After a hellishly long train ride through a war zone (there's an insurgency in Southeast Thailand), I'm now in Kota Bharu, Malaysia.
First impressions are it's very different from Thailand. The women are very hairy (monobrows and 'staches); the men wear dresses; and the curry is unbelievably good.
At first I was perplexed by the food – there are no English menus and everything looks strange – in Thailand I could just get by with having noodle soup, which is served everywhere. But finally I decided it was best to just dive in. This morning I went to the market and this is what I discovered:
Buffet-style food. Just get a plate of rice and then choose what you like. As it turns out the food is awesome, and just as cheap as Thailand. Then I discovered Malays love donuts... this could be my undoing:
Oh, and then the nice Malay girls, who have been coming after me in packs wanting me to speak English with them, gave me these gifts:
From here, my plan is to go to Kuala Terengganu in a day or two, then to Cherating for beaches and bungalows and after that to that to Singapore...
