Things got off to a wet start in Georgetown on the island of Penang. After finding ourselves a guesthouse to stay at, we went in search of an ATM to get some Malaysian Ringitt, and got caught in a torrential downpour which lasted about an hour. Sightseeing was off the cards that afternoon. So we took shelter and we eat our tomato sandwich picnic as we waited for the rain to clear, and then had a bit of a damp wander round the old Chinese 'floating village'and the nearby Komtar shopping center. We quite enjoyed being in a big shopping mall and had fun browsing the shops- it made a change from tourist souvinir stalls where haggling is the standard procedure!

We loved Georgetown- such an interesting vibrant place with a lot going on in a small area. We were staying in Chinatown, and each night the streets would come alive withstreet food vendors and their pushcart stalls, from which they did a brisk trade, dishing out steaming bowls of noodles, satay sticks, nasi goreng (fried rice) and other delectable treats. Plastic table and chairs were set out on street corners and were always busy with hungry customers who seemed to be there for the social scene as much as for the food. Any kind of food was available: two streets away was 'Little India', lined with curry houses, sari shops and Bollywood music stores and we had a little trip down memory lane as we ate Indian one night and wandered around, Hindi music blaring at us from each street corner. Another evening we sought out a popular hawker centre selling seafood and we tried the local speciality, Laksa assam, a fish noodle soup with a sour taste from tamarind.

We had a jam-packed few days in Penang. We visited a huge Chinese temple outside Georgetown and then rode the Fernicular railway up to the top of Penang Hill, which had a great panoramic view of Georgetown and Butterworth across the straights. We walked down from the hill to the Botanical Gardens, passing lots of families and groups of people out for a sunday afternoon walk, the more energetic ones actually running up the incredibly steep and winding 5km road. All a bit too hot and strenuous for us! We explored Georgetown by following a short heritage trail that took us around traditional crafts and foods of Penang, such as handmade joss sticks, traditional beaded shoes and coconut cake delicacies; we also visited Fort Cornwallis, a number of temples and a mosque, and went to see the impressive world's third largest reclining Buddha. We also had a full day out and caught the bus to the fishing village of Teluk Bahang, from where we did a short jungle treck through the local national park to a lovely secluded beach called Monkey Beach. No monkeys, thank goodness- we've found them to be quite aggressive and threatening to others, so always steer clear of them if we can! On the way back we called in at Batu Ferringhi, which didn't have a lot going for it apart from a resort- lined beach; but we'd wanted to see it because 21 years ago Sara's family had gone out there on holiday, leaving her behind with grandparents, and it was now her turn to see the place!

It was really strange for Jess being back in Penang, which is where she and her family spent a fair bit of time on their boat. Walking around the streets of Georgetown brought back a lot of half- forgotten memories, and she kept getting the weirdest sense of deja vu at all sorts of small things: like seeing the sweets and snacks she and her brother and sister would buy with pocket money, walking threough the Chinese floating village that the family would pass through on trips to shore: and shopping in the supermarket where her mum would get all their groceries. It made her quite homesick for her old 'yachtie' life, and it felt almost wrong to be in such a well- loved place without her family. She enjoyed seeing Georgetown from a different, land- based point of view, though, and discovering parts of it for herself!

Regretfully, we couldn't stay any longer in Penang even though we really liked it and there was lots to see, as we had to get to Langkawi, an island near the Thai/ Malaysian border. Langkawi was stunningly beautiful, with dramatic lush green hills and islands, white sand beaches and turquoise water, but it was a bit limiting from a backpacker's point of view. A great destination for package holidays and people taking advantage of all the island's duty-free outlets, it was quite expensive and difficult to get around. There's no public transport, just taxis, and the beaches were too far away to walk to. Determined to actually see some of the island's sights, we hired a scooter for the day, being cheaper than taxis and giving us the freedom to do a leisurely tour of the island. We visited the picturesque beach of Tanjung Rue, a couple more beaches and an exhibition centre dedicated to rice cultivation, complete with its own rice paddies. We would have liked to have seen more of Langkawi, but it's the kind of place that requires time and money to really do it justice- it's now on our 'proper holiday' wishlist!

We got the ferry from Langkawi over to Saturn, back in Thailand, ready for our second stint in the country, all carefully timed to coincide with the Songkran water festival. We really enjoyed Penang and Langkawi and are looking forward to continuing our travels in Malaysia and getting to know the culture a bit better. First though, the beaches of Koh Pha-Ngan and the world's biggest water fight!