Islands, beaches, islands, beaches

Langkawi is probably the most well-known beach destination in Malaysia, so why did we decide we didn't want to go there? Because Lankawi is probably the most well-known beach destination in Malaysia. Therefore, after spending a night in an idyllic little village, we headed for something entirely different. A Beach. From Kota Bharu we took a bus to Kuala Besut from where you can take a ferry to the Perenthian Islands.

Traveling with a family? Perenthian Besar it is. Travel with a backpack?
Perenthian Kecil will probably be your destination.

We chose what should be the backpacker island and picked Long Beach as our destination. According to the Lonely Planet, the "quiet islands" are a "tropical paradise". I wouldn't agree. Perhaps my stay at the Andaman Islands in India had spoiled me, because the beach didn't impress me and I wouldn't call the islands quiet at all (even though it was no where near a Thai-style party scene).

Well, it wasn't all bad.

The islands did, however, have another sort of paradise to offer in the wonderful world beneath the surface. Snorkeling in the cristal clear water with sharks and giant sea turtles, I gave a little peace of my heart to the islands. Swimming next to a sea turtle as big as me, I was ecstatic!

If a sea turtle isn't your cup of tee, how about this fellow? Mind I tell you, this guy is huge. Very big.
I hadn't seen one of these before. Don't need to see one again. Ever.

Moving on, we spent a few days exploring the islands, the animals, the beer and the beach before it was time to pack our bags and leave for yet another beach. Another bus ride away lay Cherating and I instantly dig the place. Unfortunately we arrive too late to hit the waves, the surfing season is over, but there's still some cool things going on. There are more locals then travellers, there's art and music and the vibe is relaxed and hip. There's really not anything to see here, people come to surf and surf only. The beach is dull and the main street quiet, but nonetheless Cherating is my favorite stop in Malaysia. Why, I think to myself. Because it's real. It's not a tourist drag, it's a real place with real people.

Locals take on Adele's hit Someone Like You.

Unfortunately, we only have time to stay a couple of nights and just when we have bought our bustickets, a local with a guitar in hand approaches us. It's his birthday and he and some friends are going to the beach to drink Jack Daniels. Would we like to come along? Busticket in hand we have no choice but to wish him happy birthday and get on the bus. What a shame. We hook up with two german girls for the bus ride, heading for Tioman Island.

Now, for the less traveled, traveling is not always fun. It's not always a holiday. It can be ruff, exhausting and sometimes you may even question your sanity. This was one of those times.

Arriving in the middle of the night, tired and hungry, we somehow find our way to the ferry station.
Hardly any sleep on the comfortable tables I try to remind myself, why is it I love traveling again?

We don't see much of Mersing, the ferry town taking backpackers to and fro the island. The first ferry that leaves in the morning, we're on it. When we arrive on the island, we realise there is a problem. Almost every room is full. There's a public holiday coming up and we are not the only ones to celebrate it on Tioman. Fortunately, we find an affordable little hut. Would we have arrived a day or two later, there would have been no room, people were even sleeping on the beach! (Not a bad option I suppose.)

Next it's time to do what we came here for. Diving. I've been waiting to take my diving license and explore the big blue sea for a long time and we have heard that diving in Tioman is good. Really good. What I hadn't accounted for is that the asthma I have makes diving dangerous.

One of the many boats taking people diving. Unfortunately, I'm not taking that boat.

I could lie and say I don't have asthma, but do I really want to take the risk before consulting a doctor? No, I don't. I'm bummed, but realistically I can't do anything about this and so, instead, we hit the beach, go snorkeling and drink cheap beer.

It's hard to be bummed when you have this!

Thought getting a drink would be hard in muslim Malaysia? Think again!

Okay, so you get a fine equivalent to about 1200 euro or get whipped (no more then 6 strokes) for selling, buying or drinking alcohol. I guess that's the price you pay for destroying your liver.

Tioman is different. There are countless little diving shops on the one street we walk up and down during our stay and we quickly become part of the little community on the island, mostly consisting of all the dive instructors that live on the island. It's relaxed, it's small and it's fun. It's the perfect place to end our stay in Malaysia.




On our last night, there's a big party. Everyone (probably everyone on the entire island) gather in a tiny little bar. There's a man with a guitar, there's beer, there's an australian woman talking about how people in Finland are either trolls or elves, there's more beer, there's a fight, there's laughing, there's crying, there's everything we could've ever hoped for.



The next day we reluctantly pack our bags. The party has taken it's toll, we're tired and we don't want to leave the little island.

