Khota Bahru

We hadn't booked anywhere to stay in Khota Bahru so we got the taxi to drop us off on a street were we had been told by someone we had met in Melaka that there were many budget travellers guesthouses. We had been given the name of one place on that street called KB Backpackers, where the rooms had been described and 'worn and tired looking'! After the tiring train journey and because the weather was hot and sticky we didn't really feel like trapsing around looking for somewhere to stay, but we had no option.
Normally we would find a nice cafe and one of us would sit there with the rucksacks whilst the other went to find somewhere. Unfortunately we didn't see anywhere to do this so one of had to stand in the hot street with the bags whilst the other went trapsing around. It didn't take long to realise that several of the guesthouses on that street had closed and some of the others, well you really wouldn't want to have gone into them. Lo and behold KB Backpackers was open. 'Worn and tired' was definately an understatement but is seemed kinda clean enough and we were really tired so we took a room there. It did have a lovely view over the busy main road! The large window didn't close properly so there was no barrier against the loud noise of the traffic, but on the bright side it did give some ventilation into the otherwise stuffy room.
The staff seemed friendly enough and told us that tea and coffee was provided in the communal area and breakfast was provided in the morning. Also, on the up-side, it did have WI-FI so we could look for somewhere else to stay for the following nights. We got freshened up and out we went to get some food and explore. We were so hungry, as we hadn't eaten a proper meal since the evening before, that we didn't have the inclination to wander around for long. Unbelieveably we ended up in Pizza Hut (we would never even eat in there in the UK). Colin, who loves his grub, just ordered the first thing he seen from a set menu without really looking at it. He ended up with packet 'mushroom' soup and a tiny 6 inch pizza with the most disgusting unheard of topping possible. He did get a free coke included though! At least it cheered me up and I couldn't stop laughing at the look on his face as I munched into my pizza (I had at least taken the time to look at the menu and order something that did resemble a pizza).
Me kinda satiated and Colin still hungry off we went to explore. It didn't take long to realise that there was really nothing to explore. We decided to go to the shop, buy a few beers, head back to the guesthouse, check out the Perhentian Islands a bit more thoroughly and get out of Khota Bharu as soon as possible. Unfortunately, as Khota Bharu is predominately Muslim nowhere sold alcohol. On the way back we found the only bar in Khota Bahru and sat with a very over-priced beer, even by UK standards!
We finally got back to the guesthouse and set to our task only to realise that going to the Perhentian Islands would not be a good option. Yet another disaster!

Photos - The jungle train journey

 

 

This is the Conductor who gave us the bad news about the delays. We sat about this station at Gua Mustang, a few hours from our destination, for quite some time so we wandered around the platform for something to do. The Conductor insisted in having his photo take as he was very proud of his train. He was obviously used to long delays. 

The Jungle Train Journey

We had booked an overnight sleeper train from Kuala Lumpur to Wakaf Bahru, leaving at 8.30pm and arriving the next day at 9.20am. We wanted to get this train because it is the last 3-4 hours of the journey when the views from the train through the jungle are meant to be the most scenic. Therefore we could get on the train, settle in and read for a bit, sleep and wake early and enjoy the views. Sounded perfect.

We took the bus from Melaka to Kuala Lumpur, put our rucksacks into the left luggage for the day and went off to enjoy the culinary delights of Kuala Lumpur once again! The train left bang on time and we got settled in to enjoy the journey. The train was different from indian trains as it was much narrower and only has an upper and lower berth on each side of the train (but the upper berth still folds up during the day so that the lower berth turns into two seats facing each other). On the first photo you can see the length of the carriage and in the second photo is me settled onto the bed, although I was tossed to the upper berth for sleeping as the lower had more space!

The railway line was single-track and we had read that the train could be 'quite rickety'. We hadn't really translated that this meant you would be tossed around the bed at night and that the stopping at every ramshakle village meant jolts and starts. Also there were large open gaps between the carriages, so when you leave the carrige to go to the toilet you had to maouver over open spaces where you could see the train tracks passing below whilst trying to manouver between the jostling carriages! 

