I know some of you are waiting to see the photos from Langkawi. Well, I don't think I will have time to edit and upload them before Thursday, when I leave for my Borneo adventure. I also doubt that I will have time (or the inclination) to upload photos from the road, so check back here after July 1.
My first stop in Sarawak will be Miri, which was recently declared a city. I read somewhere that Malaysia has only 10 cities. This list shows only nine, and it counts both north and south Kuching. Now, I know the two sides of Kuching have separate mayors (one for the Chinese side, one for the Malay side). But is it really two cities?
After Miri, we'll visit the Mulu National Park (four days), where there are caves and bats.
From there, it's south to Kuching (capital of Sarawak), a boat ride up the river, and an overnight stay in an Iban longhouse.
Next, we fly north to Sabah and the state capital of Kota Kinabalu. That's our staging point for a trip to Mount Kinabalu, at 13,455 feet, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. (I'm not climbing to the top -- too scary!)
After the mountain, we go for a soak at Poring Hot Springs.
Then we go into the Kinabatangan River area for an overnight in the jungle.
We continue east to Sandakan, from which we will visit the Sepilok Orangutan Reserve and Turtle Island.
After that, it's a short flight back to Kota Kinabalu, and our adventure is finished.
For anyone who's not up-to-date on Malaysian geography, the two states of Sabah and Sarawak are on the island of Borneo. The larger, southern side of Borneo is part of Indonesia. The total area of Malaysia is 126,873 sq. mi. (328,600 sq. km). Peninsular Malaysia (the western piece) is 50,811 sq. mi. (131,600 sq. km). As for the eastern piece (Borneo), Sabah is 28,456 sq. mi. (73,700 sq. km) and Sarawak is 47,606 sq. mi. (123,300 sq. km). Peninsular Malaysia is separated from Sabah and Sarawak by 447 miles (720 km) of the South China Sea.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Friday, June 1, 2007
Malaysia Bird Watching
Malaysia Travel Guide: n autumn 1999 Malaysian Airlines offered flights from London to Australia and New Zealand which included a side trip to various destinations within Malaysia. On our flight to New Zealand we chose to spend four nights in Langkawi Island, a holiday destination off the west coast of peninsular Malaysia just south of the Thailand border.
Travel details
The flight time from Kuala Lumpur was 50 minutes. We stayed at the Langkawi Holiday Villa. The tour operator was Travelbag whose local representative was Tour East. The car hire company was Kasina. It is worth mentioning that all the people we dealt with were efficient and courteous.
Costs (for 2 people)
Hotel room: £40 per night. £160 in total, pre-paid.
All food and drink: £124. We ate at the restaurants in the hotel. There are also a number of restaurants along the road outside the hotel.
Car hire for one day: £21. Petrol was included.
Boat trip for 5 hours: £60.
Total: £365.
The Langkawi Holiday Villa is one of a number of hotels in the south-west corner of the island. It has 265 air-conditioned rooms, a large swimming pool, three restaurants and a garden which backs onto a white sand beach. It is a very pleasant hotel.
Books and maps
The field guide used was A Field Guide to the Birds of West Malaysia and Singapore by Jeyarajasingam and Pearson which was excellent. The map of the island was obtainable FOC at the airport. Though a sketch map, it proved surprisingly good. The car hire company also provided a similar map.
Day by day
19th November:
A three hour delay to the flight from KL to Langkawi meant I had plenty of time to study the swifts flying outside the terminal building. They were blackish with dark grey rumps and slightly notched tails, but there seemed to be two subtly different species - one slightly bat-like, the other more like a European Swift. It seemed reasonable to suppose they were Edible-nest and Black-nest Swiftlets. There were also Barn and Welcome Swallows flying around.
As the plane made its approach to Langkawi airport it flew low over some interesting salt-pans. A Greenshank was flying below us. After a short bus journey we checked into our room which was on the first floor overlooking the swimming pool. The first bird I saw was an Olive-backed Sunbird on the bougainvillea which was draped over the balcony. This was followed by Common Mynas which were everywhere and proved to be the dominant bird of the hotel area. A walk across the lawn to the beach produced 3 Richard's Pipits and Spotted Doves. A nondescript bulbul-like bird in a large tree remained unidentified.
The beach faced west, was white sand and about 800m long with rocky headlands at each end. Offshore were several tree-covered islands and over the nearest, White-breasted Eagles and Brahminy Kites were flying. Inland, behind the hotel, was a tree-covered ridge which seemed worth exploring if I could find a way to it.
A short walk north along the beach brought us to a lagoon which produced another Greenshank. Among the many Barn and Welcome Swallows flying around were several Dusky Crag Martins. A small accipter flying over quite low was a Japanese Sparrowhawk.
20th November:
I was up at dawn, leaving Jo to have a lie-in, and set off to the ridge. In the damp meadows by the hotel were several Chinese Pond Herons and a White-breasted Kingfisher. On the other side of the road were a pair of Red-wattled Lapwings. I walked south along the road until I came to a track on the left guarded by a pair of iron gates. However, the fence was broken and I made my way up the slope. At the highest point on this track, which gave a fine view of the harbour below and the dozens of islands which lay out to sea, silhouetted by the rising sun, a very overgrown track went off to the top of the ridge. Here I saw pairs of Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, Black-naped Orioles and Oriental Pied Hornbills and flocks of White-bellied Munias and Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes. Four distant Slender-billed Crows flew over fields
The rest of the day was spent in and around the hotel. A weather pattern seemed to be established: after hot and humid sunshine it poured in mid-afternoon for a couple of hours. This was not too inconvenient as it meant we sat on our balcony reading and looking for birds but the only new bird we added was Brown-throated Sunbird. We did notice there was a White-bellied Munia's nest in the bougainvillea by our balcony. We also lounged around the beach where we saw a Puff-backed Bulbul and a Brown-streaked Flycatcher in a large shade tree. A Black-naped Oriole was calling nearby.
21st November:
One of the trips on offer was titled "Eagles and Mangroves". It transpired we were the only two customers so the guide turned up in his car. We drove across the middle of the island to the north-east corner which gave us some idea of the place. The quality of the roads and the opulence of many of the buildings was impressive.
We embarked on a small boat and sailed through mangroves surrounded by dramatic tree-covered pinnacles. According to our guide there were ten species of kingfisher in these mangroves but we only saw one - a White-breasted. The eagles proved to be Brahminy Kites and White-breasted Eagles which came in close as the boatman threw out pieces of fish. Unfortunately my camcorder had become misted up and therefore inoperable so I was unable to get any video. (Tip: if you believe it is secure, leave your optical equipment on your balcony overnight. This way it will not mist up when it moves from the air-conditioned room to the outside). The only new bird we saw from the boat was Pacific Reef Heron. The three immatures we saw were very baffling at the time. Some of the hirundines flying around were probably Dusky Crag Martins.
After the boat trip, which was unproductive for birds but very enjoyable, we walked through some limestone caves which were full of Horseshoe and Pig-faced Bats. On the journey back to the hotel we saw a few Cattle Egrets. We arrived back in the early afternoon just before the afternoon downpour set in.
We had arranged to collect a hire car at 4 pm, and, on the dot, the car-hire rep appeared. We drove to the salt pans by the airport, which was only fifteen minutes away. Unfortunately there did not seem to be a way in so we birded from the road but all we saw were a pair of Lesser Sand Plovers and a Richard's Pipit. We then drove back past the hotel to the harbour to the south. We parked in a car park because there was an interesting track. Jo opted to stay in the car and I set off with the words "You'll probably see more than me". Well, all I saw was a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills. Arriving back at the car, Jo greeted me with the familiar words "There's a little brown job in the scrub in front of the car." I sat in the driver's seat and waited. In a couple of minutes the ultimate skulking little brown job appeared - a Lanceolated Warbler. Staying in the car is often the best plan.
22nd November:
As soon as we started driving it began to rain and it rained all day, apparently the first time this had happened for months. The rain did, however, bring the temperature down to a comfortable level. We drove up the road to the island's highest point, Gunung Raya, which was in mist. On the way we saw many Dollarbirds, an unidentified drongo, a Grey Wagtail and a Grey-faced Buzzard which flew low over the road then obligingly perched in a tree. Although the area is a reserve there did not seem to be any way off the road.
