23. MALAYSIA II

As soon as we read that Malaysia is opening again for tourism without any bullshit we changed all our plans and went to Malaysia immediately. After all, it's still my favorite country and I was more than happy to explore other states, especially the East Coast this time. In total I have spent around 6 months now in Malaysia and besides my family's house, it feels the closest to something like home to me.

First we flew to Singapore, celebrated Alicja's birthday there and walked into Malaysia at Woodlands. Singapore is always an incredible and super photographic city. Compared to other big cities in South East Asia it's a little bland & overmanaged for my taste but still incredibly interesting for a couple of days.

On this Malaysia trip we wanted to focus on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia, an area I have never been to before. After showing Alicja Melaka and Kuala Lumpur on the west side we were heading to the East. We were lucky enough to spend Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month-long Ramadan, in a home of a Malay-Muslim family in Nilai. Izzati and her family were one of the most hospitable people I have met in my life and spending Eid in a Muslim house for 2 nights was an amazing experience and one of the highlights of my full trip. Thanks again for that! In Malaysia they have that "open house"-tradition where people open their doors to neighbors, friends or as in our case even strangers to share delicious meals.

After our time in Nilai, we met Rengo, our Couchsurfing host in Petaling Jaya who showed us around his city and did some great hikes in the forests. Connecting with people is always incredibly easy in Malaysia, nearly everyone is super open to other cultures, very friendly and incredibly polite. I guess that's the main aspect that brings me back to this country again and again (+ obviously my favorite food in the world :D).

We took a bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu and started to travel the east coast. This area of Malaysia is largely rural, comparatively poor and the most Malay of all the Malaysian states. Islam arrived there first in Malaysia and it offers breathtaking beautiful islands on the coast.

After a couple of days of exploring and eating in Kuala Terengganu, we prepared ourselves for an eight-day stay in my personal paradise: Pulau Kapas. This island (Malay for Cotton Island) has soft white sand beaches, is surrounded by crystal clear water and remains unheard of in the tourist's itineraries. The only tourists we met there we residents of Malaysia and we based ourselves in a tent just directly at the beach. There are no shops, only a few small restaurants and electricity was only available for a few hours in the evening. It was the perfect place to disconnect from the rest of the world, snorkel around the island reefs, hike the small jungle inland and lay in a hammock on the beach to read a good book. We met a guy living at our campsite who didn't even know what year it is! The island is located a 20-minute boat ride from the mainland and for groceries and water, we went to the food markets on the mainland in Marang every few days. I will never forget the feeling of having a campfire on those beautiful beaches in the evening and just enjoying a getaway tropical island, far away from the troubles of the mainland. Another big advantage of the island: Plenty of fluffy cats who are hoping for some pets and snacks.

It was time to come back to civilization for us and we changed states, from Terengganu to Kelantan. First we visited Kota Bharu with its amazing market hall, museums & Muslim architecture and then a small village for kayaking on a river filled with crocodiles. Kelantan is the most deeply conservative state and many signs there are in Arabic script. I even saw some Chinese women wearing the hijab there. As always in Malaysia people were super friendly and always eager to help or show us around.

The last stop of this 2 months trip in the country was my personal comfort place: Penang. The perfect place for settling for a time, having a rest from the crazy traveling life, unwinding and enjoying some of the world's best food. We rent an apartment for a month, went on a few hikes, worked many hours a day to save money and met more amazing people (especially Jaan Hong, Valentin, Chiechie, Angel, Hassan and Ali :D). I also finally met Akram from Morocco again, a friend I have met two years before in Brunei. The quality of food in Penang's best hawker centers is unbeatable.

Malaysia is the place I will always come back to in my life.

5 Highlights:
- Pulau Pinang, an island on the west coast with jungles, beaches, George Town and the best food I ever had in my life
- Spending Eid al-Fitr with Izzati's family
- beautiful Pulau Kapas

- walking the streets of Melaka

- Kayaking in Kelantan