Coral, Turtles & Kota Bharu Redux

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Warm Tropical Greetings from Kota Bharu…

After a great stay on Palau Perhentian Basar, it was very difficult (in more ways than one) to leave. As I mentioned, everything happens by boat, and somehow, my boat forgot to pick me up. Maybe they wanted me to stay? So, I ended up sharing a last minute taxi boat with a young Swedish family for the 30km trip back to Kuala Besut. Good thing the sea was calm as the boat was really small. Bouncing along we went...the boatman grinning wryly the entire way.

The Perhentians now seem like a dream…
Dreams of friendly sea turtles floating through the water. Dreams of colorful coral around every new boulder. Dreams of lovely sunsets enjoyed from seaside cafes. Dreams of that big mean looking 1.5m Monitor Lizard that crossed my path...yikes! Wake me up, please!

Of course, paradise is an imagined place. There is lots and lots of trash on those beautiful beaches, and the coral is dead or dying in many spots, but heck, I came a long, long way to have this dream. Did I mention that last night’s thunder and lightning show was every bit as exciting and spectacular as any storm I’ve seen on the Middle Fork of the Salmon? Ah, confused again…

Skipping across the early morning ocean swell, I wondered what it would like to live on the water all the time, like the Chao Ley (sea gypsies) of southern Thailand. Eating fish tacos, downloading Grateful Dead on their iPods, singing folk songs about buffalo and eagles…wait, I’m getting confused here. Pinch me.

Wake me up. I’m still in Malaysia, pleasantly ensconced back on the 14th Floor of my comfy hotel in Kota Bharu. Oh yeah, thanks to a fast internet connection, I just added the pictures of the friendly neighborhood Black Tipped Reef Shark to my last journal entry. Be sure to have a peek...

Back in Kota Bharu…a bustling city, the capital of the state of Kelantan, a proud center of Islam in this part of the world. I’m off to find some good roti, curry and lassi.

Catch up with you soon from KL…

ps: Viva Italia!! What do you think the Frenchman Zidane is thinking today? "Maybe I should not have used my head!" I know, I've been on the road for awhile...

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