From there we drove to the north coast where, at Black Sand Beach, we saw about 20 Lesser Sand Plovers, a Common Sandpiper and two Little Herons. Later, near the Andaman Hotel, two Silver-rumped Swifts flew low over the road. The salt pans produced two Common Sandpipers. And that more or less completed our car-hire birding.
Back at the hotel, the early evening swarm of swallows and swifts included an Asian House Martin and a White-bellied Swiftlet while an Asian Brown Flycatcher frequented the trees round the swimming pool.
23rd November:
We had the morning to kill before the flight back to Kuala Lumpur. The lagoon by the hotel held a White-breasted, a Common, and 2 Collared Kingfishers. There were also a Little Heron, 2 Black-crowned Night Herons, 2 Common Sandpipers, and 3 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters. We walked past the rocky point at the north end of the beach (it was low tide) to the beach beyond. A few hundred metres along this there was a scrubby area, no doubt destined for a hotel. Here we found a flock of about 10 Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, 5 Black-naped Orioles and a couple of Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes. This area would probably repay more intensive birding.
In all we identified 39 species which, notably, did not include any seabirds. Given the potential, this is a poor total. I suspect there is much more to Langkawi but finding it may prove difficult.
Bird list
Cattle Egret Several, 21/11/00
Pacific Reef Heron 4 imm, 21/11/00 on offshore islets
Little Heron 2, Black Sand Beach, 22/11/00
Chinese Pond Heron Common by Langkawi Holiday Villa
Brahminy Kite Common
White-bellied Sea-eagle Common
Japanese Sparrowhawk 1, near Langkawi Holiday Villa, 19/11/00
Grey-faced Buzzard 1, Gunung Raya, 22/11/00
Red-wattled Lapwing Pair near Langkawi Holiday Villa, 20/11/00
Lesser Sand Plover 2, salt pans near airport 21/11/00, c20 Black Sand Beach, 22/11/00
Greenshank 1, saltpans, 19/11/00; 1, near Langkawi Holiday Villa
Common Sandpiper 1, near Langkawi Holiday Villa, 1 Black Sand Beach, 1 salt pans
Spotted Dove Several Langkawi Holiday Villa
Edible-nest Swiftlet Common
Black-nest Swiftlet Common
White-bellied Swiftlet 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 22/11/00
Silver-rumped Swift 2, near Andaman Hotel, 22/11/00
White-throated Kingfisher Common
Collared Kingfisher 2, near Langkawi Holiday Villa
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Common
Blue-tailed Bee-eater 3, by Langkawi Village Resort
Dollarbird Common Gunung Raya road 22/11/00
Oriental Pied Hornbill Common around Langkawi Holiday Villa
Sand Martin A few seen around Langkawi Holiday Villa
Dusky Crag Martin Several seen near Langkawi Holiday Villa. Probably seen around Pulau Langgun, 21/11/00
Barn Swallow Common
Welcome Swallow Common
Asian House Martin 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 22/11/00
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Flocks near Langkawi Holiday Villa
Puff-backed Bulbul 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 20/11/00
Slender-billed Crow 4, near Langkawi Holiday Villa 20/11/00
Lanceolated Warbler 1, Star Cruises Terminal 21/11/00
Asian Brown Flycatcher 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa
Brown-streaked Flycatcher 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa
Grey Wagtail 1, Gunung Raya, 22/11/00
Richard's Pipit 3, Langkawi Holiday Villa. 1 airport saltpans 21/11/00
Common Myna Abundant
Brown-throated Sunbird 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 20/11/00
Olive-backed Sunbird Common Langkawi Holiday Villa
White-bellied Munia Flock on ridge near Langkawi Holiday Villa. Nest under room balcony.
Travel details
The flight time from Kuala Lumpur was 50 minutes. We stayed at the Langkawi Holiday Villa. The tour operator was Travelbag whose local representative was Tour East. The car hire company was Kasina. It is worth mentioning that all the people we dealt with were efficient and courteous.
Costs (for 2 people)
Hotel room: £40 per night. £160 in total, pre-paid.
All food and drink: £124. We ate at the restaurants in the hotel. There are also a number of restaurants along the road outside the hotel.
Car hire for one day: £21. Petrol was included.
Boat trip for 5 hours: £60.
Total: £365.
The Langkawi Holiday Villa is one of a number of hotels in the south-west corner of the island. It has 265 air-conditioned rooms, a large swimming pool, three restaurants and a garden which backs onto a white sand beach. It is a very pleasant hotel.
Books and maps
The field guide used was A Field Guide to the Birds of West Malaysia and Singapore by Jeyarajasingam and Pearson which was excellent. The map of the island was obtainable FOC at the airport. Though a sketch map, it proved surprisingly good. The car hire company also provided a similar map.
Day by day
19th November:
A three hour delay to the flight from KL to Langkawi meant I had plenty of time to study the swifts flying outside the terminal building. They were blackish with dark grey rumps and slightly notched tails, but there seemed to be two subtly different species - one slightly bat-like, the other more like a European Swift. It seemed reasonable to suppose they were Edible-nest and Black-nest Swiftlets. There were also Barn and Welcome Swallows flying around.
As the plane made its approach to Langkawi airport it flew low over some interesting salt-pans. A Greenshank was flying below us. After a short bus journey we checked into our room which was on the first floor overlooking the swimming pool. The first bird I saw was an Olive-backed Sunbird on the bougainvillea which was draped over the balcony. This was followed by Common Mynas which were everywhere and proved to be the dominant bird of the hotel area. A walk across the lawn to the beach produced 3 Richard's Pipits and Spotted Doves. A nondescript bulbul-like bird in a large tree remained unidentified.
The beach faced west, was white sand and about 800m long with rocky headlands at each end. Offshore were several tree-covered islands and over the nearest, White-breasted Eagles and Brahminy Kites were flying. Inland, behind the hotel, was a tree-covered ridge which seemed worth exploring if I could find a way to it.
A short walk north along the beach brought us to a lagoon which produced another Greenshank. Among the many Barn and Welcome Swallows flying around were several Dusky Crag Martins. A small accipter flying over quite low was a Japanese Sparrowhawk.
20th November:
I was up at dawn, leaving Jo to have a lie-in, and set off to the ridge. In the damp meadows by the hotel were several Chinese Pond Herons and a White-breasted Kingfisher. On the other side of the road were a pair of Red-wattled Lapwings. I walked south along the road until I came to a track on the left guarded by a pair of iron gates. However, the fence was broken and I made my way up the slope. At the highest point on this track, which gave a fine view of the harbour below and the dozens of islands which lay out to sea, silhouetted by the rising sun, a very overgrown track went off to the top of the ridge. Here I saw pairs of Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, Black-naped Orioles and Oriental Pied Hornbills and flocks of White-bellied Munias and Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes. Four distant Slender-billed Crows flew over fields
The rest of the day was spent in and around the hotel. A weather pattern seemed to be established: after hot and humid sunshine it poured in mid-afternoon for a couple of hours. This was not too inconvenient as it meant we sat on our balcony reading and looking for birds but the only new bird we added was Brown-throated Sunbird. We did notice there was a White-bellied Munia's nest in the bougainvillea by our balcony. We also lounged around the beach where we saw a Puff-backed Bulbul and a Brown-streaked Flycatcher in a large shade tree. A Black-naped Oriole was calling nearby.
21st November:
One of the trips on offer was titled "Eagles and Mangroves". It transpired we were the only two customers so the guide turned up in his car. We drove across the middle of the island to the north-east corner which gave us some idea of the place. The quality of the roads and the opulence of many of the buildings was impressive.
We embarked on a small boat and sailed through mangroves surrounded by dramatic tree-covered pinnacles. According to our guide there were ten species of kingfisher in these mangroves but we only saw one - a White-breasted. The eagles proved to be Brahminy Kites and White-breasted Eagles which came in close as the boatman threw out pieces of fish. Unfortunately my camcorder had become misted up and therefore inoperable so I was unable to get any video. (Tip: if you believe it is secure, leave your optical equipment on your balcony overnight. This way it will not mist up when it moves from the air-conditioned room to the outside). The only new bird we saw from the boat was Pacific Reef Heron. The three immatures we saw were very baffling at the time. Some of the hirundines flying around were probably Dusky Crag Martins.
