Pulau Kapas

17/04/08

The night bus from Georgetown to Terenggau went ok, a little fast & bumpy resulting in no sleep! We arrived at the bus station at 5am and settled down to a couple of Indian Chai's (tea) while we waited for the first bus to Marang which left at 7am. Met a really helpful guy from Singapore who suggested places to go, things to see and made sure we ended up on the right bus. So we arrived at the jetty for 7.30am to find that first boat out to the island wasn't till 9am. So Zak from Suria boat service kindly stored our packs for us while we went off to explore & find loo's etc. He's a real nice bloke who works 7 days a week, 9 months of the year until the island closes for Monsoon and then he travels. Europe, India, Nepal etc. His pictures were amazing, not a bad life eh?

So yes, we arrived on Kapas at 9.30am on Tuesday and stumbled straight into Kapas Beach Chalets (KBC) which is run by a dutch guy. Not bad little detached bungalows for 50RM per night. Bathrooms a little tired & poky but the beach is beautiful & hardly a soul on it due to it being midweek & early season. Snorkeling is good too, many different species of fish, loads of coral & clams. Even saw Nemo! However I fell asleep on the beach and got eaten by sandflies - at least 30 bites on my left arm alone. My head has several lumps on it that could get me a part as an extra in the next star wars movie and the mozzies are like F14 fighter jets. My right hand is inexplicably swollen and today I fell over negotiating some rocky outcrop and now have 3 cuts on my hand festering with oyster shell fragments buried in them - they will get infected for sure. Oh, and I've had the squits for 3 days - will someone please tell me what I'm doing here?

18/04/08

Well, after open wound surgery performed by yours truly and some more snorkeling it looks like all the oyster shell is now out of my cuts. My hand is returning to it's normal size and my poo has stiffened up a little. But, my bites are really itchy and driving me bloody mad!

20/04/08

My first solid poo for a week - Hooray! Bites are shrinking back and hand is back to normal size. Cuts are healing too. My back is peeling now though. I was a lovely colour and now I resemble a Springer Spaniel. I know what you're thinking Michael and no, definitely not. Tonight is our last night here, which in a way is a shame as I've got used to sleeping late (this is the first place I've had a comfy bed and slept past 7am without assistance from alcohol). A leisurely breakfast followed by a swim in the South China Sea, maybe some lunch & reading then an afternoon snorkeling session followed by a cold shower and out for an evening meal possibly accompanied by a few hands of shithead (a popular backpackers card game) and in bed before midnight. However, needs must and the next stop is Cherating which is a beach resort further south on the east coast. Hopefully we can fish there. You can't on Kapas as it's a Marine park with a fine of 20,000RM if caught.

21/04/08

Left Kapas on the 11.30am boat back to Marang. Waited a couple of hours for a bus that didn't show so had to get three buses and do a few extra kilometres to reach Cherating (app 130km). Cost 11.5 RM in total, just under 2 quid. Staying at Payung guesthouse which on first impression looks really nice. The manager here handed us toilet roll and insect spray upon our arrival which is a first so far this trip. He also supplied mozzie coils for your balcony. All for free - I think anyway!

I have swapped my big spider & 2 Gecko's in my bathroom on Kapas for a toad and two cockroaches in my bathroom here. I've had more pets in the last 5 weeks or so than I've had in my whole life.

On the move again

Hi all. I'm leaving Palau (Island) Penang this evening on a night bus (8 hrs) bound for Terrenganeau on the other side of the Mainland. Will be passing over Penang bridge (just visible in piccy above) which at 13.5KM is the longest bridge in South East Asia. From there a local bus to Merang and from there a ferry to Palau Kapas which is a very small island supposedly ideal for snorkeling. No Internet there so I'll be off radar for a bit. Should be cool as it's just too hot & sticky here. 35 degrees and 60% humidity.

Yesterday we went up to Penang Hill (formerly Strawberry Hill) via the funicular railway that was installed around 1800 to service the Hill station up there which was the first in Asia, even earlier than the Hill stations in India. Takes you up 700m above sea level in half hour. Wonderful views of all of Georgetown and the surrounding areas. It is so beautiful up there. The railway was installed so that the wealthy Europeans who colonised Georgetown could access the houses they had built up there where the weather is cooler & less humid. There are houses just dotted about here & there sitting in the middle of lush tropical forest. I've said numerous times on this trip "I could live here", so Lee & Lex tell me anyway, but I really could live up there - It is awesome. Monkeys sitting on the lampposts and sunning themselves on the rocks. Flora & fauna all around, lazy pace of life and great weather all year round.

