Three weeks ago I entered Malaysia by ferry coming from Singapore. Immigration worked quick and with no delays. I got a 90 days visa right at arrival. The day I came into Malaysia was “Malaysia Day”. Everywhere Malaysian flags. Both parts of Malaysia (the one in Asia main land and the one in Borneo) joined together that day. Not a bad day to come into the country.

I cycled to a warm showers host. His name is Mahazizi and he gave me a first taste of the hospitality in that country. Malaysians are very generous and friendly in general. They are very curious too. Unfortunately English is not really widely spoken. I had one or the other conversation though. It made me realize that I left the western world. While in Australia (and other western countries of course) the questions were always about achievements. How much distance I cover a day (most asked question ever!), how many tires I used on my trip, or how many days I am on tour. Here people ask me more if I have family, or what my religion is, or how live is in Austria.

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I followed the east coast and turned inland along the Pahang-river till I reached the Cameron Highlands. After two weeks of cycling through the jungle and the low lands I really enjoyed to be on higher elevation. It was not as hot as everywhere else. Also being in a touristy area is a nice thing. As a matter of fact, as a westerner you hang out with westerners most of the time. Sometimes, in tourist centres, you meet the typical mid twenty – “hanging out only with the locals, being absorbed by the culture, getting the real travel feeling” – dudes but mostly you get in touch with other normal travellers and have a good time hiking around, visiting places, having beer and so on.

Some Malayan words don’t harm at all. Most useful was “Hi abuchabar?” = Hi, how are you?, “Terima kasih” = thank you and most useful “Nasi pute” = white rice. The “nasi pute” thing helps a lot for getting used to the local food. As a rule of thumb I eat what’s on the table (a pretty German rule I know). But to soften the adaption effect for your stomach you can order a lot of Nasi pute on the side and mix it with the main dish.

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While I never thought much of Malaysia in my life, it made the positive surprise complete after entering Penang island and the city of George Town. I went her only to get my Thailand visa fixed and stayed longer because it’s such a nice place. The old town with the Indian quarter, the famous local street art and the traveller friendly environment made my Malaysia experience complete.