Mt Raung huffed and puffed and tried its hardest, but I managed to sneak out of Indonesia in the wee hours of the morning just before they closed up the airport for the third day running. I’m writing this in the similarly wee hours of the Malaysian morning, as the wifi at our bamboo hut accommodations seems to be a nocturnal creature. After a hurried dash through Kuala Lumpur to meet up with my travelling companion for this portion of my trip, the wonderful Candy, we jumped on an overnight bus (cooled to Arctic temperatures which seriously inhibited my ability to sleep) and then a speedy boat to end up on Kecil Perhentian, the smaller of the two Perhentian Islands. Located right up near the Thai border off the North East coast, the Perhentian islands have been on my radar for quite some time as a cheap and gorgeous place to dive, much like a smaller-scale Koh Tao. We’ve been here for over a week and a half, and probably will hang around for another few days before taking off to see(/eat) the culinary sights of Penang.
Malaysia itself is a totally different experience to Indonesia. The first thing that struck me coming from the airport is how much more open and western Malaysia feels- the roads are big, well-maintained, the traffic orderly and the cars new, (oh and was that a Ferrari zooming by?!), and the population incredibly ethnically varied. Wandering around Kuala Lumpur in search of lunch just after my arrival was a tad overwhelming- huge LED screens a la Times Square are dotted around, sky scrapers loom overhead and the hum of city traffic provides the soundtrack. As in big cities everywhere, there are so many different ethnic groups in KL- especially in comparison to Bali. While relatively free of Western tourists, I met many Africans, Indians, Chinese, who were working or studying in Malaysia’s capital. KL is only marginally more expensive than Bali, and I’m certainly enjoying the culinary variety of a big city- we’ve feasted on naan and curry, fried kuay teow (flat rice noodles) and all sorts of random iced tea flavours (chrysanthemum is probably my fave so far).
The Perhentian Islands are another kettle of fish all over again. Just visible on the horizon as you speed off from the mainland, two fuzzy blobs soon clear up into beautiful green, jungle-y islands. Ringed by white sand beaches and huge boulders that tumble into some of the bluest water I’ve ever seen, you do feel a little like you’ve stepped onto a postcard. The water taxi stops a few metres from the shore, so you’ll need to roll up your fisherman pants and step down into 30 degree celcius water to lug your backpack onto the island shore. Our first stop was Turtle Bay Divers, to sort out our plan for diving- logging some serious dive time is pretty much the reason we came to Malaysia. I’m slowly taking steps towards my divemaster- this trip getting my Rescue Diver course out of the way. Rescue Diver is pretty intense and exhausting both physically and mentally, but with an awesome instructor and great team mate in a Quebecer (Quebecerain? Quebecalicious?) named Gen, we battled through and got those drowning peeps safe. Days diving are often followed by nights at Beach Bar, with their nightly fire show (amazing) and pumping dance floor (also amazing). The local boat boys join the heaving throng, and man, some of those boys can out twerk Miley. I’m yet to meet another Australian here, which is somewhat refreshing after the ‘Little Australia’ that Bali can be at times. In one of the local cafes (one that only serves varieties of Roti- there are no words for how happy that makes me) the comments book is filled with ‘I came for two days and stayed for two weeks’, ‘I was meant to leave three days ago’, ‘CAN I JUST STAY HERE FOREVER?’ and variations on that theme. Island time is certainly a slippery concept, with whole days seeming to linger for many times their natural length but then weeks disappearing with a snap of your sandy fingers. It doesn’t matter what day it is- there is no such thing as a weekend or a working-day, and the only time it was even thinkable to set an alarm was for an early morning Sea Horse Drift dive. I didn’t have to wear shoes for the entire two weeks we were there, which made my heart sing- and also helped with the recovery of my heels (though hours of dancing on sand certainly put me back a decent whack). However dealing with real world tasks soon becomes all a bit too hard- with basically no internet (once I was told it was because it was too windy… dang wind blowing the wifi away) no power, and a gorgeously blue sea beckoning, even something as straightforward as booking a flight was something I had to work myself up to over the period of a day or two.
