After an exhausting & intense few weeks travelling through Vietnam & Cambodia, it was time to move on to Malaysia (after a little detour back through Thailand & Koh Phangan for another dive course). My time was here was going to be short as I had to get to Singapore before the 27th Oct to fly to Oz. I'd heard so many good things about Malaysia and the highlights of the amazing country. But these highlights were also cautioned with: "don't travel alone to....", "probably best you go to ....... with a boyfriend/male friend", "don't do ..... on a budget, save up and make a 3 or 4 week holiday out of it". "there's no point of doing ........ on such a short period of time!!!

So basically Cameron Highlands, Taman Negara, Langkawi & Borneo were quickly scrubbed off my agenda! After doing my research and heavily reading up on these amazing places I decided the comments above were probably valid. I will however, be making these stops over the next few years as they are unmissable! Hopefully someone else will be up for it by then too....

First stop: Penang. A quick hours flight from Ko Samui took me to this tiny 28sq km island. The commercial town of Georgetown was were i would spend my next 3 days in the city. The small town is cramped with guesthouses and hostels - all offering cheap visa services for its visitors. Penang is basically the "visa run" country from Thailand. Everyone who wants to extend their visa's for another 3 - 12 months has to make the 2 day trip to Penang. Everyone i'd met in Koh Phangan done this run every 3 months so it was good that i'd had a few recommendations of were to go and what to see first hand!

Dodging in and out of traffic and open drains turns walking into a full contact sport! When I could eventually shift my concentration away from ground level, I noticed the atmospheric charms of Georgetown - elaborate temples, characteristic shophouses and sagging colonial grandeur. It's a grazing city, showcasing the culinary offspring of the island's unique cultural intermingling. Never have i seen so many Indian restaurants...or eaten as much Indian food. Definitely the best place to go for the specific taste. Georgetown's Little India is full of side streets with continuous rows of small restaurants and food stalls serving cheap North and South Indian foods. For an instant you could feel like your back in bangkok with the pungent smells of fresh foods cooked in the streets.

After arriving pretty late from Samui, i decided just to chill at the guesthouse with a beer. As i was sitting gazing out to the yet again manic streets of motorbikes and pedestrians, i was approached by a girl who asked if i wanted to go for a drink. being a backpacker and all, being on my lonesome again, decided it probably wasn't a bad idea. Turned out she was on her visa run from Phukett where she lives and works. We got chatting about various different things in Thailand and back home. At that, another girl arrived sitting at another table, who appeared to be on her own. She kept smiling over and not liking to see a lonely drinker, I asked her to join us. Silly me - After about an hour it became apparent that i was infact getting chatted up and my gay-dar was completely off!!! Both girls were gay.... not that i have a problem with it but i was completely naive to the whole thing until they started talking about ex-girlfriends. I was then complemented that I had beautiful eyes..... After saying a very weird thank you, i quickly added that my husband thought so too and my 3 children have my eyes....! That was a quick end to that conversation.

For the next couple of days i decided to take in the sights of Penang - even though it pee'd down the WHOLE time. Stopped off at the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion that is so famous in Penang. It was built in the late 1880's by Cheong Fatt Tze funnily enough. He left China as a penniless teenager and eventually established a vast financial empire, earning himself the sobriquet 'Rockefeller of the East'. The 38 bedroom mansion is so pretty with its Eastern & Western influences. The house is situated between Penang Hill to the back and The Channel (river) to the front which is known as the 'dragon's throne' and apparently promotes good Feng Shui. The art stained glass windows, elaborate ironwork and superb glazed tiled roof with ceramic motif all add to the beauty of the mansion.

Fort Cornwallis is an old British fort dating back to original occupation of the island. It was built on the Gerogetown's cape by the city's founder Captain Francis Light in 1786. An old cannon dating back to 1603 has finally found a permenant home here after centuries of being stolen from one conqueror to anohter. Being the biggest and the most intact fort in Malaysia, the Fort Cornwallis is considered as an important monument and landmark in the historical development of Malaysia, particularly the island of Penang.

Buzzing with dedicated worshippers and burning paper money is the Kuan Yin Teng. In honour of the goddess of mercy, good fortune, peace and fertility, this temple was built in the early 19th century by the first Hokkien and Cantonese settlers in Penang. The temple honours Kuan Yin, a devout Buddhist who was said to have attained the coveted state of Nirvana but had chosen, instead to remain on earth in order to provide guidance and help to those who are themselves striving to reach Nirvana. The temple features many beautiful attributes such as the dragon-entwined pillars, carved from a type of green stone, which supports the temples high roof, and the statue of Kuan Yin, located in an inner chamber, which depicts a woman with 28 arms, with a countenance which exudes inner peace and worldly contentment. The temple interior was filled with the scent of sandalwood incense, burnt by devotees who visit the temple to pray and seek guidance from Kuan Yin.

Penang Hill provides some spectacular views. There are pretty gardens, an old-fashioned kiosk, a restuarant and a hotel, as well as a lavishly decorated Hindu temple and mosque at the top. On Penang Hill you can escape the heat of tropical Georgetown. The hill, also known as Bukit Bendera, is 830m high and it's much cooler than in the city below. To get to the top you have to jump on the funicular railway. Before changing trains half way I passed several smaller stations, where the local people get off. There are are also some small hotels and guesthouses on this stretch. The railway was built in 1923 and it takes about half an hour to the top. The summit offers a magnificent panoramic view of Georgetown, the mainland and Penang Bridge. Definatley the best time to visit Penang hill is in the morning. Luckily I'd already been told this and managed to get there for the tranquil walk from treetop to treetop.

Unfortuantley I had a little friend who decided to visit me every night in my guesthouse... a little mouse! I woke on the first night to a scratching and rustling next to my toilettrie bag on the table in the far side of the room. As i put the light on, the little crap scuttered down from the table and along the floor. Obviously i freaked out and went straight to reception to complain. With no other rooms available and being 3.30am there wasn't really much i could do! Didn't think the little guy would be back, but just about died when i heard something fall from the wall.... as i turned on the light, again, the little crap is scampering DOWN the wall... I never knoew mice could walk/run up and down walls....well this one did!! He made his way as fast as he could over the obstacle course of my backpack, clothes,table, chair and guidebooks on the floor. Fromt he bed I'm rooted to the spot and tried throwing my Kurt Cobain biography at him (sorry Kurt). Unfortunately i missed but had no idea where he went...oh well, another sleepless night! On the last night, before goign to bed I searched the room from top to bottom to make sure he wasn't inside. I then proceeded to block all the doors and gaps in the wall with 2 rolls of toilet paper. Slept the rest of the night witht he light on. If he did come back, he was very quiet!

Early morning was on the agenda to leave penang. it was time for the 8 hour bus ride to Kaula Lumpur...couldn't wait! Got dropped off down an alley where the taxii driver insisted this was where the bus would pick me up. This alleyway was covered by a bridge and was dark and dreary. all could here was the traffic bypassing outside and the cold drips falling from the birdge onto the concrete behind me. Luckily the bus was only an hour late and it did actually pick me up so not all was bad! Lets hope no mice and no alleyways in KL!!!

Cxxx