Ipoh has been a fabulous place for us to stop for a week. The city is nestled between jungle clad hills, with loads of greenery to make us feel at home. We havn't seen another foreigner in the last 8 days here, creating a genuinely local experience. The prices of food and accommodation here are far more affordable than tourist hotspots.
This week, the children have been a little homesick and needed some home comforts. It was so much fun to shop in our first proper supermarket in 3 months (with a trolley and everything) and filled the fridge at our apartment with cereals, breads, cheese, ham, fruit juice and a little chocolate! We also went to the movies at Ipoh Parade and afterwards ate french fries. Ipoh is famous for it's Buddhist and Taoist cave temples. The Kek Look Tong temple is quite incredible. It's central cavern doubles as a tunnel between two valleys. You walk in from the carpark on one side, past the shrines and stalactites galore, then exit into a utopia of green, ponds, and karst cliffs. water drips from the roof all around and the temperature inside the cave is perfect to beat the midday heat in Malaysia. The lost world of Tambun is an essential visit to anyone travelling anywhere near Ipoh. I would have to say it is one of my favourite amusement parks. It is set at the base of karst rock surrounded by jungle. It has a little bit of everything: great water slides, a petting zoo, tigers, adventure land, a few sweet rides, wave pools, a 660m lazy river, and to top it off, stunning hot springs. The entrance fee is 90 Ringet (NZ$30) and it is just 20 minutes from Ipoh. We went mid week and avoided any crowds. A9 and G7 got to help the keeper's hand feed raccoons, porcupines, mara's, giraffes, rabbits, and an emu. We didn't need to queue for anything all day. We also walked a street mural path through the old town, past lovely street art. Ipoh would be a great place to live for a while. It has everything you need at half the cost of the main tourist destinations like Penang or Kuala Lumpur. I think we will be back! we book accommodation using airbnb and agoda. We choose lonely planet guides for travel information.
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Penang is an island just off the western coast of peninsula Malaysia. We chose to stay in Georgetown which is the culture capital of Penang, with influences from the local Malay, Chinese and Indian communities, as well as remnants from the days of Japanese and British rule. This melting pot creates an interesting city with fabulous architecture, temples and incredible food. Penang is easily reached by boat from Langkawi and by bus/train from KL. We were lucky to be staying right between little india and china town. The contrast was interesting from the loud Bollywood music and gorgeous curry smells on one side to the lanterns and pagoda's on the other. The dinner choices were amazing, but a clear winner for the kids was found in Thali vegetarian restaurant serving fabulous roti with malai kofta. Another draw card for Georgetown, is the fabulous street art scattered throughout the old quarter. We loved walking the streets looking out for the next one, then G7 or A9 would run to be part of the art piece for a photo. Somehow I got suckered into another art museum? This time, the Penang Trick Art Museum. It was fun, but small and not nearly as effective as the Langkawi 3D art museum we visited last week. The main tourist beaches are situated on the north of the island, around 30 minutes drive from Georgetown. There are plenty of fancy resorts along the beachfront, and smaller, more affordable accommodations a few streets back. We were lucky enough to be invited to visit a friend for the day at the Shangri-La Golden Sands Resort. It was tough, but we managed (LOL). We spent the whole day in the 3 pools, on the water slides and playing in the splash zone! It was so much fun. The beach at Batu Ferringhi is beautiful and offers an array of water sports. We had a lovely stay in Georgetown, and will happily return to explore more of Penang. There are so many tourist attractions here but we chose to immerse ourselves in the flavours of Georgetown instead. It would be a lovely spot for a family holiday and so easy to get to from KL or Singapore. We stayed at cookoobird hostel in a 4 bed dorm room. It was cute but basic and perfectly located just off Armenian St. We book our accommodation with Agoda.
Langkawi is one of the most popular islands in Malaysia for both tourists and locals and it's easy to understand why! It is blessed with pristine beaches, and the surrounding hills all covered in jungle. We took the 90 minute boat from Koh Lipe to Kuah jetty, which is the main port town on the island. 30 minutes by taxi takes you to the Pantai Cenang, one of the main tourists drags. It has a lovely wide beach with all sorts of water sports available. The waves are gentle but the water not as clear as other Langkawi spots. There are plenty of backpacker accomodations and restaurants. Langkawi for us was simply a 2 day stop for us to regroup after 2 weeks island hopping. We were in much need of clean clothes and air-con! We had so much fun being tourists for the day. We visited the Langkawi oriental village, which has an array of different tourist attractions. We chose to visit the 3D Art Museum first. It was so much fun and adults and kids alike will enjoy this one. Then we took the skycab up the steep cliffs to the viewing platforms above. It was spectacular; scary hanging from a wire 400m above the rainforest and views in all directions of white sand beaches, turquoise waters and jungle as far as the eye can see. Then to top of the nerves, G7 was desperate to walk the skybridge. This incredibly engineered walking bridge is anchored off one central pole and curves from peak to peak over a deep valley. It's not for the faint hearted. It's great to be back in Malaysia. Fabulous food, great prices, amazing beaches and lovely people. You could easily spend 2 weeks exploring Langkawi's remote beaches and tourist attractions... but we are all beached out and looking forward to Penang! Koh Lipe is a paradise on earth. It has pristine beaches, striking aquablue waters, and incredible snorkeling. In saying all of this, extreme prices and tourism has unfortunately engulfed this stunning island . Sunrise beach has the claim on best beach on Koh Lipe. Soft white sands, superbly clear water and sensational snorkeling straight off the beach. We found the main stretch of beach overrun with boats making it difficult to swim, but the northern end of the beach is more spacious and quiet. You can snorkel straight off the beach at Sunrise and 200 metres off shore is a small island teeming with fish. We kayaked over to the island and loved seeing colourful clams, clown fish and angelfish amongst many others. Unfortunately G7 got spooked by the huge sea urchins and we had to turn back early. The silver lining however, was finding a stunning sandbar on the way back with the most magical colours imaginable. like a blissful perfect island in the middle of blue sea. The only regret was not carrying a camera to capture these precious memories. We stayed at Forra Dive Bungalows. They offer simple bamboo huts with an outdoor bathroom and a electric fan. They were actually very clean and the children loved their mezzanine bunk and swinging from the bamboo beams. Forra Dive had a cute open air lounge to chill in. Pattaya beach is the main drag of Lipe. It is a safe swimming beach for children with a long sandy area before the coral begins. There are so many boats along the beach that you can only swim in a few small designated area's . Sunset beach is a gorgeous private beach with few bungalows and even fewer people. It is stunning at high tide but not known for it's snorkeling. It is just 15 minutes walk from Pattaya and Sunrise beaches. It would be hard to stay on Lipe without snorkeling or diving. There are sensational coral reefs just 20 minutes by longtail boat. You can organize a 6 hour tour to 5 dive spots and including lunch for 550 baht (NZ$22), or hire a longtail boat all to yourself for around 1800 baht (NZ$70) for the day. It was a magical day with both kids now very confident diving deep swimming among the fish and coral. Unfortunately, we don't have an underwater camera to show you more. We were lucky enough to be in Thailand for Songkran (Thai new year and water festival). It was such fun. It is just an excuse for a HUGE waterfight and dance party. A free for all, with most people carrying a water pistol or bucket to douse everybody they can. Definitely a highlight for A9 and G7! Koh Lipe is definitely worth a visit and if you don't mind the people and tourists everywhere then it would be a great spot for a holiday, especially if you can afford a nice resort with aircon and a pool! If you are a budget traveler, it's worth a 2-3 night visit to go snorkeling and then bug out to somewhere quieter and cheaper (like Koh Lanta). And, don't forget your bug spray!
Koh Lanta has a fabulous feel about it! The beaches are stunning and sunsets are out of this world. If you're after genuine relaxation, away from the tourist craze, Koh Lanta is a great choice. Our 3 night stay was extended first to five nights and then to 8 nights! There are few places in Thailand where you can sit on a beautiful beach with an unobstructed view as far as the eye can see. You won't be hounded by hawkers to buy sunglasses or souvenirs. In fact, often you will not see anyone else on the beach. It is genuinely quiet and calm. The only sound is the clear calm, waters gently lapping in. The pier of Saladon is on the northern tip of Koh Lanta and the main beaches are spread out along the west coast. We stayed at Klong Khong beach, near the middle of the island. It has budget accommodation options and a lovely beach. Klong khong has very different vistas from low to high tide. When we first arrived we were disappointed that it was tricky to swim during low tide, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. A9 and G7 had an absolute blast exploring the rock pools and finding sea cucumbers, small fish and hermit crabs. It's the best science classroom ever! Also, the rocks are like an instant reef at high tide so you can snorkel straight off the beach (not the best marine life, but still fun for the kids to see a few fishies). We would definitely recommend Klong Khong but there are two perfect sandy beaches without rocks on Lanta if that's what you are after. They are Phra-ae and Klong Nin. Quirkily thrown together wooden shacks selling pad thai and Chang beer are dotted between the bamboo bungalows and coconut palms. The food here is more expensive than the main land, but it is still possible to find cheap roadside stall. If all else fails, you can always eat from the 7/11 (sad I know, but needs must at times). Our daily 7/11 breakfast consisted of toasted sandwiches, steamed buns, pot noodles, coffee and juice! We eventually found a great restaurant called Koy Koy on the main road in Klong Khong which became our regular eatery for the last 4 days. Koh Lanta old town on the east coast is certainly worth a visit. With restaurants perched on stilts over the ocean, and views out to the islands, make sure you stop for drinks or lunch. The small town has a Chinese influence and you can imagine the traders working here in times gone by. It's a lovely drive across the top of the island, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend going over that hill with 4 on a motorbike like we did! There are plenty of activities you can do on Lanta from mangrove tours, monkey feeding, elephant treks and snorkeling trips. We chose not to do any of these in favour of rest and relaxation (and catching up on a bit of school work). To be honest, the beaches and snorkeling on Koh Lanta is not at the same standard as Koh Kraden or Koh Lipe, but Koh Lanta has what a lot of other Thai islands lack.... no frills accommodation and genuine peace and tranquility. I think as kiwi's , this is what we look for in a destination. If you want the glitz and glam of high end resorts, American chain restaurants and a rocking nightlife, this is probably not the spot for you.
Krabi town is primarily a departure point for the Andaman islands. We chose to stay in Ao Nang (10 km away) for a couple of days before heading out to Koh Lanta. Ao Nang is like a mini Patong beach with inflated prices, American chain restaurants and ladyboys prancing the streets after dark. This started a whole series of dialogue with A9 that I wasn't quite ready for! Despite this, we had a lovely stay here, partially as we upgraded to a hotel with a pool and buffet breakfast (bliss) and also the close proximity to Railay Beach. The other drawcard of Ao Nang, is the incredible sunsets. With the myriad of outlying islands on the horizon, boats drifting by, and colour bouncing off the monsoon clouds, it's easy to get lost in the Ao Nang sunsets. Railay Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. With golden sand and deep green sea hues, this pristine cove is sheltered at each end by towering limestone formations. The cliffs are a rock climbers dream. The crystal clear water is so warm that it is barely refreshing. Along the beach, the longtail boats line up to bring the day trippers on and off the secluded beach. Walking paths lead you to east Railay past a mixture of luxury resorts and some bohemian restaurants. Those lucky enough to stay here must look forward to the end of the day when the hoards depart back to Ao Nang and Krabi town.
Hoi An is an amazing place to explore by yourself on bicycle or motorbike. You can of course do this as an organised tour, but for the cost of a bike hire (20,000 Dong - US$1), or motorbike hire (100,000 Dong - US$5) you can do it cheaply on your own. This is an itinerary you could follow in a day if you are short on time, or take your time and explore them one at a time like we did. There is nothing quite like cruising through Hoi An ancient town by bike. If you visit between 11.30am and 3pm you can drive right along the riverfront, past the historic buildings and over the bridges. From the old town you can head east towards Cua Dai and meander through the waterways and pathways around Cam Thanh. you will see traditional fishing villages and buffalo's working the fields. Visit Cua Dai beach and imagine how glorious it would have been before the sand eroded away. Now, Cua Dai beach is surrounded by huge empty resorts and the beach is lined with sand bags in an attempt to encourage the sand to return. Follow the main road 3 km north to stunning An Bang beach. Soft white sands and gentle/strong waves depending on the time of year you visit. Grab a drink at Soul Kitchen or a swim if it's hot, before heading on to Tra Que for a late lunch. From An Bang, head 2km back toward Hoi An, to Tra Que vegetable village. It is on the left just before the paddy fields begin. This is by far our favourite village in Hoi An. The lush greenery and gorgeous aroma of fresh herbs is intoxicating. We lunched many times at the waterwheel restaurant on the edge of the village. Be sure to try the Banh Xeo and papaya salad! Most people visit Tra Que on an organised tour and by all means do this if you only have a short time in Hoi An, but it is free to visit by yourself. This is a must on every travel itinerary in Hoi An! Head back towards Hoi An, either along the main road or criss cross through the paddy fields following your nose heading south west towards the river. Around 5km west of Hoi An along the river, you will find Tranh Ha pottery village. Here you can watch the locals making all sorts of pottery and have a go yourself (for a small donation). Hopefully in one day you have seen some of the best of the surrounding area! I hope you enjoy Hoi An as much as we did!
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finding freedom with four backpacks
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