Podworld - Exploring interesting places

It is fair to say that part two of the road trip did not proceed as well as part one. This took us to the island of Penang and to its incredibly busy and dusty old capital Georgetown. First of all a word about the accommodation. It was excellent. We stayed in two locations. The first, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is what can best be described as a grand home constructed for a former merchant whose name it bears. It was a quality and classy place to stay and the staff were warm and helpful. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion The second place was the Mango Tree Place. Different from Cheong Fatt Tze but no less enjoyable. These are individual converted houses on the edge of town where the whole street makes up the hotel. Individual and collective together. It works wonderfully. Not cheap but worth the money. Elsewhere Penang was a little disappointing but this might be in part to myself contracting food poisoning from what at the time was a splendid curry in Little India. It made the what c...

The Cameron Highlands This blog is usually written retrospectively but occasionally time allows for it to be scripted as the journey in undertaken. This is the case with an entry about the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. The Cameron Highlands seemed to be a Nirvana on the previous trips taken to Malaysia. As one marvelled at the modernity of Kuala Lumpur or the tropical excellence of Langkawi here was a part of the Malay peninsula that evoked images of Scotland. Surely not. The Lakehouse Inevitably the journey began in KL but fears of hours spent negotiating traffic were unfounded and within twenty minutes were were on the road north, initially on the main highway to Ipoh. Tea Plantation Then after turning to the Highlands we came across extraordinary scenery. Here the single carriageway road rose and twisted through rain forest and lush vegetation. No need to rush. Only one road takes traffic through the Highlands and it is not long before you come up behind a slow-mo...