Pit Stop In Malaysia - Penang Food Paradise and Langkawi Island Escape

"I talk a lot about getting lost in the East. About breaking away from the world you left behind. If only for a week, or a few days, it’s easy to do that here. To take pleasure in the unfamiliar. To be forced, just walking down the street, or ordering breakfast, to learn new things. Let me tell you – that feels good; especially in Penang." 

- Anthony Bourdain 

I have wanted to visit Penang since that famous Bourdain episode. I came and left with mixed feelings, but I also feel like we weren't properly introduced.

There definitely is a cultural shift once you hit Malaysia as a majority of the population practices Islam. It was visually apparent based on the many mosques and more conservative dress, and also something you could hear, with the call to prayer echoing throughout the area wherever we stayed. It is quite beautiful.

Our first day in Penang was a rough one. As we were walking (well off the street) a man on a scooter zoomed up onto the sidewalk past Eric and I, then quickly zoomed back into traffic, almost getting into an accident. I glanced at Eric who looked a bit shocked, and he told me that his gold chains had been ripped off his neck by the guy driving the scooter! What the hell?!

Calling for back-up

We were taken to an officer who must just sit and drink coffee at the same spot every day as a "police hub," who called for back up. A police van showed up and they gestured at us to get in - we definitely looked like American convicts on our ride to the (FIRST) police station. As it all happened so fast there was no way to ID the guy, but Eric filed a report for insurance reasons.

They said we had to go to another police station, and ended up in the "DETEKTIF"s office. They unsuccessfully tried to extract details about the assailant. Eric got his stamped report for insurance and one of the detectives, Azmi (a Corporal) drove us back to our hotel. I have to hand it to the Malaysian police, because they were very nice and easy to talk to and could have easily told us to find our own way back. Anyway... day kind of ruined.

This guy asked up front if we wanted a photo - of course!

We wandered around the town a bit more and I appreciated the colonial style juxtaposed with modern, and especially the abandoned buildings that they had let grow over with foliage.

It was something out of this History Channel special I saw called "Life After People," and while staring at some of the structures pretended it had been 50 years after humanity had been wiped off the earth.

We ate some non-Malaysian food - burgers! - with very unique black bamboo charcoal buns. They tasted pretty much like normal bread and are supposed to be a very healthy alternative.

Char Kaoy Teow

I wanted to head to Langkawi Island the next morning, which is a 4 hour ferry ride away, so while Eric stayed in the room that evening, I went off (a little nervously after the day's earlier events) on my own to track down some of the famed street food.

I first went to the Red Garden which is a well known food court, but as I had no way to save a table while ordering food, I abandoned ship and went to the vendors that were set up nearby our hotel. I excitedly ordered my first famed Malaysian dish - char koay teow and took a seat.

I realized I was definitely the only foreigner in the area and while I sat there taking in the sights, I realized what Bourdain meant. I felt completely removed from the hustle and bustle of tourist Asia, and like I had found my own little food paradise. I devoured my char kaoy teow - imagine a very peppery tick noodled pad thai with the extra goodness of the pan scraped onto it, and went home to prepare for the journey ahead the next day.

The ferry ride was pretty uneventful and at first we weren't too impressed with the beach near where we were staying on Langkawi. I had Phuket flashbacks from all the garbage, ugh.  I knew that if we rented scooters a whole other world would open itself up to us, so we did just that the next day.

View from the Langkawi Pier - huge eagle statue!!!

The island is absolutely gorgeous once you escape the touristy areas, and even felt a bit more untouched than many places I went in Thailand.

At one point we ended up at a police checkpoint, asking if I had a driver's license. Sure I did! and I gestured at my backpack, so they let me pass. They didn't have to know that it was merely my Washington state one and I lacked an international driver's license.

It boggles my mind that we drove past at least 30 checkpoints in northern Thailand (most unmanned) and at no point did anyone even talk to us, but twenty minutes into our first Malaysian scooter adventure and we had to interact with the police.

There were also monkey police, and I mean real monkeys. After the checkpoint I slammed on my breaks as I saw about 7 monkeys just hanging out on the side of the road. Outside of Monkey Island in Thailand, I haven't had much exposure, so it was an exciting moment.

