The 28th of June is my fellow cancerian and wifes birthday and as she always made clear she wanted Elephants on her birthday. Luckily we found a good deal which was a bus to an Elephant Sanctuary 60 miles north of KL and the bus would also drop us off at Chinatown KL. We caught the bus rather than the boat back from our jungle village of Kuala Kampung Tahan to the jetty town of Jerantut. Then after picking up our provided packed lunch of rice with chicken, some watermellon and water we were on our way to the sanctuary. Once there the place didn't look as rustic as the brochures led us to believe and seemed more like a single species zoo. That said, despite the looks it is indeed a sanctuary. Besides the tricks and rides the elephants provide, we are faithfully assured the elephants return to a large area to spend more of their life doing elephanty things than tricks for us. The first of the three activities was feeding the young ones and we are given a bag of bananas and potatoes. Unfortunately there seemed to be an abundance of the bananas and less then 10% potatoes. The elephants are obviously spoilt for bananas as every one there has a bag for them. They do not hide their boredom of a banana, as they will happily take it from you then throw it away with their trunk like a piece of crap. The potato they loved, but we only had two to give.
Next was the elephant ride, which was a bit of a damp squib, as they just went around in a circle of maybe 20 foot diameter and seemed less than the "jungle" (someones overgrown backgarden) trek I had about 10 years ago on Koh Samui, Thailand. However, I think looking back the Malay Elephants had a better deal. Following the ride we were invited into the muddy water to bath with an elephant. Sarah concerned about her eye regretfully sat this out. I did get in. Taking off my trainers and socks and leaving shorts and t-shirt, I thought maybe just the bottom of my shorts would get a bit damp. I hadn't looked carefully at the brochure. I was asked to jump on young dumbo, and the rest of the visitors were asked to and gladly splashed me and young dumbo. I was drenched and after getting off looked at my non-waterproof watch to check if it was ok. It was fine. A wet arsed journey back to KL followed and we ended the evening with some excellent pasta and The Reggae Bar in Chinatown and the cool Carlsberg beer hit the spot. I hope Sarah enjoyed her birthday.
Day 87 - Batu Caves.
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| Batu Caves |
Following the doctors we visited the Batu Caves about 15km outside of KL. They are a collection of Hindu temples around and inside some magnificent caves. Probably the second most visited place in KL after The Petronas Towers. 8 Years ago I was badly ripped off by a taxi driver who charged MYR 186 (about £31 at the time). He did all the things that I should have been looking out for. A metre which looked to be revolving like a 78rpm turntable, and jumping out the taxi to check if the caves were open (metre running) despite me asking him not to. A couple of American tourists at the time took a more honest taxi and paid MYR 50. Anyway this time and not being able to afford a mistake like that we took the train which amounted to 3% of the first one-way journey. Some things about the caves were new. Some more gaudy images of Hindu gods had appeared in the last 8 years. Moving forward about the caves, the steps up are long and intimidating as they are. This is without hundreds of thieving monkeys standing on the steps trying to steal from you. Anything from a bag to a can of coke is fair game. Or in my case a bag of Sarah's eye drops invited a robbery attempt from one little shit. I could see he spied it, but without shame he looks me in the eye and runs at the bag trying to grab it. I swung it to fling him off and I think I clouted him on the head. For a split second I feared another session of monkey revenge as back on Koh Phi Phi, but it seemed he took his failed robbery as par for the course and moved on the the next jumpy tourist. Meanwhile we climbed to remainder of the steps and entered the caves. Inside more temples and more gaudy hindu statues and art. The caves are massive inside and surrounded by hindus being blessed and the smell of incense burning is a worthy experience. They are also quite cooling and a definite reprieve from a hot Malaysian day.
