When we get off the bus at Dutch Square in the heart of Melaka we are welcomed by rickshaws in frozen, superhero, and hello-kitty style with large sound systems and hundreds of colourful lights. Oh boy that will take a little while to get used to! Although we knew in advance that Melaka is an important tourist attraction, the historic…
Kota Bharu is the capital of the eastern province of Kelantan, the place of origin of the largest Islamic party in the country and for a long time the only Malaysian province ruled under Islamic law. The city is an important port towards the Perhintian Islands, but we decide to stay a few days longer, to skip the islands and…
Our final destination northbound is the city of Georgetown on the island of Pulau Pinang in the province of Penang. The city, the island and the province all referred to as Penang, it took a while for us to realize. The search for a nice accommodation brought us to Jack, the manager of a museum in the city who has…
One of the major express bus stations of Kuala Lumpur is located opposite to our guesthouse, so bus tickets to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands are quickly bought. We start a four-hour bus ride and arrive at Tanah Rata around three in the afternoon. The long-distance buses in Malaysia are all very comfy: wide seats, plenty of legroom with…
It is only a short flight from Surat Thani to Kuala Lumpur. On Friday afternoon we touch down at KLIA2, the international airport for budget airlines in the Sepang area. Kuala Lumpur (in all of Malaysia invariably referred to as KL) is not yet in sight, so we arrange two tickets for a bus ride to KL Sentral, the central…
By night train we travel from Bangkok to Chumphon where we plan to take the night boat to Koh Tao, but the Songkran festival is celebrated and we have to adjust our plans. Chinese New Year is celebrated in Thailand during the multi-day Songkran, in which the whole of Thailand participates in a gigantic water fight. Along all roads there…