خپور شوی: 02.04.2023
Ipoh, the 3rd largest city in Malaysia, surprised me. There was a nice city center, a Berliner that was a bit late for carnival times, and a bike tour to the temples outside the city.
The bike hadn't been used for a long time, but as long as the brakes work and the tires have air, nothing can go wrong. Although the hardness of the saddle usually only plays a role the next day.
At the beginning of the bike tour, I didn't find the idea of loading my things onto the bike and simply continuing to travel with it so absurd.
But it quickly became clear that the heat is also quite exhausting. (Greetings to the cyclists Maria and Franzi - oh yes, the good old Aryzta times ;))
You know how it is - I'm probably traveling with way too much luggage. Including a hammock and a sleeping bag.
Since I don't just want to carry them around, the somewhat ramshackle rooftop terrace invited me to stargaze and hang out. In the hostel room, I only miss the snoring of others anyways.
However, it should be said that you should never sleep with a water bottle in a hammock - the caps of the water bottles were not sooo tight in this case on the second night and it feels a bit strange when you suddenly notice something wet at the point that hangs the lowest...
Although this ended the night a bit earlier, there was the first church bell concert since the beginning of the trip to listen to.
So far, I've only heard the muezzin through the slightly tinny-sounding megaphone.
In general, I can say:
Malaysia hasn't really impressed me in terms of smell so far.
This also applies to the market square in Ipoh
- besides fresh fish and meat (which does have a certain smell of its own), there was also vegetables and fruit (by the way, this is where I discovered the water apple).
Then it was back on the bus - next stop - Butterworth - onto the ferry, spend another night in Penang, and then it's goodbye Malaysia.
Next stop - Krabi in Thailand...
The farewell came faster than expected and whoops, off to another country.