Kuala Terengganu

Kuala Terengganu is an oil-rich town about 250 miles up Malaysia's east coast from Johor Bahru.


Terengganu has a small but attractive Chinatown.


From Terengganu you can take a boat (about 15 minutes) out to Pulau Kapas. On this picturesque little island you'll find suburban day trippers, hippies, restaurants and cafes, and some decent snorkeling.




This attractive mosque is near Prinzpark, a dated but pleasant hotel/sports complex outside of Terengganu where we stayed for three days.

JB, Malaysia

Johor Bahru, just across the causeway from Singapore, is a city of about 1,300,000. I snapped these first 3 shots at a small Chinese temple just outside of downtown JB.






I took these next 3 photos the first night we arrived in JB, at Sri Raja Mariamman Devasthanam, a temple "in the heart of JB's Hindu community."






Street art in JB's small Heritage District.


Though I walked around and took a few photos at this downtown mall "concept restaurant," I passed on having dinner here. Call me strange, but the idea of sitting on a toilet seat and eating dishes served in urinals, bed pans, and mini toilet bowls did not appeal to me.

Singapore, the geek of Southeast Asia

Traveling from Manila to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one clearly sees the latter is wealthier and more developed. Then again, going from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore there is also a distinct difference in the develpment level of the two cities. In fact, Singapore is the most developed city in all of Southeast Asia, and among all the shopkeepers, taxi drivers, and restaurant workers you will also see multitudes of well-heeled young yuppies, with their designer clothes and high-end cell phones, hurrying to and from work in the city's gleaming high-rises.


Unfortunately our visit to Singapore coincided with F1, which meant crowded hotels with peak rates, portions of the city blocked off for F1 ticket holders only, and the frequent roar of the F1 cars throughout the downtown area.


In many ways Singapore reminds me of Japan, for example, eyebrow "resurrections" for hundreds of dollars.



Also like Japan, in Singapore it's not unusual to see exorbitantly priced fruit, for example $10 pears.


Though one would expect to find Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple, in Little India, it's actually located in the heart of Chinatown.







This is Singapore's colorful and bustling Little India, up in the northern part of the city. It's an area full of males who are on short-term contracts working jobs like construction that Singaporeans don't want.


I snapped this photo minutes before checking out of Hotel 1929 in Chinatown and heading back to Malaysia.


More unusual hotel art. This oversized print of opium smokers in Chinatown is hanging in the lobby of Hotel 1929.


For sale at shops in Chinatown. Even if I weren't a vegan, I'm not sure how I'd go about preparing these critters. Reconstitute in water and then broil?


Every Saturday evening on Pagoda Street in Chinatown there is a free lion dance performance. This one was the drunken lion dance. Just above its head you can see the Sri Mariamman Temple tower.


Also on Saturday evening was a Chinese opera performance. Only four people were in attendance, but I found it to be a wonderful experience and very much worth the $20 admission price (lychee tea and Chinese mango pudding included in the price).


I took this Marina Bay shot during a 40-minute evening boat ride on the Singapore River.

A Substantial Upgrade

About a 2.5-hour train ride north of Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh is a pleasant mid-sized Malaysian city. This is a photo of Ipoh's train station, sometimes referred to as Malaysia's Taj Mahal.


In George Town, Malaysia, I noticed a cafe with a similarly weird name -- Sip & Chew.

When traveling alone I try to keep my hotel-room cost below $35/night. At the Ipoh City Hotel, $33 got me a mediocre little room, though one amenity was the iron & ironing board set up for guests out in the hallway.

After Ipoh, I took a train south to meet my wife outside of Kuala Lumpur at a hotel & health resort called the Palace of the Golden Horses. This was, to say the least, a substantial upgrade from the Ipoh City Hotel.

There's something my hotel room in Ipoh lacked -- a table with golden horse hooves.

Penang: Pearl of the Orient

George Town, capital of Malaysia's Penang Island, is about 200 miles northwest of Kuala Lumpur. Walking around this pleasant coastal town, you quickly notice that many of the town's neighborhoods are clearly defined along ethnic lines: Malay (Muslim), Indian (Hindu, Muslim), and Chinese (Buddhist, Taoist, Confucianist). Unfortunately, Malaysia has a long history of racial discord, particularly between the ethnic Malays and the Chinese.

As there are many good restaurants in town with a wide variety of choices, the town is a foodie's paradise. Also, there are numerous mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, and impressive old Chinese mansions to visit. Considering its many varied restaurants and numerous interesting sights, it's not surprising that George Town is one of Malaysia's top tourist attractions.






When walking around George Town you see numerous interesting murals. With this one, the bicycle's right handlebar is actually attached to the mural.







The Khoo Kongsi is a Chinese clanhouse. In 1901, this structure caught fire on the night it was completed, an event attributed to "divine jealousy."




Some pretty hefty incense sticks here.



This painting was in our George Town hotel room.


A wide variety of fruits are available is Southeast Asia. Some of my favorites are dragon fruit, mangosteen, pomelos, rambutan, lychee, and mangoes.

KL