The trip to Melaka had the smoothest transitions that I think I’ve ever been a part of! We had the option of taking the quicker way from Taman Negara, which would cost 70 ringgit and would get us to Kuala Lumpur by 1 or 2pm, or we could do the cheaper way and apparently not get to Kuala Lumpur until after 5pm. Since none of us were in a hurry, we decided to go with the cheaper option (of course) so when we got to the bus just before 10am, we paid the driver 7 ringgit each ($2.21AUD) to go to Jerantut. We arrived at that terminal at 11:39, went to the ticket counter and found out that there was a direct bus to Kuala Lumpur at 11:45! We bought tickets for 18.40 ringgit ($6.01), put our bags on the bus, asked the driver if we could run to the bathroom, paid .30 ringgit (10 cents) to use the toilet, and ran onto the bus. We actually arrived in Kuala Lumpur at around 2pm, so we got there nearly just as quick as the “fast transportation” and paid 45 ringgit less! We had to get to the TBS station, so we bought metro tickets for 3.80 ringgit ($1.24). We then had to say goodbye to Alana, who was meeting back up with her boyfriend in Kuala Lumpur. Ros and I continued to the station and went to buy tickets to Melaka. Even though there was supposed to be a bus in the next 15 minutes, we decided to leave at 3:45 in order to give ourselves time to use the toilet and finally get some lunch. We paid 10.40 ringgit ($3.40) each for our bus tickets and then went to Subway, where I got a sub and drink for 11.20 ($3.66). My first sub in Asia – it was everything that I thought it would be! The bus ride to Melaka took exactly two hours so when we arrived, it was nearly 6pm. Then, we had to take a bus to the city centre. We were told to wait for bus #17 so we waited for quite awhile (at least 20-30 minutes) and it finally came. We paid 2 ringgit each ($0.65) and got on the packed bus for the 20-minute trip into town. Instantly, I loved all of the colours of the buildings – it had such a European vibe to it and I didn’t feel like I was in Asia anymore. Melaka was first found by a Sumatran prince back in the late 1300s, when it was named Malaka. The Portuguese took over the city in the 1500s and called it Malaca. Then the Dutch took over in the 1600s and called it Malakka or Malacka. Then the British took over in the 1700s and called it Malacca. This is why there are still a few spellings of the city. It’s really interesting seeing how each country has influenced the city, and how there are still Dutch and Portuguese areas. The walk to our hostel (Welcome Guesthouse) was only about ten minutes away and when we got there, we were greeted by a friendly lady from Turkey who was volunteering at the guesthouse. The place obviously didn’t have hostel vibes since it was a guesthouse, but it was kind of nice to be somewhere quiet. Plus it was only 18 ringgit per night ($5.88), so it was a steal! Plus it included breakfast (which was just toast and coffee, but still amazing)! However, the beds were extremely creaky (as in I couldn’t even lift my arm without it making a noise), and our window was facing a restaurant that was for some reason open from 5pm-5am, so we constantly heard running water and the clanging of pots and pans. We chatted for at least an hour and then decided to head to Jonker Street, where Melaka has its weekend night market. It was so crowded when we got there! We had to get into the stream of people and then were basically pushed the whole way through, not having much space to stop and look at anything. We stopped to try Popiah, which is a fresh spring roll that is cut up to look like sushi. I think it’s normally made with pork but this one was vegetarian. It cost us 2 ringgit each (65 cents) so we didn’t lose much of our money, as both of us were expecting to have salmon or something of flavour inside. We walked through the market but I was having a really hard time deciding what I wanted to eat. I finally decided to just get three skewers of satay (2 chicken and 1 pork) for 11 ringgit ($3.59) and then we each got a mango shake for 5 ringgit ($1.63).

We found a place to sit down and people-watch while enjoying our mango shakes, and then headed back to the guesthouse. That night, Ros woke me up at about 3am and said that I was snoring really loud, which surprised me! I’m hoping that she’s not just the first person who’s actually told me.. however, when she woke me up, my nose was completely plugged so I hope I’m not coming down with something. She said that once she woke me up, I didn’t snore anymore so that’s good!

On Sunday morning, we got up and ready for the day. Ros was changing hostels because she’d be staying in Melaka for the entire week and was trying to find somewhere she liked (or trying to get away from my snoring!). I had to get my laundry done so I packed up my stuff and walked ten minutes to the nearest laundromat. It cost me 3 ringgit for a wash, 1.50 ringgit for laundry detergent, and 4 ringgit for a dry, so I paid $2.78 total. Plus it was a lot faster than what I was expecting – a half hour for the wash and 45 minutes for the dry, so I didn’t have to spend my entire day sitting in the laundromat – I just FaceTimed with my parents and the time went by faster. I dropped my stuff off at the hostel and then I met back up with Ros at about 2pm. We stopped at Chop Chung Wah for lunch because they’re known for their chicken and rice balls, which were actually quite good!

The rice balls are boiled in broth so it adds a lot of extra flavour. Ros and I shared a dish so it only cost us 5 ringgit each ($1.63). We then explored the city – went across the river to check out the bright pink buildings of city hall, Christ Church, and the Clock Tower.

