational bookmarks, a notebook and a shopping bag. These resources would have cost hundreds in Aussie so I was pretty darn stoked to get them here so cheap!

Lunch I skipped, in favour of an iced coffee and a piece of Malaysian cake. I looked in a few other stores but didn't see anything I liked until I got to Giordano, where they have National Day polo shirts. 

Unfortunately, as I have now experienced in several cities in Malaysia, I was literally stalked and followed around the store by not one, but two staff members. I cannot begin to explain how annoying and frustrating it is to have this happen in EVERY STORE YOU GO TO!!! They don't do it to the natives, just to WHITE PEOPLE!!!

IMHO it is so rude and disrespectful to be literally stalked around a shop. It's happened in Penang, KL, JB, a little bit in Kuching and pretty much all over Ipoh (except in Esari shoes and the bookstores). 

For Pete's sake, I want to spend money here, so unless you are going to help me do so, you can leave me alone! News flash, I've been working my ass off and saving for 10 months for this trip and all I want to do is buy myself a few things to enjoy when I get back home!

I was getting so annoyed by the stalking that I asked the two sales boys to stop. They didn't - in fact they got worse! So, I walked out. 

Their female boss came over and got all up in my face, asking me if everything ok madam, to which I replied no, it's not. Please tell your staff to stop stalking me because I find it rude and disrespectful - I don't want to buy anything here now because even after I asked them to stop doing it, they got worse and I will take my money somewhere else! 

She then said madam please come back, but I'd had it. I said no, thank you, but I don't want to shop here now and will go somewhere else. She then told the sales boys off. 

So, every time I have been stalked in a shop (167 times so far, in six out of the seven cities I have visited within the last three weeks) I have walked out and gone somewhere else. 

Take note shopkeepers of Malaysia, it is one thing to say hello to a customer when they enter your shop and ask if they need help with anything. However, it is quite another to watch the customer like a hawk and follow them right around the shop from two paces behind. We are not here to steal from you - quite the opposite, we want to buy things and support your economy. I find this stalking unacceptable and very, very rude. 

We westerners read guidebooks before we come to your country and learn how not to offend you - so how about you meet us halfway by learning a little courtesy?

After the stalking incident I was well and truly over it, so I got in a taxi and went back to the hotel. On the way into the hotel lobby I discovered there was a gym next door. I went up to my room, dumped my bags, got changed, smashed down some asthma medicine and grabbed my headphones. 

The gym was interesting. It was RM8 for a casual visit which was pretty reasonable (just under $3 AUD). However, they had 50 very uncomfortable spin bikes with no computers, one treadmill that was out of order, two fans for the whole building of about 450 square metres, no tv or computer screens on the cardio equipment and some seriously weird strength equipment. There was no aircon either, just a wall of open windows. It was 32 degrees and 87% humidity outside, so pretty soon I was drenched. 

I did an hour on the spin bike and the female Chinese receptionist seemed surprised that I wasn't doing any weights. I told her I'd be back into it in Australia on Monday, jet lag and time zone issues willing. She seemed happy with that answer!

After a hot shower and a change of clothes, it was off in search of dinner. I'd forgotten it was the last night of Hari Raya (Ramadhan) and the fast had just broken, so everywhere was either packed out or booked out. I ended up having some dirty chicken at a greasy joint near the hotel. I felt dirty LOL! 

So, after my dirty dinner, I read one of the NLP books and one of my magazines. I'm now off to sleep, as I'm heading back to KL in the morning and plan to go to the oldest and original Ipoh white coffee shop for breakfast. Should be good - I love Kaya Toast and Ipoh White Coffee! I even have a box of Ipoh white coffee to take home. Apparently they also do some orange buns that are to die for. Bring it on!

Map app this!

Mon 05/08

Sleep in time, yet again. 

I had the privilege of a king sized bed and a late start this morning, so it was wake up, shower, dress and hop over the road for the buffet breakfast at Lost World of Tambun's Terraces Restaurant.

