I hadn't planned to go to Malaysia, but having been advised on a number of occasions by other travellers that it was 'unmissable' I managed to find the time to squeeze a quick week in to see what all the fuss was about. I took the overnight sleeper train directly from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur; In my head this was going to be the best journey, I got a bed to sleep in and would wake up at my destination- easy...Mmm not so much, the train moved so much during the journey that sleeping became a task similer to what I imagine it would be like trying to sleep on a rollercoaster, I think the bus may be a better idea next time!!

Malaysia has been the busiest week of travelling I have had so far (mainly due to my lack of movement in Bali). I had so much to see in so little time. I spent two days in Kuala Lumpur and to be honest I wasn't all that Impressed, it is a big city and again it has good transport and everything you could possibly need but to me it was a bit of a dirty Singapore and it wasnt even that much cheaper!! So I quickly planned to move up to Penang (Malaysias food capital)..Of Course this would be of interest to me!! Luckily one of the girls from the hostel Holly was keen to come with me that same day and a small group from the hostel had also agreed to come and meet us the next day. So we made the 5 hour coach journey north. Oh I have just realised that I have failed to mention the unfortunate weather that I have experienced since leaving Bali..Almost constant clouds and rain.. Delightful!! Given the bad weather in Penang I'm not ashamed to say that after a morning spent wandering round looking at the temples and street artwork in our rain macs myself and Holly sought shelter in the Mall and found a cinema where we watched a movie and got snacks and popcorn for under 2 pounds each! Bargain! Sometimes its nice to be reminded of home comforts on rainy days! That evening we were joined by our friends from the hostel in Kuala Lumpur and we went in search of the famous night food markets.. we were not dissapointed!! We spent the evening gorging on incredible food from curries to fried chicken and the local delicacy Laksa (Fish/ noodle curry). Over dinner (or the many dinners) we all decided that we head over to Langkawi (an Island off West coast of Malysia towards Thailand) the following day . This was a three hour ferry and possibley the worst boat journey I have experienced yet. Within minutes of being on the boat the staff gave out sick bags to everyone- I thought this was fo comedy value but I soon realised this was no joke. Within 10 minutes of being on the boat almost 25% of the passengers were being violently sick, the boat was rocking a lot and the smell of sick filled the air. This continued for the entire trip- I have never been so happy to get off of a boat in my life!! Upon arrival in Langkawi the six of us rented a minivan and decided we would spend two days driving around the Island in search of waterfalls and beautiful beaches. Having used public transport for the whole journey so far, the freedom of having our own transport was so exciting. During these two days we experienced only two hours of sunshine, but we did spend this on a beatuful beach. We also went for a swim in a waterfall in torrential rain, the experience was incredible and the rain was not going to break our spirits. Speaking of spirits - Langkawi is a duty free Island so we also took full advantage of the cheap alcohol and had a few really entertainng nights as I'm sure you can imagine. In fact we had such an entertaining second night that I slept over my alarm and nearly missed my flight back to Kuala Lumpur. Luckily two of my friends Sand and Simmi were also catching the flight back to Kuala Lumpur with me so they got me up and I went to the airport in my pyjamas!! That was my week in Malaysia - Plenty of good food, great company, waterfalls and duty free alcohol. I didnt stay in one place for more than two nights and I cant remember the last time I slept for more than 5 hours but it was completely worth it!! The following day me and Sand took another cheap flight up to Surat Thani in Thailand and then took a 6 hour coach across to meet Holly in Phuket- another incredibly long day travelling but the three of us are here now planning our Thailand Island hopping adventure as we speak. I cant wait.. Hope the weather perks up a bit though..my tan is fading fast.