It was another city of bright colours and charm! We walked to St. Paul’s Church, went to Porta de Santiago (a ruined fortress), and then walked through the MegaMall, which literally had every store – stores common in Australia, stores common in North America, and stores common in Europe – it seemed so weird!

I even noticed that there was an A&W so I vowed that I’d try some A&W before I left Malaysia. After walking around for a few hours, we decided to part ways for a bit so that we could relax at our hostels before meeting up for dinner. On my way back to my hostel, I happened to walk by a big building that said “MAMEE” and had a familiar blue monster standing in front of it, taking pictures with kids. I instantly recognised it as the dry noodle snack that I would always have at my friend’s house when I was little. I’d beg my mom to buy me some but she said that they were too expensive, and I remember her buying them once and I was so happy! I had absolutely no idea that they originated from Malaysia, and specifically from this small city! I decided to return tomorrow, and continued back to the hostel. I relaxed for a couple of hours and then met back up with Ros and her friend at about 8pm. We decided to have dinner at her hostel (La Vie en Rose) since the hostel owner is Lebanese and he cooks seriously amazing food – the flavour was some of the best that I’ve had in Malaysia, even if it wasn’t Malaysian food. We shared baba ganoush with pita, and then I ordered a Philadelphia Beef wrap, which was so good! I paid 13.50 ringgit ($4.41). The three of us then walked through the night market for a bit, which was much quieter since it was Sunday and then we finished the night by getting coconut shakes for 4 ringgit ($1.31) and sitting by the fountain across the river.

On Monday morning, I got up and FaceTimed my family before going downstairs for breakfast. I was originally just planning on spending two nights in Melaka, but I decided to stay for one more night so I still had another full day. A lot of the main restaurants close by 5pm and some stop serving main dishes by 1pm, so I found it really difficult figuring out where to go for dinner while I was there. I wanted to try out so many foods but a lot of the restaurants were closed on Monday, or would close before dinner. I went to East & West Rendez-vous, which is known for their Nyonya Chang, which is a part-blue dumpling filled with minced pork and sticky rice. I also had wanted to try one of the main desserts there called Cendol, which is an iced dessert with green rice flour jelly, coconut milk, palm sugar, and other various toppings. However, when they got there, I got a, “What do you want?” as an entire family was deep in conversation sitting at one of the tables. I asked if they had a menu and she said that all she had left were the dumplings, so I said that I’d get one. She grabbed a parcel wrapped in a banana leaf off of the table, unwrapped it, and set it on a plate for me.

Therefore, it wasn’t too warm when I ate it but it wasn’t too bad – it was somewhat sweet but then salty at the same time. It was kind of weird because as I was eating it, the family brought out all of this food from the kitchen and then started eating their lunch beside me. A guy came in just as I was finishing and got the same, “What do you want?” and got a dumpling as well. I paid my 7 ringgit ($2.29) and continued on my way, determined to find some Cendol. I walked along the river and found a little place across from the clock tower called Cendol Jam Besar. I got their ABC Cendol, which comes with shaved ice, and finally got to give it a try. Along with the ice cream and candy sprinkles added to it, it also had red beans and sweet corn.

It was definitely different! I don’t know if I liked it or not – I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to find some again but I might not turn it down either. There was just so much going on in the bowl and I didn’t know what half of it was! I paid 5 ringgit ($1.63) and then walked to the Mamee Museum. I went into the cafe first, since it was just after 2pm. I decided to try the curry laksa made with their Mamee noodles and get a grape pop to go with it – I felt like a kid again!

The curry laksa was so good – much better than the laksa that I tried in Penang (but I made sure to check if it was fishy or not first). It was quite spicy though! My meal cost me 13 ringgit ($4.24) so I paid and then checked out the museum, which was free (and I was the only person in it because they had it gated off so that no one could enter). It was a nice museum and had potential but I was confused as to why they weren’t regularly letting people in. I thought that I couldn’t go in and when I was staring at it, one of the staff members asked if I wanted to go inside and opened the gate for me.

It was interesting reading about the history and seeing how the products had changed over the years. I then explored the shops down Jonker Street and along the river before heading back to relax at the guesthouse for a couple of hours.

At about 7pm, I decided to go for dinner at a restaurant on the riverside called Wild Coriander. I got the Nasi Lemak, which is a combination of food including curry chicken, veggies, fried anchovies, and an egg, served on a banana leaf. The view beside the river was so nice and I was able to watch the colours of the sky change for the duration of my dinner.

It was a very nice way to spend my last night in Melaka. Plus the food was delicious! It looked like so much food but I somehow got through it all, and didn’t even feel completely full afterwards. My meal with a drink cost me 22 ringgit ($7.18) and for the amount of food I had, it was worth it! However, something didn’t agree with my stomach (which sometimes happens when I have curries, but it would be nice to know what the specific ingredient is so I could avoid it!). Anyway, after dinner, I headed back to the guesthouse to relax for the rest of the night, after taking a quick walk by the rover.

