This is the first opportunity since we left on February 2nd to sit down and write a blog about our adventure so far.
Asia, in my opinion, is hard to sum up. We have only seen a fraction of the continent - Thailand and Malaysia - yet what we have seen does not seem to differ from region to region. The one word that myself and Ellen have used repeatedly whilst here has been 'mental'. Back home, I would use such a word when something is either extremely good or extremely crazy. Here it definitely means the latter.
Bangkok, our first destination, was nothing like I had (or could have) anticipated nor predicted. Our taxi dropped us off at the end of Khao San Road which is where our accomodation was. If you are not familar with this road, do google it and have a look at the images. You'll understand what I mean by 'mental'. We were both tired from a long flight which then turned to aggrevation as we struggled to find our hotel. We really had chosen the busiest destination first, which couldn't have been more different from home if it tried. And then came the torrential rain..! Our backpacks were fortunate enough to come equpipped with waterproof covers. The two of us however, weren't so well prepared!
Whilst in Bangkok, we spent a majority of our time visiting touristy-type attractions, mainly temples and markets.
The weather was high 30's day in and out. Humid is an understatement and we definitely lost a noticeable amount of weight in sweat!
We struggled with the food whilst in Bangkok, which was unfortunate, especially as the variety wasn't much better when we got to Phuket.
Phuket was similar to Bangkok in many ways. The roads were busy, there are no pavements, market stalls swarm the place and none of them seem to smell very nice! However we were so chuffed with our accomodation, particularly as we were on a main road. The resort was set just off Nanai Road, amongst tropical trees which made us felt like we were miles away from the hustle and bustle of Patong.
The weather was truly fantastic for the majority of our stay, meaing that we could spend hours lazing by the pool and soaking up the sunshine whilst our friends and family back home were experiencing snow and sub-zero temperatures!!
A trip to Phuket would, of course, been incomplete without a visit to the notorious Phi Phi Island.
We debated whether or not to do a tour, and if it would be better to go via speed boat or ferry.
In the end we opted for a ferry direct to Phi Phi Island. The speed boat would have taken a fraction of the time to cross the water, but the waves on our outbound trip would have made it somewhat unenjoyable, whereas the ferry took it all in its stride.
Upon approaching the island, it was mesmerising to see it appear out of the water in all its glory. It really does look like what it does on all the websites and postcards that I've seen - Truly beautiful, despite the tsunami which had tried its best to wipe it out a few years ago.
Once we had disembarked, we had a light lunch and then chose to spend our few hours on the island climbing to the top of the mountains where a view point would give us a view of the entire island. (Phi Phi is actually two islands which are joined together by a small strip of land - This is the area where the tsunami hit.)
A 35 minute uphill climb, in blistering heat was not normally something that I would opt to do, but my word it was worth it.
Clearly not many others had wanted to make the climb in the midday sun, as there was only a handful of tourists there. The view was truly spectacular and a definite highlight of the trip so far. Unfortunately the pictures of us that we took whilst up there show just had testing the walk was, but at least we had proof that we did it and actually saw the island from the highest peak!
As I write this, we're in Kuala Lumpur where the sun has blessed us with its presence for only a couple of hours in three days, and the rain has showed us that England really doesn't know how to do rain - When it rains here, it sure as hell rains!
On our first day here, we were up at 6.30am to head into KLCC and secure tickets to go up the Petronas Towers, which are now the tallest twin towers in the world. They aren't close to some of the tallest buildings around the globe, but stood side by side, they are somewhat magnificent to look at.
We were taken up to the bridge which connects the two towers together on the 41st and 42nd floor. That was scary enough, but then we went up to the 86th of 88 floors! The view was fantastic despite the sun not shining, and it was really interesting to learn about their significance.
The rest of our time here has been spent around the local area of Chinatown where we are staying, browsing the markets and filling up on three large meals a day - Yes, the food is so much better in Malaysia compared to Thailand!! The only food that I'm now really missing is Cadbury's chocolate (nowhere seems to make it quite like England do), mashed and roast potatoes and pasta with grated cheddar on top!
Luckily I am yet to feel too homesick. Of course I miss my family and friends, as well as being able to have bubble baths, power showers and a very comfy bed, but so far so good. Although I really am sad to be missing our puppy grow from tiny to mega fluffy by the looks and sounds of things! Hopefully he will delay any further growth until I'm home.
So.. That's a brief update from me, and hopefully I won't leave it so long until the next one.
Tomorrow we depart for Singapore, but for now it's my dinner time!
xoxo
