Asia | Malaysia & Singapore | The true Asia

At the border to Malaysia, we (fortunately) met Alan, who gave us valuable tips on how to get through the controls as quickly as possible. He spontaneously offered to give us a tour of Kuala Lumpur (KL) if we were to arrive there. The controls went smoothly and an hour later we were already on the next train heading towards Butterworth. From there we took the ferry to Penang / Georg Town where we stayed for 3 nights. Georg Town - the food mecca of Malaysia. Amazing cuisine, buildings, and nightlife. Despite the 25-30°C, we mentally prepared ourselves as best as possible for Christmas, enjoyed the pool on the 25th floor of our hotel, and burned our mouths with Indian food in 'Little India'. On Christmas Eve, we had a really nice Xmas Dinner at the hotel with everything your heart desires, roast beef, turkey, unlimited wine, lamb, salmon, etc. Live music with Christmas carols... we felt completely at ease. Stefanie had her 22nd birthday on the 25th, ahem, 23rd, ahem, 25th, ahem, 27th... ;)

On the 4th day, we embarked on the arduous journey by bus to the Cameron Highlands, where we admired the tea plantations, strawberry fields, and more. The journey started late and took us through the long and winding roads of the mountainous land. We felt a bit nauseous, but the view was great. 4 more days where we explored the small highland village, took a long, steep, rainy but impressive hike through the rainforest, visited a butterfly farm and the plantations. Regarding the rainforest tour, it should be mentioned that there were almost no markings. So we walked around for an hour until we saw a faded plastic strip on a branch again... very exciting.

By bus to Kuala Lumpur, where Alan picked us up as promised and took us to the hotel. In the 3 days, he took 2 days of his time for us and took us to the best places the city had to offer. We were overjoyed. He showed us his culture, introduced us to the food and history of the city, and gave us valuable tips for our Asia trip. We left the city with a smile and a restored faith in the goodness of some people.

On December 30th, we set off for Singapore - one of the cleanest but also strictest places in the world. 20% of the population are millionaires... that says a lot. In public, you are not allowed to: spit, eat, smoke, sing, chew gum, play music, etc... otherwise, a fine of $1000-$10000 and 3 months+ imprisonment... not bad Herr Justizspecht. But accordingly, Singapore is also clean, cultured, and friendly. We spent 5 days there - wonderful city views, light shows, the finest Hawker Stalls, and a completely (musically terrible) rainy (pouring) and muddy, overcrowded (inappropriate for our age) New Year's Eve party ;). The weather simply didn't cooperate.

Recap 2017: Wedding, world trip, move. Not too shabby ;).

January 2nd... We're flying to Vietnam / Ho Chi Minh City. The visa is complicated to apply for but doable. You have to request an invitation from Vietnam in advance, then you get a confirmation with which you have to queue up at the airport for about 1-2 hours. But everything is very relaxed and went smoothly without any further problems.

Malaysia: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zIXsF4x7h80DuFmNJrtgjWIhxXF2axoy?usp=sharing

Singapore: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oRmryPTe0rDQll2DuXmLzx-v-lfj5wcp?usp=sharing