The breakfast was just ok. Not much variety, there was wholemeal bread (hooray, haven't seen that since Kuching) and some nice grilled chicken sausages but that was about it. I left my table for ten seconds to grab another cup of coffee and when I came back, some random Asian family had stolen my table and had my half-eaten breakfast cleared off it!

In Malaysia and Singapore, if you leave a packet of tissues on your table, it means it is reserved. Apparently they didn't care about this and were very insistent that the Malay guy clear the table even though he didn't want to. The staff smiled a "sorry lady" smile and gave me head nods. So, I found another table, had my coffee and left. 

It was back to the hotel to pack and leave my bags before heading back to Lost World of Tambun (LWT) for the theme and water park experience. I had a bit of time to kill so I updated this blog before heading back over the road to LWT. Crossing the road at the Lost World Hotel is an experience in itself. There is a ranger who literally stops the traffic for you. Staff help you with your bags, security guards are everywhere and they open doors for you, etc. Awesome. 

LWT is a waste of money and time, but the pools are nice. There are only a couple of rides and a pretty poor petting zoo. There were a couple of very stressed-looking Siberian tigers, a crappy roller coaster, a pirate ship ride that the staff refused to operate because "not open yet" (it was 11:15am and the park opened at 11am), a few birds, some snakes and a chlorinated river that you had to hire a tube to float along. The gift shop is a rip-off and it's RM10 to hire a small locker or RM20 to hire a large locker for the day.

The highlight of the visit to LWT was being able to swim in the wave pool (better than the one at Adventure Cove in Singapore and bigger too), use the hot springs pools again and have an Ipoh White Coffee from my new friend at the coffee stand. 

Food was overpriced and lacking variety, the showers and change rooms full of screaming and shrieking Chinese teenaged girls on a package tour.

I returned to the LWT hotel where the lovely staff called a taxi for me. The taxi back to Ipoh town with a slightly creepy South Asian driver cost RM25. I arrived at Tune Hotel at 1:55pm and was able to check in 5 mins early - just as well really, as I was feeling really sick from a very bad taxi ride with a kamikaze driver. 

It was time to find a mall, so i decided to use google maps on my iPhone to navigate to Ipoh Parade. The stupid app isn't very user-friendly. The arrow that shows you where you are points in the wrong direction so you think you need to go one way, when in fact you're meant to be going in the complete opposite direction. So, my half hour walk turned into 1.5hrs. Stupid google. 

Once I got to the mall, it was food time.  Lunch involved purchasing a couple of cans of iced tea and a cranberry cream cheese bun. I was still not feeling too crash hot, so it was a light meal. I walked around the mall until I found Esari shoes. I saw the most beautiful wedges which I just had to have (and were 20% off on sale) along with two other pairs of sandals at RM20 each. Three pairs of shoes for $40 AUD? Laughing!

Dinner drama ensued. Ipoh is a small town and like everywhere else, trying to find somewhere to eat at fast breaking time is a nightmare. I was tired, hungry and over walking so I staggered into Pizza Hut. I smashed down a beef pepperoni pizza and then stopped off across the road at a grocery store for a few essentials.

Bed time now, don't really know what I'm doing tomorrow other than more walking, more trying to find food and maybe a little bit more shopping?

Ipoh, Night Hot Springs and Pappa Rich

After yet another sleep-in this morning, I had to pack my bags and smash down an iced coffee. I had a few hours to kill until my train to Ipoh, so I decided to stick with the plan for today as per my 11-page itinerary and re-visit Batu Caves. 

I stashed my bags at the hotel for a couple of days and caught the monorail to KL Sentral. I shoved my overnight bag for Ipoh in a locker and had some breakfast before catching the train to Batu Caves Station.  The extension of the train line and Batu Caves station is a new addition since I was here in 2007. Back then it was RM2.70 on a bus where the ticket guy fell asleep in the seat behind me...

