SE Asia Trip Report

Well my trip to Southeast Asia was fun. A bit of a whirlwind for a 10 day trip but still a good time.  Malaysia, specifically Kuala Lumpur, had been on my bucket list for about 20 years.












I enjoyed KL, even with a bit of rain.  However, the best part of my KL adventure was getting a chance to meet up with Jessica, Dharma, Kartik, and LikMin.

The Bantu Caves were a great little day trip.  Plus I got to see the monkeys there.








I enjoy Malaysian food but honestly the best thing I found was brown sugar bubble tea.  I miss proper bubble tea with the tapioca balls.  The bubble tea I've found in Czechland just sucks.  Anyway, this was proper bubble tea with rich brown sugar tapioca pearls.  So yummy.

After a few short days in KL I headed to Brunei which all of my friends thought I was insane to go visit given the recent uproar about imposing the death penalty for homosexuals.  However, it was kind of ironic that I when I got to Bandar Seri Begawan that there was a big gay rainbow.

Natalie was "in the area" so she flew in and we met up in Bandar.  You've got to love random godparent meet-up adventures.  It's always so awesome getting some Nat time.  The last time I saw her was in March when we went to Malmö and Copenhagen.  

Bandar was interesting.  One day was definitely enough to get the feel for the place.  Honestly the company made this a way better visit.  Then we flew to Singapore which I think might be the 9th or 10th country we've visited together.

One thing to note about Brunei and Singapore is that both countries are tough on illegal drugs.  On the arrival cards for both countries there are warnings that drug trafficking will result in the death penalty.



From Singapore, Nat and I caught the train to Johor Bahru for day trip.  On Tuesday night Nat caught her flight back home to Wellington.



On Wednesday I did a bit of sightseeing down at the marina and in Chinatown.  I also finally got to try chilli crab.



On Thursday I caught a high-speed ferry and went to Batam for the day.  My first time in Indonesia.  It was interesting and the highlight of the day was visiting the former Vietnamese refugee centre.  I swear that sometimes I visit some of the most random sights but it's always an adventure.

Although it was a fast trip I managed to pack in quite a lot.  I definitely want to go back to Malaysia and Indonesia.  If only it wasn't a 13ish hour flight from Euroland.