We have arrived in Malaysia......

We have arrived after a lush and very long but very posh flight, I loved Air Ethiad they were superb, we had a transfer in the middle and we had to run for that in Abu Dhabi and when they opened the door on to the tarmac as we had to walk on this 2nd plane to KL I had an immediate moist moment (I wish that happened more often to be honest but at my age...) the heat was sigh...intense for sure and a sign of what's to come and it was 2am -  it was 33c (90% Hum).

When we arrived we were greeted by the very casual Tenby school group but they were fantastic, sorted us all out and got us on the little mini bus to get us all to our hotel, we were to honest shattered by this point and I just wanted me bed, as i walked outside booom another moist moment and we hit real Malay air, got into the mini bus and I have never seen air con be switched on so quick. Off we went to our Hotel. the drive to our Hotel offered up the chance to see Malaysia close up and it is very lush very green and very beautiful even from the side of the motorway you can get a feel for the place, yes slightly backward in some ways but so beautiful its easily forgiven. the shaped trees and shrubs and flowers along the central reservation all add to this greenery that I adore so much, 

Malaysian Hotels are very opulent in a cheesy kind of Haven Holidays way, except Haven would never have marble in its reception. The staff are very attentive to the point of being odd to a independent person like me, they open doors for you, sort of waft you in with their arm, beaming with smiles...it feels nice, engineered slightly. 

The room was nice and we settled well, the evening saw a rather shocking moment as we were all having dinner and someone (a new teacher) collapsed and had a fit a seizure if you like but the noise she made was very scary, this immediately ended all speeches and the night was curtailed, suffice to say she was ok in the end I never ate what she was eating and we all went out to get lashed. 

They serve your beer in these, they can use glasses but we had these beers towers. they are 3 litres, go down very quick and don't last as long as you'd like, cost in this KL bar $115(MR) in £'s that's about £21 each, we had about 4, mind you there were a lot of us. Things is we were taken out by the Heads of the school, who'd we only just met, and it was all on the school credit card, and these didn't seem to be the best people to get pissed in front of as ya know your trying to impress.....in the end though they were more pissed than us, so it was all on. great fun, great fun great people.  

The next day was not a good one as I was jet lagged and still pissed with a hangover....I hope I never learn. today was the day were travelling to Ipoh a 3 hour journey north in the most uncomfortable mini van I have ever seen, which needs a serious chiropractor session to recover from in a downpour that was brought forth by no one  but God himself...the roads were flooding and scooters were struggling to stay afloat in some parts of the road where the water was gathering...incredible but brief, lasted about an hour then....poof gone sunshine. 

Man I need a pee on that bus but had to wait too long before they stopped for me, our new head teacher teasing all the way...But then IPOH appeared we drove in the the Hotel which was right next to the main road so even to this day we haven't actually been into the centre yet, as we are still in the Hotel, the MH hotel and her she is. 

We are in the 12 floor, and this offers these views from our room..................

On the top floor they have the restaurant, an all sides are open for view and it is the only hotel at the height it and so these views are the same all the way around the building the mountains surge upwards as you chow down on breakie. Its good because you can watch the thunder storms come and go and you can gauge and get to see all of area from your raised position a good hotel for us to stay in, albeit basic. The staff I have to say are as before they open the doors for you whether its the front door or the car door or any other door, they open it and welcome you in.  

we are in this Hotel until we find somewhere to live (2 weeks max)  we have found somewhere to live but to get it ready and have the Aircon checked and cleaned it will take until next Saturday to move in and sort the contract out. It is a Condo on Meru Valley Golf resort. have a look below. 

Anyone for golf.....when were in we will post indoor pictures but suffice to say some things take time over here...to hot to rush, the Spanish slower pace of life is over here its just too hot. 

Lastly for this blog some things that are strange about Malaysia in our first week. 

• Every toilet is a wet room and in every toilet every cubicle is lower wet room, but there is a tiny drop at the entrance of both, and you always catch your ferking foot on it arrghhhh.....
• All the number two toilets have no loo roll but they have a hose, now these are for Muslims not us westerners, but when they use them they soak the whole room the seat and everything, so we/us/me cant sit on it because its soaked and your shorts drop into the water on the floor and your bag hasn't got anywhere to go except on a wet floor, so we will always be shitting at home nuff said. 
• cars are all automatics (mine is) no one drives a geared car they are all to lazy apparently (from a Malaysian) so this means that all roads are very safe because no one is flying around as the uptake on Autos is painfully slow so driving is such a breeze over here, just pick a lane or stay in between two no one really minds as were all crawling at 20mph anyway. 
• They all open doors for you.....they all smile (very rare in UK). 
• Birds fly around inside the supermarkets no one minds they seem to hang out in the cereal isle. 
• Monkeys will steal stuff you leave outside. 
• Chinese people don't like to get brown, they regard there own kind as being brown as farm folk poor folk and women who are brown will be ignored by wealthy Chinese men, so when they play golf even in this heat they have long sleeves on their arms and long stockings on their legs so as to make sure they do not get a tan and even whitening products do very well here amongst the Chinese. I intend to buck the trend, no Chinese lady will go near me with the tan I've got planned. 

Lastly weather....well its hot but it does change depending on the prevailing weather patterns, when it rains it cools slightly when windy it takes the edge of it but there is no getting away form the fact that it is bloody hot in a kind of er dangerous way...ha ha

you can walk around in it and get a few miles in but then you will need to seek some sort of escape whether it be simply shade or Aircon, I tried to drive with the window open and no air con on in the car assuming the breeze would cool me but no I was sweating aggressively within 10 minutes. It is a nice heat but just more than im used too, in time I will be fine,but if your coming out to see us....phew...the other issue is the Aircon in some places is too aggressive and you freeze, so its a kind of in and out lifestyle, which I dont mind because the shop houses and local curiousities draw you in as you wander anyway. 

Thats all for now feel free to ask should you want to know more. xx