[Tanah Rata, Malaysia] Backpacker package tour today so we were not expecting too much but they got off to a good start arriving to collect us in an awesome little Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer ATV.
This town is just full of cool old 4×4’s (mostly ancient but hard working land rovers) and our ride was obviously ex-military still with rifle mounts, turret hatch and ammo boxes. We were followed out of town by a landy with more tourists in search of the largest flower species in the world (Rafflesia Arnoldi). About 40 minutes out we left the main roads and started an insane climb up what looked like impassable tracks. The recent rain has completely destroyed the dirt roads up into the forests but our driver was keen to give it a try anyway. On the steepest section we all climbed out to give the Puch a fair chance and it eventually made it – what a machine! The Landy didn’t even bother trying. The Austrians won that round without a doubt. Pilling both groups into the Puch we continued on followed by the local guides having no trouble on little 125cc road bikes – it was hilarious.
The two (total) hour hike in the forest was reasonably easy but sweaty. No bugs or leeches either but the kids along with us still call it ‘trekking’. The flower I have to admit was a little disappointing. They open for around 10 days so I guess you are lucky if you catch one that has just blossomed (a loose definition for such an ugly, smelly ‘flower’). In any event it was good to see.
Next we moved on to a local ‘village’ with a few bamboo huts for a blowpipe demonstration. The village is in the process of upgrading – backaktors at work with stone and concrete so it was hardly authentic. After they had given the kids a go with the hand made blowpipe (at a range of 3m) I got one of the guys to demonstrate from around 25m. Very impressive hitting an A4 sized target. You can see the traditional techniques and form are still practiced although I doubt they use them for hunting – easier to pop down to the local store.
After a typical Indian curry at a local canteen we headed out to one of the many tea plantations. Our guide informed us that this one was over 80 years old and owned by a Scottish family. Every possible square metre has been cultivated – up and down the valleys and hillsides. It was picturesque and we learn a few new things about our favorite hot drink with the visit and a tour around the factory. Better than that was the chance to have tea and scones at the beautiful (and very popular) cafe overlooking the vast plantation. The tea was excellent and the scones were missing the clotted cream but I think it’s fair to bring England even for the day.
Final Score: Austria 1, England 1
Our final destination was a ride up to a viewpoint at 6666ft on one of the higher hills in the area. It was windy and chilly on the exposed tower so after snapping a few shots we got down quickly and headed off for a short walk into ‘the Mossy Forrest’. An unusual spot straight out of a fantasy novel with thick cloud adding to the atmosphere. Our guide pointed out the differences between the high and low altitude forests along with obvious blankets of moss and unusual ‘Pitcher’ plants. Because of the cold we finished up in the forest pretty quickly and our guide threw in an extra stop on the way home at a strawberry farm to make up the time. The cafe and shop were packed with just about every strawberry product imaginable. The milkshake was amazing. Seems the English did a good job out here.
Tomorrow we head for Kuala Lumpur. V’s been feeling the cold a bit but I’m not really looking forward to being all sticky again. I suppose it is Asia!
[Pictures: What a Machine. More flop than flower. Tea and scones :)]
Short clip of our Pinzgauer tackling a steep section
[Tanah Rata, Malaysia] So another day on the road for us today, well around five hours of it anyway. Our minibus was more or less on time collecting us from the hostel. Again it is just too easy to get around. We passed over the impressive 13km long bridge onto the mainland and continued on perfect multi lane highways towards the Cameron Highlands. Not sure why but both V and I felt completely exhausted. We dozed on and off for most of the trip. When I did occasionally lift my head and wait for my eyes to focus the scenery was impressive. Some karst topography and then later, as we got onto smaller roads, immense forests and tea plantations.
