Face plates and the closest to death I have ever been..

Penang went by pretty quickly. We had never actually planned on going there, we were originally meant to stay in Langkawi for five days, but everyone we spoke to about Maylasia said that was too long, and everyone talked about the food in Penang so we thought "Why not?" After a full two days of food and museums it was time to catch our fourth flight and head back to the beautiful island of Langkawi. At this point it felt like we had been on holiday for 72 days so beach vibes were exactly what we needed. The first day was spent walking around, catching some sun and enjoying the beach. For our last day on the island we planned to go island hopping. We got picked up from our hotel and shuttled to the dock. Once at the dock they made us pose for a classic tourist picture before they packed around 20 of us on a dingy looking boat and shot us off to the first destination, Pregnant maden island. Local legend says that if you are trying to get pregnant, take a dip in the fresh water lake and you are good to go. Safe to say there was no immaculate conception, and my womb is still empty. Battling our way through some shabby looking monkeys and around 300 more stairs we found ourselves at the lake which was rather impressive! The whole day was absolutely stunning, just what the doctor ordered. Palm trees, coconuts and blue seas. After a few hours of splashing around, on land and in the boat it was time to head back to the mainland. Stepping off the boat we were faced with the printout of our photo from the start of the trip. But not how one would think, it's not on photo paper, it's on a plastic plate. For the low price of 10ringit it had to be purchased (even though a cheeky testicle is popping out, obviously not mine). It is now my favourite and my only piece of "fine china" and will be treated as such.

After a full day of adventures we were in desperate need of food. We found a place that had been highly recommend and sat down for a feast. After collectively eating our weight half of the crew needed to go back for an early night, however Emily, Ellie, Angus and I needed to walk off the seven nann breads we had devoured. Looking back, this was the decision that nearly costed us our lives... Walking around the small island we came across what we can only describe as an abandoned theme park, there were workers, just no customers. It was only 15Ringit entry fee so we thought "why not". Walking in we were met with a stunning light display, one that could rival a Sue Cooper Christmas display! We walked around and grabbed some staged couples photos (inside joke) before we decided to venture to the rides. The rides were operated on a token system, where each token costed you 2Ringit and the rides ranged between 3-5 Ringit. We buy our tokens and decided to head to the Ghost train. It was sold to us as a haunted experience that would both terrify and delight you. There was one man sitting in a plastic chair out front collecting the tokens. Once we handed them over he counted them, and then called his mate over before swiftly disappearing out the back. "Probably going to put his costume on" we joked as we were ushered to the carts. The ride started off with a splutter and we did one lap of a track that couldnt be longer than 10 meters. This cant be it we thought as we shot each other puzzled looks.. no. No it wasnt.. On the second lap, the man that disappeared out the back emerged, wearing a mask and rhythmically chanting boo. We lost it. This was absolutely hysterical. After the last cart passed, he ran to the other side (in full view) to "scare" us again. This went on for two more laps before the ride stopped and we were showed the exit. I cannot Express how funny this actually was, but it lured us into a false sense of safety. After this we went on a few more rides.. we got whiplash from the bumper cars and made jokes about the rusty bolts in the spinning chairs, but nothing could prepare us for what was next. The pirate ship. Ellie and I foolishly decided that we wanted to go on the pirate ship. A family classic. One of my earliest memories from rainbows end comes courtesy of a pirate ship, so how bad could it be?

Ellie gets on the front and I jump on the back and the ride starts. It starts off pretty good and I thought we were at the peak of the height about one minute in, but then our laughter turned to screams of sheer terror as the operator keeps pumping us higher and higher. To the point that the both of us hanging on for dear life. With no straps to hold us in place, the only thing keeping us in our seats is our upper body strength.

Ellies literal screams, begging the man to stop the ride are going unnoticed and I cannot even open my mouth to speak, I'm focusing on all the things I didn't achieve before I died. I'm thinking about my Will and how legal it is. I'm thinking of how my parents will get my body home. After what felt like hours the ride starts to slow and gravity becomes our pal again. Getting off the ride Ellie and I are shaking as we run back to Emily and Angus (who managed to get everything on video). We didnt want to stay a minute later. We high tailed it out the exit (not before getting a "we survived photo") and headed for the familiar surroundings of the beach. For anyone who thinks this is a "Cooper story" where we dont let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.. I have the video evidence.. which may still be used in the court case if I suffer premature heart failure. Always a lesson never a regret... Until next time!