Today it was RM2 return on the train and far less hassle. So easy! Well, except for the scantily clad french bogan couple (male + female) who got on my train and sat in the ladies-only carriage. Not only that, but they sat down next to a Muslim lady, pulled out pastries and OJ and started smashing down food. Then they started canoodling.

Aside from the fact that eating is banned on trains (as is canoodling), it's Ramadan, they are in a Muslim country during fasting month, in a ladies-only carriage, eating next to a lady who is fasting and are being just plain bloody disrespectful. Gees, read the damn guide book! 

I was disgusted.  

A train conductor came past and the situation was resolved, but not before a bunch of the ladies in my carriage got off at the next station in absolute disgust.

After that disgraceful display of arrogance, I arrived at Batu caves. It hasn't changed too much, there's a few extra shrines and temple bits but the 272 stairs are still evil.  This trip I veritably sprinted up the stairs in under three minutes.  In 2007 this took me almost half an hour with a rest stop on every landing. There were less monkeys around this time and they were less thieving. 

I didn't take many photos this time around, as I had them from last time and like I said, not much has changed. I did get a photo of myself in front of the Lord Murugan statue this time though!

After a quick look around the shops, an ice cream and coconut water I caught the train back to KL Sentral. I had a quick lunch, thinking there'd be no eating between now and Ipoh. I also decided a bathroom stop was in order. I had to wait nearly 20 minutes for a normal western cubicle as I don't do squatty potties. A Chinese lady was doing her makeup and hair in the toilet stall, and boy did she get some interesting looks when she came out with her giant makeup and hair bags. 

The train didn't rock up until 4:15pm and I had a seat to myself until about 1hr out of Ipoh when I was joined by a polite and very pleasant young Malay Muslim man in a traditional Songkot hat. He had his prayers on his phone and after completing them we had a chat about what I thought of Malaysia and Islam. He was off to visit his family, I was off for a couple of days of chillout time in Ipoh. He was heading a little further north than I was, can't remember where. 

On arriving in Ipoh, I caught a Taxi to the Lost World Hotel in Tambun. RM36 later, a total rip-off, I arrived at the hotel. I was somewhat apprehensive as I'd read a bunch of bad reviews about it. Well, my experience was the polar opposite - super friendly and super helfpul staff, gorgeous giant room which was pretty clean (handprints on mirrors and the bathroom could have done with a once-over but whatever...) and nice and peaceful.  My room had a king size bed and free WiFi, which was fantastic after the "my dead grandma moves faster than the '3G here in this hotel but it's fine out on the street'" experience I've been having in KL.  

After a quick unpack and sort out, I walked down a couple of shops to Papa Rich. I ended up with curry mee soup with chicken sausage and a garlic naan which I scraped all the garlic off, washed down with another iced lemon tea. I then headed over to the hot springs with the free ticket the hotel gave me as part of my one-night package. 

The Lost World Night Hot Springs is awesome. Lots of pools of varying temperatures, a "Top of the World" Jacuzzi (not top of the world, just top of the Lost World of Tambun), a steam cave, a hot pool with a bar at one end, a great band performing (it's still Hari Raya here and they had a break fast buffet too) who sang a song from one of my Zumba Instructor CD's so I was singing along too) and a few food and drink stalls. I met a Hakka man at the White Coffee stall and bought a box of Lost Wolrd Ipoh White Coffee off him, then had an iced coffee and just chilled for a bit. 

Bed was calling as it was now well after 10pm, so I went back to the hotel, had a shower and here I am all nice and relaxed and ready for a big day at the Lost World of Tambun Theme Park tomorrow. I've heard some pretty crap reviews but at the very least I have a buffet breakfast so I can put off eating for a few hours until I get back to Ipoh town tomorrow. 

Selamat Malam...

