MOPEDS IN MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE SLINGS & BALI BEACHBUMS

We leave Koh Tao at a reasonable 0930 in the morning for the journey to Langkwai Island in the Anderman sea off the west coast of Malaysia, It takes three ferries to get us back to the Thai mainland, the first because we had to change at Koh Phagan the second because that ferry broke down at Koh Somarui luckily we were alongside at the time and so only lost half an hour, Jan had decided to travel on the upper deck because she feels safer up there, no I don’t understand the logic either but if it works all well and good, she was a bit concerned when coming back down below to discover the decking up and men dashing about with spanners she made a hasty retreat back to the upper deck with her bag and a short while later we changed ferries, once docked on the mainland we had a short one hour bus ride and we are back to Surat Thani for an overnight hotel stop before getting two minibuses in the morning to take us down to Satun which is where the ferry leaves for Langkwai which is also the border crossing point between Thailand & Malaysia, the journey takes about 6 hours mind you our driver manages to do it in it 5 hours after some fairly hair raising fast driving, we tried to see how fast he was going but due to the fact that his speedo didn’t work proved to be impossible after several times of asking him to slow down he finally cut up a car on a corner and our patience finally run out, not to mention our life expectancy, I needed to bang repeatedly on the roof of his van to finally get him to knock a couple of km’s off the top end speed needless to say even Jan was pleased to be getting on the ferry after that drive. We cleared Thailand immigration and boarded the fast ferry to Langkwai unfortunately Jan couldn’t get outside on this one but still being in shock from the bus trip managed the 50 minute trip inside with her finger nails intact.
Langkwai our first taste of Malaysia, we have beachside bungalows alongside a long glorious white beach, we spend most nights down here looking at the stars and partaking a few cold drinks (beers) this is what it’s all about, we hired some little 125cc motorcycles on the second day and dash off to the other end of the Island well if you can call 30 mph dashing !!, we take a trip up the cable car to get some breathtaking views of the whole Island and then visit a FELIXSTOWE ROADRUNNERS ON THE BEACH AT LANGKWAI

ANOTHER SUNSET THIS ONE OVER THE BEACH LANGKWAI

waterfall with seven different pools which we cool down in, its still in the mid thirties here sorry I thought I had better just mention that in case you had all forgotten, unfortunately Kat braked on some dust only 10 metres from the hire shop and slid over causing grazing to her knee but considering this was her first time on a bike she done very well (bring on the harly she was heard to say later). We go off diving the next day Jacko, Jane, Kat, Mo & me while Jan & John went snorkelling, took a one hour boat trip out to a marine park where we saw some really colourful coral and hundreds of brightly coloured fish, now I need to read up on my fish species so I know what I’m looking at in the future, Jan & John had a good time as well the water was crystal clear and they even had a few baby sharks swimming around, mind you come feeding time at one o’clock Jan had vacated the water as all the fish and sharks packed in to feed, very impressive, we had a second dive in the afternoon but the boat was a bit late back from doing a couple of introduction dives over the lunch period, the instructor said they had had a small problem, but we didn’t see any body bags being brought ashore so we presume they all came back safely, I need to do some work on my buoyancy control to improve my technique underwater hopefully the advanced course in Bali will sort that out.

THE MARINE PARK

THE DIVERS RETURN

Found a lovely little restaurant that night where I had my best steak since Katmandu and then we finished back on the beach with a couple of tinnys. The next day we are off again this time to Kula Lumper the capital of Malaysia and of course where the PETRONAS towers are, a must see while there, US ON THE SKYBRIDGE JAN, KAT,MO & JOHN ON THE SKYBRIDGE

