A Journey Worth Going Through


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Asia » Malaysia » Kelantan » Kota Bharu
July 7th 2015
Published: July 7th 2015
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It was October of 2013. I visited my brother in Singapore. After several days I decided that from Singapore, I would be going to some place in Malaysia other than Kuala Lumpur, the search engine showed Kota Bahru instead of my input of Kuala Bera and it turns out that it was Lake Bera that I have read in a brochure years back where there is an elephant sanctuary. I just confirmed it when I compared the state maps of Kelantan, Pahang and Terangganu.

So I booked my hostel finding the cheapest and easiest to find from Tuesday to Friday planning that from Kota Bahru I can go and enjoy the Perhentian Islands beach or go to Vientiane, Laos thinking that the Laos boarder is just a distance away from the Malaysia-Thailand boarder.

During my tour with my friends Oswald and Rhea in 2007, we didn't catch the train going to Bangkok from Lavender-Singapore station, so we opted to take the bus. Well, now it was 2013, I did not catch the train again. I miscalculated my travel time going to Woodlands CIQ. I have to be there and get a ticket 30 minutes before 7:30PM. According to the internet information I can reach the railway train at Woodlands CIQ in 65 minutes. I left by 5:30PM, forgot that it was the rush hour, reached the bus to CIQ before 7 and it took me 30 minutes going around trying to find somebody to ask. There was no police and and I said the wrong letters CQ so nobody can know where it is. The bus driver knew but I cannot understand him because he was pointing at the other side of the road which I do not know how to get to. I saw a bus no. 168 express going to Pasir Ris and one of its stop leading to was one bus station away from where I was staying. Since, I really wanted to try and see how it is to ride in a Malaysian train I decided to go back and catch the railway train the next day.

It was like eons waiting the following day for the time to go to the train station. I already noted the bus number to ride and I was ready to count five bus stops leading to Woodlands Checkpoint, but even those instructions and guides were different with what my visualized expectation of what to do. The bus did not stop. It stopped at a checkpoint and I have to follow the crowd of passengers getting off the bus. I have to ask another passenger and the driver when I asked about the bus to CIQ made a hand sign and my understanding was he would be waiting at the next stop. I asked an Indonesian mother with her daughter and she even waited for me to get off to point to me to go up to the escalator for the immigration and board the bus at the next side.

At the Singapore exit, the immigration officer had been flipping his head and looking twice at his watch before stamping on my passport. My breathing was a bit fast that time due to the weight of the bag I was carrying and have to walk, run, stand and queue. Actually I wanted to ask the officer, "Is there any problem?," but I chose to just shut my mouth. Probably because I've been in Singapore for over 6 days and I just put in my disembarkation that I'll just stay there for 6 days and my next destination will be Abu Dhabi. I was really planning to but since there were lot of documents to present and with a very expensive visa fee I decided to waived visiting my new-born nephew and see the F1 race; when I can watch the race with less expense in Malaysia or Singapore.

After my passport had been stamped, I went down to the other side and saw people queuing to board the bus going to what I thought was CIQ. I lined up not sure if it was the SBS line and I realized the bus we got off would not be the same bus we would board. I asked the girl in front of me and good thing I was in the right lane.

With the Malaysian immigration, the guy was kinder, he asked me if I have a Malaysian pass (answer was No) and if it was for leisure (Yes). After that I made several inquiries from him: How to get to the CIQ railway station? He said I can go down and ride the bus to Larkin or I can walk going to JB (Johor Bahru) station. I asked again if I take the bus to Larkin do I have to pay in ringgit and he said yes. Then, he pointed which way going to JB Central. Finally, my train ride! I got my preferred number 10 seat by the window that I unluckily cannot book on-line and nobody was seated beside me halfway through of the travel. It dawned on me I was not in Woodlands CIQ but have reached Johor Bahru when I paid at the counter RM31 instead of SGD and realized that the price in the stores around was in MYR. Unlike my trip with Oswald and Rhea years back, it was the coach bus we took going to KL then change bus thrice going to Bangkok - a total of 36 hours of travel. The advantage was the bus runs faster than train. With the train it would take us 2 days to get to Bangkok.