Also done a canopy walk which was a bad idea on my part as it scared the living daylights out of me. Hundreds of feet up in the trees walking on a skinny board with just netting and a rope up to chest height to stop you plunging to the forest floor. And to top it all off I faced my fear of snakes after being persuaded to get "romantic" with this albino Burmese python. 10 Ringgit well spent I think!!!

Some piccies from Langkawi

Will be heading over to Peninsular Malaysia in a couple of days and heading down south to take in a few of the Islands on the East Coast.

More sunsets, the cable car and our old trusty hired banger. It was truly a wreck but for just over 8 quid a day hire, what can you expect? At least it had aircon!

George town

Not a very good nights sleep last night. It's really hot & humid here and I had to shut the window cos the mozzies fancied me! Plus the bed was a little..... well lets just say I woke up this morning with more back & sciatica pain than I've had so far this trip.

However I went down to the shopping centre this morning looking for a newer guidebook (my south east Asia shoestring is from 2001 - before the tsunami and floods of 2005)! On the way down I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the locals said hello or bid you a good morning. Georgetown really has a good feel about it. There are people of many origins & cultures here making it a truly cosmopolitan experience. I managed to obtain a new copy of Lonely planets Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei which coupled with the Thailand one that Stu & Keera gave to Lee & Lex (thanks guys) who have subsequently passed to me now they have no further use for it should see me right this trip.

Above are a couple piccies. Last nights dinner in the Little India district of the city. A vegetarian meal Served on a banana leaf. I'm not a convert yet but this wasn't my first veggie meal. After tucking into what I think was chickens ball bags & testicles in a Thai bus station Veggie may be the way to go! I've also had omelet and these weird barbecued eggs in Pai that were excellent which is weird because I can't stand eggs normally. The eggs in Pai were wicked. They knock a little hole in the egg and drain it out, mix the white & yolk together, add some spice or something, put it back in the shell and bake it over a barbecue - real tasty!

Other piccie was a local man preparing the days ice. He gets a huge block and cuts it into manageable sized blocks to load on his trishaw for delivery around town.

Penang

I'm now at 75 Travellers Lodge, George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Done a few days over on Langkawi. Hired a car and toured the island. Done the cable car ride which was awesome. Malaysia is cool! I'm gonna keep this one short as someone is waiting to get on the computer - you get an hours free internet access at this guest house. My room here is 18 Ringitt (3 quid) a night but I have to share the shower & toilet. Still have a double bed and basic room with basin & fan - can't complain, it's relatively clean and the owner ( Mr Low) is a real nice guy who is always laughing, smiling and generally bending over backwards to make you feel welcome. Will try to get back online tomorrow and post some more piccies. Take care all xxxx

Khao San Rd

Saw this mobile bar on the Khao San. Take a good look at the sign.

Rest time

Well we done the 16 hour trip to BKK arriving early in the morning. We used a tour company for that one http://www.sombattour.com/ Had two days and 1 night there before boarding another 12 hour overnight bus to Hat Yai - I'll explain in a bit! Used the river boat in BKK which was great fun, they don't hang about. Trouble is the water - I think the canals are used as the sewers (it certainly smells like it) and we'd heard a story of a girl who got splashed on the lip and spent 3 months in hospital with a severe form of dysentery. Popped down to Siam Square for some shopping and navigated the city using the government buses which are much cheaper than any other form of transport. I think the most expensive bus was 16B (25p ish).

We actually got an honest taxi there too! All cabs in BKK are supposed to be metered but rarely do they use them for tourists. Our taxi to the new Southern bus station was an honest man who even tuned the radio to a western speaking station for us. That new Bus terminal is great - more like an airport terminal. Around a hundred gates with buses leaving for destinations all over southern Thailand. Our first class air conditioned bus was 713B each for a 12 hour trip.

So, yes Hat Yai. We checked out other routes and the original plan to do a visa extension in Krabi was rejected as the charge had gone up from 500B to 1900B for a 10 day extension. We also decided against doing a visa run to Ranong to get a new 30 day visa as Lee & Lex didn't want to see much over that side and I can do it all on my back to BKK. So another night bus - great! We were the only farang (European foreigners) on the bus. In fact we've been the only farang on all the night buses we've travelled on. We literally arrived in Hat Yai at 8am, had some brekkie and got a bus from there to Satun for 67B (80km). Was a good bus. 8 speakers and 2 sub woofers and friendly Thai's. From Satun town, a swangthaew to the ferry port and ferry over to Paulu Langkawi in Malaysia. New language and new money (6 ringgit to the pound or there abouts) which makes a ringgit about 10 baht or 16 pence.

