I arrived in Ipoh around 11:30pm. I knew it was going to be a disaster when I got in to the taxi and he said 'your staying there? really?'. My hotel was way out of town. I checked in and thought i'd just get some sleep and change it in the morning. I woke up around 10am and went straight online. I managed to find a hotel in the center of Ipoh and booked it for my remaining 2 nights. After I finally found a taxi and numerous stares at the bus stop from the locals I headed off into town. The taxi driver told me he'd never heard of the Hong Hin hotel....oh bollocks, here we go again! For some reason I didn't write the address down or the phone number DOH! I got my kindle out and tried to search it online...but the bloody thing wouldn't work! Fifteen minutes of determination (and paddys) later I managed to find the address and we pulled up outside. The room was ok actually.
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| The park |
I dumped my bag and headed for reception. They didn't have an agency there so I asked for a map and where we were. The lady didn't know. She was from Kuala Lumpur and had only been working there 2 weeks! Plus, the map was in 3D (printed badly) so I couldn't make out what was where. I decided to just go out and have a wonder round (with the hotel address in my pocket). I found KFC and had lunch then I called Barclaycard to find out why I couldn't reload my currency card when they had just given me a £2k extended balance. It turned out that I only had £150 left of cash advance to use. Bollocks! So much for staying out here until June.
I flagged a taxi down to take me to a park with a Japanese garden to think things through. The lovely man told me I could walk it in 5 minutes and gave me directions. This was the first time I wasn't ripped off by the buggers. Anyway, I got lost as usual and headed to a hotel for directions. It was right behind me! I wondered in to find the garden...which was nowhere to be seen. I was truly fed up so I called mum. I talked through my finances and decided that I would cash my shares (which had quadrupled since I came out) and use some of it to fund my trip and save some for when I got home. It was then that I stumbled upon the garden. Things were looking up!
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| Japanese Garden |
The next day was my last...thank god! I stood outside my hotel waiting for the rain to stop and a local came to talk to me. He asked my plans for the day and he said he would take me anywhere for free and we could have dinner later. Yeah...as if! He was probably lovely (like all the Malaysians i've met) but mummy said don't talk to strangers, let alone go anywhere with them! I politely refused. I got a taxi to a local cave temple which was lovely. I wanted to see another one but my driver got confused and took me back to my hotel. Couldn't be bothered to tell him. Good job really because the heavens opened and a massive thunderstorm, which lasted hours, moved in. I was going to go to the hot springs that evening but the though of a 40oC bath in this heat...I don't think so. The next day I headed for the Cameron Highlands.
I arrived in the afternoon and I instantly knew I would love it here. The hotel I found online was a real find at £4 a night. The weather was much cooler which was a nice change and the village of Tanah Rata was like a ski resort but in the summer....really picturesque. I booked on a trip for the next day and got online to update my blogs....accompanied by all the free coffee and tea I could drink.
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| Father's Guesthouse...home sweet home |
The next day I was off to the Mossy Forest. We headed up the hills and stopped to take pictures of the Tea Plantation. It was beautiful! Then we hit the forest. OMG...white trainers not such a good idea. We hiked through and I was ankle deep in mud. I wasn't impressed. We were told to take lots of pictures...of what exactly??? All there was were trees covered in moss and these plant thingys that caught small creatues. I wanted out. After, we headed into the tea plantation for a cup of....well yes....tea! There was a massive queue so I didn't bother....plus I had decided that I didn't like tea without milk which was a sacrilege here haha.
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| The Mossy Forest |
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| The creature capturing thingy lol |
That night I watched a film and went to bed. I just couldn't sleep. The bed creaked everytime you moved and so did everyone else's which woke you up and others in the room. Although, it wasn't the creaky beds I was bothered about, it was the fact that my bunk bed was shaking! 'No it can't be...' I thought. Yes it was! The dirty bugger above me was having a ham shank!!! It had to be, there was no other reason for the shaking unless he was having a fit! The dirty git! He obviously didn't realise I was having a sleepness night.
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| mmmmmm wine mmmmm |
The next day was Sunday. I had a lie in as you do then headed for 'Ye Olde Smokehouse' for Sunday dinner. I'd read about it months before I came on my trip and I was dying for a good roast dinner. £30 later!!!! Could not believe it! I only had roast beef dinner, a glass of wine and bread and butter pudding!!! Ah well...credit card it! I thought that since I was on a spending spree I'd buy a bottle of red wine for the evening with some snacks and watch another film. Nowt else to do after 10pm.
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| This smile was before I got the bill! |
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| Was yum but they couldn't make yorkshire puddings for shit lol |
On my last day I decided to go strawberry picking and to the rose center. Well, all the strawberry places must have also been hairdressers because they were all bloody shut on a Monday! So the rose center it was. Had some lovely flowers there. Later I headed back to the hotel and chilled for the afternoon and evening. I'd met a lovely couple from London the day before so we bought some wine and chatted til late. I went to bed around 1am and couldn't sleep again. I was tossing and turning until at least 4am but it appears I was not the only one...tossing! What is it with men? I know you lot do it quite frequently but in a dorm room surrounded by 9 other people...please!! It was obvious due to the noise. You know the one, where you pull your cheek and it makes that slapping noise haha! Also, he got up after and went to the toilet, as I suspect, to clean himself up. Definately time to move on.....to KL (Kuala Lumpur).
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| Roses...my favourite flower |
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| A lilac rose....never seen one before |
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