Three Chinese folks asked to share the seat at the waiting area before the train arrives. Finding out, I was traveling alone, they were afraid for me. The old Chinese guy asked me if I can speak Mandarin Chinese or Bahasa Malay. I said Chinese I can speak the basics but Malay no. I asked him if Kota Bharu is safer to go to than Kuala Lumpur. He said almost the same. Just choose to be at the right place. Twice he reminded me to go to where there are many people. Don't go to lonely places (which I presume don't go to solitary or unpopulated places). I nudged myself to note and take his advice. During the train ride, I contemplated that Asians are really very family-oriented, conservative compared to the westerners who have been having fun traveling because they choose to face their fears.

I arrived the next day in Kota Bahru (Wakaf Bahru station) at 11:34AM. The train left at 8:05PM. So it was 15hrs 30min travel vs. the bus that would only take 12hours 30 min. The travel maybe longer but I have enough leg room while sitting in an AES (aircon economy second class seat). I chose the economy seat and not the sleeper berth since I would also be sitting in the bus, and turns out that it was cheaper than taking the coach bus. Consequently sitting after five hours, my butt begins to numb. The advantage with the train just like in planes I can stand and walk and stretch. And use the restroom as long as the train is moving.

Malaysian economy train was better in China's economy. In our travel from Xiamen to Guangzhou in 2008, a middle-aged, thin guy had been smoking in the train several times. I wanted to throw him out while the train was moving. Unfatefully, we endured it in our 16 hours of train ride. With the Malaysian men they somehow heed when others reminded them to close the door of the smoking area. Some men tried smoking with the door open and the smoke was getting in and I can smell it from the middle of the train coach and somebody spoke in words I don't understand, Bahasa probably, and the guy took heed. But the Singaporean bus and metro are more maintained compared to the Malaysian train. I must say, though the railway station went farther than before it was in Lavender, it looks better and more comfortable; but, still the Lavender station building was historical.

Malaysians were more friendly but I still should be more careful. My last travel in Malaysia, we also have been fooled a bit after Thailand (worst travel experience for me). When we arrived in Kuala Lumpur coming from Langkawi, it was already wee hours of the morning. We asked around how to get to the airport since a lot of inns have been fully booked because of the F1 race. We talked to an old man, a cab driver and he said that he can take us to the LCCT airport and it would not cost a lot. We paid him probably MYR130 divided by three. Marvel, a Pinay we met at the waiting area told us that if we waited for 5AM, we could have taken a bus which only cost RM8. It was Ms. Congeniality Oswald Go who befriended her, and her seat assignment was next to me. After landing in Clark, we rode the bus to Manila and she became a friend thereafter. Rhea was not in the picture anymore when we checked in. We parted ways with her because she would go back to central KL to meet a friend then back to Singapore to her cousins and there she flew back to the Philippines.

Back to 2013, arriving in Wakaf Bahru station, a lot of cab drivers have been waiting and it would cost a lot so I asked where to get the bus and I have to walk around 200 meters to find the bus stop. I asked a lady unboarding from her car and she pointed me to the waiting shed and talked to an old woman who only spoke Bahasa. The old woman was very helpful from boarding the right bus until reaching Kota Bahru; just that she cannot understand and speak English. Off the bus when I asked her where is Jalan Padang she pointed to the next street and it was correct because I found the Pizza Hut as one of the hostel's landmark. Finding Cerana Guesthouse, I met a young German couple who have been there since morning and said that they don't know where the front desk guy was and what time he will go back. We talked for some time and how I envy those two when they said they still have two years to travel.

During my stay in Cerana Guesthouse, I concluded that it was a nice place to stay because it has a veranda compared to other hostels in Kota Bharu. The setback was guests only use electric fans and no aircon. But temperature in Kota Bahru was not that hot and at night it was cool and most of the time raining. It was hard to expect too much. The place was not as clean and tidy as one wants it to be but what compensated with it was Kwan (One), the manager was very kind and Abu Antonio was helpful in giving directions and advised on what to do in KB. They can speak good English so it was not as hard to converse compared to the people on the streets and at the market.