We got off our bikes and started taking pictures when I was reminded about where Curious George got his namesake. I left a plastic bag hanging from my bike, and when I turned I saw a monkey pawing through the bag looking for food. Then he just sat on my seat, staring at me with beady eyes. Honestly I'm a bit terrified of monkeys as I've read enough tourist horror stories, so I snapped a few pictures and just waited for it to jump off because I wasn't about to get rabies.

Back on the road, and after getting lost a bit, we found a much less popular beach at the north of the island, with the kind of waters I was hoping for. I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise considering this island shares the Andaman Sea with Thailand. Paradise found! The lush green countryside was a wonderful accompaniment.

We revisited that beach the next day before I had to get back to Penang. Eric decided to stick around Langkawi for another day before heading back to Seattle to see his family, so we parted ways, and I took the ferry back home solo.

Why they decided playing a (pirated) version of Captain Phillips was a good idea is beyond me, and I'm still pissed off that I wasn't able to watch the last 15 minutes due to the pirated DVD malfunctioning.

For my final night in Penang I HAD to eat more Malaysian food lest consider myself a Penang foodie failure, and sought out the top rated nyonya (a name given to the Penang style of food) restaurant. The owner had a set menu that he kindly let me sample even though I was a party of one.


I loved half of it and the other half not so much. I didn't expect to eat baby stingray but there it was, and I felt obligated to eat it. It reminded me of flavorless fish in a delicious sauce....

Don't know whether to blame the cook or the stingray, but it was still a great experience nonetheless.

As I flew out of Penang and got a bird's eye view of the city that I missed on the way in, I wished I had more time. It was stunning. Honestly the scorching sun and heat (90+ degrees) may have made the visit a bit difficult, but I can always go back.

-Erin

Scootin' Along - Days 1-5, Road from Chiang Mai to Soppong

We are currently sitting in the common area of our residence of the night, CAVE LODGE, which is just a skip away from one of Thailand's largest caves.

It's been an awesome first five days, learning to hug the neverending curves of the Mae Hong Son loop, my scooter frequently putt-putting like the Jetsons' car. We've been taking it pretty slow because Eric was fairly sick, but hey, no problem, we are on a loose timetable.

Watchirathon Waterfall

Day one involved a trek from Chiang Mai to the small town of Mae Chaem, climbing through Doi Inthanon National Park. It featured an awesome waterfall, and then my scooter's almost downfall.

Shortly after we left the waterfall parking lot, I noticed that my steering was wavering a bit. I thought maybe I was running out of gas so we pulled off at a viewpoint, when both Eric and some locals pointed at my poor flat rear tire. They motioned that if we drove down the dirt road to the next to us, that we would be able to find repair.

Boontam and his son

We slowly made our way to what ended up being the Mae Klang Luang hilltribe village. At first it seemed no one was able to help, but then a friendly man with a toddler pulled up on a scooter and recruited his brother to take me and my scooter in a truck to the nearest repair shop, which was about 5km away. The friendly man, Boontam, exclaimed breathlessly once we got to the repair shop, "I am so drunk." Apparently he had been drinking rice liquor all morning (it was only 1230pm!), so while we were rescued by the nice town drunk, I am thankful it was his brother who drove.

We had some food and a beer with Boontam (don't worry, staying well below the .04% Thai driving limit) to thank him for his help, and my new tire + transport only cost me about $10. If I can find rescue in the middle of a national forest, I am confident that we will make it through the rest of this trip unscathed.

Ban Mae Klang Luang - their livelihood is rice crops and tourism

Beer with Boontam

Hills of Mae Chaem

Our journey that day literally peaked at the highest point in Thailand at the top of Doi Inthanon, but as it was socked in with clouds and fog, we were unable to appreciate the view. It was SO cold, though, and I'm glad we decided against camping in the park that night. We ended our day in the nearest city of Mae Chaem after getting turned around a few times and found a bungalow for the night. We were tired and unable to navigate the real town of Mae Chaem in the dark, so ate a quick dinner and headed to bed.

