Malaysia...

Having made it into the country, our first stop was Kuala Lumpur. I have to be completely honest here & tell all that I was not particularly impressed - although I think that the cleanliness & statue of Singapore may be solely responsible for this. Kuala Lumpur was dirty, expensive, & very very muggy. A dirty muggy that I will no doubt become accustomed to in my time in the larger cities in Asia.

We were staying in Chow Kit, in the North of the city, which is close to China Town (pictured). Chow Kit is renowned for its markets, in which all of the stalls appeared to be selling the same cheapy goods - none of which grasped my interests. The place is very dirty, but as mentioned. in comparison to Singapore. When I mentioned that Malaysia was expensive I was, of course, referring to the price of alcohol. Try six to eight pounds a pint expensive :-O As Malaysia is a Muslim country (in the majority) alcohol is not top of the bill for the general public. Tourists can located watering holes, although they will pay the price. Therefore we decided to keep the drinking to a minimum, & spoil ourselves for the Champions League final. Dixy enjoyed the first 10mins of the match, I enjoyed the result the most ;-)

The most impressive sight in Kuala Lumpur, in my opinion, is the Petronas towers. They clearly dominate the skyline & have a glorious metallic glow to them from all angles. Unfortunately we did not get the opportunity (aka - make the effort) to go up & cross the bridge between the towers. We were far more focussed on visiting an island on the North West coast of Malaysia, recommended to us by a lovely English couple we had met, called Langkawi.

Langkawi is a Malaysian tax haven - meaning cheap beer! :-) We checked into a hostel on the West coast of the island that was located close to the luxury resorts & the white sandy beaches, costing us a whopping four pounds a night!! The beer from the hostel fridge was 55p a (coke sized) can, with a self serve honesty policy. Great start. On our first day we settled into the hostel & beaches, had a wonderful seafood soup feast, & played drinking games with our new buddies Phil (German) & Lucas (Polish).

The next day we all hired scooters (six pounds for the day & less than a pound for a whole tank of petrol), & then proceeded to check out the island. On our thirty minute drive to the island's waterfalls we saw lots of buffalo, monkeys & a salamander lizard...pretty cool.

The waterfall was nice, but the rocks were quite precariously slipperly. We all decided to refresh ourselves by getting in & sliding down into the pools below. All was well & good until we discovered that we were all covered in tiny leeches - after which none of us were too keen to go again!

We scootered around checking out more of the island & its beaches, before we decided it was time to head up the islands biggest peak. The drive up was excellent, as the roads were incredibly windy & we saw only one other car in the 13000m climb.

We decided that it would be rude not to get a piccy of the most notorious "Motorcycle Gang" on Langkawi. The views from the top were incredible. It was nearly possible to see the whole island from up there.

That night we played more drinking games at the hostel, including a lovely couple that we met from Jersey, before heading to the local club & get our groove on!

The next day was spent recovering, before Lucas & I made the effort (later in the PM) to explore the areas of the island we had missed the previous day. I was glad that we did.

We stopped off at a temple of worship & went in to get a better look. I had read the guides & done my homework, so I remembered to take off my shoes before entering (it is very disrespectful not to). I was amazed at the intricate detail of each column & beam in the temple, which was a lot more colourful than any religious relic that you would expect to find in Europe. I am certain that this will be the first of my many visits to such religious temples throughout Asia.

Next stop was the Book Village, located in the centre of the island. Unfortunately we were too late to get into any of the libraries, although we were able to appreciate the peaceful surroundings of the jungle & stream of the location. This is, according to the guide books, the largest collection of English texts in Malaysia. I would like to have had a nosey around & see what they had to offer.

The drive back to the hostel that evening was nothing short of spectacular.

As the sun began to set, I became envious of anyone wearing glasses or a visor - as the bugs begin their suicidal mission of throwing themselves at our headlights. I get the feeling that the majority missed, mostly hitting my eyes or my face. A small price to pay when you are treated to magnificent scenes such as this...

I would strongly recommend Langkawi to all visiting Malaysia, not merely because it is beautiful & cheap, but because the atmosphere there is great. The locals are very friendly & there is no pressure to buy or do anything. Very refreshing.

On our last day on the island we decided to put ourselves through the ordeal of enjoying some of the luxury resort's facilities (for free)...such a tough life!

Upon leaving Langkawi the boys & I went our separate ways - them to Thailand & me to the jungle! I decided that I should check out one of the oldest jungles in the world, Teman Nagara in central Malaysia, which is reportedly 130 million years young. First off I had to take a ferry & then a bus all the way back to Kuala Lumpur, before heading back up to the mid/east of Malaysia, because the bus&train routes are fairly limited. I caught an early morning bus from KL, then a boat up the river from a town about 100kms south of the park.

The boat ride took 3 hours, although there was some stunning scenery to enjoy. I had also met some good people on the bus, a Canadian (Nick) & a couple Aussies (Garth & Kristy), so I was in good company. The town of Kuala Tahan is located on the opposite side of the river from the park, which is where we were staying - providing easy access to the park/jungle. The town is a mix of wooden chalets, old buildings & small shacks. All along the river there are floating restaurants, which in order to access you have to literally "walk the plank" from the shore (a nice touch, I thought). We had dinner at one of the floating restaurants, local cusine costing less than three pounds for a full meal, then set off across the river for a night time jungle walk.

The night time is the best time to see the abundance of wildlife in the jungle, as the majority of its inhabitants are nocturnal (or just sensible enough to stay underground during the crazy daytime heat). On our 2km round trip we saw scorpions, spiders, lots of ants (big ones!), fire flies, a sloth, some deer, centipede, &my personal favourite - a deermouse (it is a large mouse that looks like a deer). It was an enjoyable experience, costing all of two pounds - which is also exactly what a bed in the town's hostel cost for the night...I am liking Asia more & more.

The next day the four of us were up early & in the jungle by 8.30am, with a day of exploration planned. We mapped out a 12km round trip, which would give us a good look at what the park had to offer.

On our way to our canopy walk we came across some massive bamboo plants. I have never seen bamboo this big! As it grows so quickly, & is strong when bound together in construction, it is a very handy product of the jungle for the locals. Not long after we passed this both Garth & I felt some sharp stings. I had heard/seen nothing. Then I looked ahead & saw a hornet/jungle bee nest on the side of the track. Needless to say we ran pretty fast past it!

The jungle canopy walk is the world's longest suspended jungle/forrestry walkway, measuring just under 500m in length. It consists of 13 separate walkways & 12 platforms. The whole walkway is suspended about one hundred feet up into the jungle canopy, giving some excellent views enjoyed by the monkeys on a daily basis.

After our walk in the skies it was time to climb the Teresek Mountain. It is not the tallest peak in the park, but it was certainly steep enough to work up one hell of a sweat in those steamy jungle conditions. The views of the park from the top are nothing short of spectacular...some views no cameras can convey effectively enough.

That's me - not Tarzan (in case anyone is confused). The amazing amount of twisted vines offered up a number of opportunities to immitate the king of the swingers...great fun! We made our way up steam to the lookout point, then went for a swim in the river to cool off. Well deserved. I managed to avoid the leeches this time, although Nick wasn't as lucky!

I will finish with a couple of my favourite images from the park. A true jungle in every imaginable way & a thoroughly worthwhile excursion! Next stop Thailand.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia