George Town and Kuala Lumpur

George Town

Having left Kho Samui we set course for a new country, and more precisely for George Town, a city on the island of Penang, on the east coast of Malaysia, just past the border with Thailand. The journey was anything but easy... it lasted about eight hours during which we changed roughly four or five means of transport, but as usual we arrived safe and sound!

Having reached our destination in the evening, we were a bit disoriented by the new country... a country that we immediately perceived as different, with profound differences compared to Thailand.

After looking at a few guest houses, we opted to settle into the one offered to us by Jim, a strange sort of guy always dressed in black and with a curious hat on his head.

The island of Penang is not very popular with tourists; in fact, it doesn't offer all that much if you exclude the city of George Town, which still preserves a few interesting buildings of colonial origin. Moreover, the beaches that surround the island are not exactly amazing, especially considering that the sea is quite murky and certainly not inviting.

In George Town we spent only a few days, just enough time to visit the city, its mosque, its centre and a few little shops. We dedicated another day to exploring the first outskirts and the surrounding coast... in a flash it was already time to leave again.

Kuala Lumpur

Back on the bus for another five hours, this time heading for the capital, Kuala Lumpur, a decidedly Western city, different from those we were used to. Having arrived at the bus terminal, we met Pierino, one of the managers of a hostel who, with a heap of flyers, was trying to convince us to follow him. To tell the truth, he was the only one there, so we opted for a forced solution that led us, as per the script, into the city's Chinese quarter. All things considered, we couldn't complain: the accommodation suited us, and it was even equipped with air conditioning, a luxury we had given up since time immemorial. Having unpacked our bags, we began our work with a look at China Town, as usual full of stalls offering every kind of product, from groceries to clothing to dvds and much, much more.

But our goal was to reach the Petronas, that is, the towers that soar into the city sky, those that until recently could boast the title of tallest in the world. When we reach one of those goals that you usually see in documentaries, we are struck by seeing them live... the same goes for the Petronas, which seen at night undoubtedly offer a breathtaking spectacle, thanks to the play of lights that highlights their beauty even more. The customary photo and then straight to the hostel where a bit of rest awaited us: after almost two months in Thailand we had lost the pace of the wandering traveller!

Kuala Lumpur

The following morning, properly rested, we headed to the television tower (Menara), another symbol of the city; we got our legs moving for a healthy climb up to its foot and, having bought the ticket, we climbed it all the way to the top. From here it was possible to get a complete view of the city and its surroundings, all immersed in an enchanting sunset that, as usual, gives that touch of serenity and calm such as to make you appreciate even more the view before you. In the evening we wanted to take a look at the nightlife that Kuala Lumpur can offer, with the sole result of hurting ourselves, since there was nothing within reach of our pockets.

The entertainment district consists of a long avenue lit by the lights of the bars and the music of the discos, where young people, in classic Western style, show up at the door well dressed, perhaps with their name on the list and a bit of money to "invest". All that was left for us was to watch them, aware of the fact that our trip meant occasionally giving up what young people normally do on a Friday night, but the game, we can assure you, is worth the candle.

Kuala Lumpur

The next day we returned again to the Petronas to go all the way up to the top, or rather to the bridge that connects them; a quick peek at the panorama below and back down to earth. Nothing special, especially compared to the endless queue we had to endure to grab three of the one thousand two hundred free tickets: luckily it was free. We cannot, and certainly do not want to, evade the now famous cooking corner; this time, however, the material available is nothing short of limited, given that our culinary adventures always took place in the same spot: Yellow Pavillon. This is a restaurant located in a corner of the Chinese quarter, particularly popular with tourists from all over the world, even though on the first evening, perhaps also because of the unusual hour we've grown used to (we had dinner at one in the morning), the place could certainly not be called crowded.

One of the pleasant surprises the city had in store for us was the Indian festival, an event that in our opinion was particularly interesting. On the suggestion of the likeable Pierino we set a night alarm. It all began at three in the morning when an indecipherable number of Indians poured into the streets for an endless procession with traditional music blasted at full volume from speakers that were, to say the least, battered. We were practically the only Westerners present, but we certainly couldn't miss a ceremony of such importance, at least in terms of the number of participants. It all consisted of a procession following a glittering float that radiated light from every direction, followed by devotees strictly barefoot.

Having gone back to sleep, the following day the last bus journey through Asia awaited us, with Singapore as our destination.