With only one week left in Malaysia (where on Earth have these three months gone?!) I’ll be filling that time with exploring Penang (street art and foodie heaven) before heading back to Kuala Lumpur and flying out. Look out for Penang tales in the next few days, after what is by all reports a pretty hair-raising bus journey across the country.
Malaysia itself is a totally different experience to Indonesia. The first thing that struck me coming from the airport is how much more open and western Malaysia feels- the roads are big, well-maintained, the traffic orderly and the cars new, (oh and was that a Ferrari zooming by?!), and the population incredibly ethnically varied. Wandering around Kuala Lumpur in search of lunch just after my arrival was a tad overwhelming- huge LED screens a la Times Square are dotted around, sky scrapers loom overhead and the hum of city traffic provides the soundtrack. As in big cities everywhere, there are so many different ethnic groups in KL- especially in comparison to Bali. While relatively free of Western tourists, I met many Africans, Indians, Chinese, who were working or studying in Malaysia’s capital. KL is only marginally more expensive than Bali, and I’m certainly enjoying the culinary variety of a big city- we’ve feasted on naan and curry, fried kuay teow (flat rice noodles) and all sorts of random iced tea flavours (chrysanthemum is probably my fave so far).
The Perhentian Islands are another kettle of fish all over again. Just visible on the horizon as you speed off from the mainland, two fuzzy blobs soon clear up into beautiful green, jungle-y islands. Ringed by white sand beaches and huge boulders that tumble into some of the bluest water I’ve ever seen, you do feel a little like you’ve stepped onto a postcard. The water taxi stops a few metres from the shore, so you’ll need to roll up your fisherman pants and step down into 30 degree celcius water to lug your backpack onto the island shore. Our first stop was Turtle Bay Divers, to sort out our plan for diving- logging some serious dive time is pretty much the reason we came to Malaysia. I’m slowly taking steps towards my divemaster- this trip getting my Rescue Diver course out of the way. Rescue Diver is pretty intense and exhausting both physically and mentally, but with an awesome instructor and great team mate in a Quebecer (Quebecerain? Quebecalicious?) named Gen, we battled through and got those drowning peeps safe. Days diving are often followed by nights at Beach Bar, with their nightly fire show (amazing) and pumping dance floor (also amazing). The local boat boys join the heaving throng, and man, some of those boys can out twerk Miley. I’m yet to meet another Australian here, which is somewhat refreshing after the ‘Little Australia’ that Bali can be at times. In one of the local cafes (one that only serves varieties of Roti- there are no words for how happy that makes me) the comments book is filled with ‘I came for two days and stayed for two weeks’, ‘I was meant to leave three days ago’, ‘CAN I JUST STAY HERE FOREVER?’ and variations on that theme. Island time is certainly a slippery concept, with whole days seeming to linger for many times their natural length but then weeks disappearing with a snap of your sandy fingers. It doesn’t matter what day it is- there is no such thing as a weekend or a working-day, and the only time it was even thinkable to set an alarm was for an early morning Sea Horse Drift dive. I didn’t have to wear shoes for the entire two weeks we were there, which made my heart sing- and also helped with the recovery of my heels (though hours of dancing on sand certainly put me back a decent whack). However dealing with real world tasks soon becomes all a bit too hard- with basically no internet (once I was told it was because it was too windy… dang wind blowing the wifi away) no power, and a gorgeously blue sea beckoning, even something as straightforward as booking a flight was something I had to work myself up to over the period of a day or two.
With only one week left in Malaysia (where on Earth have these three months gone?!) I’ll be filling that time with exploring Penang (street art and foodie heaven) before heading back to Kuala Lumpur and flying out. Look out for Penang tales in the next few days, after what is by all reports a pretty hair-raising bus journey across the country.
