Malaysia: Pulau Penang (coming home)

On the 9th May we travelled further to Pulau Penang by bus (5 hours + 30 min city bus + 20 min Über).

We arrived in the afternoon at the Regency in George Town where we were warmly welcomed by our friend Judi (and her son Philippe) whom we met in Maastricht in 2016. She cooked a perfect pasta with prawns and we had Rosé wine for the borrel. Heaven! We could sleep in a big bed and our bathroom has the toilet separated from the shower...even more heaven!

Judi took us with her car through George Town and after that we stayed long hours on the balcony just talking. It felt like coming home where we were able to stay a couple of nights and could rest (we really needed a good night sleep after waking up the last weeks several times every night due to the sometimes not very clean beds - I am paranoid about bedbugs).

Highlights of George Town

• The old heritage town with its beautiful murals and colonial buildings. The British (and the Dutch at some time) stayed here a long time and thanks to the Unesco the old buildings are still here and were not exchanged with some big skyscrapers build by the Chinese.

• Rick went to the Barber Shop (Son & Dad Barber)

• Buddhas birthday was celebrated on the 10th (Vesak day).

• We found a cheap place for our afternoon borrels (Antarabangsa) where we met a lot of locals (mostly Indians) every day. We did learn a lot about religions and the problems people have around here.

• We got to know Nico from the Caribic Islands and Zsuzsi from Budapast (she designs beautiful dresses. Check out her shop when it is online: www.kamalakaftan.com).

• We had a great talk with Roslan and Gerome and they taught us some life lessons; 'Keep your heart young and always live with an open heart'. When we go to Langkawi we have to look for the Carboy (not Cowboy but Carboy) LOL.

• We took the Hop On Hop Off bus again which was a disaster (you do see all the sights but you cannot really see them).

• On the 11th Rick took me for Raglette at the Little Journeyman Café. You know how much I love my cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

• Judi's amazing food!!

• Visiting a lot of Buddha temples and turning the wheel of fortune (No. 16). The outcome did not reaaaaally reveal anything great. Everything will be 'not very bad'. LOL.

• Rick is born in the year of the Cock/Rooster (1981)

• I am born in the year of the Monkey (1980)

• A monkey and a rooster travelling.

• Street food (Hawkers)

While we are here we decided to move on from Langkawi (which is our next stop) to the Thai Islands and then to Thailand.

Arranging our 60 days Thailand visa

• As everything we do is not really planned we decided to arrange our visum last minute. We arrived at the Thai ambassy at 11:15 and found out that they would close at 11;30. We really needed to hand in our applications that day as otherwise we have to wait until monday to get it.

• We had almost everything ready: passports, copies of the passports (there was a photocopy car outside on the street), and passphotos! We did not have a copy of a travel ticket OUT of Thailand. Problem!

• We had 8 minutes left to come up with a plan, when Rick decided to book a train ticket from Bangkok to somewhere in Laos. He succeeded but when we were waiting for the confirmation email he got problems with the internet connection.

• The connection suddenly came back when we he found out that he somehow did not book a train to a city in Laos but to a city in Thailand just before the border. Sh*t!

• We still handed everything in at 11:31 (we were allowed to forward the train ticket confirmation by mail to the ambassy) and had to wait until the next day. Fingers crossed.

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• We got our 60 days VISA last minute!!!

Today we are going to take the ferry to Langkawi (Rick remember at the ferry counter: "Name!' ...throwing the pen at the counter without any more words hahaha). Willem from the Cameron Highlands will be there as well, so we will watch Feyenoord tomorrow.

Thank you Judi so much for your love, warmth and advices. We love you! You gave us a home far away from home.