Part Three: The Travel Diary of South-east Asia

The Travel Diary of South-east Asia

Here continues the series for anyone who is interested about my travels over a year ago. I spent three months in South-east Asia. Though true to the actual handwritten diary in terms of events which I recorded on my trip day-to-day, I have changed the names and where possible gone into more detail for each day with the luxury of having a laptop this time around! For part two click here. Part three concerns Cameron Highlands and George Town in Malaysia.

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17th of January 2019 - Kuala Lumpur > Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Grab is such a must have app in Malaysia. Got up so late and just about brushed my teeth before meeting the impatient Dan at the doorway of Sunshine Bedz. Didn’t even have time to say goodbye to this place I’d become so fond of. Compared to the last hostel this one breezes into the number 1 spot. But yeah Grab. Essentially Uber for South-East Asia and about a 10th of the price. We ordered one and it arrived before I’d even finished my cigarette. I have the current luxury of being able to afford and smoke Marlboro Red’s, but even when they’re around 3 quid a pack it broke my heart to crush half at the sole of my shoe.
    Got to a massive complex on the outskirts of town and rushed to the counter. Said my name and the woman replied ‘ah Reid, I have two tickets for 9 on the 18th’. Fuck. only my second coach booking and I’d already screwed up. Of course there was a no returns policy too. I bit the bullet and booked two more for an hours time, before sitting down and looking at my Revolut app to see an attempted transaction of 1000 pound at 2am from a place that had no name, just numbers. Double fuck. I was only putting money from my normal account into the Revolut when needed so luckily nothing had happened but what now? If I reported this my card would be deactivated and I wouldn’t have use of the account which up to now was serving me well. I chewed Dan’s ear off until I could tell he was wearied as hell, then I shut up. I flicked through the app and figured out the option of freezing and unfreezing the card. If I just froze when not using and unfroze before use then that could work well for stopping any hacks. Done and done. Mini panic over, Dan’s ears saved.
    Cue second panic of the day - the bus journey. I’d read in my lonely planet guide that the highlands were up in the mountains (that much I could’ve guessed) and a four hour bus, but I didn’t comprehend just how mad that journey would be. My stomach was crying out for help as twists and turns repetitively battered me and Dan into each other. There was no way to sleep through it and everyone looked around with subdued panic splashed on their pale faces. The thing is it never looked like the driver was out of control but it felt like we nearly crashed 10-20 times on the journey. The drivers have a system where they beep before they approach a turn to warn of their presence, due to the fact that if you ended up taking the turn and meeting someone as the roads narrow one of you is coming off the un-barricaded mountain to certain death. But only the coaches seemed to do this, and we met a few mopeds and small cars on the narrow roads forcing a harsh brake and a tantalising escape from one turn to the next. Then the driver overtook a slow moving motorbike, literally ON THE TURN! It was too much to bear at times. Still, we made it with no problems so I had to wonder if I was overreacting, but as I write this now, I’m still sure I was lucky to escape that journey with my life!
    The weather up here is just perfect. We arrived at around 2pm and it was a cool 18 degrees which felt refreshing and left me full of energy. The town was small and quaint, with restaurants everywhere and one park where locals played some football. After a 10 minute walk we got to our hostel and I reckon I’m getting pretty good at picking them now (thanks Hostelworld). Everything was really modern and clean, but it still had a lot of character. Indoor plants crowded the walls and the reception doubled as an organic food bar, where you could buy local veg and cook in the communal kitchen. Our room was a mixed 8-bed dorm with a curtain, small light and usb charger to each bed. They also offered a clothes wash and dry service for 15r (around 2.50) which I took advantage of straight away. After only a few days most of my clothes were pungent and despite my travel washing bag for them my main bag was starting to reek.
    After booking a half day tour for the next morning we headed out and debated for a while on where to eat. Everywhere looked nice but a place down near the marketplace won our vote. They had amazing vegetarian options and I had a tofu and veg curry that is the best meal I’ve had so far. The aroma alone was full of spices and the sauce was not a typical one offered in the UK (Green, red, etc.). Couldn’t quite put my finger on it and I didn’t bother asking. I’m a competent chef but I would clearly never be able to recreate something that special at home. In fact I wouldn’t even come close. I’m now just about to head to a trivia night in the common room of the hostel. Will report back if anything exciting happens.