The next morning we got turned around in navigation a few times - I do NOT know what I would do without both my phone with a data plan and the locals, and easily conquered the 128km to our next evening's destination, Mae Sariang, in a few hours. People, including a man from Wenatchee we ran into in Chiang Mai, kept giving us skeptical looks about our planned distances of travel, but we must just kick ass at traveling via bike. 

The road that day included a stop at one of the MANY Royal Agricultural Research Stations where there were water buffalo grazing. We decided to put the camping gear I purchased to work and went to Salawin National Park, right outside of Mae Sariang. 

On the way to the campground, an army officer noticed my bag was falling off my bike and helped me re-strap it on, and it turned out he lived at the campground. Suddenly we had an escort to take us there and help check us in. 

Our camping spot ended up being in the lawn right in front of the headquarters building, which was a little strange. We were visited by an owl in the night that would NOT leave us alone, but was a patient photo subject, and there were many large creepy bugs in the bathrooms. My dad (the bird expert!) guessed that we were impeding on the owl's territory - sorry owl.

Thanks Army officer!

Hey!

Eric's illness started to peak the next morning so we drove the quick distance north to Khun Yuam, and after checking out the dying sunflower fields (we were about a month too late), settled at a nice resort in the hills, where we had the top floor of a two story building. 

Eric took to the king size bed and napped for a while, then we watched some ridiculous Thai soap operas, and I went to bed in the coolest window seat ever which was large enough for a mattress.

My sleeping area

View from deck

Still not feeling any better the next day, we finally bit the bullet and take Eric to the hospital at the next largest city north (which was also an intended destination) in Mae Hong Son. Mae Hong Son is a province, city AND what the loop we are driving on is called, which can be a little confusing. We got to the strange hospital and Eric went to the "ER" - a large room with multiple curtained off areas and no patients (it seemed all the Thai patients were crowded into another area). He was seen by a doctor who appeared to be half his age (Thai Doogie Howser!), but they confirmed he had no infection, which was what we really wanted to know, and sent him on his way with some medication. 

We went to a recommended guest house on a small lake in the middle of the city, rested, checked a temple and the night market, and I bought about 7 bags made by the Lisu hilltribe. Oops.

Today was definitely the most eventful yet. Eric almost feels human again, and the roads just keep getting more and more fun as we go along. I wanted to see a Chinese tea village on the Burmese border I head read about, so we started up a mountain and ended up distracted by another agricultural research station, that turned out to be some kind of zoo/animal sanctuary.

We played zoo tourist, then took off for the tea village, on a picturesque lake. Naturally we ate and did a tea tasting, which involved interesting technique. They pour the tea into a small tea "shot glass," then quickly flip it over into an actual tea glass and let it sit for a minute. Then they remove the shot glass and you are supposed to smell the tea flavor that way. It was absolutely delicious!

The lake at Mae Aw, Chinese Tea Village

Terrible tourists

Tea tasting

Back on the road, we visited to the Fish Cave along the way, which as Eric read, was just.. uh, fish, in a kind of cave. Not too exciting. We backtracked about 1km at the suggestion of my friend Jesse and found the monk who has lived at another cave for 10 years. We checked out the cave digs, and took some photos with the monk while I kept hearing something screeching in the background. I thought an animal was dying, but then the monk led us behind his "kitchen" and there was a small monkey, looking terrified on the roof... 

I can't make this shit up, the monk had a pet monkey. A monk and his monkey. It was hilariously wonderful and one of the random surprises that makes travel awesome.

There was no real way to top that, outside of a viewpoint on our way into Soppong. Tomorrow we will take a sunsent tour at 530am to the famous cave. 

Monk Cave

Road to Tam Wua Forest Monastery

After some sunrise cave exploration, we will drive to Pai, then abandon the rest of the Mae Hong Son loop, which would  just take us back to Chiang Mai. Onward and upward to the northernmost city of Thailand, and the Golden Triangle, where the countries of Thailand, Laos and Burma meet.

I think I've found a lifelong obsession with motorbike travel after just 5 days, and can't wait to continue to see the globe (and re-explore my home - Darryl is onboard!) in such a freeing fashion. 

My butt might be a little bit sore, but in the end, the journey is truly the destination.

