Favourites from South East Asia
Malaysia! Cambodia! Laos! Vietnam!
Very eye opening, so different from Western civilizations and much safer that you would think. Incredible food! Our first taste of Asia was with Malaysia, flying into Kuala Lumpur from Perth, Australia. Whenever possible, don't be afraid to drive (we rented a car in Malaysia and drove everywhere). Scooter rentals are also a great way to get around, we saw up to 5 or 6 people on some scooters.
Very eye opening, so different from Western civilizations and much safer that you would think. Incredible food! Our first taste of Asia was with Malaysia, flying into Kuala Lumpur from Perth, Australia. Whenever possible, don't be afraid to drive (we rented a car in Malaysia and drove everywhere). Scooter rentals are also a great way to get around, we saw up to 5 or 6 people on some scooters.
Memorable moments and places...
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
We had heard mixed reviews, initially, about Kuala Lumpur (KL), but we totally loved it there. Our accommodation, at the , Somerset Anpang Kuala Lumpur, very close to the Petronas Towers (book early or else you won't get to go up the Towers), was excellent. KL is actually quite "Westernized". We welcomed in the New Year, 2014, while in KL and had an awesome time at the restaurant right next to our Hotel. The subway system is fantastic and a great way to get around the city. You can get to the Batu Caves using the subway and they are not to be missed. Muslims, Catholics and seemingly all Religions seem to live in peace in KL! A major highlight, and not to be missed is the Elephant Sanctuary, close to KL, and with a volunteer named Zali (email: jungletrekker69@gmail.com). We had an incredible time, very memorable! The Chinatown area of KL is fabulous. Ya it's kind of dirty, but don't be afraid to try some street food and bargain with the street vendors (especially if you are a first timer in Malaysia or South East Asia). An great place for kids (i.e. Bennett!) was the Theme Park in Berjaya Times Square. The CDN$ goes a very long way in Malaysia! After driving around Malaysia, we came back to KL for a second time as we were flying out to Cambodia from KL. We stayed at the JW Marriott and it was incredible (although we did get an awesome upgrade to a Suite, in certainly pays to be a Gold Member!). |
Melaka, Malaysia.
Jonker Street is the place to be in Melaka, we really enjoyed the Market and had our very first Tuk Tuk ride. We also enjoyed a nice river cruise on the Melaka River, but the water is quite dirty. Our Hotel in Melaka was quite good at the Hatten Hotel and was close to all the action in the city. |
Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.
A very beautiful area in the middle of Malaysia, totally worth the drive (we had rented a car to drive around all of Malaysia and it was worth it). Famous for tea plantations (we visited a tea factory and the tea leaves smell amazing!) and strawberry farms. We had quite decent accommodations at the Hotel De'La Ferns in Tanah Rata (even though it's not too highly rated on Tripadvisor). |
Georgetown, Malaysia.
Located on the Island of Penang in the North West, we ended up staying at a fantastic hotel, the Museum Hotel, which ended being one of our favourites from our whole trip. We pretty much drove around the whole Island with our own rental car as well as with a private tour guide that our Hotel set up for us. Around the island, we went to a butterfly farm, nutmeg farm, sampled some durian fruit (it was gross!) and a snake temple (where we got to hold a giant snake!). There was a great area for kids in one of the downtown malls, which Bennett had a great time at, but unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. |