I woke up at about 9:30 a.m. I slept well, although I realized that I could hear almost every sound from outside through the walls of the room.
I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to check out. I wondered if I was supposed to send a message to the host, but I eventually decided not to. I left the towel on the bed, packed my stuff into my large backpack, and left.
I headed to a nearby Starbucks.
That morning, I found myself still not in the mood to do any sightseeing. I started thinking about why I felt that way because it was different from how I had felt when I was traveling around Southeast Asia a month ago.
I realized that I was tired of just consuming things and spending the money I had saved up. I felt like I wanted to create something or generate some kind of value for the world. I couldn’t just travel anymore. I wanted to turn my experiences into something tangible.
During this trip, I want to focus more on producing rather than simply consuming. My priorities now are documenting my journey and learning French. Hosting the camp in Tokyo motivated me even more to become fluent in French.
Because of this, my travels might become more boring, but this is what I want to do right now.
Don’t get me wrong. My travel style itself isn’t going to change. I’m still willing to stay in cheap hostels, eat street food, use cheap transportation, and walk whenever possible. I think this strange feeling of not being able to focus on traveling itself comes from being tired of simply consuming.
At Starbucks, I spent my time learning French, writing this blog, and planning my next steps. Good sleep is very important. I was able to focus a lot.
I also really liked the Starbucks. Before I went there, I was worried that it might be crowded, but I was surprised to find that there were very few customers.
By the time I left Starbucks, it was already after 1 p.m. The strange thing was that I wasn’t really hungry.
I headed to Red Inn Court, the hostel where I was going to stay that night. I had wanted to stay at the same hostel as the night before because it’s troublesome to carry all my stuff around when I stay somewhere different every night. Unfortunately, there were no beds available in the dorm room, so I had no choice but to stay at a different hostel.
It cost $5.80 per night, which was slightly cheaper than Amore Stay, where I had stayed the night before. The hostels I stay at usually cost somewhere between $3 and $8 per night. If it’s more expensive than that, I’m reluctant to pay for it.
I’ve learned that it’s important to compare prices across different booking apps as well as the price offered directly by the hostel.
When I looked at pictures of the hostel on the app, I was a little worried about what it would actually be like. The hostel had an open-air dining area and a reception desk on the first floor.
I approached the reception desk and saw a woman talking to someone on her phone. She hung up when she saw me. I gave her my passport, and she gave me a room key and directions to my room.
Despite my concerns, the room was kept cool with air conditioning and was much cleaner than I had expected. On top of that, there were some shelves attached to the bed.
Low expectations generate happiness. That’s one thing I’ve learned as a budget traveler.
I left my large backpack in the room and started walking around the city. George Town felt quite similar to Singapore in some ways, although it was a little less organized.
As I walked around, I still wasn’t hungry. However, after about 30 minutes of walking, I got a little tired, so I went into a random small Chinese restaurant and ordered a bowl of noodles for 6.50 MYR ($1.60).
I’ve gotten used to people giving me strange looks when I go to very local places. Actually, it’s a pretty good rule of thumb for figuring out whether I’m in a touristy place or a genuinely local one.
The bowl had two different kinds of noodles. It tasted good enough for me to enjoy the meal, and the portion was perfect since I wasn’t very hungry.
After eating, I started walking again.
My plan for the afternoon was to edit a video, so I settled down at a bakery called 65c Ondo Bakery that I happened to come across. I got a coffee and a chocolate croissant.
I miss all the pastries I had in France.
The bakery was quite popular, with customers constantly coming and going. After I finished editing my video, I left.
Although I hadn’t planned to have dinner that early, I ended up eating at a hawker center at New World Park near the bakery. It was expensive, to be honest. I paid 20 MYR ($4.90) for a Chinese noodle dish. Still, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the place.
After eating, I found myself reflecting on my life.
As I walked back to the hostel, I stopped by a mobile carrier shop to buy a SIM card. However, I was told to come back the next day.
The area made me feel like I was in India. I thought it was a good warm-up before actually heading there.
Back at the hostel, I took a shower. There were multiple shower heads that sprayed water at the same time when I turned the handles, which was something I had never seen before.
Although I wanted to go to bed early, I ended up falling asleep at around midnight.
