Malaysia

With the coming of the newest member of our family, we decided it was time to travel again and see how well we fare with two kids instead of one. I wanted to travel when the baby was still small, because I felt it would be easier to carry a baby around that didn't want to crawl or didn't require any specific food other than milk. Our destinations of choice were Malaysia and Cambodia (more on that in another post).

We spent a total of one week in Malaysia, hitting three cities, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Georgetown (Penang). Here's what we did.

We arrived early in the morning at KL, unfortunately our older child had gotten sick the night before the flight with a stomach bug. This meant that after checking into our AirBnB, H stayed home with her while I went exploring with the Baby S. My first impression did not disappoint. I found it to be a great city, with lots of interesting streets and alleys. I had fantastic breakfast at Feeka Coffee Roasters before making my way to visit the mosque of Masjid Jamek. I spent quite a bit of time just exploring the little streets and taking it all in.

After Little L started feeling better, we went out all together. She loved visiting the market and the art gallery, the miniature museum at City Gallery and the Petronas Twin Towers with the fountain show. She especially loved running around barefoot in the mall as well :)

Food options in KL are never-ending, from local street eateries to upscale restaurants. All in all, a wonderful city.

Our next stop Ipoh was less glamorous but still interesting. We took the direct train from KL Sentral, which took around two and a half hours. The train was comfortable, air conditioned (very important), and on time. I can definitely recommend traveling by train in Malaysia.

Ipoh itself was surprising hot, with very little trees to provide any shade or cooling. It was difficult to get around on foot with the kids because of the heat and we did most our traveling by Grab. We didn't stay here long, just used Ipoh as a middle stop between KL and Georgetown, but nevertheless we got to see the Kek Lok Tong Cave Temple and the Zen Garden. The cave was cool and a good respite from the heat. Little L had a great time exploring the cave and taking pictures. The Zen Garden was beautiful, albeit a bit too hot for an enjoyable stroll. I would recommend getting an early start before the heat becomes really intense.

Our next stop was Georgetown. Again we hopped onto the train from Ipoh station and two hours later we were in Butterworth. There are several ways to get from Butterworth to Georgetown. On the way there we took the ferry because Little L wanted to try it out. Butterworth station is well organised with plenty of signs directing you to ferry. The ticket price is unbeatable but, and this is a big but, the heat and humidity is deadly. Even though the ferry ride was short, the heat was enough to make us cranky, especially while carrying a baby in a baby carrier. On the way back to KL, we took a Grab instead, a little more money, but a lot more convenient.

Georgetown is a fantastic city to explore with kids. Its little streets are packed with interesting art work and sculptures that are begging to be found. Unfortunately our airbnb was located outside the city centre (around 2km away) which meant having to take a Grab back and forth multiple times a day. I would recommend staying in the city centre, especially with kids, since going back to a cool room around midday is absolutely necessary.

We hit all the main sights in Georgetown, including Penang Hill (great for kids to blow off some energy and do some light trekking), the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (restricted opening times, so make sure to check before you go), the Clan Jetties (not particularly noteworthy), Kapitan Keling Mosque (beautiful around sunset), Khoo Kongsi, and Kuan Yin Temple, Food in Georgetown is great, from Indian banana leaf restaurants to Laksa fast food places, there is no shortage of options.