Still, we had lovely jungle views to look forward to in the morning! I managed to sleep OK but Colin hardly slept a wink. We woke at 6.30am so that we could enjoy the scenery for the last 3 hours of the journey, but it was still pitch dark. About 7.30am we could start to see the scenery. It was really jungley and the passing villages quite quaint with children running alongside the train and waving at you. After 2 hours of this, and to be honest, that was enough we realised that we should be at our destination. 

Unfortunately the Conducter came along and informed us that there was a 3 hour delay. We weren't really that bothered as the train was air-conditioned and comfortable. The 3 hour delay turned into a 7 hour delay and during that time there was worse was to come. A local train in front of us had broken down and that train had been moved into a passing place. When our train moved alonside the passing place all the passengers from the train were moved onto ours. 

There was not enough room for all the extra passengers (seemed like everyone and their granny had came on the train), extra luggage, huge bags of rice and noodles and all the other paraphenelia. So, people were sitting between the carriages and had opened all the train doors. This meant that the air-conditioning was no longer effective and also our snacks and drinks were almost finished. The last 3 hours of the journey were hot, sticky, noisey, hungry, thirsty and very uncomfortable - made worse by the fact that a 13 hour journey had now turned into a 20 hour journey (we had known it was a slow train, but not quite that slow)!

We were very relieved to get off the train and get a taxi to Khota Bahru to enjoy the next few days there. Unfortunately Kota Bahru was another disaster!

The start of the disaster

We stayed in Melaka for 6 nights, longer than we had anticipated, but because our accommodation was so chilled and relaxed there was no rush to leave. We had made a plan for our onward journey over the following month. As many travellers will relate to, especially when travelling in an unknown country, you can always make disastrous decisions. The next part of our travels certainly was disastrous but, to be honest, we didn't do as much research as we probably should have.
We didn't want to travel up and stay in the interior of Malaysia so we had to choose between travelling up the East coast and over to the Perhentian Islands (consists of 2 islands) or up the West Coast and over to the Langkawi Archipelago (consists of 99 islands, some of them just large boulders in the sea, Langkawi being the largest inhabited island).
We decided to travel up to the East as we had read that the Perhentian Islands are not very developed. Also, the 13 hour train journey that takes you up this coast travels up through the jungle railway line which trundles slowly into the mountainous, jungle-clad interior, stopping at every ramshakle village on the way and terminates in Tumpat  the North East of Malaysia (jungle railway). The views from the train were said to be really good, especially in the last few hours of the journey. Even though Colin claims he is not a train-spotter he does like to travel on any slow, obscure and different train journeys in any country he can. So, I indulged him in his pleasure!
Our plan was to get off the train at Wakaf Bharu, the station before Tumpat, head to a place called Kota Bharu, stay there for a few days and then catch a ferry to the Perhentian Islands. We had decided to stay in Kota Bahru for a few days rather than head staright to the Parhentian Islands, as our limited reading had told us that Kota Bharu is a supremely pleasant place and deserves more than just a pit stop.
So off we headed with our plan, which turned out to be a catalogue of disasters!

Photo - Capitol Satay Restaurant

 

 We went to this retaurant one night. It is famous for it's satay. The stainles-steel tables have a bubbling vat of satay sauce in the middle of it and you dunk your skewers of food in it to cook (fondu style). The second photo is the fridge where you choose all the skewers of food that you want to have. I chose a lovely skewer of beef, but it turned out to be liver! Colin, of course, chose the most bizarre looking skewers so we didn't know what we were eating, although I could identify prawns and squid.

Photo - The riverfront, Melaka

 

This is the riverfront. You can take a boat tour from here through Melaka.

Photo - Chinese night market, Melaka

 

We went to the Chinese night market but it was a bit of a disappointment. It was really touristy selling clothes and bric-a-brac that you really don't need. Not even any good foodstalls!

Photo - The orangutan shop in Melaka

 

This is a really cool shop. It is owned by a Malaysian artist and sells paintings and t-shirts. We never actually bought anything but the t-shirts very really nice.

Photo - Going Japanese in Melaka Town Square

 

Doing the mad Japanese pose again, in the Town Square. Colin is determined to make me look daft in photos. 

