Malaysia (and Thailand): A Holiday Within A Holiday
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Malaysia was always meant to be a “small holiday” within our bigger holidays. Strategically placed after the amazing, but tiring India and Nepal leg, Malaysia was there to give us some comfort and relaxation time. It worked out to be that - and a whole lot more.
For the first time since we left home, we were stepping into known territories - Alex’s family is from Malaysia, and her parents (hi Geoff and Thai!) also came to visit us and spend some quality, family time with us. Such a comforting feeling to have some familiar faces around you after 50 days on the road!
Sadly, our Malaysian trip took an unexpected turn, with the passing away of Alex’s uncle, Ah Cheng, while we were in Kuala Lumpur. He lived in Johor Bahru (south of Malaysia, near the Singapore border), and we just so happened to be in Malaysia, so the four of us re-shuffled our plans and drove down to Johor Bahru to attend his funeral. It was a very sad and touching moment for all of us, but if anything, we could only be glad we were around when this happened, so that we could all be there for Alex’s family.
The funeral was a traditional Chinese Buddhist 5-day ceremony followed by cremation, which in itself was a cultural experience for me. Family members from Australia, America, UK and different parts of Malaysia all gathered together to mourn and give support, and it was a very beautiful, albeit sad moment on our trip. The five days gave us time to come together, meet friends of Ah Cheng’s, share stories and memories and mourn his sudden departure. It was beautiful to take part in the Buddhist chanting ceremonies and understand the meaning behind the traditional rituals.
After the ceremony was complete, the four of us - Alex, myself, Geoff and Thai - hit the road to explore the beautiful Malaysia. And it would be an understatement to say that Alex and I were completely spoiled by her parents. They simply took us to the best places one could ever imagine staying, that sort of luxury and comfort I never thought I’d experience myself before I was 50 and very rich. This was the furthest away we could be from the backpacking life we had been experiencing so far! Our own bedroom? With our own bathroom? On a beach resort, with food included? Go away.
The four of us exploring Malaysia
Our first stop was Tanjong Jara Resort, an amazing beachside resort with incredible facilities, service and food. Two nights of luxury later, we were off to our next destination, about 150km up the East Coast - Redang Island.
Redang Island is about a 1h30 boat ride off the coast, and the water there is as clear and blue as you can imagine. Our days were filled with snorkelling throughout the island and the coral reefs, cocktails by the pool and one of our most memorable experiences so far - swimming with sea turtles. Turtles are quite friendly on this part of the world, and the guides would bring some squid to attract their attention and bring them close to us. They are quite big animals and somewhat intimidating when swimming towards you for food, I have to say. But they still have this amazing graciousness when swimming next to you and being able to see that so close was simply amazing.
The corals in Redang Island
Alex with the turtles
The last stop of our road trip was another island - now on the West Coast of Malaysia - Pangkor Laut. Pangkor Laut is a small island covered in rainforest that has a single resort on it. “Exclusivity” only begins to describe it! There we reached the climax of luxury living, by staying at an over-the-water bungalow, one of those you usually see on desktop images or travel vouchers. I can’t imagine myself reaching anything more in life than what we had there. Three days when we had nothing to do, except be at the restaurant for meals (all included), sit by the pool with our books, hit the resort gym and go for swims. Yep, that’s the life. We definitely closed off our Malaysian road trip in style.
Sunset over Pangkor Laut Resort
Fernando at the infinity pool, Pangkor Laut
With a few days to spare, Thai and Geoff still pulled off another “small treat” for us and took us to a 2-night stay in Pukhet, Thailand! You guys are just too generous…
Off we went with Thai and Alex’s aunt on a short flight from KL to Phuket to stay at Patong Beach. We only had 3 days in Thailand, but we definitely made the most of it - massages, cocktails, swims, and Alex and I went on an all-day “Four Waters Eco Tour”. It took us around the Phuket Island and - as the name suggests - to bathe in 4 different types of water: we started by kayaking in the mangroves area, followed by hiking by waterfalls in a National Park, after which we soaked in an amazing hot spring pool at a local resort, and finised it off with the most amazing sunset by the beach. I know sunsets are an overrated commodity in the Instagram world, but this one was simply unbelievable. This wasn’t the usual island hopping tour synomous with Phuket, but we were keen to escape the crowds and do something a bit different, so this tour was perfect for us.
The most amazing sunset in Pukhet, Thailand
The most amazing sunset in Pukhet, Thailand
As if all this was not enough, when we got back to KL, Lou (Alex’s sister) got a sneaky flight from Sydney and came see us for a couple of days before we headed off to Japan! I know, we are very, very spoiled. We still had two days in KL with Alex’s family (where we also had an early Mother’s Day celebration with Thai) to thank them for everything and to say goodbye - or better, “see you soon”.
Special visit from Lou
Early Mother's Day Celebration in KL
These last few weeks have only reinforced a value that both Alex and I have quite ingrained in our upbringing, which is that family is everything in life. In times of happiness and sadness, to share your pains and achievements, to give you the toughest time or the biggest treats, they are the ones who are always there for you and who will not measure effort in putting you first. Again, another lesson of gratitude for us during our travels.
We are now off to Japan and back on our own. Our bags are getting fuller and fuller with happy and loving memories.
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