Langkawi is beautiful. The largest island of a bunch of around a hundred. Locals all seem to speak English to some degree which makes life easier especially when trying to get them to teach you the native tongue. We were sitting in the Submarine bar last night watching sheet lightening illuminate the night sky for split seconds at a time - awesome. Accommodation & food are a bit more expensive here. In fact accommodation is really pricey compared with Thai but we managed to find some bungalows away from the beach for about 6 quid a night. Cigarettes cost the same as a can of coke, 1.5 R or 25 pence! Langkawi is a duty free island although it's becoming dominated by package tourists who, if coming from the UK pay about 3 thousand for a two week holiday. We got here for no more than 20 quid from BKK and will organise our own accommodation & food. This kind of travelling opens your eyes as to what can be achieved on a budget.

Best thing about Langkawi is no dogs!! Thailand is full of them, roaming in packs and occasionally getting too close for comfort. On occasion we've had to arm ourselves with a "Dog stick" or a handful of stones. Soppong was probably the place we came closest to having to defend ourselves but fortunately no animals were harmed yet!

So we'll stay here for a few days before getting a boat over to Penang.

Mae Hong Son

Ok folks! Had 5 nights in Pai and managed to squeeze in a days fishing at Dave's little complex - Mhor Peng fishing park. You can hire your rods, reels, rigs and bait supplied for 150B - bargain. He also has a fridge stocked with beer. It's 7 km outside town on the road towards the waterfalls, Lisu and Chinese villages.

We left Pai on the 8.30am bus to Soppong which is a very small town that doesn't see the volumes of tourists that Pai does - understandably so! However there are trekking tours etc from here and numerous caves in the vicinity. In fact anything booked in Pai will normally involve being transported to Soppong for the event. We visited Tham lot caves which were 8km outside Sappong. Transport was an issue so we hired motorcycle taxis. 3 of them turned up and somehow I ended up on the one who was wearing a skid lid. Really gave me confidence in his riding ability I can tell you. Adventurous!! Caves themselves were great. You go through them on a bamboo raft as the river runs right through, stopping off at various points to take a look round. Entrance & exit were a little unpleasant due to the huge number of Swifts flying in & out of their roosts. Lots of watery bombs falling if you know what I mean.

Stayed at a place called " Jungle guest house " which I don't think I'd recommend although the owner was a lovely lady who owned a bi-lingual Minah bird - good morning, sawadee ka it said as we left. Just the 1 night in Sappong.

Got the 10 o'clock bus from Sappong to Mae Hong Son arriving here around midday yesterday. Was originally going to only do 1 night here but it's a really place so we're gonna stay tonight as well - booked bus from here to BKK leaving tomorrow ( 1100Km). Leaves here at 2 pm arriving in BKK at 6am, I need some Valium! Can't sleep very well on buses, planes or trains. So we are staying at Johnnies House. A family run place that is nice & clean - in fact it's the nicest room I've had since I've been in Thailand (en-suite bathroom, fan, double bed, etc for 200B). Mae Hong Son is well worth a visit. It's the capital of the Mae Hong Son Province and is very clean with several very well kept park areas, friendly people that take life nice & slow and a general feeling of welcoming about it. There is shed loads of trekking & rafting that can be booked from here as there are numerous hill tribes in the surrounding mountains (Lisu, Shan, Hmong to name a few). These things are probably all best done at the end of the wet season - we are now nearing the end of the dry so rivers are all low and the mountains etc are not as green as they could be. It's also bloody hot, even the Thais are sweltering.

Called into a little eatery at the bus station yesterday and the owner got me to try some food saying that it was "Mai pet" (not spicy/hot). Should of seen him smile when my tongue was on fire and steam was coming out of my ears!

I'll be on the road extensively over the next few days as we have well over 2000km to do as we need to get down to Krabi to extend our visas by 10 days before Songkran starts. Songkran is Thailand's new year celebrations (new Lunar year) and is celebrated pretty much as a huge water fight that lasts for days. We don't really want to be travelling through that. Not much fun trudging along with your pack and being hit with a bucket of water thrown from a moving vehicle. I heard a tale that said a couple of years back in BKK 80 motorcyclists were killed during Songkran by being knocked off by buckets of water. So we need to get somewhere really nice and settle in for a week before it all kicks off. Rock climbing in Krabi sounds like a good idea to me. At least you can leave all your stuff in the dry somewhere and then join in the festivities.

I forgot to mention in previous posts about me tuk tuk rides and the Elephant in Chang Mai (picture above). We were sitting in the Gecko bar having a few beers when I thought I heard an Elephant but dismissed it as we were in the middle of the city and I didn't want to be ridiculed by the gang. Then I heard it again and as I peered out to the street there really was an Elephant blocking the entrance to the bar. The guy who owned it was selling food for 20B and allowing pictures to be taken. You'd have to see it to believe it.