The tiny towns we passed through looked odd with small clumps of new high-rise apartment blocks alongside loads of fresh fruit and veg vendors, strawberries galore, bakeries and the odd butterfly farm. I suspect that the area is a real tourist trap. It was a place for the colonists to escape the heat of the coast and became a major source of tea. V had seen a note about tea and scones – I swear I could smell them as we pulled in to ‘town’. This place is all about trees, strawberries, tea and scones.
We found a reasonable (£6) room at Kang Travelers Lodge (okay – we didn’t so much ‘find’ it as get dropped outside their door) then popped out for a yummy tea and cake (decided to leave the scones until tomorrow – it will be a treat). The best thing about our hostel, they have hot showers! We haven’t had a hot shower for over a week – it was awesome 🙂
[Pictures: Yip the English were here. V spotted lots of REALLY old land rovers. Can’t believe they are still running]
[George Town, Malaysia] With only one full day in George Town we had a few things to get through. Unfortunately it is a Sunday so a lot of places were closed and then added to that a well loved local politician passed away so the town was holding a procession and funeral. We started off wandering the streets around the hostel. Again China Town mixes with Little India on British colonial streets and it’s hard to identify anything truly Malay (whatever that is). After breakfast we headed to the start of the LP guide’s recommended walking route. We started at the Eastern Oriental Hotel. A huge colonial monster from the 1800’s. Apparently the waiters wear shorts and pith helmets (hopefully that’s not all) and it is THE place for a fancy English afternoon tea. Too expensive for our blood so we moved on.
We passed some architecturally boring Christian churches and arrived at the Penang Museum. It was closed due to the funeral. Pity. it is highly rated and we were looking forward to it. We continued on to what looked like the municipal buildings where a huge crowd was gathered for the start of the procession. Quite a turn out. Crowds, police, press, dignitaries, school kids, scouts, ambulance services etc. All in uniform and getting ready to march. He must have been a really cool dude. The police force seem mostly Indian and they appear very proud. Perfect uniforms, shiny motorbikes. Great to see.
We navigated past the gathering and along the Durbanesque waterfront to fort Cornwallis. Not that impressive as far as forts go but it was cool to learn a little about the history of the Island (George Town is on Penang Island). The colonial story sounds interesting and centres around a British naval officer – Francis Light (must remember to look up the full story sometime).
With nothing else to do we then decided to stroll back through India and China and take in the ‘atmosphere’ on the way to do a little shopping at a large mall air conditioned mall. We have to admit that Malaysia seems a little boring so far. Possibly we are not back into ‘travel’ mode yet after all that time on holiday in Thailand. Tomorrow we move on to the Cameron highlands where thankfully it should be cooler and hopefully there will be fewer mozzies. Not sure if it was mozzies, fleas or bed bugs in our room but both V and I are covered in huge itchy welts. Oweee.
[UPDATE: We found an Internet cafe on the way home that boasted 30 times faster (but faster than what they did not specify) and have uploaded photos to date under Thailand (Koh Lipe) and Malaysia or just linked to posts. Have also dropped some pics into the posts that had none and added the video of V with the fish in Thailand (Link). Enjoy]
[Langkawi to George Town, Malaysia] The Putra hotel was an acceptable flea-pit. Pity we had a room on the side of the main road (lucky for silicone earplugs) and the free WiFi didn’t quite reach to our room. Anyway we headed out first thing back to the ferry terminal to get tickets and store our packs. It feels cooler here. Guess it’s the trees and not being on a beach. After getting tickets we asked around for a shop that could develop our underwater photos. Luckily the Langkawi Fair mall down the road had was able to help. We arrived there around 10 and waited 40 minutes for the camera shop to open (late start) and were told it takes and hour for the machine to warm up and another hour to process. How did we ever survive before digital photos?!
With nothing to do but wait we found an open WiFi point to abuse, had a bite to eat (just in time too – V was getting ready to go cannibal on me), and checked out the shops in “the largest mall in Langkawi”. Nothing interesting but we did get some smarties and almost some scotch (pinching pennies now). The photos cost more than a night’s accommodation and are pretty bad but there are one or two cool shots to remember V’s dive course (I’ll try to ‘scan’ and colour correct some shortly).
