Mamasitas in Malaysia

Moving from Borneo to peninsular Malaysia was a bit like moving forward in time... Out of the jungle and into the shopping mall! We flew into the capital of Kuala Lumpur and then straight to Kota Bharu (a small city in the N East). Having to go to the peninsula at this time was somewhat of a backtrack already so we decided to go all out and head for the nearest island for some recovery time. We ended up in the Perhentian Islands... they have the reputation of being a sea-lovers paradise with excellent snorkeling and white sand beaches.

When we arrived on Pulau Perhentian Kecil (the smaller and more moderately priced of the two islands) I was a bit disappointed. Instead of isolated, pristine paradise there were long-boats resting all along the beach, a hodgepodge of small bungalows and some construction sites. I was looking for the serenity of the quintessential 'tropical beach' and what I got was beautiful, but not quite it. I liken it to a Hollywood starlet... beautiful, but tragically vacant. Maybe with a little work you could have something.

Anyway, over the four days we spent there the place actually grew on me. It rained for a whole day, which was depressing, but the surf was pretty big after the rain and therefore the water was free of long-boats and we could do some body boarding! I spent some quality time with my book on the beach working on my sunburn and we did some snorkeling on the other side of the island that was quite nice. In the end I was actually sad to leave the turquoise water and relaxed atmosphere.

Next, we headed back to KL, a stark contrast from the islands. I really loved KL for its old world, yet cosmopolitan feel. The new age transit system and high-class shopping malls clashed with old mosques, temples and Islamic-inspired architecture that abounds in the downtown core.

In the short few days we had in KL we chose to kill an obscene amount of time lining up for free tickets to walk across the 'skybridge' of the iconic Petronas Towers (452m). I don't think I would recommend this, unless one is super keen to watch an informative propaganda movie about the wonders of the Petronas oil company. The 'skybridge' is actually only on the 41st floor so doesn't really afford miraculous views of the city. We also walked through Chinatown and checked out the old buildings, mosques, Hindu temples etc. of the old quarter. In the evening we even splurged for tickets to the ever so Malaysian movie Magnificent Desolation: A Walk On The Moon (narrated by Tom Hanks) at the theater across from our hostel. I can't even put to words how amazing it feels to do something 'normal' (like sit in a movie theater eating popcorn) every once and a while.

After KL we took the bus to the former trading mecca of Melaka. Melaka was a really interesting place full of history and character. We spent our time here walking through the narrow, old streets and visiting the famous historical sites and museums. There was SO much history there (the Dutch, Portuguese and British held the port at different times)... it was almost overwhelming. They've done a really good job preserving the relics and historical churches, temples and city hall making it into sort of an open-air museum.

After Melaka we headed back to KL to catch a flight BACK to Borneo (Oy!) to do the diving trip we had to postpone. I've been thinking long and hard about how to describe our 3 day/2 night trip to Sipidan... I can't express in words how amazing it was. The experience of being underwater in Sipidan, Mabul and Kapalai, mixing with the greatest abundance of aquatic life I have EVER seen, was one of the best things I've ever done. I'll stop there... Maybe Amy has more to say?!

Following our Sipidan adventure we flew back to Bangkok to have another go at Thailand.