On Tuesday morning, I packed up all of my stuff and had a few pieces of toast before meeting up with Ros for coffee before I headed back to Kuala Lumpur. We went to a place called The Stolen Cup, which was a cute American-like cafe with lots of character. The coffee was a bit more expensive at 10 ringgit ($3.26), but it was nice to have some barista-made coffee rather than the instant coffee that I’ve usually been drinking. I stayed for just over an hour and then headed back across the river to wait for the bus in front of the clock tower. Melaka is a sweet city that has its own uniqueness compared to any of the other cities that I’ve been to in Malaysia! Love always

My trip to Taman Negara was longer than what I expected, but it was an experience in itself! I had to pay 65 ringgit ($21.22AUD) for what I thought would just be a shuttle from my hostel in Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands to the main town of Taman Negara called Kuala Tahan. However, I was in for a surprise… The 13-passenger van picked me up at my hostel at around 8:15 and there were five other people there. We dropped three people off in a small town, stopped for a 15-minute snack/bathroom break (squat toilet, of course!), and arrived in the town of Jerantut at around 11:45am. There, three of us had to fill in our forms to get a permit to enter the park. The park entrance was only 1 ringgit (30 cents), and if we wanted to take pictures, we had to pay 5 ringgit ($1.60). The man said that they’ve kept the park admission fee the same since they opened the park to the public, but it obviously isn’t enough to wholly contribute to the upkeep of the park, so they asked that we keep everything clean. We were then brought to a desk, where a guy spent about ten minutes trying to sell different tours to us at a “discount price,” and if we didn’t make the decision at that very second and get 10% off, we’d have to pay full price when we get there. It was to the point where it was just uncomfortable, where I said no multiple times, and he continued with, “Well, if you’re not taking any tours, then why are you going?” I’ve already spent so much money on tours and I’ve read that hikes could be done in the Taman Negara without a guide, so I figured I would save my money this time. Anyway, he said we had until 12:30pm before the next bus would come pick us up. I decided to get lunch, which was just fried noodles for 5 ringgit ($1.63), and I tried to eat it as fast as I could before the bus came. We then boarded another 13-passenger van (which was full this time) and made our way back the way that we came but this time, stopped about 30-45 minutes later at a ferry pier. We were sat down and talked to about the park, and told how it was the oldest rainforest in the world (more than 130 million years old) because it was untouched by the ice age, and told what to do if we got lost. We had to wait for them to get our permits ready, which we would have to carry with us in the park at all times. At about 1:30pm, we were led to a dock, which was only accessible by literally walking across a wooden board that wasn’t more than a foot in width, and hoping that we (along with any of our stuff) didn’t fall off into the water. Some people brought huge suitcases so it was interesting watching them try to get their stuff across. We had to board an extremely long canoe-like boat and were seated two by two. They stacked all of our luggage in a massive pile in the front and I have to say that I was quite impressed that nothing rolled off during the trip. The boatride was cool because we were level with the water and it was so relaxing, I kept nearly falling asleep. We saw some water buffalo on the way but other than that, it was just a bunch of green for two and a half hours.

We arrived at Kuala Tahan right before 4pm to a dock on the side of a floating restaurant, and then they wanted us to stand in line and tell them where we were going so that we could get suggestions and/or transport to our accommodation. I couldn’t be bothered waiting in line so I made my way to my hostel, which was up a huge hill but was literally less than 300 metres from the dock. Kuala Tahan is a pretty small area, which probably has less than ten restaurants and about two convenience stores so you can pretty much cover the entire thing in less than ten minutes. I was staying at Wild Lodge in a 6-person mixed dorm (with a riverside view) for 26 ringgit per night ($8.60) and while I was unpacking my stuff, I was greeted by Thom, a Dutch guy, who basically introduced me to everyone else.

In my room, there was another Canadian girl (finally!) named Alana. She’s from Vancouver but she’s been living in the UK for the past ten years. Another main person who I met was Ros, who’s from the UK, has been travelling for nearly six months, and was planning to move to Melbourne next. I visited with people for a few hours and then we finally decided to go for dinner, which I was extremely happy about since I was starving! Let me just say that the food in Kuala Tahan is known for not being great, so I knew not to have high expectations. We went to a place that I believe was called Julie’s Hostel and I decided to get chicken curry with a coke. Afterwards, we all treated ourselves to ice cream and I tested out a Kit-Kat Drumstick, which was so good! We all went to bed, and I completely passed out since I hadn’t had much sleep during the past two nights.

On Friday morning, I woke up and most of the group had left to Cameron Highlands. The only people remaining were Thom, Ros, Alana, and I. We took advantage of the free coffee and tea from the hostel, and then the four of us went for breakfast at the same place that we had had dinner at the night before. This time, I had a tomato omelette with an iced coffee for 8.50 ringgit ($2.78). We then decided to go on a hike together. We went online and decided to do a 2.1-km hike to a cave called Telinga Cave. We had to pay 1 ringgit each (30 cents) to get a boat across the river to the start of the trail, and then we went on our way at about 12pm.

I’ve been hiking plenty of times before, but this was a proper proper hike. There usually wasn’t a distinct trail and sometimes, we didn’t even know which way to go (thank goodness for the app ‘maps.me’ so that we could make sure we were on the right track!). We had to push aside many (prickly!) branches, step over and under logs, and climb up and down steep hills.