After the boat trip, which was unproductive for birds but very enjoyable, we walked through some limestone caves which were full of Horseshoe and Pig-faced Bats. On the journey back to the hotel we saw a few Cattle Egrets. We arrived back in the early afternoon just before the afternoon downpour set in.
We had arranged to collect a hire car at 4 pm, and, on the dot, the car-hire rep appeared. We drove to the salt pans by the airport, which was only fifteen minutes away. Unfortunately there did not seem to be a way in so we birded from the road but all we saw were a pair of Lesser Sand Plovers and a Richard's Pipit. We then drove back past the hotel to the harbour to the south. We parked in a car park because there was an interesting track. Jo opted to stay in the car and I set off with the words "You'll probably see more than me". Well, all I saw was a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills. Arriving back at the car, Jo greeted me with the familiar words "There's a little brown job in the scrub in front of the car." I sat in the driver's seat and waited. In a couple of minutes the ultimate skulking little brown job appeared - a Lanceolated Warbler. Staying in the car is often the best plan.
22nd November:
As soon as we started driving it began to rain and it rained all day, apparently the first time this had happened for months. The rain did, however, bring the temperature down to a comfortable level. We drove up the road to the island's highest point, Gunung Raya, which was in mist. On the way we saw many Dollarbirds, an unidentified drongo, a Grey Wagtail and a Grey-faced Buzzard which flew low over the road then obligingly perched in a tree. Although the area is a reserve there did not seem to be any way off the road.
From there we drove to the north coast where, at Black Sand Beach, we saw about 20 Lesser Sand Plovers, a Common Sandpiper and two Little Herons. Later, near the Andaman Hotel, two Silver-rumped Swifts flew low over the road. The salt pans produced two Common Sandpipers. And that more or less completed our car-hire birding.
Back at the hotel, the early evening swarm of swallows and swifts included an Asian House Martin and a White-bellied Swiftlet while an Asian Brown Flycatcher frequented the trees round the swimming pool.
23rd November:
We had the morning to kill before the flight back to Kuala Lumpur. The lagoon by the hotel held a White-breasted, a Common, and 2 Collared Kingfishers. There were also a Little Heron, 2 Black-crowned Night Herons, 2 Common Sandpipers, and 3 Blue-tailed Bee-eaters. We walked past the rocky point at the north end of the beach (it was low tide) to the beach beyond. A few hundred metres along this there was a scrubby area, no doubt destined for a hotel. Here we found a flock of about 10 Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, 5 Black-naped Orioles and a couple of Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes. This area would probably repay more intensive birding.
In all we identified 39 species which, notably, did not include any seabirds. Given the potential, this is a poor total. I suspect there is much more to Langkawi but finding it may prove difficult.
Bird list
Cattle Egret Several, 21/11/00
Pacific Reef Heron 4 imm, 21/11/00 on offshore islets
Little Heron 2, Black Sand Beach, 22/11/00
Chinese Pond Heron Common by Langkawi Holiday Villa
Brahminy Kite Common
White-bellied Sea-eagle Common
Japanese Sparrowhawk 1, near Langkawi Holiday Villa, 19/11/00
Grey-faced Buzzard 1, Gunung Raya, 22/11/00
Red-wattled Lapwing Pair near Langkawi Holiday Villa, 20/11/00
Lesser Sand Plover 2, salt pans near airport 21/11/00, c20 Black Sand Beach, 22/11/00
Greenshank 1, saltpans, 19/11/00; 1, near Langkawi Holiday Villa
Common Sandpiper 1, near Langkawi Holiday Villa, 1 Black Sand Beach, 1 salt pans
Spotted Dove Several Langkawi Holiday Villa
Edible-nest Swiftlet Common
Black-nest Swiftlet Common
White-bellied Swiftlet 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 22/11/00
Silver-rumped Swift 2, near Andaman Hotel, 22/11/00
White-throated Kingfisher Common
Collared Kingfisher 2, near Langkawi Holiday Villa
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Common
Blue-tailed Bee-eater 3, by Langkawi Village Resort
Dollarbird Common Gunung Raya road 22/11/00
Oriental Pied Hornbill Common around Langkawi Holiday Villa
Sand Martin A few seen around Langkawi Holiday Villa
Dusky Crag Martin Several seen near Langkawi Holiday Villa. Probably seen around Pulau Langgun, 21/11/00
Barn Swallow Common
Welcome Swallow Common
Asian House Martin 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 22/11/00
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Flocks near Langkawi Holiday Villa
Puff-backed Bulbul 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 20/11/00
Slender-billed Crow 4, near Langkawi Holiday Villa 20/11/00
Lanceolated Warbler 1, Star Cruises Terminal 21/11/00
Asian Brown Flycatcher 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa
Brown-streaked Flycatcher 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa
Grey Wagtail 1, Gunung Raya, 22/11/00
Richard's Pipit 3, Langkawi Holiday Villa. 1 airport saltpans 21/11/00
Common Myna Abundant
Brown-throated Sunbird 1, Langkawi Holiday Villa, 20/11/00
Olive-backed Sunbird Common Langkawi Holiday Villa
White-bellied Munia Flock on ridge near Langkawi Holiday Villa. Nest under room balcony.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Malaysia Penang
Approximately 112km south of Langkawi, lies the island of PENANG the 'Pearl of the Orient'. When first discovered by Captain Francis Light in 1786, the island was filled with lush tropical vegetation. The betel nut palm was a common sight all over the island - a fact which gave rise to the name of Pulau Pinang (Island of the Betel Nut). Penang has come a long way from its early beginnings as the first British trading post in the Far East. Its capital Georgetown is a bustling metropolitan city with a unique blend of East and West.
By contrast, the famous beaches of Penang - Tanjung Bungah, Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang offer all the scenic delights of tropical island paradise - stretches of golden sandy beaches, clear blue seas and tiny secluded coves enclosed by clusters of rocks. Penang is a resort island in full bloom with numerous hotels of international standard fronting the sea along the beaches on its northern coastlines. The range of facilities and amenities available here makes it an ideal playground for worshippers of the sun and the sea.
But there is another side of Penang that still remains to be discovered. Along the northwestern coastline are some of the fine beaches on the island. Imagine a sparkling sea, powdery white sand, sunlight filtering through coconut groves - the scene of perfect tranquillity. These beaches remain as Penang's best kept secrets because they are relatively inaccessible except by hiking through jungle trails. The rewards would make the effort really worthwhile.
By contrast, the famous beaches of Penang - Tanjung Bungah, Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang offer all the scenic delights of tropical island paradise - stretches of golden sandy beaches, clear blue seas and tiny secluded coves enclosed by clusters of rocks. Penang is a resort island in full bloom with numerous hotels of international standard fronting the sea along the beaches on its northern coastlines. The range of facilities and amenities available here makes it an ideal playground for worshippers of the sun and the sea.
But there is another side of Penang that still remains to be discovered. Along the northwestern coastline are some of the fine beaches on the island. Imagine a sparkling sea, powdery white sand, sunlight filtering through coconut groves - the scene of perfect tranquillity. These beaches remain as Penang's best kept secrets because they are relatively inaccessible except by hiking through jungle trails. The rewards would make the effort really worthwhile.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Malaysia Vacation
A rather complicated way of getting to Kuala Kumpur includes going to an obscure bus station in Singapore at midnight and getting onto a bus where they don't check your ticket. You drive 45 minutes and get off the bus to go through customs where you're not asked the nature of your visit or how long you'll be staying in Malaysia. You get back on a bus where after about 15 minutes the bus pulls over to the side of the highway to pick up two passengers. Oh, and a dutch guy (a different dutch guy) decides he's going to talk your ear off about his days as being a CEO of a diamond business in Antwerp (what he's doing taking an overnight bus in SE Asia, I don't know). Deciding that the best way to pass the time is to sleep, you do so, only to be woken up having arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 4:30 in the morning. Slightly flustered because you are in the middle of Little India although you had been told you would be arriving at the central bus station, you make your way through the 100 taxi drivers to try and figure our where the hell you need to go. Not able to find the Ringits hiding at the bottom of your purse, you barter with a taxi driver to take you to the bus station for three US $. You get there only to get on another bus to take you to another airport so you can catch your plan to Tawau.