The ferry ride was again very calm but longer than expected. We arrived in Georgetown around 18:00 under a torrential downpour. We gave up waiting for it to pass and hit the streets looking for lodging without our GPSs – the heavy electrical storm above had us placed in China! The LP guide describes the place as a bigger, busier Luang Prabang (Laos). Well not so far but it was hard to tell in the rain and evening light. We easily identified the ‘Little India’ and ‘China Town’ areas as we walked along.
We found a basic and dismal hostel style room at ‘Love Lane Inn’ on Love lane – no kidding. V liked the description of the place online – I think maybe because they have hamsters on the second floor. We went out for dinner to the Indian area close by. Less like Luang Prabang and more like Chatsworth. Seems Malaysia will be an interesting mix of India, China and everything else. BTW. They drive on the left and have UK standard plug sockets. Do you have a flag ?
We are here for two nights – tomorrow we’ll do some walking to see what there is to see.
[Pictures: Look, another ferry. See, Hamsters – sorry for the bad quality shot. It was dark]
[Koh Lipe to Langkawi, Malaysia] So after spending the morning killing time and packing up we ended outside the immigration office on Pattaya beach (it’s really just a shack). Our ferry was only at 15:30 – waiting is so boring. The ferry to Langkawi took a couple of hours again on smooth seas. When we boarded I was relived by the aircon (today is insanely hot) but by the end of the ride V and I were close to hypothermic. We couldn’t wait to get out into the sun.
Malaysian immigration was no problem. We got 90 day visas – the only request from the friendly official being that we spend all our money in his country. The ferry terminal joins straight into a fancy shopping mall but most of it was closed (we are now another hour ahead of SA). The Malays have been clever with Langkawi – the entire holiday island is a duty free zone. It’s also massive. More like being in Durban than on an island. Nothing like what we have become used to in Thailand. Outside the mall the ferry ticket office was closed and in place of annoying touts a helpful guy told us where we could find a hotel on our budget. He didn’t try and sell us anything. It was odd. He even told us we could walk there rather than taking a taxi. We took the advice and found a dingy hotel around 2km down the road for £10. We walked past a mosque (yip this Islamic territory), skatepark, playgrounds and the huge Langkawi Eagle (Dad – how about that for a lawn jockey!) Everyone we have interacted with so far have been helpful and pleasant. We like. Tomorrow we’re off to Georgetown (Penang) by ferry – not really interested in spending time on Langkawi’s riviera.
[Pictures: Now that’s a lawn jockey! The Langkawi eagle near the ferry terminal]
[Koh Lipe, Thailand] Moving on to another country today. Thailand has been great. The weather was pretty terrible for the first couple of weeks but since we got to Phi Phi it has been amazing. Thailand will always hold some old emotional memories for me (and some awesome new ones for both of us). Bangkok with it’s palace, shopping and mouthwatering steak, the big kitties at Kanchanaburi and the moving story of Hellfire pass.Our cool yellow/green fishy friends that are everywhere. Ups and downs learning to dive at Khao Lak. Climbing at Railay. Relief and joy at trying the diving thing again at Phi Phi. Black tip reef sharks and countless cool underwater critters. Unplugging for a day or two with awesome views at Koh Lipe (and more wonderful diving). It’s been quite a ride! The scuba diving especially has given us a new passion to play with – V is already plotting more diving off Borneo. Sipidan – Google it. It looks unbelievable.
Unfortunately Thailand has been more expensive than we expected, but we have been living it up, diving and eating way too much. We have passed the limit on our original budget (when we should have left for New Zealand), but are still okay with our 10% budget increase – hey, it’s inflation I tell you 🙂 It has been worth it. So out of original plan we’ll be skipping Singapore, Indonesia and East Timor (plus the ‘optionals’ of Nepal, Philippines and Australia). We have to leave something for next time.
