It is a good thing we ended up in Amy’s apartement there in KL. Within an hour she manages to plan our trip (that at this point in time is very mañana mañana) a month ahead, bringing us through Malaysia, across Java onto Bali and eventually ending up in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. (All for a total amount of about 1’200 SEK. Kaching! Amy – you should start a travel agency.) So that is how we, on Tuesday morning, were found on the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Penang. Which turned out to be quite the ride…
In a perfect world, this trip is supposed to take four hours. This being our first bus ride on the continent – we naively believe in this. Four (six) hours on a bus that feels like it will fall apart any minute. E throws up twice before we even reach the half way stop; after which my nausea catches on. Perhaps it’s a week of too much spicy food, or my dodgy “take away”-coffee from the meal break (see photo below). Regardless – it is far from pleasant to, at every bump of the road (and believe me, there were quite a few!), feel like you’re gonna do your pants. When the driver stops to refuel at a petrol station, somewhere along the five hour and a half-mark, me and Emily are literally racing to the petrol station bathrooms. Never have I been so happy to see a squatting toilet!
At the 6th hour we finally make it into Georgetown and had thereby officially survived our first proper SEA bus ride.
Somehow this is not what I imagined when he asked whether I wanted to “take away” my coffee. A doggy bag! Perhaps my one favourite part of the trip.
Spending a rainy afternoon up Kek Lok Si – only the largest buddhist temple of SEA.
My future dream house *insert heart-eyed emoji*
Stills from the Old Protestant Cemetery in town.
A photo diary from pretty pretty George town can be found here.
(Chick)peas and understanding. 