Diving feet first into Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur
We arrived this time at the Kathmandu International airport, a whole world away from the domestic shed next door. Thinking it would be a low key affair flying out of Kathmandu, we couldn’t believe our eyes when we walked up to the big bird sat on the runway, it was massive and there wasn’t a person in sight! Thinking we would be laying along the seats and taking a hard earned rest, we were somewhat shocked when on entry about 1000 pairs of brown eyes were set on Claire (well 368 pairs to be exact). Unknown to us, Kuala Lumpur is an epicentre for the cheap Nepalese labourer and they had been sat down waiting in their seats for over half an hour. Nestled inbetween 368 Nepali men, Claire was eternally grateful for the female only toilet, Danny was grateful for the ultra modern sliding toilet door in the middle of the plane which fortunately, the Nepali’s couldn’t work out how to open.

The Airbus A330 – Bigger than the airport itself

Spot the bird

Waiting for the shuttle bus at KL airport

A soon as you step off the plane, its unbelievable how normal and western orientated this city is. Everything was written in English, you didnt need to barter down the price of your Mcdonalds and the shuttle bus was on time. Heading directly into the city, we jumped off the shuttle, onto a monorail and straight to our guest house door. Home from home, this place had a flat screen tv showing xfactor, a resident cat, knives and forks and a bed with laundered sheets, the only things that weren’t allowed (and was indicated by a very large sign), was pork and booze…………..no bacon sarnies for us then. Desperate for a bit of pork and booze, we headed around the corner to Jalon Alor a street selling mostly……….pork and beer! In need of something sweet afterwards, we stumbled across a pick and mix shop with free samples. Half an hour later, we stumbled out sick as two pigs and weighing more than we went in.

Jalon Alor

Waiting like a good lad for his tea

Hows about a topping of meat fluff sir?

Shat in me keks cookies? I thought we left the bungy experiences in Nepal?!

The previous night was the first time Danny had ever stayed in a dorm room. Claire tried in vain to lay the law down and explain ‘dorm etiquette’ knowing deep down it would go completely over his head. After a night of talking in his sleep, getting up every 5 minutes to use the bog, snoring like his Grandad in the chair after his Sunday dinner and farting like a trooper, most guests left the following day looking like a set of zombies looking for someone to kill. Feeling fresh as a daisy, Danny was up at the crack of dawn putting the kettle on and tuning into breakfast morning tv.

Heading into the city a little later, we stumbled upon shopping mall after shopping mall and bar after bar. We quickly came to the conclusion that although Muslims don’t drink, they bloody love to shop then watch everybody else boozing from the window of their icecream shop. After playing on the worlds biggest capsule vending machine (and winning a tuperware bowl), we headed to china town stocking up on t-shirts for a quid and filling our boots with spicy frog stew for not much more.

Sleeping Lions

It has been 7 months!

God i hope we win a flatscreen………….ahhh i mean a tuperware container

Petrona Towers

Best pop in the world

Checking out China town

Saving it for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar Beno!

Heading to the outskirts, we decided to pass the day at KL bird park,apparently the biggest free flight aviary in the world. What they fail to mention though, is that under the biggest net in the world are big cages where they keep all the birds! A little disappointed, we pottered about, fed the ducks then walked back into town awaiting our night bus to the Perhentian Islands, a world away from the city. Kuala Lumpur, due to your very cheap Air Asia flights, we will be back!

Excited at the entrance of another ‘worlds biggest’

‘Free Flam ming mo’s’

Tucking into his papaya

Feeding the fish

A big net over even bigger cages

Shopping galore

Filling up before the bus ride

Danny had to wee outside the toilet as he didn’t have a hat

Perenthian Islands
Nestled 8 hours north of Kuala Lumpur, the Perenthian Islands are a little slice of paradise jutting out of the sea. We headed for the smaller island where the diving centres, bars and restaurants still cater for the backpacker types and not the crispy over 60 year old Germans taking a winters break. We wrestled onto a tiny speedy speed boat and within one wind blasting hour, we felt the lovely familiar feeling of sand between our toes – It has been a whole 3 months!

Destination Perenthian

Blowing away the cobwebs

Beach BBQ, how we have missed you!

Not to be supped lightly – The dangerous monkey juice

Supping it not very lightly at all

Whilst Claire slept off the monkey juice, Danny was up at 7.30 reading his dive books and having his first dive briefing. Waking up, Claire wobbled down to the dive shop and jumped in with Danny on his first dive. expecting it to be a bit naff, both of us were in awe at the fish and corals sitting about 20 metres from the beach. Surfacing and relieved he didn’t drown, Danny was back with his head in the books for the afternoon whilst Claire topped up her tan on the beach.

A novel way to get gas on and off the island

Soaking up the rays

Fun in the sun

What happens when you drink monkey juice

Yipeeeeeeeeeeee after his 3 days studying he passed!!!!

Heading out to the dive sites

”I’m sexy and i know it”

No monkey juice required…. Claire’s still mad

Danny enters the unknown

Claire getting ‘narky’

Magical underwater world

The hardest bit is getting back on the boat

Just doesn’t seem right does it?

With Danny now qualified and Claire refreshed back to the same level, we collared a fella with a little boat and offered him a few bob to take us around the snorkeling sites. First stop was Shark point, famous for errr sharks and little else. Holding onto each other tightly, we hovered in the shark infested waters waiting for the blighters but secretly hoping they might not turn up. Out of the corner of Claire’s eye she saw something lurking in the depths and jumped about 10 feet out of the water. Danny, being a man, didn’t believe her until its smaller brother came swimming underneath us. Like two pirates walking the plank, we slowly made it back to our skipper and ventured to the next drop off.

With the stop being the ‘Shark free’ Coral bay, Claire ventured off into the unknown whilst Danny played with the school of fish looking for a free dinner. Confident there were no sharks, Claire was 100 metres away from any other human life forms when all of a sudden a sinister looking ‘very big fish with a fin’ almost brushed up against her. Armed with the camera and faffing around shaking like a shitting dog, she was determined ‘Danny the man’ would believe this one. Swimming towards him like Micheal Phelps on red bull, Claire, paler than usual thrust the camera shakily into Dannys chest. Poor lass, Claire didnt venture far away from safety ever again.

Creamed up and ready to go

Found – Nemo!

Very nosy fish indeed

Fish face

Who’s a pretty boy then?

A very sinister fish with a fin, just as it was swimming away

Claire was happy to be close to this little fella

Turtle ‘heading’

After sharks, numerous Turtles, schools of Barracuda, every fish you can imagine and a fair few days with his head in a book. Danny celebrated Padi advanced and Claire celebrated being refreshed back to the same level. What a great place to do it!!!

Kota Bharu
Sad to leave an amazing island, it was time to move on and make our way slowly towards Borneo, not a bad place to be heading to granted! We packed up our gear, waved goodbye to the fish (the alive ones at least) and caught the speed boat then bus to Kota Bharu. Kota Bharu is a very strict muslim town, famous for its food markets and very little else, we were happy roaming the streets and tucking into everything which took our fancy before catching a flight back to KL the next day then onto Kuching which sits in Malaysian Borneo.

The famous food stalls

Trying her first coke in a bag

Decisions decisions, green pop or yellow pop?

Morning line dancing opposite the guest house

One of Danny’s 5 a side team mates from the day before doing his day job

Coming to a KFC near you

I’ll have one of each please!

The diving was great, the booze was dangerous. After our little beach break we headed to a place Claire dream’t of visiting as a kid. Lets hope her brushes with nature weren’t as close and scary as the last one! Our ‘Born’ eo to be Wild’ blog is coming soon!!!!

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