Day 88 to 89. We just killed time on Saturday. The previous day we had bought tickets to Kuala Besut, the jump off point for the boat to The Pehenthian Islands. The bus left at 9:30pm scheduled to arrive early the next morning in Kuala Besut. The journey was slow and uneventful. However, waiting for the bus at KL I found myself very hot. Not a shocker really as I was in KL, we'd struggled through the heat with our back-packs. However, at the station Sarah went to look for the bus, I found myself very feint and hanging onto a bannister to not pass out. Maybe just tiredness, although maybe not. Putra Bus Station in KL is a busy place and is probably busiest on a Friday night before the weekend, with locals clambering to leave the city. Not unlike Victoria Bus Station in London on a Friday. The heat and the fumes from all the miriad of coaches was a torture. Added to that there is no obvious system for boarding your bus. You are given the number and told to find it. In our case bus number KV3333D. As the lady at the counter said "if you can't find it by 9:30pm (our departure time) then come back and see me". Still as said we found it and the journey was uneventful.
I was concerned on arrival in Kuala Besut, where the jetty to the islands would be, would a bunch of taxi drivers shout over our confusion as we tried to discuss what to do and talk us into an unnecessary ride? On arrival it wasn't bad at all. Someone shouted "boat leaves at 7" (it was now 6:15) "tickets over here". We bought not only the tickets out and back, but the bus back to KL. A few less things to worry about.
The ride over was exhilerating as this was a speedboat. So unsure of our safety they gave us life jackets to wear. There were two boats, one to the big island and the other to the small and it seemed they were racing. Every now and then as we were slightly behind the other boat we would be caught in the swell and jump high and land in a way to cause our spine to shoot out through our necks. On arrival we walked across Long Beach on the small Pehenthian Island (Kecil) and found the first place was about MYR 65, about MYR 15 over our accommodation budget. In hindsight we should have taken it. We asked where a place for no more than MYR 50 a night and we were pointed toward Symphony Village. On seeing a place which was MYR 50, and one for MYR 40, the difference being a toilet and shower, I wanted to cry. Now I've stayed in some shitty places travelling before and I wasn't a baby, but I was feeling really exhausted and achy and sick. Still I put this down to broken sleep on an all night coach. We accepted the MYR 50 room. The room was dirty, the electric was off until 7pm. We chalked it up to better than camping. I crashed under the mossie net and fell asleep. Sarah was meanwhile on her own. She grabbed some food and made a friendship with Habib the Chalet owner, a friendship she would later regret forming.
I woke up at some time after lunch and just sat outside the chalet on the plastic chairs. Still sick and exhausted, I looked to my left in a zombie state at all the trash piled up. I had very little mental capacity to care. In fact this summarised the rest of the day really for me, I was not taking much in at all, very zombiefied. Sarah took me to eat at this place on the beach. I ordered a veggie curry soup and some fries. I didn't finish it. I went back to the chalet and had a second nap, waking groggy that evening. When it came to evening meal we found a place at the end of the beach and all I wanted was fruit and tea. Fruit mainly as I think my body was in deficit of nutrients. I think I self-diagnose simply whenever I feel ill. I assume diet is wrong or exercise is low. I think both cases have effected me of late. I've become tired from strenuously walking in the heat, however its been too long since I got red faced and panting from a good half hour session (no sniggers there, I'm referring to jogging or gym activity).
The Moonlight Cafe and Chalets were really nice and we enquired about the cost of a chalet as the place we were at, well we weren't sure if we could do a week. When we returned it was obvious we couldn't. We walked in and the shower wasn't working. Added to that, while the electricity had come on as promised being past 7pm, the fan wasn't working. The chalet owner got both working again. Then we thought it was raining as water was pouring in through the bathroom window. When I say window I mean gap in concrete with chicken wire for security. Sarah was dealing with him, as she sensed how laid up and useless I was. In fact I think my only contribution was to lay under the net and say "we can't stay here". Anyway this was confirmed by Sarah in a few moments. She returned to the chalet storming in "right we're leaving, he touched my boob". I couldn't quite take this in. I asked her again, then she went off to the Moonlight Cafe to see if there were any rooms, there was no one available. Within this time I locked up and tried to find her. She told me the whole story that Habib was a bit touchy the whole time. Holding her hand to show her the shower is fixed. Arm touching which Sarah reciprocated out of friendship. When she came to advise of the leak, he put his arm full around her shoulder and reached to fondle her breast. Sarah pulled the arm off and shouted "no don't do that!". We walked to the next chalet complex and found a room for MYR90 and this overbudget but very agreeable complex called Panorama. We returned to Habib's Chalets to pick up our stuff. He had gone by this time, maybe aware of what he'd done. His friend tried to call him and said he'd gone to bed, we said we'd return the next morning.