[Koh Lipe, Thailand] We’re pretty much all beached out for now. Three full days of baking hot sun, soft white sands and crystal blue water will do that to us. Being held up here in our little bungalow above Pattaya beach has been a fantastic little break in our travels. The bungalow has been acceptable. The cold water shower is not too cold and we have electricity from 6pm to 7am – although during the night the power dips up and down making the ceiling fan seem possessed. Sitting on our shaded porch and just watching the idillic beach has consumed many an hour.
We have wandered down to the beach occasionally to explore the rocks, take a quick dip in the very warm sea or find some food. We’ve become regulars at the Pee Pee Bakery for a breakfast pastry and in the evening all the beach restaurants move their tables out onto the sands – a great spot for a beer shandy while the sun sets. We decided to do some more diving here so have had to tighten our meal budget a little (to the cheapest item on the menu) but probably still eating double what we ate in China.
Yesterday we went diving with Forra Divers at a group of islands known locally as ‘The Far Islands’, because they are far away. They seemed a bit disorganized but friendly enough and the gear was in good nick. We got another Frenchman (Etienne) to lead our dives and after two hours on the painfully slow converted fishing boat we arrived at Koh Pung. The dive site was a 20m deep channel between two small islands. Above the water it was stunning but below was less than ideal. V had a terrible time and I fared only slightly better. 3m visibility and an incredibly strong current that we had to fight continuously. You could see that the soft coral forests were unbelievably beautiful but in those conditions and at that speed it was not fun. The conditions were marginally better at the end of the dive in the shallows where I got to watch a massive Morey for a few minutes.
For lunch we stopped in between two islands – the most amazing setting. It wasn’t very deep but the water was perfectly clear and full of sea-life. V and I did a little snorkeling and that more than made up for disastrous morning dive. The second site at Koh Sarrang was a short distance away. Sarrang is a tiny island with a reef extending down to 20m or so. It was perfect. 10m+ visibility and no current. We cruised around the island through beautiful soft coral forests. I love the round blue ones (that’s the technical name I believe) and the wavey green ones that always have a Nemo (Clownfish) in them. We saw (amongst many) Lion Fish, Scorpion Fish, Moreys, Emperor Angelfish, a huge Parrot fish (V’s fave), Moorish Idols (my faves), friendly Pufferfish and a decent sized Batfish as we were coming up. This diving thing is just too much fun and it seems we are getting better at it.
Besides all of that and snoozing afternoons away we have been plotting the next leg of the trip. The budget is getting a little tight (thanks largely to diving) so at this stage we want to head to Kuala Lumpar reasonably quickly and fly to Kota Kinabalu. We’ll spend three weeks around the Malaysian part of North Eastern Borneo before heading back to KL and on to New Zealand. It’s a pitty we can’t just keep going – looks like we are going to need another adventure to hit the spots we’ve missed!
[Pictures: Beach Views, Sunsets and Lunch time snorkel spots]
[Koh Lipe, Thailand] Just arrived.. Got an amazing spot up on the hill above the beach for (GBP10).. No internet.. but what a view… We’re on ‘Holiday’ for the next few days and with no WiFi don’t expect any updates 🙂
Flights to New Zealand booked.. We depart KL on 31 December, spend New Year’s day in the Gold Coast airport (Australia) and then fly on to Christchurch to arrive at 23:45 on January 1…that’s 2011 !
[Update: Just Filling in the details]
It wasn’t a challenge to get out to Koh Lipe. Just a little expensive. We had breakfast at the Red Boat and sat around abusing the open WiFi point while we waited for our speed boat ferry. The boat was packed full of cargo before any passengers got near it – just goes to show that everything on remote islands has to shipped in. What a mission.