However, our three weeks in Malaysia is up and we are planning to take a bus to Singapore the same day. We drag ourselves, and our bags, to the pier and as the boat leaves, we wave goodbye to the beaches, the sand, the snorkeling, the sleeping in the sun, the wading in the sea. Singapore will be our last stop before flying home, so it is with a bit of sadness that we navigate around the busstation to find a bus that will take us just a little bit closer to home. Next up, Singapore!

Goodbye Tioman!

From 1,5 million to 100, KL to Kota Bharu

After over three months in India, I must admit stepping out from the airport in Kuala Lumpur was a bit of a relief. Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia, has a population of about 1,5 million and as hardened travelers we were prepared for the worst, but oh no, Malaysia was a different deal. Finding the right bus in India was not always an easy task, but here we got tickets and found the right bus without trouble as the buses were LABELED and people were HELPING us to find the right bus. The bus was AIRCONDITIONED and the seats were SPACIOUS and CLEAN. What was this place? Had we just spent three months on a different planet? It seemed as if Malaysia would be a walk in the park compared to the slippery rock climbing of India.

After about an hour on the bus and the minor hassle of finding a place to stay, we found ourselves in what seemed to be a five star guesthouse; The Green Hut. The room had ALL of the following:

• Bathroom INSIDE the room
• Hot water
• Mirror
• AC
• WiFi
• White and clean sheets

We spent the previous night "In Jail" in Calcutta, the room in KL was a nice  change!

Matt only had about 20 hours in Malaysia, so we would have to get our hands dirty right away. One stop on every traveler’s checklist in KL is the Petronas Twin Towers. We went, we saw, we took pictures and we left. Moving on, during the day we also made it to China Town and to the biggest outdoor aviary in Asia (where we got rained on, badly) and got some tasty Chinese food from one of the countless restaurants around the corner from our guesthouse.

The famous towers, there they are!

Unfortunately, that’s about all you have time for when spending ONE DAY in a country. Matt flew back to the US while I was staying in KL to await the arrival of my friend Niina, who had been traveling all over South East Asia the last few months. I spent the next day with my newly purchased Lonely Planet and much beloved WiFi, trying to figure out our route for the next few weeks. Niina arrived later that day and after a few beers and sharing travel stories from the last few months, we finally came up with a brilliant plan at 2 am. The weather forecast showed nothing but thunder and rain the following days in KL, so the next day we would head northeast to Kota Bharu from were we would make our way down the coast to Singapore.

From KL we headed to Kota Bharu and hit all the stars in Malaysia before our last stop in Singapore

So early next morning we got bus tickets on an overnight bus. Even if buses in Malaysia operate fairly well, there is always room for confusion. After a chaotic hour or so of waiting for the right bus to arrive, having no idea when or where it would, we finally managed to get on it. Even the creepy guy that had spent the last hour getting closer and closer to Niina, drawn in by her red hear, repeating “hello” about 87 times and giving us thumbs up, was seated in the back of the bus a safe distans away from our seats in the very front.

Seven smooth hours later we found ourselves in Kota Bharu at about 5 am, creepy bus station guy next to us. Great. Thankfully, a hostel we could escape to was close by and we even got a good deal for a few hours of sleep and a shower. There where two reason why we had come to Kota Bharu:

1. from here you can make your way down the coast and stop in various beach destinations, and
2. we had heard there might be a possibility to stay at a local village nearby.

We were planning to do both, so the next day we walked over to the tourist information and got some fantastic help from a happy Malaysian man who greeted us in Finnish when he heard where we were from. Only a few hours later, bags packed, we were heading to a small village just outside Kota Bharu with our host.

Our pretty host with her mother.

The village was situated on a small island, which meant getting on a tiny boat that would take us across the brownish waters. We learned that the village had about 40 houses inhabited by around 100 people and that it survived mainly by fishing. There was one school on the island, but older kids had to go to another island for school. We also realized that our host probably had the most of the money in the village. Her house was big, clean and bright and during my many months of traveling, this was the nicest place I ever stayed at. Chickens and goats were wandering around the village accompanied by 7-year olds on motorbikes and an ape on a leash.

Main road

We walked around the island and had some cute kids entertain us before walking back to the house and getting a Malay cooked dinner of rise, chicken and dried fish. Our hostess told us about the simple life in the village and said she couldn't imagine a safer place; she never locks the door to her house.

Pouring sand from the ground with a smashed coconut in to a bucket is a fun game!

The "simple life" intrigues me, but unfortunately we could only stay for one night. The next day we woke up early to make our way back into town and take the bus to our next destination. After months in India, I was in need of a vacation and that's what Malaysia was all about. Next stop: turquoise water and giant sea turtles!