Then it gets easy.
I think that it finally sunk in that I was am a minority and a bit of a novelty when I was boarding the plane and noticed that I was one of three caucasions on board. After three hours of screaming babies, us westerners got together and realized that we were all heading to Semporna to do some diving with Scuba Junkies.
Two hours later, we were there, settled in, and passing the day away. I made friends with Greg from Montana by way of Japan, and Zsophie from Hungary by way of Kuala Lumpur, and we got excited to dive. The next day, we headed out to Sipadan, and it knocked my socks off. Pulau Sipadan is regarded as one of the top sites in the world, and it has held its reputation. It's a small island surrounded by a coral reef, and then a 600 meter wall. It is incredible. The coral was so colorful, and there were turtles, turtles everywhere. Further down the wall were an abundance of grey sharks, white tipped sharks, sweetlips, schools of parrot fish, angel fish, puffer fish, moray eels, clownfish -- you name it, we saw it (did I mention the turtles?). Truly incredible, it made the Great Barrier Reef look like a big sand pile.
One exciting incident of note that I hope never to experience again in my lifetime happened on the final dive. We were at a site called Turtle Cave, and the dive was going splendidly. We had just exited the cave and were swimming along at about 25 meters when I head this blast come from behind me. At first I thought it was a boat, but it was too loud. Then I looked at my air gauge and saw it dropping at an alarming rate. I didn't know what the hell was going on, but it was bad, so I torpedoed to our guide and grabbed her octopus (buddy regulator). At this point I had no air, so we had to go to the surface (surrounded by turtles). As it turns out, one of my regulator hoses had cracked allowing all the air to exit my tank. Kind of scary when you're about 70 feet below the surface. But everything was fine, and we went down for another dive. I think the moral of the story is that I might want to think about lugging around a regulator next time I go for a dive trip.
Then it gets easy.
I think that it finally sunk in that I was am a minority and a bit of a novelty when I was boarding the plane and noticed that I was one of three caucasions on board. After three hours of screaming babies, us westerners got together and realized that we were all heading to Semporna to do some diving with Scuba Junkies.
Two hours later, we were there, settled in, and passing the day away. I made friends with Greg from Montana by way of Japan, and Zsophie from Hungary by way of Kuala Lumpur, and we got excited to dive. The next day, we headed out to Sipadan, and it knocked my socks off. Pulau Sipadan is regarded as one of the top sites in the world, and it has held its reputation. It's a small island surrounded by a coral reef, and then a 600 meter wall. It is incredible. The coral was so colorful, and there were turtles, turtles everywhere. Further down the wall were an abundance of grey sharks, white tipped sharks, sweetlips, schools of parrot fish, angel fish, puffer fish, moray eels, clownfish -- you name it, we saw it (did I mention the turtles?). Truly incredible, it made the Great Barrier Reef look like a big sand pile.
One exciting incident of note that I hope never to experience again in my lifetime happened on the final dive. We were at a site called Turtle Cave, and the dive was going splendidly. We had just exited the cave and were swimming along at about 25 meters when I head this blast come from behind me. At first I thought it was a boat, but it was too loud. Then I looked at my air gauge and saw it dropping at an alarming rate. I didn't know what the hell was going on, but it was bad, so I torpedoed to our guide and grabbed her octopus (buddy regulator). At this point I had no air, so we had to go to the surface (surrounded by turtles). As it turns out, one of my regulator hoses had cracked allowing all the air to exit my tank. Kind of scary when you're about 70 feet below the surface. But everything was fine, and we went down for another dive. I think the moral of the story is that I might want to think about lugging around a regulator next time I go for a dive trip.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Malaysia Vacation Guide
All of the rail systems of Kuala Lumpur are joined to Sentral Station, a state of the art railway center which is astounding for both its simple thinking, beautifully designed marble floors and walls, the road ways that lead up to the station and the fact that right next to it are the Hilton and Le Meridian hotels which are simply magnificent twin towers.
Simplicity is the order of the day when it comes to Sentral Station. The KLIA Express, the raised railway (LRT) and the KTM which is a long distance commuter train run from here in separate sections of the building. The mono rail is situated just outside of the building. In between all of this there are shops, cafes and restaurants.
If you are traveling from Sentral Station to KLIA and are flying with Malaysian airlines you can check your baggage here and get your ticket before getting on the train. The KLIA Express leaves from the basement and costs RM35 one way. The journey takes 28 minutes and leaves on schedule to the second. If you do happen to miss it, don’t worry as in 20 mutes another one will arrive. This is a non stop service to KLIA.
The raised railway runs from upstairs and in places the train actually runs through the building on its way. This system is charged on a per stop basis and one of its most important stops is the Twin Towers otherwise known as KLCC or Kuala Lumpur City Center.
The mono rail runs from Brickfields – a mainly Indian area of Kuala Lumpur. Within minutes you can be in Times Square, Sultan Ismal or Butit Bingtang, some of the major shopping areas in Kuala Lumpur.
The railway systems in Kuala Lumpur are clean, cheap, fast and safe, although you should never let your guard down.
Simplicity is the order of the day when it comes to Sentral Station. The KLIA Express, the raised railway (LRT) and the KTM which is a long distance commuter train run from here in separate sections of the building. The mono rail is situated just outside of the building. In between all of this there are shops, cafes and restaurants.
If you are traveling from Sentral Station to KLIA and are flying with Malaysian airlines you can check your baggage here and get your ticket before getting on the train. The KLIA Express leaves from the basement and costs RM35 one way. The journey takes 28 minutes and leaves on schedule to the second. If you do happen to miss it, don’t worry as in 20 mutes another one will arrive. This is a non stop service to KLIA.
The raised railway runs from upstairs and in places the train actually runs through the building on its way. This system is charged on a per stop basis and one of its most important stops is the Twin Towers otherwise known as KLCC or Kuala Lumpur City Center.
The mono rail runs from Brickfields – a mainly Indian area of Kuala Lumpur. Within minutes you can be in Times Square, Sultan Ismal or Butit Bingtang, some of the major shopping areas in Kuala Lumpur.
The railway systems in Kuala Lumpur are clean, cheap, fast and safe, although you should never let your guard down.
Malaysia Vacation
Immediately after they walked into the fitness/pharmacy shop, they were accosted by the cherub-shaped Chinese salesman with the single-hair protruding cheek mole.
"Massage for you" was all the warning he had before the man began buzzing his shoulders with the hot pink and green vibrating dildo. Standing next to him, Li Hsien began cracking up while he stood there stunned.
By the time the salesman had moved the rod up for a scalp massage all three were laughing hysterically, (along with the nearby cashier) though he realized that the salesman did not realize exactly what was so funny.
Apparently, the vibrating dildo was legitimate massage paraphernalia and the salesman had no idea of the original product market, though the massager was almost assuredly a big hit with the old Chinese aunties.
After gaining composure, they thanked the zealous salesman for his demo and went on to the insect repellent section, their original goal.
They were on their way to Malaysia and reports of occasional cases of malaria and dengue fever were enough to stir him to grab some "off" with its 100% DET contents. Mosquitoes would flee in terror at the lethal combination of chemical weapons and the electronic mosquito-exploder swatter he’d bought in Taiwan which looked like a badminton racket but with electrified netting to suck in the flying pests and shock them with enough volts to cause them to explode with a satisfying "pop".
Langkawi Beach
[Beach in Langkawi]
With repellent in hand, they weaved their way around the evil waddling massage troll and made their way out of the Great World Shopping Center and went Back to the Straits Times Building (where Hsien worked) to get the car.
He returned home to do laundry and then pack for the weeklong expedition from Singapore up the West Coast of Malaysia to the island of Langkawi on the border between Thailand and Malaysia.
Malaysian Church
[Malaysian Church]
Fortunately his flatmates Nick and Ray were not home so that he could use the dryer without freaking them out. You see, dryers are considered really weird in Southeast Asia. Most people prefer to hang-dry clothes.
So every time he used the dryer he felt as if they were thinking he was quite the weirdo. For him, dryers seemed very natural and convenient especially compared to hanging clothes for three days in the humid Singaporean weather.