Our first sign to turn back probably should have been the humongous snake that us three girls saw (it went away so fast that Thom missed it). I happened to hear something in the leaves, looked over, and about one metre away from Alana, I saw the body of a snake about 4-5 inches in diameter. I warned everyone else, and Ros and Alana were luckily able to see it before it “ran” off. I’m surprised how calm I was, but the girls seemed more shaken by it (I guess I’ve already had an experience of nearly stepping on a snake before). Our second sign to turn back should have been the leeches that attempted to dine on us three girls. All of a sudden, I heard Alana say that two leeches were on her ankles so Ros checked her ankles and had one, and then I checked my ankles and had one as well! Luckily, the one on me hadn’t latched on (likely due to my super toxic 80% deet that I had on!) and when I touched it, it wiggled onto my sock and I brushed it off. It actually surprises me how many people don’t know NOT to pull leeches off because they release an anti-coagulant that won’t allow your skin to form a scab (and therefore you keep bleeding, and usually bruise and/or scar). Maybe it’s cause I grew up playing in a lake that had leeches so my mom always told me not to pick them off. Unfortunately, Alana didn’t know this information so when she picked off the two leeches, her feet wouldn’t stop bleeding. We all stopped walking and decided whether we wanted to keep going, and for some reason, no one said to stop so on we went. We got to a huge group of (what we thought were) ants and some had huge pinchers!

If we stood quietly, all we could hear was them munching away. This would have been our third sign to turn back. We had to walk all the way around them since nobody wanted to walk through them. Then a few minutes later, Alana got a third leech. When she pulled back her shoe to look at her first bites, the top of her shoe was covered in blood – it wouldn’t stop! Luckily, nearby was the first written sign that we saw so we went to look at it and we found out that we had only done 800 metres during the past hour. We all agreed to turn around. I think we would have been alright if we did the 2.1km and there was a boat to take us back, but we weren’t sure if there would be a boat there and we didn’t want to risk it. Plus the leeches were stressing everyone out. I don’t think anyone was particularly enjoying themselves! Ros pointed out the leeches to me on the way back – they stick their heads out of the dirt and wiggle upwards back and forth, waiting to hop onto someone – it’s so gross! I think all of us were happy to finally get back out.

We paid 1 ringgit each to get back to the other side of the river and then went back to the hostel. I was nervous to take off my socks because I was scared that I’d find a leech underneath but luckily, I left the forest unharmed (and was the only one!). It was crazy watching Alana wipe off the blood and then less than 30 seconds later, her foot would start dripping again. Ros, Thom, and I decided to go for lunch to one of the floating restaurants called Mawar Floating Restaurant. We were the only table there by the time we ordered (just after 2pm) and decided to start by sharing some spring rolls. We each took a bite but they were hot on the outside and cold on the inside so Ros told the server. However, they just reheated the ones that we gave them and so we got them back with bites – they definitely do things differently in Asia! We then sat and talked for quite awhile and all of a sudden, the lady comes with the Tom yum soups that we all ordered and apologised – she had forgotten about us! The whole family had been sitting there watching TV and eating their own meals and then she remembered our main dishes. I didn’t actually think that we had been waiting too long, maybe because we were just so deep in conversation. The soup wasn’t too bad but didn’t really taste like a typical Tom yum. I also got an iced tea to go with my meal, which was probably the best part.

The paying process was a whole other story, which seemed to be way more complicated than it needed to be. My full meal ended up being 12 ringgit ($3.92). That afternoon, I visited with Alana and we did some research about what we saw. We found out that there’s only one type of python in the forest called a reticulated python, which is the longest snake in the world and the third heaviest! Apparently they’re really rare to see so I guess we were…. lucky? We also found out that the ants we saw were actually termites, so that explains why they were so noisy. We went for ice cream, and chatted with some new arrivals, such as Katie who came from London (literally everyone I meet is Dutch or British). That evening, Thom wanted to go on the night hike tour but I think after our day hike experience, none of us girls were too keen to go. The four of us girls went for a late dinner to a restaurant right by the hostel, where Ros and I split a burger (which they covered in sweet chili sauce) and some more springrolls. The meal cost me another 12 ringgit ($3.92). I was having a difficult time trying to decide if I should stay for another day because I wasn’t sure what I would do the following day other than relax (which wouldn’t be so bad). Alana and Ros were planning to head back towards Kuala Lumpur, and Ros was planning to continue to Melaka, which would be my next stop. I finally decided to join them since I didn’t want to figure out the buses on my own and because our bus left at 10am the next morning, we agreed to meet at 9am for breakfast.