Karaoke - Oppa Ramadan Style

Today I was booked to go to Melaka but I can't find bus ticket so I bunked on it.  I went to dr cafe with a Groupon for breakfast at Busana mall, walked to the LRT, caught the tren to KL sentral, changed to Ktm and went to Mid valley Megamall for RM1 each way (about $0.30 AUD).

Lots of shops but nothing to buy so I had a foot reflexology treatment from a blind lady. There's an organisation that trains blind people as therapists for relfexology, massage, etc and they are amazing. I had no idea that there were so many knots in my feet!

Lunch consumed, I caught the train back to KL station for a short walk to petaling street which is still hell on earth. Basically, it's the nasty Chinatown area with market stalls offering counterfeit everything. I bought a bag then bailed and walked to Berjaya Times Square, where I accidentally bought RM17 of frozen yogurt, did some archery with 2xbulls-eyes  in 24 arrows, indulged in a spot of 10 pin bowling, had dinner, bought a large Prada backpack, small wallet and purses; then caught the overstuffed Monorail back to the hotel where I had fun doing my laundry while listening to Ramadan Karaoke and a chorus of car, taxi, truck, bus and motorcycle horns from the bar across the junction and six floors down!

And now it is time for bed because I think I am going to Ipoh tomorrow!

Petroleum + Architecture = Petronas Twin Towers

Today was the day I've been waiting six years for.  I didn't get a chance to go up the Petronas Twin Towers in 2007, so today was very exciting for me. I purchased my tickets online a few weeks ago for RM80 ($27 AUD) which I thought was pretty bloody pricey at the time. I had no idea I'd get 45 minutes of staring at KL from the 41st and 86th floors!

With a canned iced coffee smashed down, it was time to catch the Monorail and then take a short walk past the Malaysia Tourist Information Centre (MATIC) on the walk to KLCC. I arrived, flashed my iphone screen, got my ticket and went off to find some breakfast.

Suria KLCC is just as pathetic as I remembered from seven years ago. Two food courts, only high end shops, a supermarkety-thing and a big waste of time. I ended up with another iced coffee but no food lah. The only places open before 10am upsize you a heart attack with your combo, if you know what I mean. 

Back to the Towers and it was time to ride the first of many elevators to get up the towers. First stop was the 41st floor skybridge. The skybridge is actually double-decked. The lower level is for tourists and the upper deck for people that work in the towers.  We had 15 or 20 minutes here to gaze, gawk and take photos in our own time, which was great. 

We were then ushered into the second elevator ride to the 80th floor (I think) before disembarking then getting into yet another elevator to ride to the 86th flloor of the left hand tower (if you're looking at them from the main road near MATIC). The views were awesome, the scenery stunning, the volunteer staff fantastically friendly and helpful (took lots of photos for me) and on the whole, it was a fab experience!

In the gift shop on the ground floor I bought a Lonely Planet Malay phrase book. I hadn't seen one the whole time I was away, so this was a great find before I head to Ipoh next week. I had a look around Suria KLCC before walking and catching the monorel back to Medan Tuanku for a look around Maju  Junction, whcih is the mall across the road from my hotel.  It has a Giant supermarket, where I bought a few more RM1 ($0.35c AUD) pairs of socks and some essentials like bottled water. 

After returning to the hotel and chilling out for a bit, I was picked up by the cutest Uncle ever in a white van for my half day city tour. Again, I'd had to book for two people and again I had Uncle all to myself. He was so cute, we  drove past some sights and stopped at others sights including the National Palace (Istana Negara), the National Monument, The Lake Gardens, The KL Gallery, Merdeka Square and the Padang, Kampongs, a few freeways plus we stopped at Jadi Batek where I confirmed my Batik Painting workshop for next week, then hit the chocolate, coffee and cookie factory across the road.  