Anyway, the next day, they started out at the reasonable hour of 9:30 AM. Hsien’s father had agreed to drive the four of them (Hsien, Richard, him and Allison) to Johor Bahru (JB) which was just across the causeway bridge that connected the island of Singapore to the Malaysian mainland.
Eric on Deck
[Eric on Deck]
Hsien’s father had intended to get one of the family cars fixed in JB where services like auto maintenance were much cheaper. So he had offered to drop them off at the Budget car rental office on the way.
It took them about 15 minutes to traverse the entire island of Singapore from North to South on the BTE (Bukit Timah Expressway) but about 40 minutes to get through Malaysian customs. He had recently sent his passport through the washing machine and had sadly gotten a new one, so this was his first stamp in the new book.
Johor Bahru
JB is a border town proper, much like Tijuana; skanky, and dirty with heavy traffic, hordes of moneychangers,
Trishaws in Melaka
[Trishaws in Melaka]
black market street stands, and a constantly changing stream of faces.
But JB is also a town on the rise. Attracted by the stable political climate and a low wage margin, investors have been pouring in for the last decade. Also, Singaporeans flock across the causeway on weekends for cheap products, food, and a thriving underground nightlife...er...um...
They had brunch in a hole in the wall hawker shop while the paperwork was being completed at Budget. He had chicken rice and was careful not to dowse it with too much chili-garlic sauce since it would be 4 hours to the next toilet. The woman in that course, gruff, grunting hawker stall-Chinese way said,
Karaoke Stars
[Karaoke]
"Chicken rice, ah. Packet?"
"No eat here".
"ah (referring to him)...uh? (referring to the next person)".
And she was off to grab one of the chickens dripping off a meat hook in the shop window and one of those awesome thick chopping blades.
The food came in a minute or two, so much for fast food being a western specialty.
Red Square
in Melaka
[Red Square]
The road to Melaka (this first day’s destination) would offer only "stooper poopers" with a bucket of water or faucet and hose for cleaning. Yes, that is right. No toilet paper allowed. Malaysia is a right hand only eating country if you catch the drift. It is considered very unclean to wipe with paper. Water, to many Malaysians is the only sanitary way to clean. As a result, there weren’t even TP roll dispensers in the bathrooms, just the evil looking hose.
Malaysian Sunset
[Malaysian Sunset]
Once again, he was happy to have the opportunity to drive in a wrong-side drive country. So long as there was a steady stream of traffic, of course, driving was no problem. It was only on the deserted roads that he ended up drifting into the lanes for oncoming traffic or making right hand turns into the right hand lane. Whatever the case, driving in Malaysia was far less stressful than driving in Bangkok.
KL Tower
[KL Tower]
Navigation on the other hand, was seriously tough. He learned early on that the Malaysian government was so thrifty as to provide only one street sign per turn off perhaps 50 meters before the exit. Of course, most of those signs were 50-75% covered up by foliage or had already fallen to the ground, so the one warning was fairly laughable.
As the highway from JB to Melaka was a maze of minor turn-offs onto criss-crossing highways, U-turns were the rule.
But with four of them on navigation duty, they eventually found their way out of the JB suburbs and onto the four-lane North/South highway which slices its way up the west coast of Malaysia hitting or grazing all the major cities and towns including JB, Melaka, KL, Ipoh, and Penang where they would be stopping.
Thatching
[Thatching]
From JB to Melaka, the road was an endless stream of palm oil plantations with their low, thick lines of palm trees stretching off into the rolling Malaysian countryside.
Melaka
Melaka is quite different from JB. One of the oldest cities in Malaysia, with recorded history as far back as the 14th century, Melaka does have a permanence and calm to it unlike JB which is all flux. However, it is not a city tied to its past either. In fact Melaka, as much of Malaysia seems to be caught in that awkward stage between modernity and traditionalism with an uneasy foot in both.
Francis Xavier
[Francis Xavier]
Truthfully, he didn’t much like Melaka. It seemed dirty, drab and trafficked. However, it was a nice stopping point for a day and a night.
In Melaka they visited the primary tourist trap, the Red Square and in particular the one-armed statue of St Francis Xavier which they had laughed heartily about while reading aloud about Melaka in the car.
The statue paid homage to a saint who was said to have miraculous powers. The tale went that the pope requested an arm be sent to Rome from Xavier’s dead body and that the wound flowed blood even though Xavier had been dead of 62 years. At any rate, somewhere along the line, someone had chopped off the arm of St Francis’ statue and it became a tourist attraction.
Wall in KL
[Wall in KL]
The cities only other place of interest was the "House of the Babas and Nonyas." There are two unique ethnic groups in the Straits. One group, the Eurasians, is a group of mixed blood descendants of the Portuguese colonial period.
The other group is the Peranakans who are composed of Straits-born Chinese that have adopted a quasi Chinese/Indian/Indonesian/Malay habit. This group of inhabitants are descendants of male Chinese traders and Malay local women and their cultural heritage extends back to the 15th century. The Peranakans are known for their unique food, architecture/interior design, and their wedding ceremony.
The House of the Babas and Nonyas (mother and father) are a tribute to Peranakan culture, architecture, and life. The house can be seen by private walking tour with English-speaking guides.
Petronas Towers
[Petronas Towers]
Next morning, they had breakfast of Teochew porridge, which is essentially chicken rice soup with hardly any broth, and then split, having seen as much of Melaka as desired.
They had a long drive up to the island of Penang next.
The drive through Penang cuts through the tin town of Ipoh set within a picturesque limestone valley. They stopped in Ipoh for lunch.
Monkey
[Monkey]
Like Thailand, the food courts in Ipoh had a central, and he thought, inconvenient, pay point instead of the Singapore-style where one pays at the stand he eat at.
Penang
Though there were sites to see in Ipoh, the group decided to keep on driving after lunch in order to arrive in Penang at an earlier hour. In fact, because of a traffic jam in Penang's capitol, Georgetown, they arrived in the late evening, checked into the Garden Inn, and headed out for dinner at the next door "Winston Coffee Center" which was a haven for old Chinese guys who wanted to smoke, talk and eat really greasy local food while watching karaoke lounge babes belting that special kind've obnoxious Cantonese vibrato.
It was quite the sleaze joint. But it was also full of energy and the food was great. Of course it followed the general rule that when you see a bunch of "C" health ratings posted, the food is excellent. "A" restaurants are typically sterile tasting.
Open Durian
[Open Durian]
The next morning they had to wake up quite early in order to catch the ferry from Penang to the island of Langkawi. So they had decided to stay near the port; hence the sleaziness of the hotel and the food center.
However, both the hotel, with its paper thin walls, pay by the hour theme, transvestite "masseuses", and smoky lobby and the sleazoid and grimy Winston Coffee Center definitely had their charm.
The ferry terminal in Penang was empty at 7AM. They'd arrived early since they'd not purchased tickets in advance and wanted to be first in line at the ticket counter. Only two or three early bird dock workers shuffled around the dusty jetty and buying tickets was no problem.
No Durian Sign
[No Durian Sign]
Like all docks, the seawater was somewhat murky and a thin layer of oil refracted the morning sun into iridescent rainbows across the surface. However, given the unhealthy conditions, nature had still maintained its dominance. Jellyfish and dozens of medium-sized fish could be seen below waking up and catching breakfast. The jellyfish splayed themselves across the top of the water as if sunbathing.
Eventually the crew and several passengers began to appear and they boarded the double-decker hydrofoil that would make the three-hour journey from Penang to Langkawi Island. They settled in and waited until the boat filled up and pulled out of the dock heading for the open sea.
Malaysian Market
[Malaysian Market]
For him, the trip was pleasant. He was not one to get seasick, so the storm waves did not do much to his stomach. 'Storm waves'? A yes, right. Well, soon after the boat disembarked, they were overtaken by one of those fantastic tropical storms with rain so hard it can knock one down, and so thick that it can virtually blind you. What made things worse was the fact that the crew had asked everyone to go indoors which meant that the seasickness-prone members of the group could not sit on deck where they could focus on the horizon and be cooled by the sea breeze.
Rambutan
[Rambutan]
However, in the end, none of the party used the supplied plastic bags. Instead, they bounced their way up to the dock in Langkawi and ran off the boat onto the covered dock through the waterfall that poured between.
