Malaysia (Part II)

The next bus journey from CH to Penang wasn't quite as plush as the first class one we got from Singapore... this was a little skenky and the driver insisted on having a fag hanging out of his mouth for pretty much the entire journey even though there was a no-smoking sign above his head?!?! Still, 5 hours later we got thrown off on into the strange and dirty place of Butterworth... hmm... we somehow had to find the ferry to get to the island and it suddenly seemed that all the signs (the few that there were) were in Malay.... tricky....

After hassling a German couple we saw and following them like stalkers we managed to get to the ferry crossing and get our ticket. So, seated on the boat we looked forward to a tranquil crossing over to Georgetown (Penang). It started great- the sun was setting and the city across the water was lit up lovely.... then we saw the first of the rats on the boat... then we saw another... and then another.... and then it suddenly seemed like there were more rats than passengers.... and there were a lot of passengers. They were running above our heads and in and around the food kiosk- thank god we didnt get that cheese butty that had looked so tempting not 5 mins ago....

Still, we got there safely and without getting the plague or any other rat related diseases... and, after negotiating a taxi rate with the driver (ie. How much? 10 Ringits. Erm, Ok then) we got to our hotel, which was very nice. We were based in Chinatown again- there's a theme here, right in the middle of pretty much everything.

The next day we headed into the city with the best of intentions at walking around and seeing everything- however, after 15 mins in the manically intense heat we found ourselves hiding in the shade and supping a diet coke whilst re-thinking the days activities. It really was stifling!

Still, we managed to get to the waterfront and get a pretty good feel for Georgetown, which was much more like we imagined the mad cities of Malaysia to be like. Early evening we decided to take a trip to Penang Hill as we heard that there were some pretty fab views of the city to be had at nightime. We decided to take the public bus as it didnt sound too hard from the description in our little yellow bible (Lonely Planet guide to S. E. Asia). Getting on the bus was easy- however, we werent told when to get off so when the driver realised we should have gotten off a couple of stops earlier he shook his head at us as if we should have realised!!! Yeah, because we live here dont we... derr!!

Anyhoo, after a trek through a decidely dodgy part of Penang we found the railway that takes you to the top of the hill. And, it was really worth it- it was a great view of the city lit up and you were (it seemed) above cloud level so it appeared that you could actually see most of the island. Also, at the top there was an amazing little cafe (proper posh English jobby) that served afternoon tea (Devonshire stylee)- so, as it was 8pm how could we refuse!! It wasnt cheap either- it cost us a fiver (which is REALLY expensive over here!)- in fact, a fiver is our normal daily food budget! But it was an amazing brew and a fab scone with Jam and clotted cream... mmmmm..... then, it was the railway back and the bus... err, no... we got a taxi and went out for tea :)

The next day we had an early start as we were taking the ferry across to Langkawi- a tropical island off the mainland and very close to the Thai border. The ferry journey was due to take about 2 1/2 hours but ended up taking nearly 4 due to delays and really bad crossing conditions. People were being VERY violently sick all over the show! So, Trace and me put the iPod on and listened to some Ricky Gervais podcasts. Hehe... lots of folk puking into bags and then us two just giggling our heads off... the journey was bad and we actually arrived at the island in the middle of a typhoon, which at first seemed very exciting- but then as the taxi driver took us to our accomodation and the island looked seriously wrecked with trees dropping like flies, it became quite scary! The rain and wind were howling and within seconds of getting out of the taxi we were soaked! We got into our room, which was lovely little beachfront chalet and within seconds of sitting down in the safety... "Matt, I'm hungry"... However, Trace did manage to hold on for about an hour by which time the downpour had stopped and the clean-up had begun. So, we headed out for dinner into the town and to one of the duty free shops to stock up on Beer and Choc- just in case we got hit again by another bout of bad weather...

Anyhoo, today we got up and the weather was amazing! It has been gorgeous blue skies all day and we have just lay in it slowly cooking ourselves to oblivion! Its great having our accom just on the beach cos it means we can just pop back anytime we need the loo instead of nipping in the sea ;)

And, finally, we went for a proper bosh curry to say goodbye to Malaysia! mmmmmm :)

Anyway, enough for now, tomorrow we have another boat journey- this time across the border into Thailand where the next leg of the journey begins.

Also, we have been having some problems with the blog (lots of spam etc) recently so are going to change the address- if you would like to be kept abreast of this please email us at traceandmatt@hotmail.co.uk and we will forward you the new address once it is up and running. Thanks :)