On Saturday morning, I got up at 8:30, packed up my stuff, and Ros, Alana, and I had coffee at the hostel and then went for breakfast to the same place that we had went to for dinner the night before. This time, I decided to have a banana pancake, which cost me 5 ringgit ($1.63). We then took all of our stuff and walked to the end of the street to a retro, bright blue bus, which would take us to our next stop. Taman Negara was another beautiful place, which perhaps I preferred to enjoy at a distance, from the deck at our hostel 🙂 Next time, I’ll just have to come fully prepared with leech socks! Love always

The trip to Cameron Highlands was a tough one for me, mostly due to the fact that I don’t know how to control my liquids before long bus/train trips (you’d think I would learn by now…). Even though the main Cameron Highlands town (Tanah Rata) is just under 90km from Ipoh, it still takes about two hours to get there, and that completely depends on the traffic. Add in the twisty, bumpy roads and you’re in for a problem if you have a full bladder. We left Ipoh at 3pm after I paid 20 ringgit for my ticket ($6.53AUD), didn’t arrive until after 5pm, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to use the bathroom so bad in my life! I ran to the toilet in the bus terminal, only to find that it was chained and locked up! I ran across the street into the nearest shop (a phone store) and asked where the nearest bathroom was. They redirected me across the street and I replied that it was closed. The mom said something to her boy and he took me into the back of the shop and let me use their toilet (thank goodness!). I then walked to my hostel, which was called Father’s Guest House. The reason I chose this hostel was because I really wanted to do a full-day tour of Cameron Highlands (as opposed to a half-day tour), but the majority of the tour companies that I contacted weren’t offering full-day tours at that time. The hostel said that I was the only person to express interest in a full-day tour and told me to ask again once I got there. However, the stress of that was too much for me to handle since I only had one full day in Cameron Highlands, so I kept researching and found a tour with Eco Cameron for a full day (8 hours) and it cost me 90 ringgit ($29.38). Tanah Rata is a cute, little town that reminds me of a mountain resort like Banff or Jasper. I found my hostel, which was more of a huge house (very lovely), and I stayed in a 10-bed mixed dorm for 19.98 ringgit per night ($6.78). The only other person in my room was a guy from New Jersey named Ben (who had been travelling for the past five years). Ben and I went for dinner at an Indian Restaurant called Kumar Restaurant, where I got a massive dish of tandoori chicken. Afterwards, we went back to the hostel so that he could work on his photography and I could work on my blog.

The next morning (Wednesday), I was meant to be picked up by my tour at 8:15am so I got up at 7 and tried to find a nearby restaurant called Yong Teng Cafe because they’re known for their pancakes. The restaurant is run by an old couple (probably in their 70s) and the lady is mute, so a lot of pointing and hand signals were needed in order to get information across. I got a banana pancake with coffee, and they were both so good! Plus they only cost me 8 ringgit ($2.61)!

I went back to my hostel and waited for the Range Rover to come pick me up. The only other people on my tour were a Dutch couple (likely in their 60s) and a girl from the United States who was teaching in South Korea (and she was only doing the half-day tour). We started by driving to the Mossy Forest, which was all the way up to an altitude of about 2000 metres. I’ve seen moss before, but nothing like this! Plus it was such a foggy morning so it added a mysteriousness to the forest.

The guide pointed out different plants, such as the carnivorous pitcher plants, which fill up with water and then trap insects to consume. He also showed us berries to eat, citronella leaves, and other medicinal plants for treating wounds or helping with digestion. He took the smallest piece of moss, rolled it up into a ball and then squeezed it, and the amount of water that came out was amazing! He said that the amount of time it takes for plants to grow there is extremely long because of the high altitude. If we looked at a tree in the Mossy Forest and then looked at the same sized tree in the rainforest, it would only take 20 years for it to get to that size in the rainforest whereas in the Mossy Forest, it would take between 200-300 years. The path through the Mossy Forest was only about 20 minutes long but we kept running into other tour groups so it got quite crowded. After that, we walked up another 32 metres to the top of Mount Brinchang, which normally gives a 360 degree view of the entire area but since it was so foggy, we literally couldn’t see anything.

We walked back to the Range Rover and drove to the tea plantations, which Cameron Highlands is known for. One of the most well-known teas is BOH Plantations, which was started by a British man in 1929, and is continued to be run by his Granddaughter. We were given an hour to explore the BOH Plantations – 15 minutes for a tour through the factory and 45 minutes to do as we pleased. I walked around for a bit and then I went to the cafe and I’m not kidding, I had the best iced tea I’ve ever had in my life! I basically grew up on iced tea and even the Lipton iced tea doesn’t do it for me here, but this was amazing! I was so tempted to buy some, but I didn’t want to have to carry it around for the next three months.

After the tea plantation, we dropped off the girl who was only doing the half day tour and then we went to the Butterfly Farm, where we were able to see many different species of butterflies. I saw a massive butterfly and even got to hold it, it was beautiful!

The guide said that they only have a lifespan of two weeks, which is a shame. The Butterfly Farm also had many other insects and lizards, as well as some frogs, hedgehogs, and many flowers.

After we finished wandering around, the guide took us to a local restaurant (Restoran Yao Yat) for lunch, where I had chicken with mushroom sauce and rice, as well as a strawberry white coffee (I was so intrigued, and it actually wasn’t too bad!), which cost me 11.50 ringgit ($3.75). We then went to Raaju’s Hill Strawberry Farm, where I treated myself to a strawberry milkshake for 8 ringgit ($2.61).

It wasn’t the best strawberry milkshake I’ve had in my life, but it was probably the freshest! After the strawberry farm, we got about a half hour to walk through the local market and then we made a quick stop at Cactus Point, which was (as its name suggests) a shop that sells cacti as well as other plants.