They quickly grabbed a cab driver from the anxious and loud wall of local touts and made the twenty minute drive to the other end of the island.
Langkawi
Open Rambutan
[Open Rambutan]
Langkawi is in the Andaman Sea, off the northern border of Malaysia and the Southern border of Thailand. Thus, the style, people, food, and lifestyle were much like places he'd seen in Thailand. The island is fairly self-sufficient with vast tracks of rice paddies covering the flatlands. Water buffalo roamed happily through the paddies in herds and chicks ran wild everywhere.
The locals are mainly farmers but do support the tourism machine as well. The dress is typically Malay. Men wear simply and grungy pants and shirts and women wear brightly colored baju karong or kabaya with full hair-covering headgear in that particular blend of tropical Asia and Islam. Most people walk or ride aging bicycles or mopeds.
Langsat Fruit
[Langsat]
The island is oblong with a great deal of flatland for farming and a mountainous area in the interior. Most of the resorts lay on the North of the island opposite the port and a cement factory.
They checked into the Holiday Villa Langkawi and were greeted by a "No Durian" sign that had he and Richard in stitches because Allison and Hsien had been threatening to eat durian everyday during the trip and durian in any enclosed space is an evil situation.
Durian is a local favorite fruit that looks like a solid green morning star with spikes jutting out of the head- shaped body. Inside is a fleshy fruit that tastes and smells like dog crap. Well, at least to most uncultured "ang mo's". Anyway, the smell is so powerful and durable, that it reeks up a car or hotel room for days.
Allison and
Richard
[Allison and Richard]
At any rate, after some chiding, they checked in and stowed the luggage. It was mid-afternoon by the time they hit the pool and it was still pouring rain. But tropical rain is always an exquisite pleasure to swim in.
After swimming, and a game of water frisbee, they all checked in to the hotel spa and had 45 minute traditional Malay massages. Unlike Thai massages, there is no cracking of joints. The Malay version relies heavily on deep muscle rubs (like the Swedish style) with an abundance of oil and powder. He thought is was somewhat relaxing but preferred a more forceful style for his computer-programming damaged joints and muscles.
After the spa was dinner which was primarily composed of Malay traditional dishes such as Laksa (a rice noodle dish in a Tamarind base soup with a fishy flavor), Nasi Lemack (coconut rice with chili paste and boiled egg, fried nuts, and chicken or fish), Fried Kway Teow (thick flat noodles with beef, chili, and Chinese broccoli), Inchi Kabin (spicy fried chicken and sweet sauce), Soto Ayam (Malay Chicken soup) and curried meats and BBQ chicken wings.
Tower in KL
[Tower in KL]
The next day began fairly late as the weather tended to imbue laziness and since they'd been going full steam ahead since Singapore. They phoned the tout from the day before and he agreed to shuttle them around all day for $15 a head.
Initially, they hit the regular tourist spots such as the tomb of the unfairly accused maiden and the traditional stilted Malay house with singing dudes. The whole thing was okay but pretty deeply unimpressive. So quickly they realized that they had to take a bit more control over the itinerary and just instructed the driver to hit a beach and let them wander around some deserted coastline for awhile.
The rains had cleared up and they had a leisurely walk down a crescent shaped lagoon. Of course, the rain had muddied the water, but it was still warm and calm to swim in.
At the point of the lagoon a wide channel opened up which separated the beach from a small island ripe for exploration. He and Hsien crossed the channel to explore while Allison and Richard 9who were not as good swimmers) stayed on the beach to swim and relax.
However, soon after they reached the island, and spent some time browsing the sand for shells, another flurry whipped up out of nowhere and they were pelted with stinging rain again. They sought shelter in a small protected bay near a wall of boulders and waited out the storm. Meanwhile the channel got more and more violent and wavy.
When the storm eased, they made their way back to the channel. As they emerged from the rocks, they saw Allison and Richard who were quite relieved to see them, who had taken shelter under some trees, and who were just about ready to go call for help.
Waterfall Jump
[Waterfall Jump]
However, the two on the beach waved them back yelling across the channel that the current was too string and the waves too choppy to make a crossing. However, it seemed safe enough to him. At worst they would be carried off into the center of the lagoon and could swim in. Both felt as if they could make the swim, so they started the crossing.
Fortunately, the current's bark was worse than its bite and they easily navigated the channel. Unfortunately there were quite a few now submerged rocks and both got several cuts on their legs. But all was well, and they made it back in one piece.
Eventually, they got back to the van completely drenched and guiltily had to wake up their peacefully sleeping driver.
From there, they went for lunch, stopping long enough to raid a road-side fruit stand where they picked up durian, mangosteen, and rambutan. The Malay durian was much less fragrant then the Singaporean stock so it was more palatable 9though he still had to hold his nose to get it down). The rambutans with their bright red spiky whiskers were nice (basically huge grapes) and the mangosteens (sweet nectarine like taste) were great!
Waterfall
[Waterfall]
After lunch, they headed back inland for the waterfalls that by now were swollen with runoff. We had a few hours left before we had to return to the resort so we went to the falls with the shorter hike. However, he thought that it was also the less touristed one which was good. He was pleased to see a deep pool at the base of the falls which was great for jumping. The climb up the side of the waterfall was challenging but possible and after several attempts, he found a path. There were several good jump spots but since the deepest point in the pool was only 6 or 7 feet and not overly wide, it demanded exacting aim.
And the best news of all was that none of them got any leeches while hiking in and out of the falls area. It was not unheard of for leeches to sometimes fall out of the trees onto hikers or to wait on leaves for passing animals.
The next day was spent in the bounds of the resort. They had to catch the taxi back to the port by 5, so they decided to stay close by. That was fine though because it gave him time to rent a jet ski and thrash around for awhile.
It was actually very fun. If one went out beyond the sheltered bay at the resort, one could find nice sized swells to jump.
Rice Fields
[Rice Fields]
The weather had cleared up again and he got fairly red on his nose and shoulders, but fortunately did not get burned. Another benefit of the kind weather was that the ride back to Penang was calm and relaxing. They sunbathed, sprawled out on the deck and watched the sun set over the horizon.
That night they returned to the Garden Inn in Penang. However, this time they had more time to play in the city and were hot to find an ultra sleazy karaoke lounge so that Richard could have his first Asian karaoke experience. With little trouble, they found a joint fairly near the hotel and went in.
The patrons and employees double tacked furiously as they entered. Surely they can't mean to be here! The place was filled with old Chinese uncles drinking bad beer served by Karaoke wenches on their laps. They were shuffled upstairs to the private rooms and commenced to blare out all the worst from the Bee Gees to the Beatles and from Spice Girls to the Cardigans. They even found a swing danceable song and performed for the hostesses who gigglingly crammed at the small window to peer in at us.
Haggard and hoarse throated, they returned to the Garden Inn in the wee hours and crashed.
The next day they drove all the way back to Kuala Lumpur (KL) and spent the afternoon shopping. In the evening they had Thai food in a trendy neighborhood like old Town Pasadena or Boat Quay in Singapore. They had intended to go to a KL club that night, but everyone was so tired after eating that they totally wussed out and went back to the hotel (which was a five star palace in central KL). The next day, they saw all the sites of tourist-oriented KL and then made their way back to JB to drop off the car and catch a ride back into Singapore.
"Massage for you" was all the warning he had before the man began buzzing his shoulders with the hot pink and green vibrating dildo. Standing next to him, Li Hsien began cracking up while he stood there stunned.
By the time the salesman had moved the rod up for a scalp massage all three were laughing hysterically, (along with the nearby cashier) though he realized that the salesman did not realize exactly what was so funny.
Apparently, the vibrating dildo was legitimate massage paraphernalia and the salesman had no idea of the original product market, though the massager was almost assuredly a big hit with the old Chinese aunties.
After gaining composure, they thanked the zealous salesman for his demo and went on to the insect repellent section, their original goal.
They were on their way to Malaysia and reports of occasional cases of malaria and dengue fever were enough to stir him to grab some "off" with its 100% DET contents. Mosquitoes would flee in terror at the lethal combination of chemical weapons and the electronic mosquito-exploder swatter he’d bought in Taiwan which looked like a badminton racket but with electrified netting to suck in the flying pests and shock them with enough volts to cause them to explode with a satisfying "pop".
