Em & Tola's Travel Blog

After a few wonderful weeks in Malaysia we left to go to one of my "home countries," Thailand. To get a 30 day Visa we had to go back all the way to Kuala Lumpur and fly to Phuket from there. Our attempt of having a "green" trip has now lead to 3 shorter Air Asia flights. We will try to do better during the next weeks.

We arrived in Phuket late in the evening, so we got a room for one night and booked boat tickets for our intended first destination, the Phi Phi Islands.


When we arrived early Sunday morning, we realized that the Lonely Planet had been spot on in describing the islands. The amazing views of the dramatic limestone cliffs, the perfectly white beaches and perfectly clear turquiose waters make you shed a tear, but when you realize that you share everything with every speedo on the planet you shed another tear. Aside from the speedos we also had to share the islands with every woman over 60 that thinks it is a good idea to sunbathe topless on a crowded beach, Swedish families with young children, and people who think that it is fashionable to wear sandals when you swim in the ocean.



To get away from all of this we were lucky enough to find a decently remote beach with a few bungalows and huts, the Ao Poh Bungalows. They had a few of the best morning views you could imagine. At 6 o'clock every morning, we popped open the windows and saw the most amazing sunrises by just opening our eyes while still half sleeping. The evenings were not bad either, the moon shone straight on our beach and you fell asleep to the sound of the ocean waves rolling in over the beach.


The days on Phi Phi were spent swimming in the turquoise waters and working on our tans. One day Emily and I thought that we had enough rest and went on a 7 hour boat trip around the islands. The first stop was Maya Bay, better known as the beach in the Di Caprio movie "The Beach" from 2001. As deserted as it is in the movie, it was filled with tourists to the brim. Being there you can not understand that the islands actually are part of a national park. When you swam out a bit and imagined the place without other people, the beauty of the beach became very obvious with its amazing water and beautiful cliffs.


After we left the beach, we went snorkeling in a bay nearby. The sights above the water was more mesmorizing than the ones under the water. The next stop on the boat trip was Monkey Beach. As you can guess there were monkeys on the beach that gladly posed for a picture in exchange for a banana or a sip of Fanta orange. The boat ride also took us to Mosquito Island and Bamboo Island and both of them gave us wonderful views. So much in fact that when we were supposed to watch the sunset in the water between the islands, the people on the boat had enough and we went back to the pier for some pizza.



We have done quite a lot on the trip so far, but one thing we have not done is that we have not enjoyed the nightlife in Southeast Asia. So tomorrow we are heading to Koh Phangan. An island infamous for its parties, and its full moon parties in particular. We just missed the full moon, but in a few days it is half moon, and we are guessing that the backpacker crowd will celebrate that as well...

Thinking upon the past year, I remember the various landscapes I have experienced around the globe. Being able to enjoy diverse settings has been a big part of our trip so far. Everything has been quite different, and as we try to compare place to place, it becomes more and more difficult because everything has something that makes it "special" and unique.

On February 20th, we began making our way to the Perhentian Island of Kecil (the small island). I guess I had expected that it would be a little bit more difficult to get to the Perhentian Islands (because of our trip to the Gili Islands), but it went very smoothly and our trip was quite fast. We left the Cameron Highlands in the morning and loaded up in a van with four other people. The drive was supposed to take 6 hours, but I think our driver made it in around 5 hours (we even had two stops along the way). I usually don't get car sick, but at times I felt like I was on the verge of getting ill because our driver drove extremely quickly along windy roads. If there was a speed limit (which I don't believe there was), he definitely wasn't following it, and I was happy when our drive was over. :) Still, driving in Malaysia seems to be a lot easier than hectic Indonesia .. Indonesians drove every speed possible!!

After our quick drive through mountains and windy roads, we made it to a smaller town. Next we took a fast boat to Perhentian Kecil. The fast boat took 30 minutes, and riding through the smooth waves was kind of like riding on a small roller coaster. As we glided across the beautiful blue water, I thought about the many boating excursions I have had (with my family and friends) in the past on Lake Roosevelt (the lake near Kettle Falls). The Perhentian Islands soon came into view and they immediately appeared to be beautiful in their magical setting. Both islands looked to be mostly overgrown jungle with white sandy beaches along much of the water front.

We decided to stay at Coral Bay on Perhentian Kecil because during February, Coral Bay has very calm waters as the other side of the island is still a bit windy during this time of year. Coral Bay is a beautiful bay lined with white sand, chalets, and my favorite, coconut trees. We first decided to stay at a place called Aur Bay that is owned by a dear Malaysian family. It was joyful to see the little children playing hopscotch and hula hoop in the sand in front of the small chalets. They also practiced their English a bit, and always seemed eager to try and make conversation. Aur Bay is a place of character, and it seems to be one of the oldest places in Coral Bay. We enjoyed watching huge local monitor lizards walk in between the chalets, and we had a few fun nights playing cards on the small porch. I will let you know that I think I have won the most when playing cards with Tola and Antti. ;)

After four nights at Aur Bay, we decided to try another place for our last night, so we moved to Senja Resort. Once we realized it took about twenty steps to walk into the water from the chalet, we decided to stay one more night at Senja Bay. The little chalet made me feel like I could stay on Perhentian Kecil for a long long time. It was the perfect place to spend our last couple of days on the breathtaking island.

