Malaysia and Southern Thailand

Day: 46
Countries: 5
Stops: 17


Two weeks went by so fast, and yet somehow Singapore seems so long ago, let alone Indonesia or China. I'm currently in Bangkok, waiting for my sister to join me at the hotel, so I finally have some time to catch up on the updates.


As I mentioned, we arrived in Melaka in the afternoon of Nov 14 (that's Day 33). Our hotel was in Chinatown, so we had a quick lunch at the nearby food centre that consisted of a few different vendors with their stalls and portable kitchens, and a number of tables and chairs at the ground level of a small building. Essentially, you go out and order your food, then you either take it back with you if it's ready, or they'll come and find you when it's cooked. Drinks can be ordered at the table separately. You pay for the meal once you get it, then you just eat your meal and leave when you're done. Average price was about $5 per meal or less, and the food was pretty decent if you're willing to eat local. After lunch, we went on an orientation walk through Jonker Street and the riverside, then during our free time, Morven (my roommate) and I went to explore the Istana Ke Sultana, which is a reconstructed timber palace with no nails. Afterwards was a trishaw tour, going out to a Malay village (Kampung Morten) to see a traditional Malay house, and a few other historical sites by the river, before dropping us back off for dinner in town.

Istana Ke Sultana

on the trishaw with Morven

In the morning, we took a 2 hour bus ride into Kuala Lumpur, and after a quick lunch at another food centre near our hotel (on Jalan Petaling), we went on a half day tour that included the National Monument, National Mosque, a tour of the Royal Selangor Pewter factory, and the Batu Caves, where they have Hindu shrines inside the cave (after going up 200+ steps!). Afterwards, we did an orientation tour of the historical centre, before going up to KLCC to see the Petronas towers at night! The following day was essentially a free day, so we explored the city a bit by taking a free heritage walk around Chinatown and Little India, then heading up to the KL tower for a view of the city and finishing off with an excellent rendang chicken dinner at the Old China Cafe near the hotel. 

at Merdeka Square in KL

Petronas Twin Towers

Left Kuala Lumpur after lunch on Day 36, catching a bus to Bukit Gantang, in the state of Perak. We met up with our host families, who picked us up from the bus station. After a few hours rest and dinner, the whole group met up again (we had been split into 3 houses) to visit the local hot springs. The next day saw us visiting the Matang Museum, which was an old traditional wooden house with exhibits on Perak and tin mining. Afterwards, we visited a mangrove plantation that grew trees (I forget the names) specifically for charcoal production. We then visited the local charcoal factory and learned how they made charcoal in the traditional way, in brick ovens (kilns). Then it's a quick drive to Taiping town, where we checked out the Lake Gardens, before heading back for some fruit tasting! There was pineapple, watermelon, banana, papaya, guava, starfruit, honeydew, and, of course, durian! Which, honestly, wasn't as foul smelling as everyone says, although the taste is a bit too rich for me. Edible, but definitely not my favourite fruit. Fruit tasting was followed by dinner in our respective homestays, then we reconvened again to do a mock traditional Malay wedding! Stan and Trish were picked to be the bride and groom, and everyone was dressed in the traditional outfits! The next morning, we said our goodbyes to the host family, then went to Kuala Kangsar to see the State Mosque and the Royal Residence (of the Sultan of Perak) before driving to the bus station to catch a bus to Butterworth, where we caught a ferry to Georgetown, on Penang island.

Lake Gardens in Taiping

Our hosts, Aminah and Raman

We arrived in Georgetown around 2pm, so we headed to Prangin Mall by KOMTAR for lunch. The afternoon was free, so we walked around to check out some of the sights. Unfortunately, we left it too late, we were only able to see the Khoo Kongsi clan house as by the time we got to the other sights, they were already closed. In the evening, we took an orientation walk and saw the Sri Mariamman Temple near Little India, the Goddess of Mercy temple down the street, and St. George's church, the Courthouse, the Cathedral of the Assumption, and the Penang Museum. Dinner was at Red Garden food court, which is essentially the same idea as the food centres, but with better atmosphere. The following day, we took a half day tour, checking out the Thai and Burmese Temples (across the street from each other), Fort Cornwallis, the Chinese clan jetties (specifically, the Chew Clan Jetty), and finally, the Kek Lok Si Temple, with the giant Goddess of Mercy statue and great views of Penang.