As I'd already done the twin towers, Uncle dropped me off at Sungei Wang plaza. He was really cute, he picked me a hibiscus at the National Monument and took quite a few photos of me.  Sungei Wang was pretty good, I bought some bikinis and Singlets at Cotton On for under $5 AUD and then found my very expensive but essential Loreal Lactic Acid shampoo and conditioner in Sims for about 1/4 the price I would pay in Aussie if I hadn't got it for free previously. 

BBQ plaza was my venue of choice for dinner and after BBQing some pork and lamb, I walked over to Berjaya Times Square where I did some light shopping, had supper and found the nicest lady ever selling sunnies for just RM10 each. I'm going back to see her next week - she had some awesome glasses!  

I caught the Monorail back to the hotel and am now chilling out in case I magically find my bus ticket to Malacca which I'm meant to be visiting tomorrow. So far it's not looking good!

Underground airways and clean clothes at last!

Woke up after being sick all night - what the heck is with me being sick on Thursdays? I spewed on the plane from MEL TO KUL, I was sick last Thursday in Kuching and today I'm sick in Singapore!

After literally dragging my carcass out of bed at stupid o clock, (i really was pretty sick last night, I smashed down some buscopan before I went to sleep) it was time to pack my bags - it seems that having a big suitcase means that I had a license to "do big shopping" lol. I bought slippers, cushion covers, a sarong with a sarong clip and gifts for people at home plus dresses in Chinatown. I had my Lego brick set and a lego mug from JB, a couple of souvenirs from Lamgkawi, Penang and Kuching; and all my shopping from Singapore. 

Singapore is still a shopping paradise, particularly if you are tiny. Last time I was here I couldn't buy anything except shoes because I was over 120kg. This time I was able to take advantage of the great Singapore sale that technically ended up 28th July but was still in full swing for me! I didn't plan my trip around the GSS, it was just a happy coincidence! A large here is a size 12, an XL generally a 14 so I've been happily buying mediums and larges. 

Shoes and branded sportswear are very expensive in Singapore. They're 40-70% cheaper in Malaysia and it looks like I'll have to buy another small 4WD suitcase as I haven't even hit Petaling street in KL yet lol

I was feeling VERY ordinary so I elected to get a cab to the airport. It was only SGD $21, so I felt okay about it. I couldn't cope with the MRT feeling this sick and tired with all these bags! It would have involved walking to Chinatown station, boarding a train to Outram Park, changing to an east (green) line train, then changing again at Tanah Merah to the Changi airport line. Three trains? No thanks. I do that enough in Melbourne, so not doing that on holiday as well!

Changi has changed quite a bit. There's now three terminals, extra shops etc that weren't there six years ago etc. it's a freaking massive airport with awesome facilities - free wifi everywhere, lots of power points to plug your gadgets into, plenty of space, sleep pods, nap areas, free calf and foot massage machines, etc. However, not a lot of variety on the food front and its miles of walking between food outlets. It's mostly nasty at fried food too. 

The gate for my flight was meant to open at 11:30 but we didn't get into the gate lounge until 12pm. The flight was leaving at 12:30 (supposedly) and we still hadn't boarded at 12:15pm. At 12:19 we finally boarded and they closed to doors and pushed back at smack on 12:30pm. We didn't leave early, we didn't land early and the pilot keep throttling back the engines so it was a full one hour duration flight. Stupid Singapore :(

On landing at LCCT, it was five minutes walk to the terminal and then another five minutes to clear immigration & grab my bag. Melbourne Airport, this is a third world airport in a developing country and I was out on the street in ten minutes. You've got a lot to learn! 

I headed for the skybus to KL Sentral and had a good laugh at the antics of the bus captain and ticket sellers. Too hard to explain unless you've been to Malaysia, so lets just say they have interesting places inside bus shelters to stash the keys to the bus. LOL

So now I'm on my way to KL Sentral to buy a taxi coupon to go to the hotel. I expected it should be RM12-15. It was RM10 six years ago! I was right. It is RM13 from KL sentral to the hotel. Its gone up a whole RM3 or about AUD $1 since I was here last in 2007. And the taxi counter is in exactly the same place!