We went to the local museum, which went through the history of Cameron Highlands and had a bunch of antique items throughout the museum.

Our last stop was the Sam Poh Buddhist Temple, which was very quiet and still wasn’t as nice as some of the other temples I’ve seen.

By the time I got to my hostel, I was completely exhausted! There was another guy who had moved into the room named Sam and he was on vacation from the Netherlands. We actually talked for quite awhile – it was another one of those moments where we just clicked so the conversation came naturally. I had the coldest shower in awhile – mind you, all of my showers in Malaysia have been pretty cold but I normally welcome them since I’m coming from 30+ degree weather. However, the Highlands are naturally a lot colder (around 19 degrees) because of the high altitude so it was a lot more difficult to get into a cold shower! When I got back into the room and complained about my shower, Sam asked if I had flipped the switch in the hallway before my shower (which controls the water heater). What?! NO! Why hadn’t anyone told me this before?! Maybe that’s why my showers have always been so cold… Sam and I went to get dinner and stopped at a place to have a couple skewers of satay before having an actual meal. There, we ran into Ben so he joined us for dinner. We went to another Indian Restaurant called Curry House, where I got Chana Masala and naan bread for 19 ringgit ($6.20). We then went to a bar called Jungle Bar and each had a beer, then played some games before going back to the hostel.

On Thursday morning, I had to catch a bus to Taman Negara at 8am so I got up at 7 again, and Sam, Ben, and I went for breakfast at 7:30 before we all had to part ways. We went to another Indian place, where I just had roti and cheese with a curry sauce for 4.50 ringgit ($1.47). I then went back to the hostel and waited for my bus to come pick me up. Cameron Highlands is another area that is completely different from anything else, and I really enjoyed my time there even if it was short. I met some more great people and saw some more amazing things! Love always

My transport to Ipoh (pronounced EE-poe) didn’t go as smoothly as I was hoping. In Koh Lipe, I checked into my 11am ferry at 9:45am, had to give them my passport again, and was given a card with a number. Almost immediately after that, they started transferring us into the longtail boats to take us the transport area. There were way more of us this time (about 150 people) and there were only two longtail boats, so they had to keep doing trips back and forth from the beach. Luckily, I got on the second boat so I had to wait at the transport area for the next 45 minutes until the ferry arrived. Once the ferry came, we had to wait for everyone to get off of the ferry and then they called out numbers one by one for people to board the boat – it was so efficient! My number was in the 120’s so I still had to wait a bit to get on. Just after 11, we started the 90-minute journey back to Malaysia. I lost an hour this time, so by the time we all got off the boat in Langkawi, it was about 2pm. I went to the ticket office across the street to find out how I could get to Ipoh, but the next ferry leaving from Langkawi wasn’t until 4pm and they said I would miss the last bus to Ipoh (I think what happens with these ticket counters is they only tell you how to get there from THEIR company, so even if there are buses available with other companies, they don’t tell you about them). I decided to still catch the 4pm ferry anyway, so I bought a ticket to Kuala Kedah for 23 ringgit ($7.51AUD). I went to KFC for lunch since it was next door, and then went back to the ferry terminal at 3:30pm. I couldn’t understand any of the announcements on the intercom so every time people started rushing to a ferry, I’d go up to a security guard and ask if it was my turn. Finally, it was my turn to board so I found my seat for the 1 hour-45 minute ride to Kuala Kedah. I arrived just before 6pm and I knew that there’d be a train leaving for Ipoh at 6:45 so I requested a Grab to take me to the train station in Alor Setar, which cost 14 ringgit ($4.57) and took nearly a half hour. The Grab driver seemed very curious and kept asking me so many questions, to the point where it felt weird. When we got to the train station, the traffic was pretty backed up so I said I’d just get out and walk the rest of the way because I only had about 20 minutes left. I got to the ticket counter, asked for a ticket to Ipoh, and he said that the train was full and I’d have to take a bus. I looked on my map and saw that the bus station was less than a ten-minute walk away so I decided to walk, but as I left the station, I heard someone yell out, “Miss!” and my Grab driver was still there. I told him that I needed to get to the bus station so he told me to get into the car but then drove past the station on my map. “Are you going to the bus station?” “Yes, it’s about five minutes away.” Turns out there was another bus station so I was lucky that I didn’t end up walking all the way to the other one. When we got there, I asked how much I owed him and he said it was fine and then asked if I wanted him to assist me inside, and I said I was okay. Someone was at the entrance of the bus station and asked where I was going, and then he directed me to a counter that he was running. He said that the next bus wasn’t until 8pm and it would take four hours, meaning I wouldn’t arrive in Ipoh until after midnight. There were only four seats left! I asked him to wait and I contacted my hostel to see if it would be okay and they said that they’d give me a code to enter the hostel and then I could pay/check-in the next morning, which was amazing of them! So I went ahead with buying the bus ticket for 28 ringgit ($9.14). Since I had over an hour to kill, I decided to get dinner but there wasn’t much in the station. The bus station actually just had a sketchy/creepy vibe to it, especially as it approached night time. There were a couple of restaurants across the street so I walked over and heard, “Miss!” again. I looked over and the Grab driver was sitting at a table with two other guys. They were all drivers (that day), waiting for their next ride request. I sat with them, but the other two guys didn’t seem to speak English and the whole dinner felt somewhat uncomfortable. They didn’t have a menu so I ended up ordering an iced tea and some fried rice with the help of the Grab driver. He said that him and his friends all work different jobs normally but since it was a public holiday, they decided to be Grab drivers to get extra money. However, he had only gotten five drive requests during the entire day and it was already 7pm (he said he’d wait until 10pm). I think he had said he made less than 60 ringgit that day ($20), which was pretty crazy to me. Anyway, I left at 7:30, paid 6 ringgit for my meal ($1.96), and sat in the bus station to wait for my bus. I waited until 8pm, then 8:30, and then 9pm before the bus finally came. I got to my seat at the very back of the bus and relaxed for the next four hours, as I was exhausted. However at about midnight, the bus started making funny noises so the bus driver pulled over for about 10-15 minutes to fix it. Finally just before 1am, we arrived at the Ipoh bus station. I then had to take a Grab to my hostel, which took about 20 minutes and cost 16 ringgit ($5.22). I was staying in Vloft Backpackers and as soon as you entered, you were already in my bedroom – a 12-bed dorm. However, it only cost 24 ringgit ($8) per night so it was pretty cheap! I used the code to get into the hostel, got ready for bed, found my bed in the dark, and passed out.

