The rain was pretty bad today so I caught up on some much needed kip – only got up at 1pm. Lee has been informed that there are three cylones currently bordering the West coast of Malaysia, which is the reason for this unpredictable weather. Most of the day spent in the hostel, chatting to other travellers and reading.
Kilometres: 5
Total Kilometres:796
Day 27: Penang
Rained just about all day again. It ceased between 11am and 1pm and we were able to visit the Temple of the Reclining Buddah, At 33 metres long (108ft), he's a big Buddah!!
The rain begins as we're 20 seconds away from the hostel, and we get back absolutely drenched. It then rained for the remainder of the day and all night; sometimes so loud, you couldn't even hold a conversation.
Kilometres: 13
Total Kilometres: 809
Day 28:Penang to Hat Yai (Thailand)
Today we left Penang – we were quite sad to leave – this is a place where you could quite happily while away time (apart from the atrocious weather). We met many interesting people, including a couple who have cycled across India, Bangladesh, Southern China, Laos and Thailand, covering 7500km in 7 months! They said they were now addicted to cycling and would happily bike it back to their native Germany if they had the time.
We catch the train to Hat Yai in Thailand and arrive just as the night comes. Digs found at Ladda Hostel for 400Baht (£8), but it later transpires that this place also doubles as brothel. In any case, the room is clean, boasting air con and a private bathroom and we'll stay here for 2 nights. We don't mind the moaning that much!!! Lee and I have also discovered “roti” - a sweetened pancake with bananas, egg and milk. Delicious! If we don't start cycling again, I can bet that all the weight we've lost to date will reappear very quickly.
Kilometres: 4
Total Kilometres: 813
Day 29: Hat Yai
Having looked at the travel book last night, Lee and I noted that Thailand boasts a number of National Parks along the path we're headed, and all of these allow camping in their grounds. In addition, we were told by the TAT (tourist information) that a viable place to camp in smaller towns and villages were temple grounds or on the land of the head of a village if we gained his permission. We now hope to use the tent. Accordingly, today was lovely – I got to go shopping for the first time in a month! We now have camping mats, lighting, and also an internet SIM card to allow us to access Skype in the more rural areas where we can't get wifi. The weather, however, would appear to be worsening. It looks like the west coast may be a wash out. In any case, we're heading there tomorrow – we've wanted to visit that part of Thailand for years. If we decide it's too bad we'll cross country to the east coast.
Kilometres: 0
Total Kilometres: 813
Day 30: Hat Yai to Kong Ra
Long day today – we felt really weak on our bikes after the rest we've had, so doing 92km probably wasn't the best of ideas. Out of Hat Yai the roads became less busy, and we were aiming to get off Highway 4 and follow a more scenic route. At our first rest stop we met a local policeman, Churd, who gave us his mobile phone number just in case we got into difficulties in Thailand. Everyone here is so incredibly friendly and willing to help. Along the rural road, the heavens opened and we got soaked – we managed to shelter in various places along the way, mostly people's front porches; the owners are happy to let us, and we try and communicate via the phrasebook we have. We finally reach Kong Ra, absolutely shattered and we seek out the local Wat (temple) as we plan to camp tonight. The monks are very accommodating; we are very welcome to set up our tent and are taken to meet the head monk. Fortunately, one of the young monks, “A” is an English student at Bangkok University and we are able to converse well. The tent is an absolute winner – what an amazing buy! The mesh is invisible with no lights and it is akin to sleeping without any cover. The view of the moon and stars is incredible and we will try and camp whenever the weather affords us the opportunity.
Kilometres: 92
Total Kilometres: 905
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