They say beauty is in they eye of the beholder. Every person sees something and has a different perspective than another person. Last month, we took our annual vacation to Asia (again). We love Asia! We want to retire there. Asia is magical! This year we chose Malaysia and the Maldives. I dare say that most people would agree the Maldives are more beautiful, but my husband and I actually saw beauty in the stark contrast of Malaysia. We fell in love with it!
Streets of Georgetown
Our first few days were on the island of Penang in the city of Georgetown. Known for its street art scattered on concrete walls throughout the alleys, little ma and pop shops selling everything from trinkets to clothes and art, and the amazing food that Anthony Bourdaine (RIP) raved about. The sheer grittiness of the city mixed with new and old buildings and culture stole our hearts.
Upon arrival we hit the streets. The smells were a pungent mix of food and fresh rain. The only thing on our mind was to find a food court that we had read about. We hit the streets not knowing where we were going but our noses lead us to the right spot. Immediately my mouth started watering, I was so hungry after having plane food for the last few meals. From a tiny vendor in a shop of many, I ordered Nasi Goreng and immediately googled it to find a recipe to make at home. It was sooooo good! I am not even a rice eater, but the flavors they added were incredible! An incredible edible, ha!
A very affordable tour the next day ( I think it was total $16 for all day), took us to many Buddhist temples. including the Kek Lok Si, near Penang Hill. It was huge and so artistically hand crafted. It’s just amazing how much work goes in to building any of these temples. The views from the top were awesome, and our guide was so friendly and knowledgable. He taught us so much about the history. He even drove us around to show us real estate. This was the start of our “we should retire in Asia” conversation. The other couple on our tour was from Indonesia and did not speak any English so we just smiled a lot and enjoyed a nice lunch of chicken and rice together.
Our next stop was flying to Borneo to see the ORANGUTANS in the wild! We took a tour with Aji Expeditions and were not disappointed. He is so passionate about showing others wildlife on the river of Kota Kinabalu. We were on the boat many times during our time there. This was my favorite part of the trip. I absolutely make sure to include animals in all my travels, and was not at all disappointed in this segment. We only saw one orangutan but we watched him for a long time. He kind of just sat there in all his beauty. Proboscis monkey were abundant! They have such strange looking noses but they are used to attract mates, and we actually saw two mating. Don’t judge us for not putting the camera down, lol. At one point on the river, there was a crocodile REAL close to our boat. All I could think was that if a wave came through, and knocked us over, I was the smallest one on the boat and would be his dinner.
Listening to the elephants trumpeting in the background.
Sitting on the dock at sunrise and sunset was incredible! We never did see a pygmy elephant but we could hear them loud and clear in the morning! Those who know me, know elephants are my favorite, so that was such a happy moment I will forever replay in my head. We stayed in a super simple place kind of like a dormitory. The people that fed us did not speak English but they took such good care of us. We met a wonderful young French couple, a Scottish couple and an Australian family. Everyone got along so well. I love traveling for this reason! People are so relaxed and curious. It melts my heart.
From there we headed to the beautiful Maldives. I know I said we found Malaysia to be more beautiful but that was not about aesthetics; it was about culture, kindness and that third world charm that I was introduced to in the 90s. The Maldives consists of over 1100 islands. We went to two. When we arrived in Male, we were tired but our hotel, another tiny boutique place, had made a cake for Shad’s birthday. That was really cool of them. It had a salty buttery flavor. We liked it! That island was very affordable to eat.
The next day we flew to our resort. Upon arrival the golf cart picked us up and took us to the lobby. After checking in, we took the boardwalk to our overwater bungalow. Who doesn’t dream of that kind of vacation? It was everything you can imagine. We literally saw a small black tip shark as soon as our feet hit the sand, then a small stingray shortly after. Talk about amazing! It was the rainy season (more affordable to go anywhere in the rainy season), so the first few hours we stayed in and watched the storm.
Alas, the sunshine came out and we dove from our balcony into the beautiful bluish-green water. It was surprisingly not too cold. After 2 minutes, I was completely comfortable. For the next 4 days we used the stand up paddle board, snorkeled and swam. We watched amazing thunderstorms and got treated so good. The staff was always smiling. Actually, when we arrived, we were greeted with the bed being decorated with “Happy Anniversary” in palm leaves and an unique jelloish soft cake. We never did figure out the flavor, perhaps guava. Two days later, I turned 50 years old, and they again decorated the bed, gave us a very rich chocolate cake (OMG good) and a bottle of champagne to enjoy while watching the sunset.
Now, the reason we preferred Malaysia is because our travel style is go-go-go. The Maldives are very relaxed and for us, two days is fine, four was too many. Keep in mind, we are not divers. The Maldives are also the flattest place on earth, so we could not put our hiking boots on and go explore. If you want a chill vacation, that is the place for you. Stunningly beautiful water that looks like a sheet of ever changing colors of ice for miles. If you like a little of both, then I would suggest going to another country in Asia and then relaxing a few days in the Maldives at the end. If you love water sports, that is a great destination choice. We live in the desert, so mountains are more our style for longer vacations. Regardless, Asia never disappoints!
Ain’t nothing going wrong today!
Unfortunately, we will not be going to Asia next year, but hopefully in 2021. We are thinking Vietnam and Cambodia. So much world, so little time. Come join us. Let’s go!