18th of January 2019 - Cameron Highlands > George Town, Malaysia

The half day tour was genuinely great. We got up, far too early as well I might add, and headed into the foggy mountains in a battered land rover with a few others from the hostel and our guide Appu, who spoke impeccable English and was built like a brick shithouse. He was also very knowledgeable about the rich environment that surrounds his doorstep and it really was amazing stuff. I’ve completely lost the note I was keeping on my phone as the tour happened but I remember a few things.
    The fact the Cameron Highlands had a mossy forest was pretty amazing, there are only a few other locations in the world that have them, due to the altitude that the forest requires. This one was also remarkably small compared to the others, just due to the mountain itself being relatively small. Appu also showed us plants that were of use to hunters hundreds of years ago, some that increased perception, kept you warm and revitalised you. Many of these plants have been adapted for modern medicine and are still used today for people suffering with comparable problems.
    It was real informative stuff, and all with the surroundings of a misty mountain that had trees of all shapes and sizes, along with unique plants and teeming wildlife heard in the distance. It was also really nice to have a bit of a hike, and though I did have a bit of trouble with my gripless adidas trainers, it just felt good to do a wildlife walk. Any stress and anxiety faded with each step.
    After this we headed to a strawberry farm where I bought a smoothie made entirely of ripe strawberries picked that very week - it was, as you can imagine, amazing - then we reached the tea fields. It’s hard to describe a view like that. Imagine the rolling hills of the english countryside but with a uniform plant that grows all around the mounds and you come quite close. But I’m not talking any old bit of English countryside, I’m talking the best of. After a few cringey photos Appu insisted on taking (and which actually ended up on my insta as well - what a basic bitch), we got our washing back and jumped on the coach to George Town in Penang.
    Weirdly the journey down seemed to be nowhere near as troublesome as the way up. I was envious at Dan for his ability to switch off and instantly sleep whenever he fancied. I stayed awake reading (now it was Tom Sawyer) and playing some stupid football game on my phone. Countryside passed me by and it soon became sweltering again, the fresh breath of the highlands swallowed by the lowland dragon. The predictable darkness at half 6 swallowed the coach and soon enough we were out and on a ferry. I was reading my guide getting really excited for George Town as we crossed. A Unisco World Heritage site and brimming with a plethora of different religions and cultures that make up the Malaysian populace, I couldn;t wait to spend the day exploring it tomorrow.
    The only issue we had was arriving at our hostel and Dan realising he’d lost his passport. Yeah… not ideal. We had to ring our hostel in the highlands, who hadn’t seen it, then retrace our steps in a blind panic to the ferry. I didn’t even notice my surroundings, I just panicked for Dan - it has to be one of a travellers’ worst nightmares. Desperate, we rang the hostel again and asked them to check the bunk. There it was, tucked under his pillow. The host knew someone heading to George Town that very next day and it was arranged for us to get to the ferry for 1pm, we got lucky. A couple of beers later and exhausted from our worry we settled down for bed, and I write this now without the luxury of a private bedlight but with my phone light propped in between my chin and chest!

19th of January 2019 - George Town, Malaysia > Phuket - Thailand

Ok, so I’ve only had a day, but George Town was a mixed bag. The street art - unbelievable. The cold coffee we bought from a locals’ place for 8r - quite possibly the best coffee I’ve ever had. The architecture - superb. Everything else? Meh. I couldn’t find any food that looked worth it to me after the two incredible curries that Cameron Highlands provided, so we ended up going into a depressing mall to have a fillet’o’fish from McDonalds. We hired bikes that just had us dripping with sweat in the monumental heat as we trekked around, as well as stopping for drinks every 5 minutes. This is all my issues rather than the place of course, but I feel I’ve summed my experience of George Town up.
    Then it was back on the ferry and to the airport, for the first part of our pilgrimage to the full moon. We touched down in Thailand and I watched Dan ease into his comfort zone. You could tell he knew Thailand well as he breezed past the taxi desks of the airport and haggled with a local to drive us to our hostel. He saved us a fortune and the guy blasted his radio and sang to some unrecognisable tune at the top of his lungs the whole way. We quickly checked in and found a bar where a premier league game featuring Liverpool was kicking off. The surroundings were astounding. This being old town Phuket, we were two of maybe 8 travellers in the place, the rest were locals and it’s safe to say they loved Liverpool a hell of a lot more than me. How could somewhere on the opposite side of the world be this enthralled by a Liverpool Vs Crystal Palace game? Admittedly it was a 7 goal thriller but to see thai people going absolutely berserk everytime James Milner picked up the ball was something else. The atmosphere was incredible.
    It was also dirt cheap. Dan said he hadn’t enjoyed Phuket but he was loving the old town area we found ourselves in now. There wasn’t a strip around or anything like that, but this one pub was great. Stacked with people who were all friendly, good food which cost around 2 quid for a full meal and Chang beers coming to around 80p I think. It was a shame It would only be for one night. We got reasonably merry, headed back via 7/11 and then laid in our fanned dorm. I thought back to Malaysia and couldn’t help but think I’d rushed it. What about Langkawi and the east island? Too late now. I am Thailand’s, and I most definitely won’t rush this.

For part four click here