During our first days on the small island, we spent quite a bit of time snorkeling in the clear turquoise waters. I started feeling a lot more comfortable with snorkeling, and I realized that it really is an amazing activity. On our first big snorkeling day I spotted a group of Nemos hiding in a sea anenome, and at that moment, I realized my love for swimming in the ocean (not just sun tanning on the beach) was actually growing.



Tola, Antti, and I also decided to go on a boat snorkeling trip, and this ended up being a great decision. We spent almost the entire day on the water and we experienced things I really had never imagined experiencing first hand. At our first stop, we saw many beautiful fish and I felt like I had seen enough for the day, but soon I found out, it was only the beginning. On our next boat stop, we came to a shark point, and I almost didn't want to get in the water. Everyone else seemed so excited, so I decided to join in the fun. I asked Tola to swim by my side because I didn't want to be by myself (even though there were about 10 others on our boat). :) Tola and I jumped in and almost instantly we saw our first shark. Swimming along I almost started to back up, but then I realized that the shark didn't appear to be coming our way at all. It amazed me how something so fierce to so many other creatures (and even sometimes to humans) can be so beautiful and magnificant as it seems along on its own. Being a social person, I almost felt sorry that the shark spends its day alone, and that all of the other creatures swimming around are terrified of its existence. Then I realize, I don't think the shark things the same way I do. :) Following our shark experience, I again felt like I could call it a day, but our next stop was "turtle point." I found it quite interesting that the locals seem to know where the turtles are always hanging out because I thought turtles liked to travel; however, our guide knew what he was doing. Jumping in the water at turtle point was the beginning of another moving moment. I was stunned as I saw three giant sea turtles swimming together, and we began to swim after them as quickly as we could. I think the most beautiful thing I have witnessed (in the animal world) was when one large turtle swam up to another turtle, and it seemed like they almost hugged or showed a sign of affection towards each other. This moment allowed me to think of all of the beautiful creatures that have been created, and how diverse our world really is in so many different ways. Most of you know that I am much more of a people person than an animal person, but during our trip, I have come to enjoy some special moments with other wonderfully made creatures.


I am writing all of this on our last day on Perhentian Kecil, and as I am sure I am exhausting some of you, I feel that it is time to let you go for now as I will venture out into the sun. I usually don't enjoy my alone time, but today I have decided to let Tola and Antti go exploring by themselves... I will get some sun tanning and swimming in as I hang out at our little chalet. Before Tola and Antti left, I did let a foot long lizard into the chalet, so I am not totally alone, although I think I'd prefer to be alone! I don't mind when the critters are outside, but it is still bit of a touchy subject when they enter my bedroom. :) Don't worry though, I am getting much better!

Wednesday we jumped on a bus and left KL for the mountains and the Cameron Highlands. The bus ride went very smooth and after 4 hours we reached the small town of Tanah Rata. The town is located at around 1400 meters above sea level and got chilly at night time (15 degrees celsius...brrr). :)

We had heard that February was not peak season, but we had forgotten that it was Chinese New Year, so almost all guesthouses and hostels were full. After a while of searching we managed to find the tiniest little attic rooms that were 6 square meters big with a mattress on the floor.


On our second day in CH we went on a countryside tour. We were driven around to a few beautiful places up in the mountains. The first place was the "rose centre", it was more of a botanical garden with all kinds of flowers and a great view from the top.


The second stop was a tea factory/tea plantation where we got to go on a short tour. Here we learnt how tea was made. We also had a cup of local made tea and a scone while enjoying the wonderful view of the rolling hills outside.


Our third stop was a bee farm and a market place. At the market place we had some strawberry ice cream made from strawberrys grown in the area.


Our fourth stop was the butterfly park. This place was amazing. When we entered, we were blown away by the huge amount of big and beautiful butterflies. They were literally everywhere. After we had taken pictures of almost all of the butteflies at the park we exited the butterly area and saw a group of people gathered around something. It turned out to be a huge scarab beetle. We got to hold it and pet it. After they put the scarab beetle back in it's cage they took out some more insects and animals for us to hold and pet. First I held a different kind of beetle, then a rare kind of gecko and then finally a big scary looking scorpion. Yes, that is my hand in the picure...



After the craziest insect experience of my life, we went to have some strawberries at a strawberry farm. Our last stop was at a Buddhist temple that was reeking of incense.


