malacca became UNESCO world heritage site in 2008 along with georgetown of penang. with a long colonial history, first the portuguese then the dutch, the city has many buildings left from these days in the historic centre. the city draws its charms from that colonial history combined with the influence of the peranakan, a term… Continue reading malacca
Author: mat
radio interview
DasDING Interview (in german) the interview was broadcasted on september the 12th. the song ‘mystique’ was played but is not included in this file. you can listen to it in full length here.
the east coast
back on the coast means one less thing to worry about: the shower in the evening. i’d rather be salty from the sea than from my own sweat. i camped again after asking at a nearby restaurant if it would be okay. it turned out to be run by lovely people. i had a tasty… Continue reading the east coast
chasing the rain
after a week in penang, it was time to leave… rather wanting to keep moving than wanting to leave. i cycled back into georgetown and arrived at the pier just before it started to rain. there are a couple of boats which shuttle between penang and butterworth. it’s the oldest ferry service in malaysia and… Continue reading chasing the rain
bicycle pit stop café
for a cup of excellent coffee and maybe a homemade tiramisu cake on the side, siTigun is a wonderful place to visit on a bicycle. created by two-time round the world cyclist tigun wibisana, it has many additions you won’t find in an ordinary cafe. a place to park your bicycle inside for example. classic… Continue reading bicycle pit stop café
the mooncake party
karin had just signed up on couchsurfing and got immediately invited by a member of the penang group, which included an invitation to the mid-autumn party, an annual harvest festival. a widespread folk tale tells about the role the mooncakes played in overthrowing the mongol rulers in china in the 14th century. as group gatherings… Continue reading the mooncake party
around the island of penang
the next morning i toured the island. my first stop of the day was the kek lok si temple, largest buddhist temple in southeast asia. an inclined elevator takes the visitors up to the guan yin statue and a terrace overlooking georgetown. climbing up the pagoda provides about the same view. just beneath the pagoda… Continue reading around the island of penang
georgetown
the ferry was going directly to central georgetown. we had an amazing sunset as we were nearing the pier. i checked into a cheap but clean guesthouse, a recommendation from ben and margo. one of the first things i did the next morning was to get some maps and information about malaysia. the tourist office… Continue reading georgetown
langkawi
the ferry was rather fast and soon the only remembrance of thailand was the flag waving at the stern. after an hour we already reached kuah, the district capital of langkawi and port for the ferries. the immigration formalities are easy. after filling out the entry card, european citizens get a visa on arrival valid… Continue reading langkawi
satun
my hotel room was just opposite of the mambang mosque. as it was ramadan, i was waking up the sound of the azaan-ul-fajr, the first call to prayer before sunset, which marks the beginning of the daily fasting. what was annoying in the mornings, was a rather pleasant backdrop during the rest of the day… Continue reading satun