the trip was pretty uneventful as far as EOE trips go nice ferries nice bus and no break downs . Kula Lumper is a very impressive city we approached from the west and it looked as if everything had been knocked down the night before and replaced with brand new buildings it wasn’t until we got quite close to the centre did we see any older buildings. Our first stop the next morning was the queue to get one of the 1400 free tickets they give out each day to go up on the skybridge between the towers this was very well organised and informative, they allow you about 15 minutes up there for photos, we notice the prices are starting to creep back up compared to Thailand but still not as expensive as England a meal for two with drinks about twenty pounds, the next day Jan goes off with Kat & Mo for a pedicure and some reflexology while John and I go and walk the 200 acre park near the city centre walking the park was a dodle compared with trying to get to it across all the dual carriageways. After Kula Lumper we are heading for Singapore but have to stay in Johore Badur right on the border overnight because of the F1 grand prix which is on that night and there is no accommodation available on the island, or what is available is very expensive, we find a stree0t side food stall/bar and spend the evening watching the GP on the TV. (G.P REFRESHMENTS) We stayed in a homestay which comprises of a large bungalow with two large dorm rooms, the owner is very friendly and supplies us boiled eggs and bread for breakfast in the morning and there was no extra charge for the mould on the sides of the bread either,

BREAKFAST IS SERVED

then it’s on the local bus and across the border we go, yet again another smooth border crossing especially as seems to be particularly busy after the GP the night before. We are booked into the Prince of Wales backpackers down near Little India, and once we have dumped our bags it’s off for a spot of lunch and then to Raffles for a Singapore sling,

THE GANG AT RAFFLES, ROB, MO, FIONA, ME, KAT, JAN & JOHN

this time it’s much busier than the last time we visited the moneys still in town after the GP not to mention the Porches, Ferraris and Masseratis “Colin thought we saw yours parked outside Raffles but then realised it was a four door”,

after our Raffles stop we walked down to the Singapore Eye very similar to the London Eye only bigger well it would have to be really wouldn’t it, great view of the city and the track,

THE START FINISH STRAIGHT FROM THE EYE

We tried to get tickets for the GP but the availability and cost was limited at that late stage, but there’s always next year when we should be leaving Oz at about this time. The next day we tried to purchase another little camera to replace out Cannon which has packed up again we suspect a dodgey repair in Katmandu, but after a couple of hours of haggling around the electronic malls we discover it’s still cheaper to buy it from Amazon back in the UK so we’re stick with the bigger camera for the time being.
Now we have a 26 hour ferry trip from Batam Island a small Indonesian island just off Singapore down to Jakarta, Jacko & Jane have had a lot of hassle trying to get the tickets for this trip what with this being the end of Ramadan there was talk of the ferry running days late or not at all but then at the last minute we discover it’s running, although we have reports of overloading, no food, sleeping in passageways, and other reassuring comments that put Jan well at ease. Sitting in a large shed/warehouse on wooden benches does nothing to ease our apprehension while we are waiting for the Ferry to arrive, but then it appears, and yes it has lifeboats and people are not hanging off the sides, the ship is turned around in just two hours all over one small gangway, people packages and lots of porters. All loaded we leave on time and very empty much to everyone’s relief, it’s the Muslims equivalent of Christmas day over here and so we have plenty of room onboard we find a couple of tables up on the upper deck overlooking the stern (the back of the ship for you non naval types) and settle down to a pleasant 26 hour cruise through the islands in the Java sea at a total cost of some fifteen pounds per head for deck class, only two drawbacks to the whole trip no alcohol is sold on board and the Indonesians just love karaoke (not that any of them can in anyway sing) which is pumping out for 20 of the 26 hours this trip takes, but apart from that it’s a very smooth pleasant voyage. We arrive in Jakarta 1730 hours on Thursday the 2nd October as we approach land we can see the city laid out before us, it’s a huge sprawling mass and considering Java is about half the size of the UK but has four times the population density a huge proportion of these will be in Jakarta. We have two nights here and to be honest we are not that taken with the place, Indonesia seems to be like stepping back into India, its busy, dirty and open drains are a unpleasant distraction when walking along the pathways, some of Jakarta is new like any big city but a lot is old with cramped accommodation for the majority of families, this becomes very apparent when leaving on the train for the centre of the island with rubbish piled by the trackside as we pass. We leave early in the morning the first hiccup is the taxi, after ordering a minibus the chap turns up with a box van which he expects us all to travel in to the railway station after some heated debate at five in the morning they eventually agree to pay for two taxis for the rest of us to travel in while the bags and a couple of our group travel in the front of the van, the train leaves spot on 0620 as promised but because of a large number of stops waiting for other trains to pass the 8 hour journey turns into an eleven hour journey, and to cap it off our arrival in Yogykarta we are booked into the Superman guest house (yes where do they get these names from apparently his phone number ended in 007) to find that the rooms he said he had reserved for us he had already let meaning we had nowhere to stay and considering this was the height of their holiday season getting another eight rooms was going to be a difficult task. It was while Jacko & Jane were hot footing it around trying to track down some more rooms that Jan, Kat and myself decided that perhaps the best thing to do was to head straight for Bali and chill out on the beach, as visiting a few more temples over the next couple of days coupled with difficult travelling conditions was becoming less appealing by the minute, so by the time the rooms had been booked for that night we had been up to the internet cafe to book our flight with Lion air to Bali for the following night, we were on our way the relaxing beaches of Bali were calling. Pleased to be leaving Java because it reminded us of India so much, it was nice to arrive in Bali to find it cleaner although we had arrived in the very touristy Kuta area of the island, this place is to the Australians what Spain is to the British but hotels a plenty and the prices are very cheap good job really because the one we tried to book before we left Java turned out to be full but luckily the one next door had rooms and at eleven o’clock at night we booked in there before walking around the next morning to find somewhere nicer with a pool, if your ever in Bali the Satriya Cottages is a lovely place just two minutes from the beach with its own pool a standard room costs just 25 pounds a night for two including breakfast. OUR PLUSH & BIGGEST BATHROOM IN SIX MONTHS OF TRAVEL