We headed out at around 50km/h (I checked) and had no trouble on the calm seas. First stop was at Koh Tarutao (an island that is a national park/marine preserve and was once a prison – it now has a few parks board run cabins). Then on to Koh Lipe. Getting to the beach on Lipe is a little cheeky. The ferries stop at a barge about 400m out to sea and you have to pay B50 for a longtail to shore. Anyway we arrived and strolled along the beach until we found a good spot at Pattaya 2 Bungalows. It was a choice of B800 a night for one with electricity and pay-as-you-go WiFi that was set off the beach or B500 a night for a basic spot overlooking the entire beach from the far end. We chose the latter.
The afternoon was spent wandering the island. It’s not very big and not at all busy. A couple of Internet cafes all use satellite connections that are dodgy at times. The usual shops and restaurants (but no 7-11’s). It was VERY hot. Tomorrow we are doing absolutely nothing. Should be fun.
[Phi Phi to Pak Bara, Thailand] The beaches and islands have made us soft. Today’s hour long ferry ride followed by 6 and a half hours of minibuses felt much harder than the 18 hour bus rides we were doing in China.
The weather was great when we said goodbye to Phi Phi and the ferry ride was smooth and easy. A minibus was waiting for us in Krabi and we set off almost without delay, which was good – not like the other day with the long wait at the hub. We tried to doze with limited success but at least the roads were smooth and straight. Heavy rain in the afternoon hit as we pulled into a fancy minibus station near Hat Yai. A short wait and we were on another van to Pak Bara. We still can’t get over how easy it is to travel here. We were deposited outside a travel agency near the ferry dock in Pak Bara who sold us speedboat tickets for tomorrow and arranged a really cheap (beyond basic) bungalow for the night – they even got the minibus to drop us off at the bungalow!
Pak Bara is dead. It’s primary function I suspect is the ferry to Koh Lipe. It seems they did have a KFC, but the closed signed indicates it has moved 10km down the road and even I won’t walk that far for KFC. We found a pleasant little restaurant (Red Boat). There were maybe 3 open, all empty, but Red Boat happened to have an open WiFi point nearby. We were the only patrons and the old husband and wife holding down the fort weren’t prepared for any customers (I guess they normally run the kitchen). We managed to communicate an order once the lady had found her specs (thankfully the menu was in English and Thai) but when a second couple took a table panic set in. In no time a young chap, I assume their son, arrived to take over the waitering duties. It was quite sweet.
[Pictures: Bara Guest house – good for a night :)]
[Phi Phi, Thailand] Uugh. Woke up at 4am with the runs. Last nights Mexican (that should be a sign in Thailand) food did not agree with me and today I have my last two qualifying open water dives. Oh well hope the imodium works.
Was feeling pretty grim by the time we got on the boat. Sim reckons I need to learn when to say enough and cancel instead of just carrying on and being miz (aka stubborn).
The ride out to our first dive spot (Viking cave) was very calm, but my upset tummy meant that I still got a case of sea sickness. Wasn’t sure I should be diving but after we got in the water I felt much better. After completing a couple of tasks we were cruising around an artificial reef at 18 METERS (that’s a long way down to me). I must say I was feeling much more comfortable in the water and was able to pay more attention to the fish and the coral. We saw lots, including a large Giant Puffer Fish with a cleaner fish suckering onto him. Also saw a big Moray eel entwined around a piece of coral. Lots and lots of little Nemos. It was lovely.
Our second dive was at Palong. I was feeling pretty grim during the break, but again felt better once in the water. My last few tasks included BCD and weight removal (easy), hovering (also easy) and the dreaded mask removal. I absolutely detest this task and for me it is always the hardest. Once done though, it meant that I had completed all my skills. Stephan then let Sim and me buddy each other and lead the way while he trailed behind keeping an eye on us. It was great. Visibility wasn’t as good as the other dive site, but it was nice to cruise around and get used to just swimming near each other and checking out the sights at our own pace. We both got a bit of a fright when we spotted a black tipped reef shark, and then another and another – they were surrounding us! There were probably half a dozen of these ‘harmless’ adult sharks maybe 10m away from us. Scary and awesome at the same time. We finished off our dive exhilarated and completely knackered in my case (also with numb thumbs and toes again).
