This past summer I took my first trip to Malaysia. And as I'm sitting here now in South Korea at the end of November with the temperature already dropping down to single digits...I can't help but reminisce about the beautiful white sand beaches, clear water, and of course the authentic and amazing Malaysian food. Kuala LumpurMy friends and I spent 6 nights and 7 days in Malaysia, so our time there was limited. I knew I wanted to spend most of my time on an island while there, but since we were so limited with time, it was in our best interest to spend quality time at one island instead of attempting to bounce around to others. We first arrived in Kuala Lumpur, and let me just say this...expect to be waiting in customs for awhile when you arrive. It's CHAOTIC in there. You don't know which line to get into, and once you do decide on which line to wait in, you're not sure if it's the correct one because there are 4 other lines trying to merge into one. Again...CHAOTIC. You've been warned... BUT...once you make it out of customs, everyone is very friendly there. My friends and I took an airport cab to our hotel & word of advice, get your cab driver's card, just so that you can have him pick you up from your hotel and drive you back to the airport for your departure. Otherwise, be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for your ride back to the airport, especially if you're leaving at an odd hour in the morning. So...now onto the the actual trip. Day 1 of MalaysiaThe first stop was OBVIOUSLY street food, duh! But seriously, Malaysian street food was bomb.com. That's all I've got to say. Day 2 of MalaysiaThe Batu Caves & The Petronas Twin Towers were my two touristy must-dos while I was in Kuala Lumpur and you could easily see both in one day. We hired a taxi to take us to the Batu Caves and he patiently waited for us to explore the caves and then drove us to the Petronas Twin Towers. Both the statue of Murugan and the Batu Caves were beautiful, but it was a little disappointing to see the amount of litter that surrounded an area that's both a religious/sacred place and one of the largest tourist attractions in Malaysia. Also, something else to take note of if you go visit the Batu Caves...if you are a female, make sure you are wearing long pants. Otherwise, you have to buy a sarong or find something to wrap the lower part of your body with so you aren't showing your legs. The Petronas Twin Towers! LangkawiDay 3 and 4 of MalaysiaWe took a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Lankawi Island which was only about 45 minutes long. Then LITERALLY spent ALL day at the beach. There are several popular beaches on Langkawi Island and each beach has a specific niche to cater to what you want to do. I'd avoid going to the black sand beach though. It wasn't much of a beach. There was barely any 'black sand' let alone much of an actual beach to even walk along. I'd definitely recommend going on a boat tour though and visiting a few of the smaller neighboring islands. It was ABSOLUTELY beautiful! The water was crystal clear and the sand is pure and white. The pictures I took does not do the actual view justice whatsoever, you just have to see it for yourself. Day 5 and 6 of MalaysiaFor day 5 and 6, we went on a little excursion and zip lined through the woods. WARNING - BRING BUG SPRAY! YOU WILL GET EATEN ALIVE IF YOU DO NOT! On the last day of Langkawi Island, we took a cable car up to the Sky Bridge. The view from the top was breathtaking! I kept on trying to take photos of the view, but the images from my phone just couldn't capture the sense of awe I saw with my eyes. Malaysia is a beautiful country, and I probably wouldn't have chosen to visit here had I not already been living in Asia, but I am so glad I did. Thank you Malaysia, for the wonderful food, culture, and experience. You reminded me that a life full of travel and experiences are far better than the material things I accumulate throughout the year. Yours truly,
Cery
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Jeju Island, you've officially been crossed off from my South Korea Bucket-list. However, this blogpost is completely overdue and so will the next several upcoming travel blogs. If you're an expat living in South Korea or just traveling through and want to explore this beautiful country but have no idea where to begin, I'd recommend booking a trip through an adventure/travel group. There are so many in South Korea and two of my favorite ones are Bangawayo or Adventure Korea. I've been on several trips with both groups so far and have loved each of my experiences with them. And if you're in Korea by yourself, don't be afraid to join in on one of these trips alone. Hands-down, it's one of the best ways to meet people and make new friends. Now, onto the 4-Day Jeju Island trip... I've been wanting to visit Jeju Island since I arrived to South Korea over a year ago, but I either didn't have the chance to or the flight tickets sky-rocketed during the holiday weekend that I had off. So when Bangawayo offered a trip to Jeju, I was all over it! Johnny (the owner) was such a great tour guide and despite there being changes in our itinerary due to an expected Typhoon, he made it such a fun and amazing experience for everyone and went above and beyond to accommodate and ensure that everyone was enjoying themselves. And although the commute getting to the island was an EXTREMELY long one (5 hour bus ride to Wando Ferry Terminal + another 5 hour ferry ride to Jeju Island), it was completely worth it! To kick off our Jeju trip, we made our first stop at the Jeju Love Land Sex Museum and although I don't have any photos from the museum, let's just say the artwork was quite provocative to say the least. Afterwards, we went to Gwakji beach (곽지과물 해변) and then had a BBQ and of course washed it all down with some good ol' soju (grape flavored soju is the best!). On another note, whenever I'm on vacation, I try to spend most of my time outdoors, soaking in as much of nature as I possibly can. I made an effort to still get in my morning runs and catch a glimpse of the morning sunrise. There's just something so therapeutic to me about being able to feel the breeze and enjoy nature peacefully all the while everyone else is still sleeping. On the second day, we took a bus tour through the west coast of Jeju Island which included a tour to Yongmeori Beach (용머리해안), Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff (주상절리(대포동지삿개)), Hwangwooji coast (황우지해안), Jeongbang Falls (정방폭포), and Hyeopjae Beach (협재해변). The third day was spent biking all around Udo Island (우도). Considering the island was pretty small, there was still a lot to do there: beaches, black sand beach/caves, horse back riding, and a quick hike up a small mountain for a better view. My attempt to swim there was a complete fail though - it was freezing cold. AND...some parts of the island were absolutely beautiful while other parts were extremely disappointing. It was a little disheartening to see how much litter there was everywhere. The black sand beach had so much potential to be breathtakingly beautiful, but most of it was covered in trash. Apart of me just wanted to grab a huge trash bag and begin picking up the litter I saw laying everywhere. BUT on another note, the entire island wasn't like this. I think the best scenic view was being at the top of the mountain and being able to see the entire island and the ocean from higher grounds. On the fourth day, we were suppose to bike toward Gimnyeong Seonsegi Beach (김녕 성세기 해변) for the best view of seacoast roads in Jeju, but unfortunately the typhoon got in the way. So instead, we woke up early and hiked Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak [UNESCO World Heritage] (성산일출봉) and visited the Manjangul Lava Tube Cave [UNESCO World Heritage], which was still a great experience. WARNING - Although the weather may feel extremely hot outside of the cave, LITERALLY, as soon as you enter the cave and begin trekking down the stairs, the temperature will immediately drop. Be sure to bring a jacket to keep yourself warm while you're exploring the caves down under. The only downfall to this trip was that I didn't get the chance to hike Mt. Hallasan. But aside from the natural turn of events that got in the way of that, I would definitely recommend visiting Jeju Island if you're in South Korea. Don't expect to be on a tropical island like you would in Hawaii or Southeast Asia, but it's still a great and quick getaway from Seoul. Disclaimer: Some of these photos weren't taken by me. A few were taken by other people that went on the trip as well. We were all in a group chat and exchanged amazing memories and photos with one another via Kakao.
Yours truly, Cery |
AuthorJust a girl with a wandering soul and a burning heart filled with desire to discover the world around me and within myself. Archives
January 2017
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