Malaysia, I loved you from the first day I saw you

Malaysia was a very nice surprise for me. It wasn’t a country on the top of my list, it was just a country on the way and I had no expectations. And that’s sometimes better because you don’t end up disappointed, you can only be surprised in a good way. Kazakhstan was a nice surprise. And so was Singapore.

I’m not entirely sure what made me fall in love with the country. For one thing, I probably needed to finally be in a more developed country where it’s easier and more comfortable to travel. For another thing, I finally got to the seaside to take some rest after 7 months of quite intensive travelling. I’m not a beach person but I love the sea and needed to have a little bit of holiday.

However, I think it’s the whole adventure of travelling in Malaysia that made me love the country so much. I saw some of the most beautiful places there. I met some incredible people who either hosted me or gave me a ride when I was hitchhiking. I had amazing hosts and the drivers were also wonderful people. And unexpectedly I hitchhiked in Malaysia a lot, hitchhiking being one of the things I wanted to do more of on this trip. And when I was in Malaysia it was the country where I hitchhiked the most. I can’t forget about the delicious food because as a vegetarian I finally had so much variety. Taking all this into account I had a fantastic time in Malaysia and it’s one of my favourite countries on this trip.

I loved the Langkawi island because of it’s beautiful beaches, warm sea, stunning landscape in the north, the sky bridge with breathtaking views and seven pool waterfall.

I loved Georgetown because of the amazing street art one can see in its streets and also because I had a fantastic host there.

I loved Cameron Highlands because the landscape is breathtaking there. Stunningly beautiful tea plantations, fairy-tale-like mossy forest and jungle challenging for hiking. And another fantastic host there. I almost forgot about the cool climate which was the best after having travelled in the tropics for so long. It was rejuvenating.

I loved the Perhentian Kecil island. With its turquoise and crystal clear waters it really looked liked a paradise. Stunning views, abundant monitor lizards, no roads. And more holiday from me.

I loved Malacca because of the fascinating street art decorating the town and also the resemblance to Dutch cities as I have a thing for the Netherlands.

I loved Kuala Lumpur because of its charming skyline at night and the impressive Batu Caves. And I also had two great hosts there.

Amazing Malaysia!