Back at the bungalow I was feeling even worse than earlier. That damn Mexican food really did me in. Slept for a few hours then set off with Sim to find some celebratory Scotch. We found one of our favorites (Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban) at a local bar. It was yummy and worth the price. Then off to go get my certification signed off at the dive shop.
Stephan has been an excellent instructor. Turns out I am his first Open Water Diver that he has qualified. Barakuda divers have been pretty good. Their gear and boats are not as nice as Seadragons but I was more relaxed doing the confined water dives in the shallows by the beach. We also didn’t have to worry about getting things done in time for a visa run. The sunny weather helped too.
I am so grateful to Sim for encouraging me to try again. He knows me so well and knows when to push and when not to. My darling man is a wonderful companion and after 200 days of traveling together I still love him to bits and always will.
Tomorrow we are off to Koh Lipe. Well to Pak Bara the ferry point at least. We will have to overnight there before taking the ferry across in the morning. Not looking forward to the long minibus drive – the direct speedboat is just too expensive.
[Pictures: A little taste of the views on the ride out. V’s log book and temporary PADI card – yippee]
Even we are impressed. That is a long time to be traveling around for people like us who don’t even like going out to the shops. The down side is that we can definitely feel that the trip is coming to an end 🙁 we could use another 3 months to get through Malaysia, Indonesia and Borneo but time and money are now on our endangered species list. We have been looking for flights to New Zealand and it looks like we will be arriving there at 23:45 on Christmas day or New Years day – still need to hit the ‘buy now’ button but those dates have by far the best fares. So little more than a month left in the paradise of South East Asia before the great Middle Earth adventure begins in New Zealand.
We just don’t want it to stop. Ever! Maybe we should become climb/dive instructors and just not leave Thailand. Sounds like a plan. At the moment I can’t think of anything better than spending a few years on a tropical island with my V.
[Phi Phi, Thailand] On the way to the dive centre there are two bakeries on opposite sides of the street with irresistible hoards of fresh pastries. That was breakfast and then on to the pier. Barakuda have supplied V with a prescription mask if you are wondering why she is wearing her glasses in the photos. They made a huge difference to her yesterday – one less thing to worry about I guess.
Our first dive site (Ban Nok) was just off a small island 40 minutes from port on flat seas under sunny skies. That’s more like it ! No rough pitching seas to remove our apple dough-nuts. The boat wasn’t full and we busied ourselves with setting up the gear and chatting to Stephane about the dive. Dive 1 would be a ‘no skills’ fun dive just cruising around. The boat stopped just off a stunning little bay – we jumped in and paddled to the shallower part (12m) to start the dive. Just treading at the surface Stephane spotted a baby black tip reef shark swimming beneath us. At that size they actually look cute. The dive was perfect. Great visibility and a lot of life on a beautiful reef. V didn’t remember much. That’s what happens on your first dive – as soon as you go under your memory switches off. We did see, besides countless others, a scary scorpion fish and a small Morey.
For an early lunch our captain pulled into Maya Bay. Yip – the one from the movie “The Beach” – which they are STILL playing in bars and restaurants on Phi Phi over 10 years after it screened. Your could barely see the sand through the swarm of speedboats, long-tails and 450 person ferries. A special trip there won’t be necessary or worth it. V had the boring task of swimming twice around the boat and then treading for 10 minutes while I had lunch. I was kind enough to have a cup of tea waiting for her when she got out.
The second dive site was just around the corner from Maya bay – a site called Malong. The visibility was not as good but the terrain was interesting and we saw a lot of lazy turtles munching coral and I got up close with a giant puffer fish (they are very cool). V took in a lot more on the dive and also completed the prerequisite skills and then some. Instead of just filling the mask and clearing it she removed it completely. So that fear is obviously gone and has been replaced with an even bigger grin.