On Monday, it was Thaipusam – a Hindu-celebrated holiday to honour Lord Murgan (the god of war) for prayers that had been answered during the past year. The celebration starts early in the morning (sometimes at 5am), when devotees prepare for their long walk to an important temple. There are many people who go through face piercings or hooks pierced into their skin, and some people drag kavadis (burdens) attached to the hooks behind them for the duration of the walk. Apparently, it’s quite a spectacle and it’s not too easy on the stomach for people who aren’t used to seeing it. I decided to forego this part of the day, as I’m not too great with that kind of stuff and I didn’t want to get up at 5 after going to bed past 1:30. I got up at about 9:30, got ready for the day, and started my food tour. I read that Ipoh (along with Penang) has some of the best food in Malaysia and since I wasn’t too wowed by the food in Penang, I did some research to find good food in Ipoh. I was planning to go to a coffee shop for breakfast and then catch the last of the Thaipusam walk before it finished at noon so I started walking towards Nam Heong White Coffee to try their coffee. On my walk, it was too easy to be distracted by all of the buildings around me. Some were extremely colourful, some were so run down, but each one had its own charm and beauty that was easy to appreciate. I walked down a street with gorgeous street art and then I came across a beautiful mosque that had the exact same white and blue colours that you’d see on the buildings in Santorini.

I walked to the gate to get some photos and then the caretaker asked if I’d like to come in. He led me into the office, where there was a man who voluntarily gave tours of the mosque. First, he gave me some clothes to wear because I had to be fully covered (head included) and then he walked me around the mosque. After the quick tour, we went back into the office and he explained more about Islam and the Muslim faith. He even got me to read some scriptures and take some brochures, so I got the sense that I was in some type of conversion situation. He told me why women have to have their heads covered and showed me the scripture (in the bible as well) that says that if a woman shows her hair, it should be shaved off and if it won’t be shaved then it should be covered. It was interesting and I didn’t realise how many similarities there were between the Muslim and Christian faith. Anyway, after about an hour, I said I should get going and he offered me some roti that his daughter had made.

I continued my walk to the coffee shop and it was completely packed! I had to join a table and then go to order what I wanted. I got a sesame ball, an egg tart, some prawn dumplings, and then asked the salesman what his favourite thing was, which was a deep-fried prawn wonton so I got one of those as well. All that with a delicious iced coffee cost me 10.80 ringgit ($3.53)!

I stayed for awhile and was joined by an older couple from Malaysia who were in Ipoh for the weekend. They were shocked that I was travelling alone (as was everyone I talked to there). I walked around for the rest of the afternoon and checked out some of the buildings and walked down Little India. There were tons of stalls set up for Thaipusam, giving food to everyone who had finished their long walk. I was offered juice a few times, which I accepted, and felt somewhat honoured that they included me in their festivities, even if it was in a small way.

Ipoh is filled with such friendly people! I’ve honestly never talked to so many locals in one place than I have in Ipoh. Everyone was so curious about where I was from, why I was there, and whether I liked it. With that being said, there were also some sketchier areas, where it felt uncomfortable walking down a street because I could feel like I was constantly being stared at. However, it was still very easy for me to fall in love with Ipoh’s charm and friendly locals, and I wanted to stay longer. I 100% preferred it over Penang! That afternoon, I needed to exchange money since I still mostly had Thai Baht and needed money to pay for my hostel. It was quite difficult finding anything because since it was a public holiday, pretty much everything was closed. I eventually found a currency exchange place to buy some ringgit and then went back to the hostel so I could officially check in. During mid-afternoon, I decided to get a snack so I went to Funny Mountain Soya Bean, where I tried Tau Foo Fah, which is soft tofu covered in a sugary sauce. The tofu is so smooth, it just glides down your throat. I also got their soy drink – I’m not sure what was in it but it seemed to be similar to tapioca, and it was also quite good.