Photo - The Town Square, Melaka

 

This is the Town Square in Melaka. It is really quite quaint. It was built by the Dutch in the 17th centuary and is full of history. Here is the website for anyone who is interested. http://www.hollandfocus.com/v2/index.php/magazine/contributors/dennisdewitt/99-dennisdewitt/110-mallaccachristchruch

Photo - The Old Town Guest House

 

Our room. It was actually quite a bit larger than I have captured. There was also a recliner chair and table with fans on it to keep us cool. We also had WI-FI access in the room as well as in the communal areas.

Photo - The Old Town Guest House

 

The other communal sitting area. This is also where the guests had breakfast and cooked if they wanted to.

Photo - The Old Town Guest House

 

This is the same photo as before but taken from further back. It gives an idea of the communal space that is available for guests.

Photo - The Old Town Guest House

 

One of the large communal sitting areas. You can see how bright and airy it is.

Leaving Kuala Lumpar and heading to Melaka

We stayed in Kuala Lumpar for 4 nights and left as soon as my passport was sent by courier to Hong Kong. We really enjoyed walking around the city and there was certainly enough to do to keep us occupied. Really miss the food though. We took a bus to Melaka, about 1.5 hours south of Kuala Lumpar. The bus journey was really comfortable as the buses are very spacious with loads of leg room.
We had read that Melaka was a small quiet place and would therefore be ideal for us to kick back and plan where we were going to travel to over the following month. It did turn out to be a small quiet place but still had plenty of eateries and loads of history and culture to explore. We initially wanted to find a place to stay that had a garden to sit in, so that we could sit outside while making our travels plans but, although the place we ended up staying in didn't have a garden, we couldn't have found a nicer or better place. It was called The Old Town Guest House and was ran by a French Guy and his Malaysian wife and 2 lovely children. They were very welcoming people and helpful to travelers needing advice or onward travel assistance.They had both been travellers in the past and were aware of travellers needs. It was situated in the old town and was surrounded by excellent, cheap places to eat. If we had found a place to stay in the centre of town we probably wouldn't have ventured up to this area and really missed out.
It was more of a homestay than a guest house as they rented out 10 rooms in their home. The rooms and the family's living quarters were all on the same level and their kitchen was in the communal area was available for guests to use. Breakfast was self service with tea, coffee, toast, jams, fruits and often a nice surprice of home cooked Malaysian food. The communal area consited of 2 very large, bright, airy spaces with comfortable couches to lounge in and a great area to meet other travellers and swap stories. One of the areas had a large TV and a huge selection of DVD's to watch. We were even able to download nearly 30 DVDs onto our own computer to watch at a later date. There was washing machine facility with large clothes drying area, loads of books and magazines to read WI-FI access and also a PC that guests could use if they didn't have their own computer. Tea, coffee and filtered water was free 24 hours a day. During the day all the windows were opened and several fans going to keep the place very cool. It was just like sitting in a cool garden as there was many potted plants around, which is what we had initially wanted. It was so comfortable that some days we didn't even bother to go out. Click here for a link to their website  http://www.melakaguesthouse.com/

Photo - Getting around Kuala lumpar

 

Once you work out the various rail systems in operation, Kuala Lumpar is easy to get around as they are all really well integrated. This is the monorail which travels above the city and is great for getting around. It is much better than an underground as you can see the sights as you are travelling from place to place.  

Photos - Kuala Lumpar

 

The Twin Towers in the city centre. From the photo you can see a small bridge that links them. You can get free tickets to walk across the bridge with a guide. Unfortunately you have to be there at 8am to get your ticket for later that day. As 8am is a wee bit early for us we never got tickets.

  

We looked a bit boring just taking pictures of the Towers when all the Japanese were jumping around in stupid poses. So we decided to follow suit, although probably not as animated.

I
 

I think I'm turning Japanese. I think I'm turning Japanese. I really think so!

 

Just like any other big city there are people dressed up and standing like statues.

Kuala Lumpar

Kuala Lumpar is a really beautiful city and is very different from Indian cities. It is very clean and  doesn't have too much pollution. The streets aren't lined with beggars, emaciated cows, dumped piles of litter etc. It has proper pavements to walk on and really good 3-lane highways. Although the roads are busy they are not completely congested with big trucks, rickshaws and pushbikes carrying large loads that are so big that they should really be transproted in a van. It doesn't though have too much evidence of it's own culture though, but instead is made up of very modern high rise buildings and huge shopping malls.
You can't walk more than a few minutes without coming across a massive shopping mall. These shopping malls make Buchanan Galleries look like a corner shop. In fact, Buchanan Galleries, is probably the size of the foodcourt in one of these malls. For example, one mall we went into was 7 stories high and only sold electronic gadgets - computers, mobile phones etc.. It doesn't have shops running either side of the mall, as we know a shopping centre but instead is crammed full of small stalls, several hundred per floor. It is quite mind blowing. Colin, the hi-fi boffin, found a place selling Chinese hi-fi equipment which he had only ever read about and never actually seen, as it is not sold in the UK. He had to be dragged out of the shop before he spent every penny we had.
The food  is fantastic but the only problem is that there is not enough hours in the day to eat as much as you want to. There was one really fantastic food court to eat in. A food well known food critic had trawled the streets sampling people selling food in little street stalls. Most of these had been selling the same food, in the same stall for generations. He choose the best 20 he could find and set them up in a food mall, in the ground floor of a large central shopping mall. The only problem was choosing which stall to buy your food from as they were all brilliant. Then, when you sat down content with your choice you would see someone else's plate and wish you had ordered that. Several times I had to ask strangers what stall they had got there plate of food from so that next time we would go there. All the menus have pictures of all the dishes that they sell. This is not like in Spain when you see pictures of the food on a menu, you order it and what you get is nothing like the picture. Here, what you see is exactly what you get, which is great when you don't speak the language. Statistics say that there are 1.5 million people live in Kuala Lumpar but I am sure there are more than 1.5 million eateries!
If you are a shopaholic Kuala Lumpar is the place to be, if you are a foodaholic it is definately the place be but if you are an alcoholic it is the place to avoid as alcohol is very expensive.
Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country but this is not evidenced in Kuala Lumpar where short skirts, tight fitting jeans and skimpy tops are the clothes of choice for most. There are Muslims and dressed accordingly, but they seem to be in the minority. After having lived in the Middle East for 10 years I find it strange to see young Muslim girls wearing a headscarf alongside tight jeans and tight t-shirt.
Even crossing the road is relatively simple as there are zebra crossings which some drivers even stop for. Not like in India where you take your life in your hands when crossing the road. Colin's theory in India when crossing the road is find a Local who is also crossing and, as soon as they step out into the traffic, you also step out, look straight ahead and just keep walking - despite the fact that cars and trucks are still ploughing forward. He believes that the cars will swerve round the Local hence miss you as well. He doesn't take into account that the Local might just have a death wish and want to be rammed by on-coming vehicles, hitting you in the process. I must say though, it does seem to work - or has done up til now!
Our main aim in Kuala Lumpar was to re-new my passport. Unfortunately passport re-newal has now become centralised and the British Embassy there no longer deals with this. So we had to print off renewal forms from the internet, fill them in and courier them to Hong Kong along with my old passport. It is then processed and sent to the UK. It will then be returned to the British Embassy in Malaysia, where I can collect it. It will take 4 weeks, so now I am in a foreign country without a passport. This means that we cannot leave Malaysia for 4 weeks but we are still able to travel around the country so not too much of a hardship. Fortunately most hotels only ask for 1 passport when you check in and if you are booking trains etc and you need to give passport details, you can do this on-line. Then they don't know that you don't have a passport and I just give my old passport details.
It was difficult to capture the city on film as it was so vast with all the high-rise buildings and activity happening around you. Will post some photos though.