Anyway, I went to the hotel and dropped off my stuff. I started to unpack and then had a horrid feeling that I'd better ring the flight simulator people and Find out when my flight simulator experience was. Good thing I did, because it was now 4:30 PM & my simulator booking was at 6 PM. Turns out that subang airport is one hours taxi ride away from the hotel.

I caught the monorail around to KL Sentral Station and then tried to get on a train to subang jaya station where I can get a taxi to subang airport. Unfortunately the KTM train system takes a completely different ticket to the one that monorails as and as a result of trying to find with the ticket sales were, I missed the train

So I ended up buying a taxi coupon to Subang Jaya. RM34  later I had the ticket in my hand and thought I was home and hosed. Unfortunately it was a 40 minute queue for a taxi and then 60 minutes of Taxi ride. 

I had to call the flight simulator company on the way to tell them i was going to be very late because I was stuck in traffic. They said no problem, I said excellent. The trip involved  three tollbooths and I have no idea exactly how many highways we went on that but it was at least three different ones.

The flight simulator experience itself was incredible. I have a new found respect for pilots as there is so much to remember and do for takeoff and landing. Cruising not so much, autopilot does most of the work except for the occasional change in speed, heading and turning. I chose to take off and land into Sydney airport, which I've done as a passenger about a hundred times. I wanted somewhere familiar just in case!

Golly - rudders, brakes, flaps, landing gear, airspeed, headings, way points, artificial horizon, altitude...my head was spinning. My takeoff was a little off course because holding that baby steady is hard work and I couldn't exactly reach the rudder pedals! Cruise was okay, I engaged the autopilot which did some of the work but i still had turns, headings, speed and altitude to contend with. My landing was a bit of a fail, I was off the runway and into the grass a bit - LOL. 

The pilot did tell me I had done a pretty good job for a girl though and was impressed with my knowledge of planes. I told him I'm a plane geek and love to watch planes take off and land, don't mind watching air crash investigation and love take off and landing as a passenger. In fact, take off is my favourite part - I love the bit where you're sucked into the back of your seat!

After the flight sim I was totally pumped, until I had a one hour wait for a taxi to the nearest train station (Subang Jaya) where I got on the wrong train and had to get off at the next station, get on the right train in the right direction and return to KL Sentral where I had to grab another RM13 Taxi back to the hotel. I then had dinner and finally got to do some laundry in the stinking sweaty 100% humidity of the hotel laundry room on the 7th floor. It was so good to have clean clothes again - LOL.

Bedtime - tomorrow I have my half day tour and best of all, it's up the Petronas Towers at long last! Yay!

A day at the zoos

Today I had the privilege of visiting three animal parks in Singapore.

To get to the zoos from Chinatown I had to catch the MRT to Ang Mo Kio town, then transfer to the 138 bus which takes you to the zoo. It was pretty easy, but took about one hour each way. I did the exact same thing in reverse on the way home.

After spending several weeks emailing Singapore Zoos trying to find out how to book for the jungle breakfast (better known as breakfast with the orang-utans), all my emails bounced back. I have been unable to call the zoo since arriving in Singapore, as I refuse to buy a very expensive sim card for my phone just for three days here. So I decided to just walk up to the zoo this morning and see if I could get in. 

And thankfully I was very fortunate. $29 SGD later I was enjoying a buffet breakfast, commentary from the various animal keepers for the animals who attended our breakfast, and I had my photo taken withorang-utans  who were less than 4 inches from my back. We were obviously not to touch them, but they were allowed to touch us and at one point I did feel a tap of an orang-utan hand on my shoulder. Awwwww!!!!  The breakfast itself was pretty ordinarily, of a similar standard to what I would expect in this part of Asia. But at the end of the day, who gives a toss because I had breakfast with orang-utans!

