Weekly #6: Penang, Cameron Highlands and Kuala Lumpur
We got to experience a lot of the diversity in Malaysia this week. All the different cultures, the international food from all over the world and on top of that, the diversity in destinations. We loved photographing the colonial architecture in George Town, enjoyed some cooler days in the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands and arrived in the buzzing capital of Kuala Lumpur, where we met up with Kais cousin.
Amazing views from Penang Hill
Thursday, 6 February 2020
We have a good and long night of sleep (except for being awake around 5:00 AM again, as the mosque is getting quite loud) and start the day slow at one of the many cool cafes in George Town. Most of the cafes are quite empty, so we never have to queue for a spot, like we often have to in Berlin. In the afternoon we visit Penang Hill. According to Malaysian standards, it is a hill but according to my Dutch standards, it is a mountain. Whatever you want to call it, the views from the top at 833 meters above sea level are stunning. From here you can easily see the city of Butterworth on the main land and how many modern flat buildings Penang actually has. Our taxi driver raved about the ice cream on Penang Hill so we decided to give it a shot, our first ice cream on our trip. We didn’t find only one ice cream store, but four next to each other. They all had an identical menu and plastic versions of their icecream variations presented on their counters. So which one is the original? We opted for Lily, the one with the highest ratings on Google Maps and had a very decent ice cream and one of the best fruit shakes ever. The mango passion fruit shake is very much recommended here! Back in town, we have dinner at the night market in Chulia Street again.
Visiting the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia
Friday, 7 February 2020
George Town is amazing! It really makes our street photography hearts beat faster. It is one of those towns, where just walking around is already a highlight and we are constantly amazed by the colorful colonial style architecture. The appearance and the state of the buildings reminds us a lot of Havana (without the stinky but beautiful oldtimers), a city that we also really loved. We really can’t stop taking photos in this town!
To learn more about the history and architecture of George Town, we wanted to join a guided tour at the Cheong Fatt Tze (also known as the blue mansion). Unfortunately, tours were being suspended until mid-February due to ‘health and safety reasons’. This is the first time we have to skip something due to the Corona virus. Oh well, then we just continue our food marathon! We head back to the oldest part of George Town, where most of the Indian restaurants are located. Every other store plays loud Bollywood music, it contributes to the exuberant atmosphere of the neighborhood and it reminds me of my time in university, when I used to go to Bollywood dance classes for two years. I (Marjolein) love Bollywood music! We get some samosas, palak paneer and matar paneer for lunch and feel refuelled for the rest of the day. We take a taxi to the Kek Lok Si temple (Temple of Ultimate Happiness). It is the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia, and is also an important pilgrimage destination for Buddhists from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and other countries in Southeast Asia. The entire complex of temples was built over a period from 1890–1930 and the mixture of architectural styles from Malaysia, Thailand, Burma and China represent the ethnic and religious diversity in the country. We enjoy getting lost in the complex (it is huge!), while tons of yellow and red Chinese lanterns are dancing in the wind. Ribbons with wishes were sold for 5 RM (about € 1), and we added our wishes for ‘world peace’ and a ‘long life together’ to the wish three. It was a magical place!
Travel day from Penang to Cameron Highlands
Saturday, 8 February 2020
Before departure, I’ve read some horror scenarios about the road to the Cameron Highlands. Not every stomach seems to handle the many curves along the way very well… The idea of having sick people around me makes me nervous. We take our motion sickness pills and hope for the best. We got lucky, there were just a hand full of other passengers in the bus! Overall, it was one of the best journeys on our trip so far. Malaysian busses are very modern (2 USB-ports per seat), spacious and well climatized (not too hot, not too cold). The roads are indeed very steep and curvy but also come with some amazing views into the valley. A few kilometers before arrival we got stuck in a traffic jam. Apparently, many Malaysians head to the Cameron Highlands in the weekends to enjoy the pleasant climate. As soon as we get out of the bus, we feel the difference in temperature. It is only about 24 °C degrees and it feels so good not to be sweating all of the time. Apart from the cooler weather, the Cameron Highlands are know for their tea, strawberry and flower plantations.