Leaving Cochin, and India, after 6 wonderful months

We finally left Cochin on 24th Feb after having spent 6 wonderful months in India. We had enjoyed our short stay in Cochin as it really was a chilled out wee place, especially for India. As we were leaving Heavenly Homestay in the taxi to go to the airport to catch our flight to Malaysia,  Patrick ran into the house and returned with bottles of water so we would not be thirsty on our journey - hospitality right to the end! (we have also since, received an e-mail from him, thanking us for staying in his home).
Because of the problem I had been having with my knee, I had it strapped up. Sounding like an old git, a friend from Agonda had given me a walking stick. Sounds a bit over the top but it helped me to get upstairs, without having to go up one by one,  with a rucksack on my back. When we got into the airport the ground crew immediately approached me and asked me if I needed  a wheelchair. I obviously said no, but Colin was a bit miffed as he thought it would be fun to have him whizzing me around the airport in a wheelchair. It would have been like a comedy sketch from Little Britain with Andy and Lou - me getting out of the wheelchair to get a drink at the airport bar while Colin was in the toilet!
More embarrassment was to come. When we were in the departure lounge I was called to board the plane before the other passengers. Not to be out-done Colin grabbed my hand luggage so that he could board with me. So there we were sitting on the plane. Coiln, myself and two wheelchair-bound passengers and then the other passengers were allowed to board. Just before landing the stewardess approached me and asked if I would like to be carried off the plane by porters, where a wheelchair would be waiting for me to take me through customs. I obviously politely declined. Colin was in stitches.
It was the early hours of the morning when we arrived in Kuala Lumpar (70kms from the centre) so we had pre-booked a cheap, budget airport hotel as, at that time, no buses operated and taxis tend to rip you off because it's late. We got to the hotel and the room was a box, no bigger than the size of our bed! The next morning we got a taxi into the centre. Although we have both travelled throughout Asia, none of us have ever been to Malaysia. We had tried to book a budget hotel in Kuala Lumpur via the internet but none of them had got back to us. So we chose an area on the map and asked the driver to drop us off at a large shopping mall in the centre so that we could find a place to stay. On foot, we managed to find a place which turned out to be really good and central for most things.

Ayurvedic massage

For the last 6 months I have been having trouble with my knee. It was getting a lot worse and I was having difficulty walking and unable to get up and down stairs - having to go baby style, one stair at a time. I had seen 2 orthopaedic doctosr in Goa, had an X-ray, MRI scan and was given medication. There was no improvement so I decided to consult an Ayurvedic Doctor in Cochin. Ayurvedic medicine is traditional medicine native to India. I was prescribed 2 types of tablets which contain many different types of herbs and also a series of Ayurvedic massage. You are massaged with hot medicated oils and then have a steam bath with medicaterd vapours. As we were leaving India the next day I was only able to have one full body massage treatment. I was told to return for the massage in 2 hours. I have often had massage in the UK and really enjoy it so I was looking really forward to it.
Believe me, this was very different. There was no soft lighting and music, privacy to undress and only exposing the part of the body that is being massaged. I was taken into a room by a lady dressed in a sari and a big rubber apron. there was no soft massage table but a bit plastic rectangular table with the sides about 4 inches high - almost like a big shallow plastic bath on a high plinth. She indicated that I remove my clothes while she stood there. I stripped down to my bra and knickers and she pointed at me to take off my bra. A bit red in the face, I did what I was told but there was worse to come. Braless, she then pointed at my knickers. I thought she was having a laugh but she was deadly serious. Horrified, I removed my knickers thinking things couldn't get any worse - wrong. She then got a paper loin cloth and told me to straddle my legs so that she could put the cloth between them and secure it round my waist.
She told me to sit in a chair, and to add insult to injury, it was facing a mirror. So now I can see myself in the mirorr, naked except for a wee tiny piece of cloth, not even covering my pubic bone or buttocks! While I sat there horrified she heated up the medicated oil over a gas burner and I'm thinking 'how hot is that going to be'. Fortunately it was not too hot. She started by massaging my head and also pulling her fingers down through my hair with quite a bit of force - not enough to scalp me but not far off it. She then told me to climb onto the plastic bath. At first she was gentle but soon started getting stuck in. No part of my body was sacred - legs, buttocks, back, tummy, boobs, face and even my ears. Due to the oil and the plastic bath I was sliding all over the place.
Next I had to sit in a steam bath with medicated vapours for 20 minutes. I sat on a small stool, encased in a wooden bath with a small hole at the top where my head was fortunately exposed. It was really weird and I kept thinking that the stool was going to topple and I was going to garrotte myself. I have never sweated as much ever before. She asked me if I was enjoying it and I politely said I was. 'Oh well, I'll give you a bit extra time then' she said. I couldn't believe it!
She finally let me out of prison and told me to have a shower and then it was all over. I must say that when I walked out of there I don't think I have ever felt that relaxed in my life. I went home and slept for hours and for the next 24 hours I felt completely drained. I have now been taking the medication she gave me for 10 days and not only can I walk on flat surfaces but I can walk up and down stairs. The only downside is that one of the herbs in the medication is also used to treat severe loss of appetite so now I can't stop eating. At the rate I'm eating I will eat so much that I'll become obese, put extra strain on my knee and the problem will re-occur!!
On a more serious note maybe we put too much faith in Western medicine and should consider alternative forms of therapy.

