Back in Asia

As much as we enjoyed New Zealand and Australia, after almost four months in the region we were ready to return to Asia. And we were not disappointed; the food is great, prices are low, and you can still find the most fantastically kitsch glittery trinkets at the markets.



Our first stop after Australia was Singapore, a good stepping stone into Asia, where it's hard to say whether the culture is more eastern or western. A couple of days there was enough as it's not that big a place. We ate well (a curry hot enough to make your eyelids sweat in Little India, and a table full of Chinese goodness in Chinatown), tried not to melt in the hot and humid air, and wandered around more or less aimlessly.



The next step was to catch a bus to Malaysia. We had decided to go to the east coast and visit Tioman Island in the hope of finding a beach paradise where to chill for a few days. We spent the first night in Mersing, a small coastal town, because we arrived too late in the night to get a ferry to the island. Unfortunately there was some kind of carnival in town and most hotels were fully booked. We finally found a room in a hotel that on closer inspection didn't have a shower at all. And I mean no shower anywhere in the hotel, not in the room, not in the corridor, not even in the garden. Oh well, its only for one night, we thought.



In the morning we went to the jetty and were reminded again that we're back in Asian time as the ferry turned out to depart over two hours after it was supposed to. Not that it mattered too much, we had gone without a wash for a couple of days, so a bit more sweating in the sun while we waited for the boat wasn't going to make much difference.



The island turned out to be really nice and relaxing, with basic "bungalows" (garden sheds) lined along the shoreline. There wasn't much of a beach or proper showers or much to do on the island though. So, we had a good day and night there but decided against a longer stay. In the morning we gathered our worldly possessions and headed back to mainland. This time we were given so many different "definite" times for the ferry departure that we knew to expect a long wait. Sure enough, the ferry arrived almost precisely at a time that didn't match any of those given to us.



After the brief island visit we headed to Kuala Lumpur. After not having a proper wash in a few days now we decided to treat ourselves to a nice hotel. A warm, powerful shower and an air conditioned room feel like heaven after roughing it for a few days in the tropics. We even have a view of the KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers from our window (you have to push your face right on the glass to see them, but still). The best thing is that we are only paying a bit more for this luxury than did for a sad, showerless excuse of a hotel in Mersing. So, it's a couple of days of luxury for us now, and then we'll be heading to the west coast and to Pulau Pengkor in search of beach life before we return to Europe.