After breakfast I rode the zoo tram around the whole trip one time just to get my bearings and to figure out what animals I wanted to see. It turned out to be pretty much all of them, the enclosures here are fantastic - you are literally just feet away from animals. There are, of course, electric fences in place to keep the animals and humans apart, but they are very discreet. 

The absolute highlights of the Zoo visit for me was the orang-utans, followed by the elephant ride. It was pretty expensive at $8 for about a five minute walk around a very short circuit, but for the novelty factor it was awesome. At least I could go home now safe in the knowledge that these elephants are not being mistreated, as they are in other parts of Asia where similar activities are offered.

There are lots of things to see and do at the Singapore Zoo. I bought a park hopper ticket, which gave me three parks for $69 Including unlimited rides on the zoo tram. You get lots of animals, a lot of space to walk around, lots of shade, places to sit down and a variety of food outlets. It is definitely the best Zoo that I have visited and was well worth the six years wait!

After a quick lunch at one of the food outlets, it was off to the River Safari. This park has only opened recently and very disappointingly the whole of the Amazon section was closed. It would have been nice if they could have mentioned this on the website, considering the amount of money paid for tickets. Apparently tickets are discounted by $10 to make up for this, but apart from a few fish, beavers and some manatees there is only the giant Pandas to look at in this park. 

Personally I think it is a complete waste of time and money to visit this park before they sort out opening the Amazon section. Don't get me wrong, the Pandas are fantastic and I did really enjoy watching them, but seriously, why open a park if it is only half available for the public to visit? Get your shizzle together!

By this stage in the day it was only about 2:30 PM and I had almost five hours until the Night Safari park opened. I decided to catch the bus back to Ang Mo Kio town and visit the mall next to the bus station. There wasn't much there, so I spent most of my time using the free Wi-Fi to upload some photos on Facebook and check my emails. I took the bus back to the zoo, arriving just before 6 PM. I figured it would be good to have dinner and watch the fire show before the Night Safari officially opened. The fire show was entertaining, but to be quite frank I saw a much better one in Borneo three 

years ago. The food at the Night Safari is totally overpriced and is pretty crap too. I would suggest you eat before you arrive.

The Night Safari itself is fantastic. I elected to let the maddening hordes of people ride the trams first, 

while I walked the three walking trials. I do have to say that the golden leopards completely freaked me 

out, they keept jumping at the glass and the enclosure netting and it was very freaky in the dark. After walking the three trails (naturally I avoided all bats and flying squirrels, stuff them for a joke!), I jumped on the tram and did the circuit. 

This morning I got talking to a lady from outback Queensland while we were in the queue waiting for our photos to be taken messy orangutans. She told me they had done the night Safari the previous 

evening, and had the most hysterical guy in the train doing the commentary. The second I got on my tram and the commentary guy started talking, I knew it was him. Imagine Borat talking in a high-pitched yappy Singlish accent, with a twist of Richard Simmons thrown in for entertainment value. Priceless!

After the tram ride it was time for the creatures of the night show. This was highly entertaining, it featured otters recycling. Yes, you read correctly. Three or four otters came out and have obviously been very highly trained as they were able to recycle aluminium cans, plastic bottles, and paper cups. It was totally cute. 

At one stage they allegedly had a lost animal - it was "on the loose" (Maggie, some sort of snake, I 

believe she may have been a python). They then "found" Maggie and asked for a Macho man from the audience to come up and help them. They dragged some poor Japanese man up on stage, put the python around his shoulders, made him pose and then switched off the lights and ran away for a couple of minutes. It was absolutely hysterical, the guy was absolutely crapping himself.

The show ended, and I had done what I had come to do, so it was time to catch the bus and train back to the hotel.

It is hard to accurately describe the awesome experience that is the night Safari. If you are in Singapore 

you absolutely must do it.

Back to Malaysia tomorrow, so time to go and pack!