THE POOL AREA

We spend a couple of nights here the whole resort is very busy packed with cafes, bars, stalls and KFC’s ,

BALI BEACH THE NEXT VENUE FOR THE FELIXSTOWE ROADRUNNER

we decide to try the north side of the island Lovina beach which is supposed to be much quieter, after a three hour taxi ride to get there, which took us right up over one of the high mountains in the centre of the island where it was raining and the temp had dropped by about ten degrees to 25 with the two lakes that were up there it was just like being at home in the Lake district! We booked into the Rambutan boutique hotel
HARD AT WORK IN THE OFFICE AT THE RAMBUTAN HOTEL

OUR LOVELY BEDROOM AT THE RAMBUTAN NEXT IT'S BACK TO OUR TENTSvery nice quiet & relaxing just what we need to get us ready for all the bush camps when we get to Australia. We have enjoyed Bali the north more than the south but to be honest with you, we thought that Koh Tao off Thailand was a nicer island all round. Kat & myself have now spent the last two days completing our advanced diver course and are supposedly safe to 30 metres now!, done a night dive a deep dive and then a wreck dive on the U.S.S Liberty a world war two merchant ship torpedo by the Japanese, this was our best dive so far the fish where amazing both in colours and numbers, and being able to look at the wreck especially as now we are controlling our buoyancy so much better, the visibility was brilliant so we are both looking forward to doing more wreck dives in the future. roll on Oz and the Great Barrier Reef. Jan also got some surfing lessons in while I was diving which again she got on really well with, standing up quite a few times evidence attached, so it looks like we will have to have the board strapped to the roof of the camper in Oz,are we really supposed to be in our 50’s, NOBODY SAID RETIREMENT COULD BE THIS FUN !!!!!!!!
Tonight 15/10/08 we fly to Australia to complete the last leg of our 32 week trip only four more weeks now until Sydney when we can start the second phase of our world tour, we hope your all well back home in England and as they say down under “Good day mate, no worries, until we rock up in Sydney”