Saturday, June 30, 2007

I'm so excited

And also exhausted.
I left for Pekan, and was really looking forward to an easy day. Unfortunately it was not to be. Pekan itself seemed like a pleasant enough town, but.... the hotels were awful (neither had rooms with a bathroom, and they were both upstairs, so I would have to carry the bike up a flight of stairs) So I decided to try to get to Mersing. Well, Mersing was 145 km away and I didn't see the sign until it was almost too late. I could have turned back, but I hate hate hate to do that. Especially for a hotel without a bathroom. I made it to a small small town called Neisai, and they had a very nice motel, with a nice bathroom. The town didn't have a restaurant or cafe, but the room itself was nice. I think it was a fishing/angling place because several of the guests were getting ready near the river docks when I left to begin the journey to Mersing.
It was 100 km. But.... even though it was a bit hilly (ok a lot hilly) it was still very beautiful. The roadside isn't very developed, so although a few times I wanted a cafe for something to drink, most of the time I appreciated the unspoilt coasts and jungles. And. And. And.
I saw wild monkeys. Really. They were all fluffy and cute, but since they had teeth both bigger and sharper than mine, I decided their fluffy cuteness was better appreciated from a distance. I even saw one peeking out at me from the foliage. It was pretty awesome.
I might be able to make it to Jahor Bantu tomorrow. It depends on how I feel in the morning and how the road goes.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

hmmm what to do, what to do

I've made it to Kuantan, and am at a cross roads so to speak.(actually I'm literally at a cross roads) _- I could go to Melecca by bus, but that would kinda suck, or I could keep going south on the road I'm on. Both would get me to Jahor Bahru by July 3, and into Singapore by July 4. I'll finish on independence day. I will then have to get my ticket home.
The road has been pretty good, but it didn't rain yesterday. I've decided that rain is a good thing, in that it keeps things cool (the other day it was almost cold). Last night it finally rained but I didn't care much, because I was happily eating curried shrimp.
Good food helps make any problem seem somewhat less severe. Another lesson learned.
I still don't know what I will do when I get "home"
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

country roads

I was disappointed that the coastal road isn't really very coastal. (although there have been some beautiful exceptions along the way) However, I've changed my mind somewhat. Even without the coast it is beautiful. I'm tired though, and sometimes I can't wait to finish. But then I also am still enjoying myself very much. Sigh.
Actually the road has been very slow due to construction, but the truck and bus drivers are very courteous. Once one even followed at my snails pace until it was safe to pass me- instead of crowding me off the road. I thought that was very cool of him.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

I feel much much better now

I am now perfectly well, and pretty darn good thanks. I have money ( apparently the banks here will not accept certain serial numbers on some US dollars -CB because there were some forgeries, and I am still kinda mad a Thailand, 1st for the bad exchange rate and now for giving me money I can't change. Well, fortunately my hotel let me pay after check-out and I received the money Uncle David sent, so all is well. I am fed, cool and have something interesting to read. What more could a person want
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun

Friday, June 22, 2007

Why?Why not

I'm sorry I didn't post for the last couple of days. Since I left Kota Barhu I got a wee bit sick. I won't give the disgusting details, because, well, they are disgusting. I've made it to Kuala Terengganu, and I'm heading south. I was a bit disappointed in the road. It only hugged the coast a little bit. It was still pretty though. I still feel a bit weak, but I had a wonderful dinner at the Chinatown here. It had sweet sausages,something I haven't seen here yet.
till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Not George of the Jungle

