Big city life..

Penang:

Penang

We had to travel for a day to get from Thailand to Malaysia. On the border we were queuing for some hours, however we didn't have to bribe anyone. Astrid was really disappointed because she really wanted to get rid of her last baht (thai money) this way.

We arrived in Penang/Georgetown - an island connected to the mainland by bridge. We had a different opinion about this city. Randi felt it was cozy, yet disliked it. Astrid on the other hand could easily move there - because:

Bicycle-table at a cafe in Penang

- lots of historical buildings and sites (Penang is on UNESCO's world heritage list)
- a mixture of many different races in one place
- structured streets
- a free (and informative) museum and art galleries
- even if it's hot it is by the coast, so it's very windy
- tidy and clean everywhere
- they have a beach, a rainforest and a mountain
but most of all - everyone is smiling at you for no particular reason. They're helping you find the way or puts an umbrella over your head (if it's raining).

In Penang we visited a fort, 2 art galleries, a museum, Little India and we wandered the streets in our touristy ponchos (yes, it was actually raining). We also saw a cannon that is supposed to make infertile women fertile.
Tuesday morning we left our guesthouse with the coolest name: Banana Guesthouse, and set off to Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur:

National Park KL

Compared to Penang this city was noisy and chaotic. We stayed in Chinatown in a huge hostel and we slept in a small closet. Yet, it was a social place, hanging out on the rooftop in the the nighttime and we had our breakfast there as well in the morning.

Chinatown KL

At first we went to a market and it was a flashback from India. Everyone were trying to sell us stuff with phrases like "Hi Miss! Beautyful...Come Here! Special offer - very good price for you. Don't go! Hey miss!" Our best trick when bargaining is simply to say "I'm a backpacker - I don't have any money left".

We only had one day of sightseeing and we spent it on going to yet another museum, an orchid and hibiscus garden (national flower of Malaysia), and watched the bird & butterfly park from the outside (small-budget-backpacker-style).
We almost went up in the Kuala Lumpur Menara Tower which is one of the tallest towers in KL - also a little bit too expensive. And we did some dancing in a shopping mall. At this point we were fed up with fried rice, noodles and spring rolls.

Singpore:
Following day we jumped on a bus and headed for Singapore. Here we stayed for 4 days - the first 3 nights in "Footprints Hostel", -a luxurious hostel compared to our previous encounters. Great atmosphere and a lot of Asian teenagers We ran around in the city visiting a museum, an art gallery/labyrinth (we both managed to get lost), and a shopping center containing only electrical gadgets and stuff for 6 floors.

Singapore Flyer

It was amazing walking around in the city center in the evening..We were watching the skyline with all the lights and admiring the architecture of the city. We also went up 200 meters to watch the city and the sunset at Marina Sands Skypark.
Our conclusion is that Singapore is a beautiful city with a lot of cool and high tech buildings, modern design everywhere, fancy parks clean streets, an excellent metro system and helpful people. It seems to be a very developed country with impressive technology and everything works smoothly. However, it's also a strict society. You can get a fine for chewing gum, littering, eating food in the metro or jaywalking. You see no cats, dogs or street musicians - the streets are simply clean and organized.

On Saturday we found our way to the Norwegian Seaman's Church. We finally had traditional graut (porridge) and waffles again. Although there were no norwegians working at the moment, we met some nice swedish people. It was a delight not having asian food, but real norwegian food, and we got updated with some newspapers. A great feeling to hold it in your hands and not just read it online! 

Marina Sand to the left

The combinition of exhausting sightseeing, heat and air condition made us worn out Saturday night with a bad cold and fever (again), so we dragged ourselves to the airport and we're now in sunny Cairns, Australia!
We're staying in one of the best hostels in Australia (possibly the best) with a very friendly staff, clean rooms, a pool, free ride to the city center, and generally a great atmosphere. There's also free coffee and a free meal every night.

Our plan is to do a lot of relaxing and get back on our feet. Then we're gonna go snorkling at the great barrier reef, and probably visit the rainforest. We're also dying to find Summer Bay, and keeping our eyes open for Home and Away characters!

Wedding-couple at the Marina Sand Skypark

Marina Sand Skypark

Singapore at night

Little India in Singapore

Mail-box in Cairns

 

The city lagoon