I took a lot (well it’s a film camera so 24 is a lot) of photos and I hope they turn out but we will have to wait as there isn’t a photo lab on Phi Phi. After snoozing and inter-netting all afternoon we popped out for a meal and then straight back to bed. This diving thing is exhausting. Just two dives left and V will be certified. Tomorrow should be a breeze.
[Pictures: On the way out to the dive sites. V swimming around the boat in front of Maya bay]
[Phi Phi, Thailand] Don’t think V got much sleep last night – she was anxious about getting back under water. The dive centre was kind enough to let me join V and Stephane for the confined water dives in the harbor. It gave me a chance to play around a little and keep an eye on my V. I have to admit that we were not that impressed with the gear at the centre, compared to Sea Dragon in Khao Lak it was in bad shape but we kitted up fully and marched down the main street to the beach. That knackered us out immediately, the stuff is heavy!
With all the time in the world to complete the skills and Stephane’s calm tone (our kind of tone) we got in the water and V spent around 10 minutes just ‘acclimatizing’. It just felt more comfortable and less pressurized and a much better environment than the pool. Lots of space, warm, varying depths and cool little fish to watch. V’s previous wide-eyed expression was replaced with total calm, control and enjoyment after her little swim around. She cruised through the first exercises (even the dreaded mask removal) without any problems. At one point I was just cruising around and found V and Stephane on the bottom at over 4m in the deepest area doing mask removal. I was impressed!
After a short break to warm up V completed the final two confined water dives, again with ease, although she always moans about having to take the mask off 🙂 Two and a half hours is all it took for the 5 skills sessions. We’re both really chuffed. It was a major fear for her to overcome after the last experience. V rocks and I love seeing that ear to ear grin on her face. She’s genuinely excited about the dives tomorrow.
In the afternoon we took a walk around town and purchased an el-cheap-o underwater camera (£10) that may (or may not) produce some shots of V’s qualifying open water dives. Feeling a little more energetic than usual we headed up to the Phi Phi view point. It was a hot, steep hike but rewarding with the view of the island. We decided to wait for the sunset but as soon as the sun dropped below the sea cliffs to the west the mozzies launched an offensive. We didn’t last long! Not to worry – we needed an early night – tomorrow we hit open water.
[Railay to Phi Phi, Thailand] This morning we said our goodbyes to Railay as we boarded the Ao Nang Princess ferry to Phi Phi. The Pra Nang peninsula was marvelous in the end, even if the weather was terrible, we only had a cold water shower and the WiFi was expensive. The weather today started off perfect and it was an easy hour long cruise out to the island (not even a hint of sea sickness because it was so calm).
We were a little concerned about finding accommodation on Phi Phi (the place is always busy) but the touts at the dock had plenty to choose from and it was a relief not to have to schlep around looking for something. The hotel even came to fetch us and transport our luggage (first time that has happened). We’re happy with what we found (Uphill Bungalows) and it seems like a reasonable deal since we have hot water, aircon and most importantly free WiFi. We grabbed a quick bite and spent some time internetting ourselves in the bungalow. As luck would have it the wind and rains started up ferociously giving us no choice but to keep playing online (there is always something to download or news to read).
By 4 the rain had gone and the sun was back out. I managed to convince V to go and chat to dive school about completing her course. She was not wild about the idea, the fear is still fresh in her mind, but we found a PADI 5 star company (Barakuda Divers www.phiphibarakuda.com) online that made special mention on their website about giving more time to ‘nervous’ students. We went looking for them in the maize of streets that is Tonsai village where dive centres pay instructors on commission only. The result is that the western instructors lurking outside of the dozens of dive operators hardly let anyone by with trying to sell a course or outing. We found Barakuda and were greeted by Stephane (a French fire fighter and rescue diver who has been an instructor for about 25 minutes). Explaining that V needed to finish her course he got the branch manager involved. They were great to chat to and we felt completely comfortable in spite of Stephane’s recent graduation to ‘Instructor’.