I left Jeli early in the morning. I slept amazingly well, considering the jungle at night is NOT a quiet place. After Jeli the jungle rescinded into plantations (pineapple and banana) and then into just lush green valleys. I made it to Manchang in very good time, but the town had only one hotel, and it wasn't very nice at all. (expensive and shared bathroom) Originally I had planned to go to Kampung Raja but I knew I didn't have time, and I didn't know if it would have any hotels, so I decided to go to Kota Bharu even though it is a bit more northerly than I wanted. I'm so glad I did. I found a nice guest house, but it wasn't in the center of town. So the owner's brother drove me into the city center so that I could get some money changed, get on the Internet, do some shopping, go to the central market etc. The man was so nice, he even showed me where the museums were and told me some of the history of the place. He said if I need anything to call, and then when I wanted to pay him, he refused to let me give him "a little for gas". I'm always amazed at the kindness of most people.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Almost Famous

I stayed one extra night in Gerik, but didn't blog about it because it wasn't special. I ate some very good roti with curry, watched a movie on hbo. But the next day I went to Banding Island. It is a man made island in the middle of a very very large lake. It was beautiful. There were monkeys and fish. I was able to get a lake view room and watched the sunset over the lake. It was just wow. I then set off on Hwy 4 to Jeli. It looks like a town on the map. ... we'll get to that later. Ok the road sometimes needed some tlc, but I wish I had my camera for the elephant crossing signs. Yep apparently elephants do cross the road. And they are wild. I didn't see any, and in a way I'm kinda glad because what would I do if I actually ran into a wild elephant?
The mountains were beautiful, and even when I got caught in the mists myself I still couldn't help but be awestruck. This is some of the wildest most fantastic country I've been to yet. (Laos comes a close second) The jungle sometimes comes right up to the road. Someone said there were tigers, but I don't believe them. I saw some cattle tied up by the road, and nobody would tie up cattle if there were any chance of tigers. There were places on the road where I just had to stop and look around.
I finally reached Jeli, but it is not really a town. It is a loose association of villages, without any hotel or motel. Fortunately one of the people I asked took pity on me. He was in charge of the bungalows they give to workers at the power plant. They had a spare one, and it is pretty (also a bit too big, and it is obvious no one has lived in it for a while, but still it was nice of him to offer it to me. ) I came into the "town" to get some drinks and food, and met a reporter. She is going to put me in the paper on Tuesday or Wednesday. So I'm almost famous
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.
I also met an English teacher, her name is Suhaida and we had a very nice chat.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

hurts not so good

Baling was a very very nice town, and now I'm in Garik, another small town. I've left flat long ago. I also cut the burn on my calf with my pedal. I'm not in pain per se, but it doesn't feel that good either. I did, however, have a wonderful lunch/dinner.
Jeli is 124 km away. And there is nothing on the map between here and there. I guess I could take a bus, but.... There is some lake country in the middle that I think should be beautiful. And even though it isn't flat anymore, it is fantastic. I can actually hear the monkeys in the jungle.
I will make sure I get up early tomorrow. Hopefully it won't rain until I get there.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Sing sister sing.

Songs are really starting to go through my head. Unfortunately I can't remember all the words.
Last night I watched Shrek 3, and thought it so-so. Not that bad, but I could have waited. I started out a bit late, but it was ok, I'm still here in Baling pretty early. There are bat caves here.
The road has ceased it's ode to flatness, but the jungles and mountains are gorgeous. And one guy bought me an ice tea (I think he felt bad because I burned myself on the exhaust of a motorcycle) and a woman stopped me on the side of the road, to ask me if she could take my picture for her class, as part of her lesson on strong women.
Yeah, things are more expensive here, but they are also a bit nicer too. One thing I think Malaysia can teach the US is how to live with many different ethnic groups. No one "assimilates" and yet they all work together and get along. The Muslims leave everyone else alone, the Hindus leave everyone else alone, the Christians leave everyone else alone. It seems to work well.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun

Monday, June 11, 2007

It's raining, it's pouring

I'm riding my bike instead of snoring.
I got caught in two rainstorms. (well they weren't really storms, but...) I'm getting ready to cross over to the east coast, but I'll be here a couple of days. Gotta do laundry.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Last night

I only chose that title because it is the song playing at the internet cafe. The cafe is in a shopping mall in Alor Setar. Malaysia is still beautiful, I am riding with the call to prayer being broadcast (this is a Muslim country). It sounds mournful. The road is really good so far, very very smooth and flat, but lots to see so it isn't boring. Kangar does indeed shut down pretty early (by 7:00 most things were closed) but there were a couple of pubs and restaurants keeping the darkness at bay.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.