For those two items, it cost me 5.50 ringgit ($1.80). I then found an electronics store and went to buy a phone cable since mine would only work if I bent it a certain way, so that set me back 8 ringgit ($2.61). I stopped at Sin Eng Heong, which is a bakery, and I tried a Kaya Kok (Kaya puff), which is a pastry with a coconut flavour inside.

It only cost me 1 ringgit (33 cents)! I then decided to walk towards Kallumalai Temple, which was about 40 minutes away but had stalls along most of the street for Thaipusam.

Once I got to the temple, I went into the main area but I didn’t go into the actual temple, as there was a huge lineup of people waiting to pray and I didn’t want to do anything disrespectful. However, I did get lots of smiles from people and nods, which for me translated into a “Thank you for taking part.” A few people came up to me and asked where I was from and if this was my first Indian festival. One man gave me his phone number just in case I needed anything, and then asked if I would take a picture with his daughters, who had some pretty dresses on. Everyone looked so colourful and some of the dresses were absolutely gorgeous!

Many people were carrying plates of coconuts and oranges with incense to offer in the temple. There was also an area that had peacocks and another area that offered head-shaving. One of the guys noticed me watching and asked if I’d like to get my head shaved and I declined while we both laughed.

I made my way back to the hostel because it seemed like it was going to rain, but a proper rainfall never came. That evening, I went to Restoran Tuck Kee, which was on my list of places to go but I was confused when I saw Sun Tuck Kee two doors down from the original. I found a table and ordered what they’re most known for: Wat Tan Hor Fun, which is fried flat noodles served in a thick egg gravy with vegetables, prawns and meat.

It looks very different, but it’s probably one of the best meals that I’ve had in Malaysia! The combination of all the flavours work so well together, and the egg gravy is so smooth and tasty. The meal with a coke cost me 9 ringgit ($2.94). I walked down to the nearby night market, which wasn’t that great, spent some time at a Chinese New Year celebration, and then went back to the hostel.

On Tuesday morning, I got up and packed up my stuff (which I left at the hostel), and I had until 3pm to enjoy my last few hours in Ipoh. I walked to the Old Town and stopped at Thean Chun restaurant to order Kai See Hor Fun, which is kind of like a chicken noodle soup with prawns and vegetables added to it. The lady also said to get bean sprouts, and then I asked for a cold coffee. “Cold coffee not good.” Okay then, hot coffee it was! I also ordered a Caramel Egg Custard, all for 11.10 ringgit ($3.62).

Everything was really tasty, although I don’t think the lady liked my way of eating each thing separately because she came up to my table and told me to eat the beansprouts while I was eating the Kai See Hor Fun. After my breakfast, I walked about ten minutes to the bus station because I wanted to check out one of the temples outside of the city called Sam Poh Tong Temple. I sat and waited for bus #66 and then paid 1.50 ringgit ($0.49) for the bus ride. I got off and walked down a street with two other temples leading to the Sam Poh Tong Temple. The temple was extremely quiet and there were “Do Not Enter” signs on both entrances, along with some beggars sitting in the entrance. I walked through anyway, and the zen garden in front of the temple was absolutely gorgeous!

I had trouble figuring out how the temple worked though, as hardly anyone was there. The temple was poorly maintained and I didn’t really see why it was one of the top attractions in Ipoh. There was a tortoise pond behind the temple with a fountain that was no longer running.

I had read that you could climb up to see a nice view of Ipoh, but I couldn’t figure out where it would be because there weren’t any signs around and the only place that might have led to the viewpoint was surrounded by monkeys who had already stolen some peoples’ food. Obviously, there was no way that I’d be going that way, even though I didn’t have any food with me. My new-found fear of monkeys might now deter me from doing many things in Asia, unfortunately. After my short time there, I decided to not go to the other temple, which was further away (Kek Look Tong Temple) and instead requested a Grab to go back into the city, which only cost 8 ringgit ($2.61). I walked around for a bit, decided to buy some more phone cords since they were so cheap and my new one was bound to stop working at some point in the next three months. They had a special “Buy 2 Get 1 Free” deal, so I got three more cords for 16 ringgit ($5.22). I then went to buy some Claritin since I had been using it to lessen the itchiness from my nail polish reaction (see last blog post) and was so impressed to find out that they were 1 ringgit 30 per pill. I bought ten pills for 13 ringgit ($4.24), which is cheaper than anywhere I would find in Canada or Australia. I went to the hostel to get my stuff, took a Grab to the bus station for 13 ringgit ($4.24), and arrived at about 2:20. Then I bought a ticket to Cameron Highlands for 20 ringgit ($6.53), picked up some roti with curry and an iced tea for 7 ringgit ($2.29), and got on my bus for 3pm.

I really loved Ipoh and I don’t understand why it’s usually skipped over by travellers. I only saw about three tourists while I was walking around, but maybe that’s why I felt so welcomed by the friendly locals. The buildings and street art are beautiful, and the food is some of the best that I’ve had in Malaysia! Love always