I am quoted in an article from 2006 on the Star Online website. I was backpacking around South East Asia at the time,  I didn’t even know it was an interview! haha funny, I just stumbled upon it today while searching my name on the site, 123peaople.ca. Surprised me, but it brought back some memories for sure.

You can view the whole story here… Backpacker’s Can’t Get Enough of Penang – By Priscilla Diellenberg

While staying at the budget Pin Seng Hotel, off Love Lane, they made friends with another couple from Vancouver, Canada, who have been backpacking around Asia Pacific for three years.

Music deejay Travis Bonneteau, 27, and chef Jessilyn Laurel, 26, were in Penang for five days.

“We came to Penang because we knew there is an Indonesian consulate here and we need to get a visa to go to Sumatra, where I can go surfing,” said Bonneteau.

“The people here have been friendly. On the streets, we are greeted with ‘hello’ and ‘welcome’. And it is nice that everyone speaks English, we find it easier to have a conversation here than in Bangkok.”

He said the hotel operator would give suggestions daily on where to go and what to do in George Town, and was helpful with directions to places.

Laurel added that they had also been to the beaches in Batu Ferringhi and the shopping malls, and even caught the latest movie Superman Returns.

After Sumatra and Bali, the couple plan to return to Malaysia to visit Kuala Lumpur, Taman Negara, and the islands on the east coast.

They said they love travelling and meeting people, and that the whole experience has been an adventure.

“Since we started travelling, we have been back to Canada a year ago for two to three weeks, just to say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’,” they said.

“We are on a tight budget. For example, we spend RM1.80 for this place and RM2 to eat,” added Bonneteau.

They have been to Fiji, New Zealand, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand. After Indonesia and Malaysia, they plan to visit India, Nepal, Tibet, Burma, and Laurel’s hometown in the Philippines.