Khoo Kongsi clan house

early morning in Georgetown

Dimsum breakfast was the first order of the day, then we left Georgetown on a minivan, across the Penang bridge (longest bridge in SE Asia, apparently) and north to the Malaysia-Thailand border. Then it's off to Nakhon Si Thammarat, where we went to visit the home of a master shadow puppet maker (via a songthaew!). They showed us a collection of old puppets and explained a bit about shadow puppet theatre, then gave a short puppet show and showed us how the leather puppets were made. In the morning, we made a quick trip to Wat Mahathat, supposedly the site where Buddhism was first taught (preached?) in Thailand. Then it's off on the minivan to the pier to catch the ferry to Ko Samui!

Shadow puppet behind-the-scenes

After arriving at our hotel in Ko Samui, we headed out to check out Lamai beach and get ourselves oriented. Then, after dinner, we took a walk through the small night market, catching a glimpse of the seedy side of Thai tourism along the way. The next morning, our scheduled tour of Ang Thong Marine Park was cancelled due to bad (terrible) weather, but was replaced by a snorkelling tour of Ko Nang Yuan and Ko Tao via catamaran (along with several busloads of other tourists!). Which wasn't the greatest ride, what with the rough seas and all. It also started raining on the way there. When we arrived at Nang Yuan, we were all herded off the catamaran onto a wooden plank/walkway, then once everyone was off, a smaller boat arrived and we all got on to get to Ko Tao, our first snorkelling stop. Snorkelling was ok, there were lots of fish to see, but the water was a bit turbid from the bad weather. Also, it started raining again, so we all got on board and went back to Nang Yuan for a buffet lunch. Unfortunately, only a small part of the restaurant was covered, so everyone was piled into a tiny space, and walking through 2-3 cm of water on the slippery tile floor. We were meant to have free time on Nang Yuan after lunch, either to go snorkelling or just hang out and explore, but the rain made it difficult, and we ended up hanging out by the bar (partially covered) until it was time to leave. Definitely a crazy trip! Good thing the next day was a free day, so we all slept in, took a walk down the beach, and went for a swim in the pool before heading out for dinner to Chaweng Beach and afterwards to see a Cabaret show of "ladyboys", as they're apparently known around here. The show was great, except for the ridiculously priced drinks (290 Baht for a small bottle of beer, that's almost $10, definitely high by SE Asian standards!). 

Lamai Beach night market, Ko Samui

Rain in Ko Nang Yuan

The following day saw us boarding the ferry back to the mainland, and taking the bus to Surat Thani, where we caught an overnight train that arrived in Bangkok at 7 am the following morning. I woke up around 6am and watched the scenery go by...views of flooded houses and roads, and even railway tracks in some cases! But we arrived safely enough and made our way to our hotel near Khao San road, the backpacker mecca in Bangkok! The morning included a canal/river tour, although the canals were actually closed because of the flooding, and a tour through Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha. Then after lunch, we decided to head for the nearby Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo, all very impressive! Afterwards, we decided to take a tuk tuk back to the hotel...one tuktuk for 6 people! Crazy, and dangerous, but not a bad deal overall. A few hours of rest, then it's time to meet up for our farewell dinner at a nearby restaurant on Rambuttri road. 

Wat Arun, across the river

Wat Phra Kaeo, within the Grand Palace

Officially, that's the end of my Singapore to Bangkok tour. Since my next tour through Cambodia and Vietnam doesn't start until Nov 28th, I'm here for a couple of extra nights. This morning, I went with a couple of people from my trip who were still around, and we visited the Vimanmek mansion (and the other buildings/museums at Dusit Palace), the largest teak building in the world and made without nails, and then Jim Thompson's House, which is a collection of traditional Thai houses shipped from around Thailand. Both beautiful buildings, unfortunately, barganing with taxi drivers who refused to put on the meter kind of marred the experience for me. Afterwards, we walked to the nearby shopping mall, MBK, for a quick lunch before heading back by taxi (metered, this time, finally!) to the hotel, where I quickly collected my bags and hopped on a taxi (again, unmetered! I'm starting to not like Bangkok...) to transfer to my other hotel, where I'll be meeting up with the next tour tomorrow evening!