Langkawi Beach
[Beach in Langkawi]
With repellent in hand, they weaved their way around the evil waddling massage troll and made their way out of the Great World Shopping Center and went Back to the Straits Times Building (where Hsien worked) to get the car.
He returned home to do laundry and then pack for the weeklong expedition from Singapore up the West Coast of Malaysia to the island of Langkawi on the border between Thailand and Malaysia.
Malaysian Church
[Malaysian Church]
Fortunately his flatmates Nick and Ray were not home so that he could use the dryer without freaking them out. You see, dryers are considered really weird in Southeast Asia. Most people prefer to hang-dry clothes.
So every time he used the dryer he felt as if they were thinking he was quite the weirdo. For him, dryers seemed very natural and convenient especially compared to hanging clothes for three days in the humid Singaporean weather.
Anyway, the next day, they started out at the reasonable hour of 9:30 AM. Hsien’s father had agreed to drive the four of them (Hsien, Richard, him and Allison) to Johor Bahru (JB) which was just across the causeway bridge that connected the island of Singapore to the Malaysian mainland.
Eric on Deck
[Eric on Deck]
Hsien’s father had intended to get one of the family cars fixed in JB where services like auto maintenance were much cheaper. So he had offered to drop them off at the Budget car rental office on the way.
It took them about 15 minutes to traverse the entire island of Singapore from North to South on the BTE (Bukit Timah Expressway) but about 40 minutes to get through Malaysian customs. He had recently sent his passport through the washing machine and had sadly gotten a new one, so this was his first stamp in the new book.
Johor Bahru
JB is a border town proper, much like Tijuana; skanky, and dirty with heavy traffic, hordes of moneychangers,
Trishaws in Melaka
[Trishaws in Melaka]
black market street stands, and a constantly changing stream of faces.
But JB is also a town on the rise. Attracted by the stable political climate and a low wage margin, investors have been pouring in for the last decade. Also, Singaporeans flock across the causeway on weekends for cheap products, food, and a thriving underground nightlife...er...um...
They had brunch in a hole in the wall hawker shop while the paperwork was being completed at Budget. He had chicken rice and was careful not to dowse it with too much chili-garlic sauce since it would be 4 hours to the next toilet. The woman in that course, gruff, grunting hawker stall-Chinese way said,
Karaoke Stars
[Karaoke]
"Chicken rice, ah. Packet?"
"No eat here".
"ah (referring to him)...uh? (referring to the next person)".
And she was off to grab one of the chickens dripping off a meat hook in the shop window and one of those awesome thick chopping blades.
The food came in a minute or two, so much for fast food being a western specialty.
Red Square
in Melaka
[Red Square]
The road to Melaka (this first day’s destination) would offer only "stooper poopers" with a bucket of water or faucet and hose for cleaning. Yes, that is right. No toilet paper allowed. Malaysia is a right hand only eating country if you catch the drift. It is considered very unclean to wipe with paper. Water, to many Malaysians is the only sanitary way to clean. As a result, there weren’t even TP roll dispensers in the bathrooms, just the evil looking hose.
Malaysian Sunset
[Malaysian Sunset]
Once again, he was happy to have the opportunity to drive in a wrong-side drive country. So long as there was a steady stream of traffic, of course, driving was no problem. It was only on the deserted roads that he ended up drifting into the lanes for oncoming traffic or making right hand turns into the right hand lane. Whatever the case, driving in Malaysia was far less stressful than driving in Bangkok.
KL Tower
[KL Tower]
Navigation on the other hand, was seriously tough. He learned early on that the Malaysian government was so thrifty as to provide only one street sign per turn off perhaps 50 meters before the exit. Of course, most of those signs were 50-75% covered up by foliage or had already fallen to the ground, so the one warning was fairly laughable.
As the highway from JB to Melaka was a maze of minor turn-offs onto criss-crossing highways, U-turns were the rule.
But with four of them on navigation duty, they eventually found their way out of the JB suburbs and onto the four-lane North/South highway which slices its way up the west coast of Malaysia hitting or grazing all the major cities and towns including JB, Melaka, KL, Ipoh, and Penang where they would be stopping.
Thatching
[Thatching]
From JB to Melaka, the road was an endless stream of palm oil plantations with their low, thick lines of palm trees stretching off into the rolling Malaysian countryside.
Melaka
Melaka is quite different from JB. One of the oldest cities in Malaysia, with recorded history as far back as the 14th century, Melaka does have a permanence and calm to it unlike JB which is all flux. However, it is not a city tied to its past either. In fact Melaka, as much of Malaysia seems to be caught in that awkward stage between modernity and traditionalism with an uneasy foot in both.
Francis Xavier
[Francis Xavier]
Truthfully, he didn’t much like Melaka. It seemed dirty, drab and trafficked. However, it was a nice stopping point for a day and a night.
In Melaka they visited the primary tourist trap, the Red Square and in particular the one-armed statue of St Francis Xavier which they had laughed heartily about while reading aloud about Melaka in the car.
The statue paid homage to a saint who was said to have miraculous powers. The tale went that the pope requested an arm be sent to Rome from Xavier’s dead body and that the wound flowed blood even though Xavier had been dead of 62 years. At any rate, somewhere along the line, someone had chopped off the arm of St Francis’ statue and it became a tourist attraction.
Wall in KL
[Wall in KL]
The cities only other place of interest was the "House of the Babas and Nonyas." There are two unique ethnic groups in the Straits. One group, the Eurasians, is a group of mixed blood descendants of the Portuguese colonial period.
The other group is the Peranakans who are composed of Straits-born Chinese that have adopted a quasi Chinese/Indian/Indonesian/Malay habit. This group of inhabitants are descendants of male Chinese traders and Malay local women and their cultural heritage extends back to the 15th century. The Peranakans are known for their unique food, architecture/interior design, and their wedding ceremony.
The House of the Babas and Nonyas (mother and father) are a tribute to Peranakan culture, architecture, and life. The house can be seen by private walking tour with English-speaking guides.
Petronas Towers
[Petronas Towers]
Next morning, they had breakfast of Teochew porridge, which is essentially chicken rice soup with hardly any broth, and then split, having seen as much of Melaka as desired.
They had a long drive up to the island of Penang next.
The drive through Penang cuts through the tin town of Ipoh set within a picturesque limestone valley. They stopped in Ipoh for lunch.
Monkey
[Monkey]
Like Thailand, the food courts in Ipoh had a central, and he thought, inconvenient, pay point instead of the Singapore-style where one pays at the stand he eat at.
Penang
Though there were sites to see in Ipoh, the group decided to keep on driving after lunch in order to arrive in Penang at an earlier hour. In fact, because of a traffic jam in Penang's capitol, Georgetown, they arrived in the late evening, checked into the Garden Inn, and headed out for dinner at the next door "Winston Coffee Center" which was a haven for old Chinese guys who wanted to smoke, talk and eat really greasy local food while watching karaoke lounge babes belting that special kind've obnoxious Cantonese vibrato.
It was quite the sleaze joint. But it was also full of energy and the food was great. Of course it followed the general rule that when you see a bunch of "C" health ratings posted, the food is excellent. "A" restaurants are typically sterile tasting.
Open Durian
[Open Durian]
The next morning they had to wake up quite early in order to catch the ferry from Penang to the island of Langkawi. So they had decided to stay near the port; hence the sleaziness of the hotel and the food center.
However, both the hotel, with its paper thin walls, pay by the hour theme, transvestite "masseuses", and smoky lobby and the sleazoid and grimy Winston Coffee Center definitely had their charm.
The ferry terminal in Penang was empty at 7AM. They'd arrived early since they'd not purchased tickets in advance and wanted to be first in line at the ticket counter. Only two or three early bird dock workers shuffled around the dusty jetty and buying tickets was no problem.
No Durian Sign
[No Durian Sign]
Like all docks, the seawater was somewhat murky and a thin layer of oil refracted the morning sun into iridescent rainbows across the surface. However, given the unhealthy conditions, nature had still maintained its dominance. Jellyfish and dozens of medium-sized fish could be seen below waking up and catching breakfast. The jellyfish splayed themselves across the top of the water as if sunbathing.