May -day

So far Malaysia is beautiful, easy, and has some pretty good road side food. I found out about that from the rainstorm I decided to wait out. I'm in Kangar, about 30 km from the border. I'd be in Alor Setar, but... In Hat Yai there was a major problem with the bike on a bus. I don't understand why Thailand has such a problem with bikes. Bangkok had the same deal. Anyway it set me back a bit.
I had read that western women (that would be me) will have a hard time here because it is mostly conservative Muslim. And I see a lot more headscarves than I do pony-tails. But no one has said anything to me or even looked at me dirty. And most of the comments while on my bike fall into the standard. Whooo whoooo and some form of encouragement, usually accompanied by a thumbs up sign. You can't believe anything you read in some of the guide books.
When we finally got on the charter van (because the bus refused even after I showed them how) I looked around and you know what? I bet it would have been ok to ride the bike. Of course I doubt the radical faction is very visible -- I doubt they wear name tags. Hello, my name is Something and I'll be your terrorist today. But it didn't seem to be dangerous, or scary. And like I said, this town is supposed to have nothing going on, and be hell for western women. I found an interesting market, walked around some, ate ice cream, and haven't been hassled at all.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Leaving isn't so hard to do

I leave tomorrow morning. I broke down and got an alarm clock, just because I want to make sure I get up on time. I'll probably get up early, but this way I can check and see what time it is. It drives me a bit crazy when I wake up in the middle of the night and don't know if I should go back to sleep, or stay awake.
I went to the movie theater and tried to buy a ticket to Shrek 3. Unfortunately, the movie is dubbed in Thai. So is Ocean's 13. The only movie not dubbed was Pirates 3 (and it was fun the first time, but I don't think it is worth seeing again.)
oh well.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

a rainy night in Hat Yai

If I'm going to be either entering a city early in the afternoon, or staying an extra day, I will need to invest in an umbrella. Just after I left the internet cafe, it started pouring down buckets. This happened in Songkhla as well.
I am happy this morning though. I found a very good travel agency, they will try to fit my bike on the bus, and they quoted a reasonable price. It was run by women, both buddhst and muslim. I liked that they were working together, and when I explained my fear they didn't laugh or say "no problem- perfectly safe" when I know it isn't. I'm glad I decided to stay an extra couple of days. Now if only I can find a t-shirt that isn't covered with tacky sayings.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

quick, quick

Made it to Hat Yai. I was going to stay a couple of days in Songkhla, but the town was really small, and had almost nothing to do but hang at the internet shop. So.... I am now in Hat Yai, and it wasn't much of a trip. They were doing road construction and that slowed me down somewhat, but I still got in pretty early. Found a niceish hotel, and tried to book a bus ticket. It was harder than it seemed. In many ways HatYai seems kinda like a ghost town, not so many people out and about and very very few foreigners. I would think that would make the travel agencies (and there are a ton of them) want to give a bit better service. Ha. I did find out that the reason they wouldn't book a bus ticket for me is that busses aren't allowed in the down town area. So. I will have to go to the s.market and try to get my bike on a bus. I do not want to go to the border by bike even though several of the travel agents said it wasn't dangerous. However if worse comes to worse I could do it, as it is only 60 km.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