I woke up in the night in our new room sweating and shivering and groggy still but I think some kind of fever broke. I was a bit concerned as my shoulders and chest was aching. I've been bitten by many mossies and Dengue Fever (or break-bone fever in Asia) was a concern. Basically it adds achy bones to the other symptons, there are no preventative measures and it is a growing concern amongst travellers in Asia. My appetite had not returned but I tried some cheese on toast which I struggled with. In all I had to stop being a wuss and this morning I had to see Habib. I had to confront him about molesting Sarah, and we also needed our money back for at least one of the nights. While walking I was still mindful of a few things. This is a small island. Is this man the brother of the only person who has the boat back to the mainland? If the police became involved at any point, is law enforcement the same as in mainland Europe, ie if in doubt arrrest the Brit and say he was drunk? These were ungrounded fears. When we turned up he was sat at the table smoking and seemingly nervously expecting us. As we walked up he stood up and motioned us to sit down, we remained standing. He walked to the fridge and returned with two cans of pop as gifts. He returned the MYR 50 without any protest. I said that Sarah was very upset that you touched her chest. He said "no its accident" but carried on talking as if it was the faulty room causing our grievance. I mimed by points at him, hand and Sarah's chest what he did. His English was very minimal and it was hard communication. I said Sarah deserves and apology. He said "sorry" though I'm still not sure what for exactly. He also said "I speak not English". I'm not sure if he was hiding behind that or not. The point was he seemed humbled and sorry. But had he learned his lesson? I think not. On the beach today Sarah and I were wallowing in the shallow clear waters and looked up at a new female traveller. There he was offering her a mat to sunbath as he did Sarah, and there he was smoking a cigarette, stroking his moustache and looking intently as the bikini clad lady bent over to sort herself out. Me thinks his stock of canned drinks will be trading at a loss this season.
I should say something about the Pehentian Islands or at least the small one we are staying on. The place is a diving mecca, but we don't do diving. It is the perfect place to chill as that is all you can do. Don't be expecting a Thai Island full moon party. Alcoholic drinks are very overpriced. There are no ATM's and WIFI is available at a large for Malaysia cost. Maybe this is the point. If there is one place where you will be forced to pick up a book or stare out to sea and contemplate then this is it. I was sick for the first part, but now with my appetite returning and the nights a bit more comfortable, the place is starting to look good. By time I return to mainland Malaysia I will have been alcohol and internet free for a week and I should do that more often. The guesthouses are minimal and pricey, but the island trades on that. The water is refreshingly warm, but also so clear. I mean so clear you feel you are swimming in Evian. The guesthouses are slightly camouflaged by a jungle of sorts. As evening falls the sea stays blue for a little longer making every night a moment. Indeed should a 7Eleven or ATM arrive on this island I think it would be over. Diving and snorkelling carries this island and for all I'm too scared to dive the likes of those brave enough too carry with them preservation of a kind. That said there is an ugly side to a less developed infrastructure. Trash is hard to dispose of and the cheaper guesthouses probably don't want to avail themselves of the hassle of the boat which carts it to the mainland and throw the stuff in the jungle or even canals. I'm glad I got better to enjoy it.
It also got me thinking about why we are travelling. I made an executive suggestion (only Sarah is qualified to make decisions). My strong suggestion is that on return from Bali, we head to Bangkok and we try hard to get those Indian Visas. We lost out to China but we probably also lost out because we were too defeatist. We could have tried again in Hong Kong. Every traveller I met that did, managed to get their visa without difficulty in Hong Kong through an agency, and on knowing this I felt a bit ashamed that just because a morning of our day was spent in an embassy and wasted, that should have sent our year long plans in a different direction. This is what we will do in Bangkok; We will find a cheap flight to India, we will get a 3 month visa and we will see India before going back. I'm a little sick of going back on plans because they look hard, or at least giving up on first refusal. Granted there are many occassions when we keep trying, but this is a weak trait in us that I will curb from here on.
