I am ball of nervous excitement. Strangely, although I suppose it was to be expected, I am feeling the same emotions I previously experienced at Heathrow airport on Feb 21st, but a few hours before I set off on this great big adventure.
As I sit here reflecting over the past 4 months and all of its wonderful experiences and all the truly amazing people I have met along the way, I find comfort in knowing that the pleasure and great satisfaction I currently feel is undoubtedly a sign of things to come in the land down under. Though I feel like I could poo my pants at any moment now, I cannot bloody wait to explore this amazing country that so many people flock to. Bring it on.
Malaysia has been bloody brilliant. What an amazing country to have ended my travels in. Though it has been a somewhat fleeting visit, It has to be up there in my top countries to see. I started off in the old British colony of Penang, a small island just off the west coast of Malaysia. I stayed in the north east corner of Georgetown which was amazing. When looking at the hugely diverse architecture and food you can see the history and the lasting influence of Malay, Muslim, Indian, British and Chinese culture. It's literally a culture fusion with Georgetown being the meeting point.
I had heard from other travellers passing through Malaysia that there wasn't much to do in Penang so I was reluctant but I soon discovered that I didn't have nearly enough time there to do everything that I wanted! Saying that, I did go to the beautiful and serene botanic gardens where moniter lizards and monkeys roamed freely (sometimes a bit too close for comfort). Perhaps not so cultural, but I also scoped out what their malls had to offer. Bottom line, I simply can't pull off the Malaysian look. Those jeans are way too tight and I'm definitely not tan enough to sport the colourful shirts. For a bit of history I explored Fort Cornwallis where Britain first made their mark on the state. It's a tiny fort with a huge artillery of cannons and gun powder storage rooms and Malaysia's first Anglican churches. As per, it was drearily designed. Apparently the fort never saw any action, all bark and no bite!
Perhaps the coolest things I did in Penang was go to the annual Durian Festival. Durian "the king of fruits" was one of those 'must try' foods in Asia. I was hesitant as it smells like garbage. It is strictly prohibited from all public transportation for this reason. But apparently, the locals love it and Penang is one of the largest producers of the stuff due to its nutrient rich and perfectly suited growing conditions. So I headed out to the festival to join in the celebration of this bizarre fruit. These guys are proper durian experts! There's over 10 different types, all tasting very different. Or so I'm told. To my ignorant tongue, they all tasted the same. Expecting to crunch or chew this fruit, I was surprised to find that it's sticky, slimy and custard-like in consistency. As a person who has difficulties with this type of texture in food, I fought the urge to gag violently. Didn't want to make a scene and be disrespectful to 'the king' and all that. As for the taste, it was rich, garlicky, oniony, banana-y, milky and creamy all in one. I can't even compare it to a fruit. It just tastes like durian I guess. While I was gingerly eating the pulpy flesh from around the walnut-sized seed, I noticed that the locals both young and old were enthusiastically gobbling the stink down. It was a little off putting, like watching your grandmother eat pork crackling or sucking the bones dry off your Sunday roast dinner. Still, I remained polite and smiley with the gunk lingering on my breath. I finished my seed and bought a load of sweeter, much more enjoyable mangosteen to wash it down. Will I eat durian again? Most probably not. Not by choice anyway. That's another box ticked.
After 4 days, I left Penang and headed for the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The lush green mountainous landscape of Malaysia is spectacular and is really something to behold. As I stepped off the bus, I was instantly impressed by the city's skyline, an array of quaintly classical buildings dotted in, amongst, and sometimes against huge modern skyscrapers and banks of varying materials.
In the evenings, I walked around the many walking streets including china town, petaling street and Kasturi walks scoffing down on delicious street food. During the days, I wandered around the gargantuan and highly modern pavillion and KLCC malls. This was pretty depressing as I'm quite broke and its very expensive. Still it was nice to pretend that I was going to buy that sporty red Mazurati, complete with a rather attractive Malay car saleswoman. Or so I hoped...
Afterwards, when I had spent my last remaining pennies or 'sen', I strolled around the park beneath the towering Petronas Twin Towers. They were amazing! I kept on thinking about the last few scenes in Entrapment if anyone has ever seen that. Yesterday I spent the day ambling along the paths in another near by park, visiting the butterfly gardens and the Kuala Lumpur history museum, all before downing the finest Long Island iced teas as caipirinhas the city had to offer.
Though it was brief, KL, and Malaysia as a whole, has been good to me. I absolutely must return to spend explore the country more!
So it's just after 5pm now, I'm heading for the airport at 6. I feel that I'm definitely leaving this part of the world on a massive high (not in the previous vang-vieng sort of way mind). South East Asia is beautiful and I will miss it greatly and think of it fondly. It's no wonder why so many people choose to travel here. It won't be the same in 5 years time, but still I look forward to see how time shapes these countries, their cultures and their people.
As mentioned, though this is the end of one chapter, it is by no means the end of my blog (perhaps you are sighing with disappointment but I hope most of you are elated and cheering!). Australia will surely provide a constant stream of stories and further musings that I must regale you all with (whether you like it or not). I am nervous yes, but in utter wonderment of the things to come. I intend to enter Oz with a blank page and an open mind. A new beginning if you will. Starting afresh with literally only the clothes on my back. Who knows what's in store!
So I will end today's blog here with a quite fitting quote my brother shared with me:
Just finished a book and the following was the end quote which I thought might resonate:
"Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life - and travel - leaves a mark on you. Most of the time, those marks - on your body or on your heart- are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt." - A. Bourdain.
Much love x
