Central and east Malaysia – family time, tea plantations and islands

After more than 6 months there was someone who is really close to me wished to travel with me; My sister. She put the effort and flew all the way to Malaysia. A common friend of us Diana joined in for the next 2 1/2 weeks (this is a Thailand reunion from 2 years ago).

Kuala Lumpur – Part 1 

We met in Kuala Lumpur and started our road trip down south to Malaka.

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Malaka 

A three hours bus journey brought us to Malaka. Since we got there by afternoon decided to walk around and explore a bit and grab dinner somewhere. It was a long day and went to bed pretty early. That was my first night in 6 months sleeping in a hotel bed – felt good! There was a pool on the hotel rooftop – so first things first!
The reason why we decide to pay a visit to Malaka was the street art. Maybe my expectations were to high, but in my opinion it’s nothing compared to Georgetown, but still a good place to start a trip in Malaysia.

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Cameron Highlands 

Another bus journey from Malaka back to KL and from there via Ipoh to Tanah Rata we finally arrived at our guest house. The easiest way to get around was by scooter. The next day we rented two scooters and drove to Cameron Valley and to the Habu Boh Tea Plantation. Everything was green and I loved the shape of the tea plantations. On our way back to the guest house we stopped at Restaurant Kumar for dinner (Indian food). We decided to stay just one night around this area to spend more time on the east coast.

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Perhentian Islands 

We catch a mini van to Kuala Besut and from there a speedboat to big Perhentian island. It was a relaxing three days on the island. Went on a jungle trek (was quite an adventure coming back at night), a snorkeling trip to different spots and a day trip to small Perhentian island.

For the last few days of our trip we decided to stay at a resort. Sutra Beach Resort, in between Kuala Besut and Terengganu. Another 4 nights relaxing and enjoying the beach life. 2 out of 4 days we’ve been on day trips. One day a snorkeling trip to Redang Island (which was quiet expensive) and the other day me and my sister hitch hiked to Terengganu. We didn’t had any expectations but we really liked this little city. There is actually a lot of street art that you don’t expect in Chinatown, big food market and a really nice mosque, Masjid Kristal.

After more than two weeks it was time to go back to KL – one last bus journey (7 1/2 hours).

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Kuala Lumpur – Part 2 

A night and day left with my sister in KL. We stayed at the same hotel where my sister and Diana stayed on their first night – Somerset Ampang (with a pool and gym on top). On our last night we decided to go to a rooftop bar to have the view of KL. We spend the evening at Fuego Troika Sky Dining with a cocktail and enjoyed the last few hours together (you’ve to make a reservation in advance especially when you like to eat up there – we were lucky).
I guess it’s one of the best rooftop bars in KL with a nice view of the Petronas Towers.
Spend our last day walking around Chinatown – time for some street art, temples and spicy Malaysian food. The time has arrived for me to say goodbye to my sister and Diana. I had to catch a bus to the airport off to my next destination.

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Conclusion 

I loved being with my sister and Diana. It was way more luxury than I’m used to, but it was good to treat myself time to time. Definitely felt better to have a comfortable bed after more than half a year. It was totally a different way of travelling. Don’t get me wrong, I loved travelling with my sister, but I appreciate my own adventures more. Everything in life has pros and cons. Traveling on your own gives you the freedom to do whatever you like (almost always). When traveling with someone closer gives you the opportunity to share moments way better or I would say in a different way. Thank you big sister for putting all the effort and flying a couple of hours to Malaysia just to see and travel with me! Love you!

Next destination Sri Lanka!

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