In the end we stayed in Krabi for about 5 nights. This gave us enough time to rest up from my busted foot, infected eye and other bruises, and Alex' wounds sustained in a motor cycle crash - although not to worry folks, it could've been much worse and we've been thanking the angels above ever since, that nothing worse did happen.
5 days Krabi was nice, with good food, lazy days and some wandering around in Ao Nang (Krabi's main beach) and Krabi Town, but after that we'd quite had it and we decided to wend our ways into Malaysia at last, because Alex' visa was also almost running out so a border hop was in order.
After a few too many buses, one of which was cramped with 12 people in 11 seats, we arrived at the ferry terminal in Satun in Thailand's deep south so we could take the boat to Langkawi "The Jewel of Kedah", Malaysia - the traditional border crossing for a lot of tourists and so also for us.
Upon arrival we immediately noticed a big difference with Thailand - wide, clean lanes bordered with trees and wide pavements, a lot (but I mean a lot) more veiled women, slightly more organized traffic and less scooters. We checked into Daddy's Guest House on Pantai Cenang, just because it was so funny: the driveway was actually a big pile of rubbish and suddenly a cow crossed our path, accompanied by her flock of roosters :-).
Langkawi didn't really suit us. It seemed like a big version of Koh Phagnan, with no snorkeling to do and less beautiful beaches. So we only stayed long enough to tour the island once and meet up with people we met in Thailand, and then set off for Penang, Malaysia's second biggest city.
Now, we'd heard some good things and bad things about Penang - that it's just another big dirty city, that it's too Western, that the food is ridiculously good, ...
Well, that about the food is true - SO nice! We've already indulged in a lot of hawker stall food, Indian, Malay and Chinese alike. We'd thought Malaysia would be a lot more expensive than Thailand, but so far that has been very ok. We were even lucky in accommodation: we're checked into a very nice hotel in Love Lane, right in the heart of Chinatown, and because it's "not completely finished" (meaning all day long there's drilling, hammering and sawing ... But ahhhh :-)) we got a very decent reduction per night. Hurraahhhhhh!
As for the other comments on Penang, I don't really agree with them. Yes, it's quite Western, but I don't think it as a bad thing - I think it's a good blend between 2 cultures. The city is littered with temples, churches, mosques and shopping malls alike, which is a great combination to stay entertained. I've visited the botanical gardens as well (which were nice and quiet but nothing spectacular) and have walked around Georgetown a bit, while Alex has found his fitness heaven - enough to do for both of us!
At night we enjoy the food and nightlife and soak up a lot of atmosphere. Yes, Penang, you are a nice city.
As said, we will part ways soon. Tomorrow is our last day together and nobody knows when we'll meet up together again - will it be in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia? Or will it rather be in New Zealand or Europe? Who knows. In any case, Alex, I want to thank you for the beautiful times we've had so far and hope we will have yet a few (or a lot) more to come.
As for the rest of you, less sentimental (;-)): my route through Malaysia will go to the Cameron Highlands next, which is more inland and higher up in the mountains, so supposed to be a lot cooler (thank the heavens!). After that I might consider a side trip via the Perhentian Islands, but that will depend on the budget - and then it's on to the big KL, the capital of Malaysia.
Obviously I'll keep you posted. Until then: keep cool (or in your case, warm)! :-)
PS: photos of Malaysia can be found in Peninsular Malaysia on Facebook.
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