a very good day

The other night I went back to my guesthouse with the mmp (mouse-poo-problem) after walking around the town. As I sat reading my book I started to notice something very nice about the place. Some parts were kinda cheap and crappy, but there were some very nice touches. The bathroom had obviously been re-done, and the cusions on the chair were new. The place needed a paint job, but there were new flowers above the very old dresser. I felt good about helping someone who was working so hard to fix the place up. It was even nicer for the fact that it was the only hotel/guesthouse in town.
The next morning I started out to Songkhla. I was happy to see the ocean from the road. On the map the road hugs the east coast, but you can't always trust that. I was right to be a bit skeptical, as the road did indeed turn away from the sea. But... I did get to eat one of the better meals of my trip. It was seafood and rice, cooked with a sure but light hand on the spices. Fairly simple, but still pretty darn good. Food is often a bit of a gamble. In the cities and where there are a lot of tourists the menus are in English or there are pictures. But on the road and in the small towns and smaller villages, there is no English, spoken or written.
The best way is to go where it is busy, and point to what looks good and smile. Unfortunately you are not always in a town with resturants during lunch or dinner times. The next best way is to go to a place that has large pots on a table. They will usually let you look in the pots and you point to what you want and smile. But what usually happens is you go in, and mime a menu but opening your hands like you have a book. Then you look at the menu and pick something in the middle (middle price, middle of the list) and smile. Then you hope for the best. Sometimes it is recognizable in a good way, and sometimes it is recognizable in a bad way (fish heads for example). But yesterday I won.
I then decided not to go all the way to Songkhla, and stopped at a very nice resort. It was nice too, right on the beach. I drank coffee and read my book and watched a family hunt for treasures and shells in the gathering dusk. Kids and dogs played tag with the waves and even thought it was on the east coast the sunset was still pretty.
I woke up early to watch the sunrise, and then went back on the road. I will have to go to HatYai tomorrow, because the banks here don't have Malyasian currency and I don't want to enter the country without at least a little bit of their money. Apparently it has mellowed some as the people said HatYai, ok, but not to the border.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

long and windy road

What a beautiful road to Hua Sai. Trees made a tunnel through most of the way, keeping me cool and happy. Which is a good thing, because I didn't get much sleep last night. I stayed up to watch Star Movies "StarWars marathon" I know, I know, I'm such a geek. I can remember when the first one came out, oh those many years ago. Back when you had to go to the movies over and over to memorize the lines.
Hua Sai seems like a nice town, but I'm having a mouse poo problem again with my guest house. Actually I haven't had the mouse poo problem for a while, so I guess I'm lucky. I'm a bit perplexed with Thailand. On one had it is much more 'developed' yet on the other, I do have to go much farther to get a decent place to lay my head. I would have thought there would me alot more guesthouses along the road, like in Vietnam and Laos. Oh well. The room feels pretty safe, the people who run the place are super nice and had me change rooms and wanted me to take some cola as an apology. I declined, mostly because cola in the room means ants in the room. I figure I have enough problems as it is.
Till I post again, be good be happy and have fun.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Random

I made it to Nikon Si, and am heading down the cost. My hotel is a large purple building that reminds me of the song "purple people eater"
They are transporting some substance that smells vaugely like a tobacco shop that has been closed for too long and everything has gone slightly sour.
The heat is still oppressive, but I don't really feel it when I'm on my bike as much as after I've stopped.
I had to break down and buy a new tire, as my old one was too far gone, now my bike feels a bit funny.
I always forget half the things I think will be cool to write about as I'm traveling. I have whole paragraphs plus soundtrack. In my mind. But. When I get to the internet cafe, I forget half of it.
They are having some kind of festival for a monk who carves these "special" icons. Everyone is selling them. Including the repair shops and computer shop. It seems a bit odd to me.
The beach is beautiful on the east coast, but I also like the little fishing coves even if they aren't white sand.
I am thinking about how far I've come. When I started, I felt good about doing 60 km in one day. Now if it is under 100 km I think it is easy peasy. My knees no longer hurt when I get off my bike. I still don't know what I want to do. I will take the bus from Songkha to Malaysia because it is too dangerous to go into HatYai.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.