With my mountain climb adventure under my belt, it was time for some good old urban living. Kuala Lumpur was just the ticket. I loved it from the minute I landed, it had an Asian New York vibe about it. 
I began exploring with the Hop On Hop Off Bus, then covered the rest on foot, falling into bed at the rock ‘n roll hour of 9pm each night due to exhaustion. The impressive skyline, unique culinary experience, and extensive shopping districts all made for a fabulous city break.
Some highlights…
The ‘skyline meets jungle’ view was a contrast that felt very unique…
Every meal was epic. From life changing laksa in China Town…
…and IndoChina chicken curry noodles on the famous Jalan Alor street, to the delicious biryani I enjoyed at NZ Curryhouse with this view…
Hung out with these old birds at the world’s biggest free flight sanctuary…
Got my sightseeing hat on…
Not usually one for indoor activities abroad, I had to find out what all the fuss was about at the KLCC Aquarium…
It’s behind you!!!!!
Alligator fish…go figure…
To sum up, everyone must visit Kuala Lumpur in their lifetime. A big thumbs up from me.
Now onto my next stop…Penang…aaaah beep beep…
I’ve booked a cross country coach for this journey and am very happy with the aeroplane seat set up when I board. The idea behind taking this mode of transport was to enjoy the scenery. It doesn’t matter that it’s 4.30pm, a glorious day out, with at least 3.5 hours left of sunshine…it was bedtime apparently. All curtains were quickly drawn, no one made a peep, heads were down and we were forging sleep. 
Trying to kill some travel time I begin swatting up on my next location when I realise my accommodation has a *gulp* wait for it…shared…bathroom. Now I know for most of you this is probably no big deal. A normal situation when travelling. Only I waited to have this experience in life when I could afford to avoid such horrors. And yet the universe is clearly teaching me another lesson in getting over myself (I’m thinking whilst putting the lid back on my water).
Heaven forbid we go without sugar for more than a couple of hours, we make several refuelling stops, and as a result I know I’ve missed the last regular boat over to Penang. The sugar intake in this part of Malaysia has really taken me aback. It’s quite common to drink Milo chocolate milk with your already fat laden dinner for example. Not that I’m complaining as it was all very yummy, but starting to feel a little unhealthy on the inside I fist-pumped the air when I saw a fresh fruit pick ‘n mix stand. I loaded up a few kilos worth to keep me going, then dug in only to find it had all been soaked in ginger syrup, with a sprinkling of chilli. Perhaps a pomegranate Magnum will have some nutritional benefit…
Having arrived at Butterworth Station much later than anticipated, I hop on the sleeper ferry for a mere 25p. I quickly come back to life when I see Penang within swimming distance, lit up in front of me. Not the sight I was expecting from the island referred to as the Pearl of the Orient. I’m excited for the morning to begin exploring. And it seems the locals on the ferry are excited for me too as they learn that it’s my first time visiting. Their advice, “eat, eat and eat” (I didn’t tell them about the shared bathroom). 
I arrive at my kitsch coffee shop motel Moon Tree 47 and I’m already looking forward to breakfast.
“So you leave your flip flops downstairs, and you wear these shared flip flops to get to the outdoor shared toilet and shared shower and you can use these shared toiletries”
Oh jeez I need to pee…wish me luck…
Stay tuned for Penang adventures!
Have you ever been to Penang? If so I’d love to hear your must-dos. Have you ever shared a bathroom??? Feel free to share, like, comment X
@beach_pray_love 
Penang is super fun! Loads of great food (imagine that! Malaysia in general is a foodie paradise) lots of little nooks and crannies to poke around in.
Hit Gurney Drive, that’s non negotiable. It’s one of the most famous street food markets in the world. Most stalls do one thing only, so look for the ones with the biggest queues of locals, these will be the best. Local specialities of Char Kway Teow and Cendol are a must! Don’t let the look of the Cendol scare you! It’s delicious.
Head to the national park if you get a chance. It’s about 45 minutes drive from Georgetown up in the north-west corner of the island, then head to Monkey Beach.
If you feel adventurous, do the hour long walk through the jungle to get there, if not, you can get a boat that takes about 15 minutes.
The beach was pretty deserted when we were there, maybe 15 people and then the monkeys, who outnumbered the people 3 to 1 I reckon. Plus hundreds of eagles diving down into the sea fishing around you.
The water is probably the warmest I’ve felt anywhere. It’s really shallow and you can walk out for a couple of minutes and still only be waist deep.
Also head to the piers in Georgetown. It’s like a whole floating village with houses and temples and all sorts on the water. It’s really peaceful and charming.
Little India has some amazing food. There’s one really famous place, it’s on a corner, they cook half the food outside and it looks almost derelict. The food was incredible though.
And finally, head to the reggae bar on Love Lane and see if Charlie is there! He’s a funny and charming old Chinese guy who’s the waiter there. or at least was a few years back and had apparently been there forever. See if his mate is going to play (and old guy who sings and plays piano), trust me, he’ll tell you if he is. I won’t ruin the surprise if you get to see him perform but I can promise you’ll be entertained!
If you want something really off key, he’d to the outdoor food market place down the west end of Love Lane and then across the main road. Scantily clad teenage girls dressed as cartoon characters and school girls on stage singing live while old men cheer them on! As I said, very off key but also fascinating.
Enjoy! x
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I love how much detail you remember everything in!! It’s all added to the list, thanks so much Ben X
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