So it’s all set. Tomorrow my brave little V will be facing her fears once again. I’ll be able to dive with them for free to just watch and fool about while they do the confined water dives. After That excitement we spent the rest of the evening strolling down the island and back along the beach. It is a beautiful place.
[Pictures: Cattitude at the local restaurant. Our new little ‘Bungalow’]
The two (total) hour hike in the forest was reasonably easy but sweaty. No bugs or leeches either but the kids along with us still call it ‘trekking’. The flower I have to admit was a little disappointing. They open for around 10 days so I guess you are lucky if you catch one that has just blossomed (a loose definition for such an ugly, smelly ‘flower’). In any event it was good to see. 
Every possible square metre has been cultivated – up and down the valleys and hillsides. It was picturesque and we learn a few new things about our favorite hot drink with the visit and a tour around the factory. Better than that was the chance to have tea and scones at the beautiful (and very popular) cafe overlooking the vast plantation. The tea was excellent and the scones were missing the clotted cream but I think it’s fair to bring England even for the day. 
[George Town, Malaysia] With only one full day in George Town we had a few things to get through. Unfortunately it is a Sunday so a lot of places were closed and then added to that a well loved local politician passed away so the town was holding a procession and funeral. We started off wandering the streets around the hostel. Again China Town mixes with Little India on British colonial streets and it’s hard to identify anything truly Malay (whatever that is). After breakfast we headed to the start of the LP guide’s recommended walking route. We started at the Eastern Oriental Hotel. A huge colonial monster from the 1800’s. Apparently the waiters wear shorts and pith helmets (hopefully that’s not all) and it is THE place for a fancy English afternoon tea. Too expensive for our blood so we moved on. 
We navigated past the gathering and along the Durbanesque waterfront to fort Cornwallis. Not that impressive as far as forts go but it was cool to learn a little about the history of the Island (George Town is on Penang Island). The colonial story sounds interesting and centres around a British naval officer – Francis Light (must remember to look up the full story sometime).
We found a basic and dismal hostel style room at ‘Love Lane Inn’ on Love lane – no kidding. V liked the description of the place online – I think maybe because they have hamsters on the second floor. We went out for dinner to the Indian area close by. Less like Luang Prabang and more like Chatsworth. Seems Malaysia will be an interesting mix of India, China and everything else. BTW. They drive on the left and have UK standard plug sockets. Do you have a flag ? 
Malaysian immigration was no problem. We got 90 day visas – the only request from the friendly official being that we spend all our money in his country. The ferry terminal joins straight into a fancy shopping mall but most of it was closed (we are now another hour ahead of SA). The Malays have been clever with Langkawi – the entire holiday island is a duty free zone. It’s also massive. More like being in Durban than on an island. Nothing like what we have become used to in Thailand. Outside the mall the ferry ticket office was closed and in place of annoying touts a helpful guy told us where we could find a hotel on our budget. He didn’t try and sell us anything. It was odd. He even told us we could walk there rather than taking a taxi. We took the advice and found a dingy hotel around 2km down the road for £10. We walked past a mosque (yip this Islamic territory), skatepark, playgrounds and the huge Langkawi Eagle (Dad – how about that for a lawn jockey!) Everyone we have interacted with so far have been helpful and pleasant. We like. Tomorrow we’re off to Georgetown (Penang) by ferry – not really interested in spending time on Langkawi’s riviera.
Love from us both. Hope you had a wonderful day. We were thinking of you. 
Stephan has been an excellent instructor. Turns out I am his first Open Water Diver that he has qualified. Barakuda divers have been pretty good. Their gear and boats are not as nice as Seadragons but I was more relaxed doing the confined water dives in the shallows by the beach. We also didn’t have to worry about getting things done in time for a visa run. The sunny weather helped too.
