We boarded a bus and headed off to Kuala Lumpur where we treated ourselves to a luxurious hotel with the most comfortable bed we have had the entire trip.

Recharged, we set off to explore the sights of our newest adventure. It was hot, crowded, with cars and motorcycles everywhere. We ducked into a shopping mall to get a little reprieve from the heat and quickly found out why KL is the biggest shopping mecca of Asia (although I don’t think Singapore is far behind). I can tell you it was my shoe heaven!

In amongst the shopping (mostly window), we did manage to take in some of the sights and museums.

One afternoon we found ourselves in a bird park, the largest covered aviary in SE Asia, and by the time we were done we probably had two hundred or so shots of birds, thank goodness for digital!

By evening when the sun goes down and the temperature drops ever so slightly, the city comes even more alive with food hawkers and markets. The streets have a festive air and I’m convinced nobody stays in.

One night as we walked along, tired and hungry, wondering what to eat, we spied a place called Fuel Shack, serving burgers and beer, turned to each other and that’s it! Now I’m not sure if its because we hadn’t eaten a burger in quite awhile or not but we agreed best burger we’d ever eaten.

So on we go now to the western side of Malaysia to the island of Penang!

Singapore left me with the impression of a futuristic city, clean, modern, well planned and organized, maybe not every part to be sure, but lots of it.

We hopped on a bus, bid farewell and several hours later stepped back in time in the historic city of Malacca.

We stayed in an antiques filled hotel in the old china town part of the city.  Between the old style buildings, the cafe we found that looked like something from the 30s, to the antique shops we browsed with their dust covered treasures it felt like we’d been transported to a time long ago.

When we did venture out of our ‘past bubble’ we found a mall complete with ATMs and all the modern conveniences but it was more fun exploring the old ruins of a leftover Portuguese fortress complete with resident cats.

We discovered some interesting new foods too, Rojak which was cut up fruit and veggies with a marvellous dip (no idea what’s in it) and pineapple tarts….I was going to take a picture but we ate them all!

Singapore…. we weren’t sure what to expect but were certainly pleasantly surprised. A well planned, innovative modern city full of  impressive structures, gorgeous gardens and diverse people (there are 4 national languages here).

We wandered the city, easily navigated the transit system, not so easily avoided the huge shopping malls that seemed to be attached to several station stops! We marvelled at the architecture, sampled some great hawker food and enjoyed the delights we stumbled upon.

Add another 109 kilometres of walking the gardens and promenades to our 5 day stay, which when you think that Singapore is only 49 kilometres long,  it’s rather impressive.  Not difficult here with so many interesting sights to see.

And then there is the shopping… so many upscale malls, designer clothes, jewelry and more watch stores than thought possible.

What a fun time it’s been, already looking forward to returning! And if you’re looking for a nice watch, this is definitely the place to come!

Gung hay fat choy!  Year of the Horse
Next stop, Malacca, Malaysia.

After the peaceful, laid back Khao Lak arriving at Kata Beach seemed like total chaos; people, motorbikes and construction everywhere.  What a change since last year, so many new hotels going up and lots more tourists.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time, some perhaps a little too much.  It took a day or two but soon we were in rhythm with the faster pace and eventually it didn’t   seem that busy.

We rented a motorbike and toured around several different beaches, all beautiful, none overly crowded. Ya Nui quickly became a favourite because of the amazing snorkelling.  We spent a few days there, lots of water time and an amazing variety of sea life.

We enjoyed lots of good food here, amazing barbecue at this one place where we became regulars – chicken, ribs and the best fish ever! It was basically a take away place but they had a couple of tables and a TV blaring Thai MTV??..

Lazing in the sun, eating yummy food, having a Thai or foot massage…..time to sadly say goodbye to the beach bum days…..for now.

And guess where we’re off to now?

As with life, it isn’t about the destination but the journey, today was just such an example.

We rented a motorbike to go to Sai Rung Waterfalls but on the way we decided to turn off to find a place to eat……there we were at a beautiful long stretch of almost totally deserted beach. We stopped at a small restaurant and enjoyed delicious food and gazed out at the aqua sea, so beautiful. After we could eat no more we walked the beach, marvelling at the delightful little crabs dancing across the soft sand. Except for the odd person off in the distance it felt like our own personal beach.

Later we made our way to the waterfall, another adventure of its own, mostly because we like to stop  in little out of the way places.  The falls we’re fun, the day was perfect.

With that we say goodbye to Khao Lak.  We have enjoyed it here, during the day it almost seems deserted around town, even the beach near our hotel isn’t packed with people.  At night it comes alive and you have to wonder where all the people come from, still not as busy as Ao Nang.

Khao Lak was hit hard by the big tsunami in 2004 and although there are some big new resorts in the area there is still lots of room for development…..or hopefully not.

Off to Kata Beach now in Phuket.

We brought in 2014 with dinner and a show and then watched a fantastic fireworks show from our balcony.  There was a week long Thai holiday as well so the mood was really festive. Lots of Thai families at the beach,  street vendors and a small carnival.

Our time in Ao Nang has gone so quickly, hard to believe it’s time to move on already.  We’ve gone snorkelling, swimming and walking for miles, 206 kilometres to be exact according to our ‘walking mate’ phone app!

And now off to the golden sand beaches of Khao Lak on the Andaman Sea!