The diary and the journey begins...

It feels like a lifetime ago now that my journey began but in fact, it was only about 7 weeks ago. How time flies!!

Sorry no photos for this post (you'll just have to use your imagination).




Sydney

It all started in Sydney when I was doing my usual procrastination thing and packing right up till the last minute. Unfortunately for me, there was a big marathon on in Sydney, meaning the Harbour Bridge (a major traffic thoroughfare) was closed and all the traffic was forced to use the Harbour Tunnel. No problem, since we need to use the tunnel anyway to get to the airport but.... there was a massive backlog of traffic and it was moving as slowly as peak hour, even though it was a Sunday afternoon.

Still, I managed to get to the airport with what I thought was enough time to spare until they sort of detained me in the customs/x-ray area...  I barely had time to say goodbye to my parents and my boyfriend...

It wasn't till I was on the plane that reality hit me and I think I actually started crying for the first time. Here I was, feeling more alone than ever, on this big scary journey, or trip of a lifetime...

Luckily the 2 people I was sitting next to on the plane were really nice. We talked a little bit but they were great when I needed to get out to use the toilet (I always choose a window seat so getting to the toilet is a bit of a hassle).

I didn't sleep much on the 8-9 hour flight as it was daytime and the bright sunlight was blasting in through the windows. Even with my shades closed everyone else's were still opened.


Kuala Lumpur

By the time I got to Malaysia I was utterly exhausted. I was so tired of hauling my luggage around (weighing almost as much as I do) and with that heat and humidity... I was just so so tired. And already sick of travelling alone!

Little did I know that the hotel I had booked was right in the heart of Chinatown and the markets were still going at that time (they go until midnight) and I had to drag all my suitcases and bags THROUGH the street market. I nearly died! Luckily for me a very nice guy then carried my large 27kg suitcase up the set of stairs to my hotel. At first I thought he wanted a tip for that but he didn't which surprised me.

It was a very cheap hotel so I wasn't expecting much. All in all it wasn't bad except that the whole place stunk of cigarette smoke and I guess it wasn't the most clean of all hotels... but it was liveable. I guess I was too tired to care and it did have free wifi internet as well.


Langkawi

The next morning I caught a cheapie AirAsia bus to the LCCT (Low cost carrier terminal) to catch my AirAsia flight to Langkawi. I LOVE islands and snorkelling and after having had winter in Sydney I was really really looking forward to swimming and snorkelling in paradise...

... to be continued!