A great tour was over, but our day was not. We went on a small hike to a waterfall close to Tanah Rata. It was in a beautiful area but the waterfall was extremely dirty. We then continued up a hill, but decided to turn back before sunset.


On our last full day in CH we went on the biggest hike the area had to offer. The peak was at 2031 meters (6666 feet) above sea level. After walking for 20 minutes we got deep into the forest and it felt like we were walking through a jungle. The path was quite steep and we had to grab on to roots and branches to move upwards and forward. After 2 hours we reached the top that was apparently also reachable by car. The view itself was very pretty, but what made the hike memorable was the extreme jungle-feel of the hike going up and then down.




We ended our stay in the Cameron Highlands by a short walk to another waterfall. This one was also quite pretty, but as we had seen in other places it was very, very dirty.


Tomorrow we are leaving the mountains for the beach. We are going to the Perhentian Islands on the east coast of Malaysia. After the chilly mountains, I think we will welcome the sun and the heat.

Yesterday we took a local bus for about 45 minutes to get to the Batu Caves. They are a sacred Hindu place right outside KL where over a million Hindus go on a pilgrimage during January & Febuary every year. It is a beautiful place, but very overcrowded and dirty. Almost all of the tourist attractions we have gone to in Malaysia have had garbage everywhere which is really too bad.


The Batu Caves where very beautiful and it was great to see all of the Hindu people perform their rituals in their traditional outfits. Up a long, long flight of stairs there is a temple where people light coconuts on fire and later smash them against the cave wall. Next to the temple around 30 wild monkeys where running around eating garbage that all the tourists leave behind.


Today was the last full day we will spend in KL. We spent the biggest part of it with Daniel, a Malaysian guy that I had met in Seoul at summer school 2009. He first took us to an area called Bangsar to have lunch. We had Southern Indian food which meant food served with rice and curry on a banana leaf. It was quite delicious and made us look forward to our trip through India even more.


After lunch we went to Daniel's friends house. Since it was Chinese New Year, they suggested that we gamble for a bit. Apparently the two things you do on Chinese New Year are eat and gamble. It ended well with us winning a whopping 2 ringits (50 cents or 4 kronor).

After the gambling session we said goodbye to Daniel and went to pick up our old Finnish friend Antti who will join us on our trip for the coming 3,5 weeks. We ended the day together by walking to the Petronas one last time and having dinner in our favorite food court.

Tomorrow we are off to the mountains and the Cameron Highlands. It will be nice to go to the countryside after 2 weeks in major cities.

Oh, and if you notice that the pictures are a lot clearer and nicer than they used to be it is because we got a new camera at the Low Yat Plaza in KL. We love it!

We spent a few great days in Singapore, days that were quite packed with activities. It was nice to be able to sit on another train for a few hours, and at least I was able to get a little shut eye (Tola has a harder time settling down sometimes). :)


Arriving in Kuala Lumpur brought great surprise to both of us. It proved to be a great city from the start, and we began our stay in Kuala Lumpur by taking the local monorail to the center of the city. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming as we arrived in Malaysia, and Tola and I were both surprised by how at home we felt in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur is quite small for a Southeast Asian capital, so it was easy to get around on foot (when it wasn't too hot). This allowed for many enjoyable walks along city streets.


As we became comfortable getting around KL, we discovered one of the best "food courts" we have ever been to. :) The average meal was less than three dollars, and it was located in a special part of the city. Our new favorite food court was attached to the Petronas Towers (the famous twin buildings in KL), and it had a wonderful city view. We enjoyed an early Valentine's Day meal together, and then we decided to go check out the cinema. I had been talking about the new movie "Valentine's Day" for weeks, and it had just come to the cinema, so we got in line to buy tickets for the movie. It was the day after opening day, so it sold out before we got to the front of the line; however, a sweet couple came up to us and asked us if we wanted their two tickets (for a cheap price). We were surprised by their generosity as we enjoyed the movie and a lovely evening in KL.


February 14th was a couple of days later, and for some reason we had planned on trying to get tickets for the sky walk between the Petronas Towers. People usually line up early in the morning to get tickets for the walkway because they give them away for free every morning. We hadn't really thought that it would probably be busy because of the Chinese New Year, so we weren't it too much of a hurry to get to the tower. Once we arrived, we discovered that the tickets were all taken for the day. Tola and I were a little bummed because we had wanted to go up the walkway, but we enjoyed the little museum anyway. As we walked around and read information about the Petronas Towers, a lady (one of the workers) came up to us and asked us about our tickets. We told her that we didn't have tickets, and after we told her, she took us to the side and told us that we could still go up the towers. We were excited and surprised again by another small blessing of the weekend!


After a wonderful afternoon filled with little surprises throughout the day, we ended Valentine's Day by enjoying a delicious meal at a lovely restaurant. Our time in Kuala Lumpur has been wonderful so far. We will be spending a few more days here, and then we will be meeting Antti during the middle of the week.