Leaving the Cameron Highlands was a bit sad for me. I became very attached to the place. Thought about it a lot even though I was not there and had other places to think about. Descending 1000 meters in to the tropical heat was a little bit of a surprise too. I acclimatise so quickly these days to the temperature changes.
The journey to Penang was simple and easy. The hostel was an interesting place. It was dark wood inside and like a kung fu house. I really liked it. Though the two ladies sharing the room with me liked to be naked a lot. It was there way of dealing with the heat, but I just did not want to see them that way. I was still wearing a lot to sleep in as I was used to wearing so much in bed in the Cameron Highlands, and I guess the nakedness was too much for me. The ladies were actually really lovely and interesting people, but would not talk to each other, so I was often in the middle.
Penang is a real mix of cultures and buildings. A lot of colonial buildings left from the British with Chinese, Hindu and Islamic temples and architecture. Very interesting place. I got to see a dragon dance outside on of the temples, just by chance.
The people are all very friendly, always asking where you are from and how old are you and if you are married. It puzzles the locals that people are not married in their early 20s.
Penang was not my favorite place though. I did not explore as much of the island as I should have. There was much more to see than George Town. It kinda seemed a bit lost to me. Stuck in the past and trying to come forward in to the modern day, with out trying.
Plus I was looking forward to seeing my friends in Thailand and getting back on the beach. The bus journey was dreadful to Thailand. I can't believe how fast we were going. The driver could win any Grand Pix. We got to our destination alive. I just kept my eyes closed. What else could I do. I kept telling myself this is the way they drive over here. The other drivers know what to do. It will be ok.
I was heading to Phuket to be picked up by a friend of a friend. She is managing a yatch and it was beautiful. I spent some time with her and her family before heading north to Khoa Lak where we met up with Brian. I could only stay out for a couple of hours. I was so tired and hungry. I was dizzy and was only drinking soda water.
Next morning I got to appreciate Khoa Lak. Beautiful beaches. Sadly this area in Thailand was the worst hit by the tsunami. The area I was staying in was destroyed by the tsunami. The hotel I stayed at was on the beach front and the wave came in 200 meters from the hotel. Scary. There are warning signs everywhere. We went to look at the memorial sight. There is a ship that was one nautical mile out to sea and was washed in 2k from the shore. The boat was a police boat. It was somber but beautiful at the same time. Everyone has gotten on with their lives.
The town was very quite, but fun. We went to a waterfall and found a temple off the beaten track. We should have used a 4x4 but the car managed to get us there.
Christmas eve we went to a bar with live music. I drank a bit too much. I was dizzy again and this time it was from the vodka and tonics. It meant that I spent far too much time in bed on Christmas Day. When we got up at around 2pm we went to have dinner by the beach. It was beautiful, though it was raining. Just like being in England, although I heard it was sunny over there. My starter was a spicy fruit salad with peanuts, which was fantastic, then Thai green curry, and of course I asked for it to be spicy too, then I had vanilla ice cream, which is not Thai but was decorated with an orchid. I loved my food, plus I was drinking coconut juice from a coconut. Then proceeded to alcohol a little later on.
Boxing Day was lazy too. We soon moved on to Phuket. We stayed on Kata Beach, which was beautiful. I tried to have a go at diving. I think I will have to try it again. I managed to relax in to it but definitely need to try again.
New Year's was fun. Spent some time on the beach, watching the thousands of fireworks go off. Some nearly hitting us. Safety is not a priority here in Asia. I set off a baloon to welcome the New Year wishing everyone good fortune for the year to come.
On New Year's Eve during the day I went on a boat cruise to caves and islands off of Phuket Island. We saw these amazing limestone caves that opened up in to a lagoon. We kayaked in to the caves. The colours and shapes were very interesting.
We went out at high tide, so the entrance to the caves was very small. I was unsure that we would be able to fit though the gap. Once inside it was so dark. We had a flash light which helped. The passage was not very long, and opened up to this perfect lagoon. We were enclosed by the rocks that were above us and in the middle of a mangrove. It was beautiful. The roof of the cave was so low that we had to like down in the kayak. Which made coming out of the cave even more spectacular as above were beautiful green leaves of so many colours and bright blue sky and the water around was an aqua green.
Once we had finished in the caves we took a look around James Bond Island- the Island that is in 'Man with the Golden Gun'. I could be misquoting, but I think it was from that film. The island itself is tiny. We were on an island opposite as it is too small to actually go on, so we got some great views.
Shortly after the New Year arrived I had to make tracks back to Malaysia. They only grant 15 days when you travel by land into Thailand and I did not want to get another fine.
The journey back was fine. Changed buses three times, which is the Thai way to travel! I went to Penang. I wish I had not. I needed to get back to Kaular Lumpur and wanted to break up the journey. I had an encounter with bed bugs. Everywhere was fully booked. I had to stay in a disgusting place. I have so many bites on my body. Next morning, I got straight on a bus to KL. I can still feel things crawling on me!
Today I queued up to apply for my Indian Visa. Hopefully it will be ready in 5 days. So I will be here for at least a week.
I am not sure of my plans from here. I may head to Singapore and go to India early or visit nearby areas. Just waiting for some inspiration then I will know what to do.
Happy New Year to you all. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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