For us (as for everyone else), the last 6 months did not really go as planned. We had just gotten back to Cambodia when Malaysia entered a Movement Control Order (MCO). With everything so uncertain, we decided it would be nice to be with family and flew back to KL expecting to see how things played out over the next weeks before heading back to Cambodia.
Instead, we spent the next 6 months in Malaysia! Initially, Malaysia was in complete lockdown which meant lots of board games, getting a comfortable WFH setup going and trips to the grocery store in an otherwise completely empty shopping mall.
Eventually, Malaysia began opening back up, which meant we could begin going on some adventures.
The #1 awesome adventure was that 15 minutes away from home was an awesome crag, Batu caves. Because it was outdoors it was one of the first pandemic-friendly activities we could do and we headed there every weekend.
We got to get comfortable climbing outdoors, put all our new climbing gear to good use and tried some hard routes.
Having promised Kisa that moving to Asia would mean much more beach time, I finally delivered (more than 6 months after the move) and we visited some of Malaysia’s islands and beaches.
The first island we visited was Langkawi, in the North West of the country. We spent a week exploring the island’s waterfalls and beaches. We also conquered the island’s tallest mountain hill on a 15 km epic filled with leeches, butterflies and dense jungle.
Hot off the back of Langkawi, we spent a few days in Pangkor Laut, a beach resort / island. Our room was nestled into the hillside and surrounded by trees, which meant we would wake up to hornbills and beautiful views.
On our last trip in Malaysia, we spent a few days in the Perhentian Islands, scuba diving and seeing the area’s awesome aquatic wildlife. We saw some nudibranches, which are much smaller IRL than Kisa expected, and lots of sea turtles. We also got our advanced diving licenses, which meant deeper dives – including an eerie one around a sunken boat.
Perhentian has crystal clear blue waters, so even swimming by the beach on our non-diving day was a treat.
We then headed to Penang island (on the opposite side of the country) to meet my parents. Georgetown, Penang’s capital, is a UNESCO world heritage site because of its diverse architecture (a mix of colonial and Asian styles). We spent a few days exploring the city’s old architecture and new hip cafes.
We drove back down from Penang to KL, which meant we got to stop at Ipoh, Batu Gajah, and Taiping. These towns became prominent when the British were present in Malaysia, and during Malaysia’s tin-boom. They are now much sleepier – it was fun to imagine what these sleepy towns must have been like when they were Malaysia’s center of economic and political activity.
And of course, we spent lots of time in KL with family, good friends and good food. We spent lots and lots of time in KLCC park, which is right outside the apartment and also explored KL’s downtown on big runs.
We are now back in Cambodia ready to resume our adventures here! We are looking forward to lots more climbing, beautiful places and wonderful friends (once we get out of quarantine…).
I’ll leave you with the kitties of Penang:
