Travelling too far in one day is a waste of time

I woke up yesterday in Melaka, 2-3 hours south of KL. ‘Historic Melaka’ is a mix of the various colonial rules that have fought for control over the town over hundreds of years. The end result was a charming, colourful town, dotted with Portugese forts, Dutch churches with British renovations, Chinese temples and Indian cuisine. A cool place to wander around and sample local foods by the quiet river, but Melaka was not very lively, and most bars were inexplicably closed during night time.

I left at lunchtime. 2 taxis, 2 buses and a train later, and I had arrived in Georgetown, a bustling city on the island of Penang in the country’s far north, at 10:30 at night. Unshowered, tired, hungry and thirsty, I checked into the first hostel I found, a dive called the Banana Hostel (chosen for it’s cool name), with strange demountable cell-like cubicles for rooms. I didn’t like it, but settled for it. My crankiness gets exponentially higher with my hunger, so I quickly slurped a noodle soup on the side of the road and went to bed.

The next day I woke up and the streets were sunny, filled with markets and people. I felt much better. I found a new hotel and as i’m writing, am eyeing off a motorbike rental to take me to the beach. I should have taken my time, Melaka to Penang in 2 days, not 1. Lesson learned. There’s no rush, too many buses and trains should be avoided!