Photo - Kathakali Theatre

We attended a Kathakali Play in Cochin. It is one of the greatest art forms of Kerala which originated in the 17th century. It is a Play, which tells a story, without the use of words. Instead they use body movements, eye movements, music and acting to tell the story. All the actors and musicians are male therefore some of them play female characters in the play. It takes 6 years to train to be actor or musician. The first hour was taken up with the actors on stage applying their make-up. It was great to watch the transformation of their faces, which took the full hour for them to complete. Their make-up was made from coconut oil, ground into different stones to make the different colours. After their make-up was applied they demonstrated various eye and body movements and explained their meanings. Then they performed the Play. Surprisingly we were able to follow it because they had given us the explanations of the body and eye movements. It really was an enjoyable evening.

Photos - Santa Cruz Basilica Church, Fort Cochin

Fort Cochin, as in Goa, has a large Catholic population. Santa Cruz Basilica Church is one of the oldest Churches in India. It was built by the Portuguese  in 1505 but was destroyed by the British, as was many other beautiful buildings, in 1795. It was re-built in 1905. Click here if you are interested in the full history (especially for Mary). Santa Cruz Basilica

Photos - Sunset at the waterfront in Cochin

Sunset on the waterfront. In the foreground of the picture is old chinese fishing nets. They are not in use now as they take too much time and manpower to pull in the catch. You still see them in operation in Vietnam though.

                                The boat fishermen brining in their catch.

Large squid still wriggling around. You can buy live fish from the fishermen and take it to a local resaurant who will cook it for you.

Photos - Heavenly Homestay

                                The welcoming entrance to Heavenly Homestay

                               Patrick in his lovely garden. Or room was to the far right of this picture, up a set of stairs,                                            on the roof of the original house

                                Our room. The red door leads into the bathroom

                                Check out the LIPS headboard

                               Our wee balcony, which was almost always in the cool shade

The view from our balcony

Heavenly Homestay is aptly named. Patrick and his wife are a very welcoming friendly couple. You are made to feel at home, in their home. They have 2 rooms in their homestay - one inside the main house and one upstairs that is an extension built on the roof and has its own entrance. Patrick used to work in the hotel trade which is reflected by the decor of the room. The decor is certainly not indicative of a typical Indian family home. Breakfast is served in the dining room in the main house. Here the decor is more in keeping with an Indian family home and is lovely and cosy. The breakfast that he served could have fed 8 people instead of 2. We went down to breakfast on the first morning and the table was laid with a plate full of toast, butter, jams, eggs, various fruits, freshly squeezed pure pineapple juice (no added water, just pure pineapple), tea and coffee. As if that wasn't enough there was also a full Kerelan breakfast , which was different every day - dhal and rice, masala dosa, idly etc. You were also offered tea and coffee throughout the day if you were sitting on their downstairs balcony using the WIFI, despite our room having tea and coffee making facilities and even a fridge stocked with bottled water. Patrick was great at recommending places to see and eat and his recommendations were always spot on. Actually when we first arrived Colin asked Patrick where the nearest barber's was to get a shave. Not only did he take him there on the back of his motorbike but he took the long way there so he could point out places of interest that we could then walk to. It really was 5 star treatment and accommodation at budget travellers prices! click here for the link to Heavenly Homestay website  Heavenly Homestay