The Birth of Ingard

It's been just over two weeks since we've started traveling together and our time in Malaysia has been awesome. Our first stop from Singapore was a sleepy, little riverside town called Melaka. Located on the coast about 2 hours southwest of Kuala Lumpur, Melaka was a perfect introduction to Malaysia. The people were friendly, the city was charming, and we stayed at a wonderful hostel filled with other backpackers. Our hostel was right on the edge of the area designated as a World Heritage Site, just a 5 minute walk from the river and the beautiful colonial era buildings surrounding it. We spent most of our time wandering the city, on foot and on bikes our host let us borrow for free! The food was delicious everywhere we went, and we even did a little shopping at the night market that opened on the weekends. One day, we took a trip out to Kuala Selangor, a small town famous for its lightning bugs. We took a boat down the river in the dark, passing tree after tree filled with lightning bugs all blinking in synchronization: it looked a lot like someone had decorated the river with Christmas lights. While I was expecting it to be a bit more exciting (I was really hoping for something as dramatic as the The Little Mermaid scene in the boat) we still had fun and were really glad we went.

After a few days we decided to move on and drove up to the island of Penang. Since much of the eastern half of the country is being drenched in torrential rains right now, we had to cancel our plans to visit a couple of places in that half of the country. As a result we ended up spending a whole week in Penang, which we didn't mind in the least. Penang was the perfect place to relax. There were awesome beaches with the warmest water I've ever been in, lots of other backpackers to meet up and hang out with, and a party on every other corner should we so happen to want to go. One day we even rented motorbikes and drove around the island, stopping in a butterfly garden and national park along the way. As if all that wasn't enough, Penang has some of the best street food in all of Malaysia and we ate to our heart's content every single night. After a whole 8 days there it started to feel like home. We were actually a little sad to leave today, but are headed up to the Cameron Highlands next.

Of course, anytime you start spending all your time with someone, there are bound to be problems here or there. Little things they do will annoy you, sleep patterns will be different, and periods have yet to sync up yet. But after two weeks together, Inge and I have gotten used to each other and are running like a well oiled machine. In many ways, we are kind of like an actual couple. We have a combined money pot, do almost everything together, and share all of our meals (and sometimes our beds too). We also have assigned duties so that we don't step on each others toes or get things confused. Inge is official photographer, booking agent, and keeper of the keys. Me? I am the navigator, banker, and resident know-it-all. Together, we are a dream pair and can't wait to continue our grand adventure through this tropical paradise.

Inge Harding and Bernard Smalls

Inge + Bernard = Ingard