Malaysia

Due to time restrictions, my passing through this country was far too short. Although looking back I managed to see quite alot. It was a whistle-stop tour down the west coast, having bought a boat-bus combi ticket from Ko Tao I found I had been ripped off by the travel agent. Thats another story.

Anyway the first port of call was Penang (or Georgetown to be more specific). The accom here wins the accolade of being the grimiest and roughest night stay so far. Despite this, I had a day and a half to become immersed in the colonial history of the place. As I discovered elsewhere in Malaysia, this town was truly an eclectic mix of ethnicities, religions and cultural traditions. Therefore the food was fantastic and about as cheap as it gets. The museum was very good and learnt plenty about British occupation and what it meant for the Malay people. I visited a mosque later that day and was called away from standing on the prayer mats (bit of a faux pas) and had to put on a full length black robe.

After that I endured a scary bus ride with a bus driver who had the manners of Father Jack and probably the same driving abilities. Our destination was Kuala Lumpur and what a fine little city it is. I met up with four girls from New York who had survived the bus ride before. We went for drinks in the city centre after spending ages trying to find somewhere to stay. The full day there was spent mainly in and around the Petronas towers. It took about 3 hours for us to queue to get our free passes to go up to the skybridge later that day. It was worth it though. The towers have a majestic beauty about them and apparently were designed to incorporate Islamic elements in the design. Really enjoyed it. We stayed in Chinatown that night which was non-stop hawker central.

The following day I took the bus to get to Malacca which I had heard was well worth a visit. And it certainly was. When I got there I met up with a guy from Switzerland and we decided to check out the town. Like Penang there is an abundance of colonial history in Malacca. Portugese, then Dutch, then British and Japanese during WW2. The Stadhuys museum was the place to go for all the info on the past. We went to see the remains of a Portugese fort on the harbour from the mid 1500s, and St Pauls church up on the hill which was another ancient relic. The straits of Melacca were key in the mega wealthy spice trade of the past and that is why the port of the town itself was so highly valued. I wish I had a few more days there to really take in a bit more of the place but time was pressing on...

Gulf Islands

Phew. What a week its been. I got to Koh Samui about 10 days ago and Ive managed to fit in alot - as well as overdoing it on the socialising too. Samui was pretty boring and I certaintly wont bother going back there again - Overpriced, too many swanky resorts and nothing to do within my budget. So I checked out the beaches and moved swiftly on..

Next stop was Ko Phangan and it was alot of fun. Saw Thai boxing, went to the 'half moon' party and met lots of other travellers to hang out with. Also went fishing but my angling skills eluded me. Yet again. At the party I caught up with a pair of girls from Glasgow who I met in Krabi, it was a massive rave with possibly 2000 revellers in attendance. The island was so much more backpacker friendly and it was tempting to stay longer.

Next on the list was Ko Tao which has been great too. I went for a full days snorkelling around the island yesterday and saw some spetacular coral reefs and some rather exotic looking fish too. After that I went out with some folks in my dorm and overdid the Chang somewhat. Its a really nice laid back vibe here thats less frenetic than the neighbouring Phangan. Ive got a night ferry back to the mainland tonight before a marathon bus ride to Penang (Malaysia) tomorrow.
Early nights from now on.

Krabi

Before setting off from Phi phi on the ferry, a couple of fellow travellers told me "Dont bother staying in Krabi" and "There's nothing to see there". I'm glad I didn't take their advice.

The first day there was spent kayaking in a nearby area of mangrove forest on an estuary. It was brilliant, went through caves amongst the karsts and saw some ancient paintings on the side of one cliff. I considered it a good workout for the day as well. The next day i took the plunge and hired a moto for the day. Rather scary at first but was soon scooting along like no-ones business. Got to see some decent beaches up the coast as well as going to the Tiger cave temple. Whilst there I climbed the 1237 steps up to the top of a karst to the buddha statue at the top. That was the lower body workout sorted. From the top there were breathtaking views across the province and out to sea. Well worth it.

So all in all it was a busy few days. Ive crossed over to the Gulf coast and am residing on Ko Samui. Hope this place is as good as Krabi.

Phi Phi Islands

Some places are probably all too often refered to as a 'tropical paradise' but I think this term fits the bill for Phi Phi. I spent two nights on the main island and could of spent many more (but was pretty pricey plus the local mozzies were far too keen on me). I went for a morning boat tour to the uninhabited Phi Phi Le where the snorkelling was amazing. I spotted many rainbow fish, a 'finding nemo' clownfish and a highly venemous banded sea snake amongst loads of others. Our longboat stopped by Miya bay - the setting of the movie which was a bit of a utopia in itself. We called by 'Monkey island' on the way back to which a whole colony of macaques were eagerly awaiting our arrival. One tubby American kid was attacked (in a friendly way) by one and was told off by a guide for running away. I kept my distance.

There were obviousley a fair few fellow tourists around - I imagine it would be heaving in the high season. The beach I stayed at on Phi Phi Don was nice and quiet and away from the port. It also had great views of Phi Phi Le. I could get used to this island life already.

Phuket

Ive just spent the past three days in the international holiday hot-spot that is Phuket province. It has'nt been quite what I expected it to be. Nice beaches and a pretty lively nightlife but far too overdeveleped - even on the smaller beach towns. So I think its time for some island hopping. First on the list are the Phi Phi Islands and from there I get the boat to Krabi. Will hopefully fit in a bit of kayaking and I would really like to see the place they call 'The Beach' beach. In fact, my hotel in Phuket town was apparently briefly used as a set for the film. Its very old and rustic but is as cheap as chips which suits me well.

Adios

Chiang Mai

Just got back from Northern Thailand today - very bleary eyed as the sleeper train wasnt great for sleeping. Had a great week up there. The middle part of the week was spent doing the trek through the jungle. Was fairly hard walking for some of it, although we had two other modes of transport: a ropey bamboo raft and an Elephant. The latter was brilliant and you really have to hang on to the seat - going through rivers and steep slopes was a doddle for these amazing animals. The rafts were great for getting an adrenaline rush - except we were rafting on a flooded river with a few grade 3 rapids in places. Thankfully ours was the only one that didnt capsize - we had a very good 'driver' which helped. The accomodation was staying in longhouse huts in two villages where the Karen and La Hou tribes live. Think i ate twice my body weight in rice and spring rolls at the end of each day. Tried my first fried cricket too which wasnt as bad as I though it would be. I would of liked to have seen a bit more wildlife on the trail - the highlight was seeing a King Cobra (though thankfully just a baby one).

The two days either side of the trek were spent in Chiang Mai itself. We visited the Doi Suthep temple which had stunning views looking down on the city. Also did a bike ride of the old quarter and saw three more interesting temples on the other day. One of which contained a two thousand year old sculpture of buddha. The infamous night bazaar was fun to look round - I didnt part with too much money but its probably the best market in Thailand.

Leaving on another sleeper treain tomorrow night to get to Phuket. Photos to follow soon!