Malaysia with the family

After finishing up my hostel job, I caught a bus from Penang to Kuala Lumpur airport to meet Mum, Dad, and Caitlin. We hadn’t seen each other in months, so it was really nice to reunite! We spent the first night at an airport hotel which was a good chance to chill and catch up.

Borneo

Our first stop was Borneo, which was amazing! We stayed in some great jungle lodges - surrounded by trees and wildlife. We went on a couple of safaris where we saw all kinds of animals: monkeys, loads of bird species, and even a few crocodiles.

We also tried some local food and tea, visited Kinabalu National Park, and saw the Rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world. It takes around nine months to grow, blooms for just a few days, and smells awful - but it was cool to see!

Overall, Borneo felt like a proper adventure, and it was nice to do something completely different as a family.

Kuala Lumpur

We spent just one day in KL. In the morning, we did a walking tour, which wasn’t great - the guide was boring, and the heat was intense. Not ideal.

The afternoon was better. We checked out a few vintage shops, and then went to Helipad Bar for a drink at sunset, which had a great view of the city.

Perhentian Islands

Our last stop was the Perhentian Islands, on the northeast coast. Easily one of the most beautiful places we’ve been to - clear water, white sand, super laid back.

We spent most of the time relaxing on the beach. We went snorkelling, and one day Caitlin and I did a scuba dive together, which was fun. We also went fishing one morning. Beautiful times in an amazing setting!

After two weeks, we said goodbye at the airport. They flew back to the UK, and I continued on to Sri Lanka. It was a great trip with a mix of adventure and downtime, and nice to just hang out with the family for a bit.