Eventually the crew and several passengers began to appear and they boarded the double-decker hydrofoil that would make the three-hour journey from Penang to Langkawi Island. They settled in and waited until the boat filled up and pulled out of the dock heading for the open sea.
Malaysian Market
[Malaysian Market]
For him, the trip was pleasant. He was not one to get seasick, so the storm waves did not do much to his stomach. 'Storm waves'? A yes, right. Well, soon after the boat disembarked, they were overtaken by one of those fantastic tropical storms with rain so hard it can knock one down, and so thick that it can virtually blind you. What made things worse was the fact that the crew had asked everyone to go indoors which meant that the seasickness-prone members of the group could not sit on deck where they could focus on the horizon and be cooled by the sea breeze.
Rambutan
[Rambutan]
However, in the end, none of the party used the supplied plastic bags. Instead, they bounced their way up to the dock in Langkawi and ran off the boat onto the covered dock through the waterfall that poured between.
They quickly grabbed a cab driver from the anxious and loud wall of local touts and made the twenty minute drive to the other end of the island.
Langkawi
Open Rambutan
[Open Rambutan]
Langkawi is in the Andaman Sea, off the northern border of Malaysia and the Southern border of Thailand. Thus, the style, people, food, and lifestyle were much like places he'd seen in Thailand. The island is fairly self-sufficient with vast tracks of rice paddies covering the flatlands. Water buffalo roamed happily through the paddies in herds and chicks ran wild everywhere.
The locals are mainly farmers but do support the tourism machine as well. The dress is typically Malay. Men wear simply and grungy pants and shirts and women wear brightly colored baju karong or kabaya with full hair-covering headgear in that particular blend of tropical Asia and Islam. Most people walk or ride aging bicycles or mopeds.
Langsat Fruit
[Langsat]
The island is oblong with a great deal of flatland for farming and a mountainous area in the interior. Most of the resorts lay on the North of the island opposite the port and a cement factory.
They checked into the Holiday Villa Langkawi and were greeted by a "No Durian" sign that had he and Richard in stitches because Allison and Hsien had been threatening to eat durian everyday during the trip and durian in any enclosed space is an evil situation.
Durian is a local favorite fruit that looks like a solid green morning star with spikes jutting out of the head- shaped body. Inside is a fleshy fruit that tastes and smells like dog crap. Well, at least to most uncultured "ang mo's". Anyway, the smell is so powerful and durable, that it reeks up a car or hotel room for days.
Allison and
Richard
[Allison and Richard]
At any rate, after some chiding, they checked in and stowed the luggage. It was mid-afternoon by the time they hit the pool and it was still pouring rain. But tropical rain is always an exquisite pleasure to swim in.
After swimming, and a game of water frisbee, they all checked in to the hotel spa and had 45 minute traditional Malay massages. Unlike Thai massages, there is no cracking of joints. The Malay version relies heavily on deep muscle rubs (like the Swedish style) with an abundance of oil and powder. He thought is was somewhat relaxing but preferred a more forceful style for his computer-programming damaged joints and muscles.
After the spa was dinner which was primarily composed of Malay traditional dishes such as Laksa (a rice noodle dish in a Tamarind base soup with a fishy flavor), Nasi Lemack (coconut rice with chili paste and boiled egg, fried nuts, and chicken or fish), Fried Kway Teow (thick flat noodles with beef, chili, and Chinese broccoli), Inchi Kabin (spicy fried chicken and sweet sauce), Soto Ayam (Malay Chicken soup) and curried meats and BBQ chicken wings.
Tower in KL
[Tower in KL]
The next day began fairly late as the weather tended to imbue laziness and since they'd been going full steam ahead since Singapore. They phoned the tout from the day before and he agreed to shuttle them around all day for $15 a head.
Initially, they hit the regular tourist spots such as the tomb of the unfairly accused maiden and the traditional stilted Malay house with singing dudes. The whole thing was okay but pretty deeply unimpressive. So quickly they realized that they had to take a bit more control over the itinerary and just instructed the driver to hit a beach and let them wander around some deserted coastline for awhile.
The rains had cleared up and they had a leisurely walk down a crescent shaped lagoon. Of course, the rain had muddied the water, but it was still warm and calm to swim in.
At the point of the lagoon a wide channel opened up which separated the beach from a small island ripe for exploration. He and Hsien crossed the channel to explore while Allison and Richard 9who were not as good swimmers) stayed on the beach to swim and relax.
However, soon after they reached the island, and spent some time browsing the sand for shells, another flurry whipped up out of nowhere and they were pelted with stinging rain again. They sought shelter in a small protected bay near a wall of boulders and waited out the storm. Meanwhile the channel got more and more violent and wavy.
When the storm eased, they made their way back to the channel. As they emerged from the rocks, they saw Allison and Richard who were quite relieved to see them, who had taken shelter under some trees, and who were just about ready to go call for help.
Waterfall Jump
[Waterfall Jump]
However, the two on the beach waved them back yelling across the channel that the current was too string and the waves too choppy to make a crossing. However, it seemed safe enough to him. At worst they would be carried off into the center of the lagoon and could swim in. Both felt as if they could make the swim, so they started the crossing.
Fortunately, the current's bark was worse than its bite and they easily navigated the channel. Unfortunately there were quite a few now submerged rocks and both got several cuts on their legs. But all was well, and they made it back in one piece.
Eventually, they got back to the van completely drenched and guiltily had to wake up their peacefully sleeping driver.
From there, they went for lunch, stopping long enough to raid a road-side fruit stand where they picked up durian, mangosteen, and rambutan. The Malay durian was much less fragrant then the Singaporean stock so it was more palatable 9though he still had to hold his nose to get it down). The rambutans with their bright red spiky whiskers were nice (basically huge grapes) and the mangosteens (sweet nectarine like taste) were great!
Waterfall
[Waterfall]
After lunch, they headed back inland for the waterfalls that by now were swollen with runoff. We had a few hours left before we had to return to the resort so we went to the falls with the shorter hike. However, he thought that it was also the less touristed one which was good. He was pleased to see a deep pool at the base of the falls which was great for jumping. The climb up the side of the waterfall was challenging but possible and after several attempts, he found a path. There were several good jump spots but since the deepest point in the pool was only 6 or 7 feet and not overly wide, it demanded exacting aim.
And the best news of all was that none of them got any leeches while hiking in and out of the falls area. It was not unheard of for leeches to sometimes fall out of the trees onto hikers or to wait on leaves for passing animals.
The next day was spent in the bounds of the resort. They had to catch the taxi back to the port by 5, so they decided to stay close by. That was fine though because it gave him time to rent a jet ski and thrash around for awhile.
It was actually very fun. If one went out beyond the sheltered bay at the resort, one could find nice sized swells to jump.
Rice Fields
[Rice Fields]
The weather had cleared up again and he got fairly red on his nose and shoulders, but fortunately did not get burned. Another benefit of the kind weather was that the ride back to Penang was calm and relaxing. They sunbathed, sprawled out on the deck and watched the sun set over the horizon.
That night they returned to the Garden Inn in Penang. However, this time they had more time to play in the city and were hot to find an ultra sleazy karaoke lounge so that Richard could have his first Asian karaoke experience. With little trouble, they found a joint fairly near the hotel and went in.
The patrons and employees double tacked furiously as they entered. Surely they can't mean to be here! The place was filled with old Chinese uncles drinking bad beer served by Karaoke wenches on their laps. They were shuffled upstairs to the private rooms and commenced to blare out all the worst from the Bee Gees to the Beatles and from Spice Girls to the Cardigans. They even found a swing danceable song and performed for the hostesses who gigglingly crammed at the small window to peer in at us.
Haggard and hoarse throated, they returned to the Garden Inn in the wee hours and crashed.
The next day they drove all the way back to Kuala Lumpur (KL) and spent the afternoon shopping. In the evening they had Thai food in a trendy neighborhood like old Town Pasadena or Boat Quay in Singapore. They had intended to go to a KL club that night, but everyone was so tired after eating that they totally wussed out and went back to the hotel (which was a five star palace in central KL). The next day, they saw all the sites of tourist-oriented KL and then made their way back to JB to drop off the car and catch a ride back into Singapore.
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