We only have about 20km ahead of us today so a well earned lie-in is in order (Hotel check out is still 12:00pm though). We cycle to Kuala Terengganu and on the way we stumble across a bike shop which offers a service and clean for £3 - bargain.
It transpires that the shop is owned by Nasiruddin Wan Idrus, who cycles for the Malaysian National Cycle Team and he is very helpful, despite having just returned from a 1400km cycle tour of Malaysia. It's an opportunity to gain some insight into the areas of this country we may have to explore, and we're dismayed to hear of his speeds when on the bike compared to ours – on average of 40km per hour, 60km downhill! After being fitted with a new cycle computer and adding two much needed inner tubes to our equipment, we carry on to Kuala Terrenganu. After some confusion about Wifi (original guesthouse claimed to have it but actually didn't), we bed down for the night at Hotel Seri Hoover for 58RM per night. We have also learnt that Malaysian Express Coaches are extremely reluctant to take bikes – we may encounter problems reaching Penang......
Kilometres: 20km
Total Kilometres: 719
Day 22 : Kuala Terengganu
Day of rest for Kate and Lee Lee and we decide to take a tour of the Istana Tengku Long Museum, which displays a collection of restored Malay architecture and boats dating from the late 19th Century.
We also manage to find an express coach company willing to take the bikes for no extra charge, but they're not sure if they'll actually fit in the luggage compartment (it's tiny). In any case, our tickets are reserved and we're directed to return tomorrow evening at 8.30pm to try.
Kilometres: 15km (not included in total km)
Total Kilometres: 719
Day 23: Kuala Terengganu to Penang
Whole day spent waiting nervously in anticipation of getting our bikes in that luggage compartment. By 7pm, our plan resembles that of a swat SAS team and each member knows their role. As the coach pulls in, we're there, disassembling our bikes in record time and squashing them in. Result!!!
Kilometres: 15km (not included in total)
Total Kilometres: 719
Day 24: Penang
The coach arrives at 5.30am and we're left, blurry eyed and watched by an ever growing curious group of locals to assemble our bikes in the middle of a bus lane. Ferry to Penang (RM1.4 per person) and we've made it! Digs found at Old Penang Guesthouse for 50RM per night including brekkie. To date, this is the best room we've seen for the price, and although it's a shared bathroom, it meets Kate's standards. We're booked in for four nights, which allows us to apply for our Thai visas and sightsee in what appears to be a charming colonial town.
Kilometres: 18km
Total Kilometres: 737
Day 25 : Penang to Batu Ferringhi and back again
Today we applied for our 60 day Thai visas – the Thai government has suspended the application fee until June 2009, saving us £40! We got them ourselves from the consulate which is about 4km out of Georgetown, saving us the RM40 arrangement fee that the travel agencies charge. We take a ride to Batu Ferrenghi – the beach is lovely but unfortunately we haven't brought our cossies, so we'll return for a tanning session tomorrow or Sunday.
For dinner, we ate at a local Chinese restaurant and after the meal I noticed a baby cockroach on the table drinking from a spilled drop of water. It hurried off under the table and when I looked to see where it went, I was confronted with the unpleasant sight of dozens of the little creeps scurrying on the underside. Eugh......
Kilometres: 54km
Total Kilometres: 791
Hi both
ReplyDeleteLove reading about your travels.
Keep us posted.
Love
Dot and Merv
XX