The journey from Koh Tao to Penang in Malaysia was epic. We boarded the night train (thankfully the right one as we almost hopped on two others) and found our carriage. At as early as 10.30, the seats had been transformed into beds. Either side of the aisle hung blue curtains from the bunks. We both had top bunks adjacent to each other. Although smaller than the bottom bunks, we managed to cram our bags and bodies in. The beds were comfy but we were woken several times by squeaky tracks - almost felt like we were derailing at times. At 6am we were woken and the beds were put away. The train was on time and miles cleaner than UK trains - definitely the most comfortable transport we've had in Thailand.

At the border we hopped off the train and went through the usual passport checks. The guys searching the bags were so informal and relaxed - one was reading Simons PADI dive course book and the other was commenting on the messy state of my bag and the strange lock combination I have.

Arrived in a place called Butterworth and caught the ferry across to the island of Penang. The first day felt really bizarre. Compared to the small and relaxed islands of Thailand, Penang was crazy! The traffic and buildings and larger scale of everything was alot to take in. The first night we ventured to Chinatown which was close by to our hostel. We saw various hawker stalls set up in the night market and a few very English looking pubs! Down one street, by the oldest posh hotel in Penang, were plenty of swanky bars. (We popped into the posh hotel one day - really undressed but was nice to see how the other half live!) We then went to Little India which was very busy with everyone preparing for Diwali. Plenty of Bhangra street music (which Si was dancing about to). I had two mehndi patterns, one on the side of my foot and the other on my hand. The lady who did it suggested a restaurant close by for some good food. Si ordered a naan set and tandori chicken and a Rogan josh (plus drink) for the equivalent of three pounds. It was gorgeous - even I enjoyed it :)

The following day we went to see the sights of Penang. As the place seemed huge we booked a tour with our hostel. The old guy showing me and Si round had been to Leicester to see his daughter at uni - small world!

Our first stop on the tour was a Thai Buddhist Temple. Inside was the 'worlds most beautiful' reclining Buddha. It was completely different to the golden one we had seen in Bangkok. Around the building were dead people ashes placed into holes in the wall. Nice resting place! Across the road we went to the Burmese Buddhist Temple which had a 60ft standing Buddha. Ventured round the gardens and admired the paintings of Buddha's experiences. We both also rang the 'intelligence bell' which was possibly the easiest way to improve our IQs.

The next stop was a small Hindu temple. Although small and less detailed inside, the roof was full of carvings and colour. We then drove to a Batik factory - took me back to those textiles lessons - 'yawn'. They put was on material, paint it, let it dry, and then boil the wax off. Although a few of the free hand patterns were good, neither of us were interested in buying a batik shirt as a souvenir! The fifth stop was Fort Cornwallis. It's the largest standing fort in Malaysia and it was originally built for the Royal artillery troops and the military. A fort with a few cannons - not much explanation needed?

Then the guide took us to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion. It belonged to a Chinese 'gangster' who had two wives - one Malay and one Chinese - neither ever met. Unfortunately the place was ruined in the war but has been restored by an antique dealer. We looked around the rooms and saw how they would have once lived. The house also had its own temple attached where the owner still comes to pray to his ancestors. In the corner of the temple were loads of sleeping bats!

We then visited the Khoo Kongsi Clan house (which we had previous seen on TV). The detail was incredible. Dragons, elephants and people carved and colourful. In the main room was a shrine and more detailed pictures. On either side of the main room were little side rooms. Inside were many gold signs with names of individuals from the clan and their degree achievements. Outside, opposite the clan house was a stage where performances are held for the ancestors.

Our last stop was the chocolate boutique. The tester pieces were WAY too small for my liking but it was still free chocolate! We tried chilli chocolate, coffee beans covered in choc, crisps in choc, fruit chocs, and tiramisu chocs yum yum yum! Sadly we didnt get chance to visit the mosque as it was Friday - a day of prayer so no tourists.

We've now left Penang and are in Cameron Highlands. Weather is much cooler - probably similar to an English summer but it seems freezing as we're used to it being much hotter! Thanks for all the messages on the message board - we're going to get this blog printed into a book when we return so the messages will be in there too :) Hope everyone back home is well ... missing you all love Kim and Si xxxxxx