-Erin

Am I Dreaming?... Day Trip to Bamboo Island, Ko Phi Phi and Maya Bay - 10/26/13

A slight problem with not having much of a timetable is that I don't feel too much pressure to fill my days. Phuket complicates this further because the taxi mafia makes it really damn expensive to get anywhere, so I have spent most of my time confined to Naiyang Beach and Soi Dog.

Because of Soi Dog, I have met awesome folks who are here with more limited time and well, have a greater sense of urgency. Amanda is one of those people and I couldn't resist joining her on this speed boat and snorkeling tour.

Amanda, my partner in crime!

The day started out overcast with a small rain shower about 30 minutes away from the first snorkeling spot. We shared the speedboat with about 25 people (which wasn't even close to capacity), including a group of bros in matching obnoxious neon "Full Moon Party" outfits. They at least helped add a splash of color to a dreary morning.

Sweet tank, brah

By the time we arrived at Bamboo Island, the clouds started to dissipate and I was wowed by the cerulean blue waters that were revealed as we approached the shore. I rediscovered my love of snorkeling once I was past ingesting a few ounces of saltwater.

If you ever end up on a trip where you will be snorkeling/boating, bring a shockproof/waterproof camera. Mine was about $130 after an impulse buy on Groupon and is my best travel purchase to date!

Shores of Bamboo Island

Snorkeling selfie

 

After about 40 minutes, we headed to some rocks off the coast of  KoPhi Phi Don to continue snorkeling. The tour guide noted "If you want to see sharks, head about 20 meters in that direction" - what??? I did try to find the sharks, but they weren't interested in an under the sea party with me. :(

The rocks we snorkeled around, with Phi Phi Don (and my future villa) in the background

Human photobomb

I am no coral expert, but I think a lot of it was dead. These areas are extremely high traffic and therefore see a lot of boat pollution. Maybe the area is also still recovering from the 2004 tsunami. It's conflicting to play tourist and see the destruction, but at least there was still a thriving fish population.

We headed to shore and ate a buffet lunch. I felt my blood boil when I saw a man carting a monkey around for photos, and we also found the world's tiniest kitten laying in the road without a mom in sight. For a predominantly Buddhist country, I have heard of and seen so much animal cruelty. I'm going to give Phi Phi another chance next week, though. :)

Giving Grumpy Cat a run for his money

Baby kitteh :( The stray animal problem exists everywhere in Thailand

We shuttled off to Monkey Island, where we thought we would be able to get off the boat, but they kept us on there to take pictures. In hindsight, this was probably for the best as a monkey would have probably bit and robbed me of my camera and dignity.

The outfits the tourists wore and the poses they made continued to impress.

The water color became increasingly unreal as the trip progressed

Hay gurl hay, with random monkey

Werq

Hungry monkeys

Leaving Monkey Bay

Quick "drive by" the Viking Cave

The islands we passed seemed to become more and more dramatic as we approached Maya Bay. I was initially not so excited to go here, the famous location where The Beach was filmed.  In high season, the boats are usually in a queue just to get into the area and any attempt at a photo is filled with the background noise of strangers.

We must have timed our arrival perfectly (at the tail end of the low season) or won the island lottery, as there were a few 'slips' open between our boat and the one next to us. It was like we had a private view of the scenery.

I felt my jaw drop repeatedly at the perfect views and temperate water. I could live and swim here forever (without the tourists).

Boating into Maya Bay

View from my swimming spot

Attempt at a panorama, which is hard when you're bobbing up and down in the water :)

Don't know what to do? Put your hands in the air.

Yaaaay

The only piece missing from these pictures is Darryl, but hopefully I can take him somewhere just as spectacular when he comes to visit.

Unfortunately our last stop was the worst - an overpacked beach that we are convinced is a money pit the boat operators get a cut for taking us to, and is not worth mentioning outside of saying DO NOT GO TO KHAI NOK ISLAND.

I did not let this disappointing end cast a shadow on a truly beautiful trip. And this beautiful trip was a nice reminder that it's okay to pack more into each day, because they are flying by too quickly already.

Link to full set of pictures here.

-Erin