Day 93. Thursday 5th July
The day prior was Sarah's Independence Day, which she would have passed unnoticed had I not glanced at my watch and shouted "Happy Independence Day!" while she was in the shower. "What?, I can't hear you". "Happy Independence Day!" "That's today?". In the past we would mark this little American tradition which celebrates the glory of tax dodging and tea vandalism with a quick blast of the Star Spangled Banner on Youtube. It seems miles from both our homes the day seemed less significant.
We spent Thursday doing very little as usual, Sarah dragged me to the water for one last dip. I was happy reading and I am thoroughly proud how much I've read while I've been away. Also how faster and better I'm getting at Solitaire and Pool on the iphone. For some reason mosquitos search the whole island just for me. As per the law of averages, by counting the bites on me, I should have malaria, dengue fever and AIDS 3 times over. The sand of the beach makes the bite itches worse for some reason. Especially if its that perfect lighter white snowy sand that surrounds the Pehentians (or maybe it's the salt water). But one last dip in the ocean, was going to be ok, as tomorrow we would be out of here and on to the more mossie forgiving mainland. No more sweaty stinking pillows. No more of the suffocation of the mosquito net. Tomorrow freedom.
Day 94, Friday 6th July
"Oooooh!! I need to puke!". Sarah said and ran to the bathroom. She'd caught a bug. My first thought was, oh I wouldn't want to be travelling with that. We analysed and tried to work out what she ate to cause this. Ther last meal was a pizza. What did it matter, now she had it. Now what to do? We had to check out at 11:30am and the boat to the mainland not until 4pm with a wait on the beach at 3:30pm. Between that time, there would be no shelter. Sarah couldn't travel. I booked another night with ease, and counted the money on us as there is no banking or simple way to replenish our cash supply on the island. "Fuck, why here, why now?". Sarah's eye problem happened in the best place it could have happened in Asia, seems our luck ran out, double fuck! I tried to negotiate our ticket on the 9:30pm bus to Kuala Lumpur. It took some persuading to get the reception guy to put the call through. The first time the phone was 'broken'. Then a call came through while I was there, the phone was fine and he put the call through to our travel agent on the mainland. As with all types of customer service in the Asian travel industry, English is suddenly in short supply when anything but a sale is being made. No refund on the tickets was the final answer, most probably!
The time came closer to 4pm and I willed Sarah's bug to go away and her to feel fit to at least make the journey to the mainland. That deadline passed. Later she felt a bit better and managed a few bites of mashed potato. The evacuation of fluids and matter greatly reduced. Although she hasn't made a full recovery as I type this (10:24am 08.07.12). She still hasn't been able to eat a full meal, although she is hungry.
During the course of the evening I spied the state of the pillow under the pillow case and maybe I saw the source of the illness. It was disgusting to say the least. Not brown, more black with dirt. How many people had sweated their fluids here? Fluids with how many bacteria and illnesses? We may as well have rested our heads on the toilet bowl each night for a week. That night I slept halfway down the bed using my arm as a pillow rather than that cradle of disease.
Day 95. Saturday 7th July
This morning I was awake at 3am and out of bed reading at 5:30am. The chalet next door was occupied by a couple of English girls who had a loud disagreement. They were southerners and while it was refreshing to hear an argument with more succinct vocab than I became used to in the conflict of the wee hours in the north of England. Words like "Compromise" "facilitate" were used as opposed to... well you know. Still they broke my sleep and it never came back.
Still we were getting on that boat, and as advised we were on the beach at 7:30am and the boat headed for shore at 8am after some faffing. We reached the blessed mainland (I wanted to kiss the ground) at 8:40am. The bus to KL was at 9am, or wait another 12 hours. A taxi offered to take us to the ATM and to the bus station for MYR 10, a slight rip off. Once there, my card didn't work, fuck, double fuck!! I did what I hate doing, I took cash out on the credit card. We bought a ticket to the waiting bus at 8:57am. The bus was Asian so it wasn't going to leave on the sheduled minute. I nipped out to buy some water and cookies. We made it. By 6pm we would be back in KL. On return we were back in The Fernloft Guesthouse. While our dorm mates were inconsiderate little bitches, using every inch of floor space for both of them, and playing loud music (maybe we are old fuddies), the clean sheets and clean pillow and AC was perfection. I slept perfectly until the bitches came in at 4am and turned on the lights. Next stop Singapore.
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