Tea plantations everywhere we look
Sunday, 9 February 2020
We had such a kind taxi driver yesterday, that we decided to book him for a few hours. I did my destination research well this time and read on many blogs that the standard tours in the Cameron Highlands are not for everybody. They drop you off at a tea plantation, a strawberry plantation, a butterfly plantation, a honey plantation and what more. Seeing strawberries is a highlight for many Asian tourists but for tourists coming from northern Europe, this isn’t really something worth traveling to Asia for. No, we are here to see the tea plantations! In a 40 year old Mercedes car with leather seats we cruise through the mountains. It is saturated green everywhere we look! The tea plants grow in small groups and look like pillows from far away. It is such a cool experience to walk through the plantations and to see tea plants everywhere you look. First we head to the BOH tea plantation where you can find a small museum, a factory (no pictures allowed), a cafe and a tea shop. However we had been very good at not buying souvenirs so far, I couldn’t resist at the tea shop. We bought some jasmine green tea and infusions for iced tea. When we head to the next plantation, there is an extremely large traffic jam to get to the BOH tea plantation. Our taxi driver wasn’t exaggerating, when he mentioned it gets busy here during the weekends... I’m glad we came here first thing in the morning (8:00 AM)! Next we head to the Bharat Tea Plantation, where you can hike through the fields in the valley. The sun even come out!
In our guest house we share a kitchen, living room and bath room with another room. It is amazing to have some more space and to feel at home in a living room. An English/US couple is staying in the room next to us and we have dinner and some beers together in town. They have been traveling for months so we have enough things to talk about!
Coziness on a rainy day
Monday, 10 February 2020
It rained all day long from the moment we woke up until the moment we went to bed. But actually, it was kind of cozy and a nice escape from the heat we have been experiencing for the last five weeks. We walked around in our rain jackets and went to the tea valley to have another amazing masala tea. It must be one of the best masala teas I had in my life. Back in our accommodation, we enjoyed having a couch and a living room for one more day. It almost felt like home! It is a pity that the town of Tanah Rata, where we are staying, doesn’t really offer nice food and drink options. Otherwise we could have stayed here for a little longer!
Survived a curvy bus ride to Kuala Lumpur
Tuesday, 11 February 2020
It was another curvy bus ride today. Thank god we have enough packages of motion sickness pills with us, otherwise I wouldn’t have survived this journey, I’m afraid. After 1,5 hours on beautiful (because beautiful they were!) curvy mountain roads with views over the valley, we are happy to reach the highway again. Straight roads, a toilet and snack break. These travel days turn out to be not so healthy for us, as we have cookies and cheesy tortilla chips for lunch again... The bus ride from Cameron Highlands to the city center of Kuala took around three hours. We really loved being surrounded by nature, but we are also happy to be back in an urban environment again. We check in in our hotel (Regalia Suites) around 4:00 PM and go straight to the hotel rooftop pool, one of the reasons we booked this hotel. The view is absolutely amazing! We have a view on the Petronas Towers, the Kuala Lumpur Tower and the neighbourhood of Chow Kit. In the distance we can even see lots of woods and the rock formations around the Batu Caves. We wait for Kais cousin and his girlfriend, who will be arriving in Kuala Lumpur today. Due to the storm Sabine, they had a delay of four hours, but luckily they still made it within the same day to Kuala Lumpur! We cheer with some ice cold beers and can’t wait to explore Kuala Lumpur together tomorrow.
Family sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur
Wednesday, 12 February 2020
The train to the famous Batu Caves stops right in front of our hotel and brings us to the temple in about 30 minutes. Batu Caves, one of Kuala Lumpur’s most frequented tourist attractions, is a limestone hill comprising three major caves and a number of smaller ones. Incorporated with interior limestone formations said to be around 400 million years old, the temple is considered an important religious landmark by Hindus and one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India. The 272 colourful steps guide us to the top of the cave, where we are awaited by colorful temples and playful monkeys. It is a must to visit in Kuala Lumpur!
Next up is another famous Kuala Lumpur landmark: the Petronas Towers. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitats official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, until they were surpassed by Taipei 101. The Petronas Towers remain the tallest twin towers in the world with a height of 451 meters. Here is an episode of MegaStructures featuring the Petronas Towers, really interesting to see how these impressive towers were constructed. The architecture of these remarkable towers is really cool and from the KLCC park, we have some amazing views on the towers.
Instead of going up the skybridge of the Petronas Towers, we decided to head to the Kuala Lumpur Tower. With a height of 421 meters, this television tower is almost as heigh as the Petronas Towers but much more importantly: from here we can see the Petronas Towers. The view is absolutely breathtaking! Of course we take some photos in the skybox. From the glass floor, you get some unique views over the city. But be quick, because every visitor only has 90 seconds to spend in the skybox.
We end a day full of sightseeing in the infinity pool of our hotel. Thanks to R & C for the fun day!