In Kota Bahru when I got to almost empty places with not much people around I remembered the old man's advice like when I went to Pahang Cahaya Bulan. The place was like a ghost town in the morning. But I can't help it. I wouldn't reach other places I would like to go if everything should be in a lot of people. Somehow, when I pass by in solitary places it was in broad daylight and at night it was only a short distance away from the night market so I just walked fast.
The ocean waves in PCB was very strong even though there was not much wind blowing. There was night life there but since I was there in the morning, it was more like a ghost town. There were big boulders that were not really from the ocean but I think they brought trucks of it here to protect the sea shore erosion. But was not sure if they're going to build it like a sea wall. The strong current was scary but fantastic.

While riding in the bus, I've been comparing the PCB houses ranging the economic status of the people there. I've seen were those who have now and those who have before. It was hard to determine the haves and the have nots I might be wrong so it's better to compare it by houses. There were newly-built big houses and some were big old houses but starting to be dilapidated.

The words of the Swedish girl I've talked to the first morning I was in Kota Bahru kept ringing in my mind while on the bus going to Pahang Cahaya Bulan. "This place (Kota Bahru) is a good place to get things organized." They've rested and it was a laid-back central town, not much to do at night, so rest and arrange their things coming from other islands like Perhentian. We were in a Muslim state so one cannot find much alcoholic drinks and the available ones were expensive at the Chinese kiosk stalls. For me, Kelantan was a good place to be rewriting again, organizing my thoughts and planning how to get to Laos (which didn't happen at this travel, I instead went to Phuket).

Upon checking out, I asked Kwan as I psych myself going to Sungai Kolok if it is to possible coming back from Phuket to go to Tumpat and catch the train there going to Kuala Lumpur? He answered WORKABLE. I like the word, because it was not so insisting to do the best route possible and he was wary on suggesting to backpackers what they should do. Probably, it may not be the best planned route that I am talking about but still it can be done.

An hour of travel on board the bus to Malaysia's boarder of Rantau Pajang and cross the the bridge by foot to Thailand's boarder of Sungai Kolok then upon exiting the immigration, rode a motorcycle to the bus station. During the night bus ride, my angels sent me an English guy to guide me through where I feared most to go to - Thailand. It was hard to talk to the people there and mostly tuktuks rip-off tourist from their overpriced taxi.

It so happened that the conductor put me in a seat beside another English-speaking person, Phil Gerrard. During the 12-hour trip, I found out that he is an English who used to live in Davao, married to a Filipina and adopted her kids. Things between them didn't work out well and so choose to retire in Phuket. We exchanged views and opinions about the Philippine and Thailand government, business growth and education. Upon arriving in Phuket in the morning, Phil, my heaven-sent guide saw to it that he set me off til the bus going to Karon. Bus comes every 30minutes and I agree to stay a little longer and walked through the wet market showing and teaching me the life of Thais. He educated me about monks over morning coffee and offered to change my dollars to baht. I like his intonation when he said it to a Thai friend who had been tipping us if the Karon bus was about to set off, "We're in no hurry, we're on a holiday."

Leaving Phil behind, it was another adventure finding Rumblefish. Arriving at the hostel, I met this Canadian girl Kerri who have been traveling for a couple of months and will be traveling more passing by through Australia for two months to spend Christmas there with her brother.

At Kata Beach, I met lovely people and fun guys to hang around with. It was liberating to be with some new found friends with almost the same situation (but not quite), same age bracket, same concerns in life and just found a so-called new freedom. The freedom to do some basking under the sun while idly watching the cloud formation, or stay at Rumblefish til the sun's heat mellowed down, or ride the motorcycle while drenching in the rain or plunge in the beach underneath the stars and see luminiscence floating beneath the waters, and laugh and converse and have some fun as much as we want. We became a bunch of guys who journey life one day at a time, enjoying the most of it and see, where it bring us.

I thought I would cry upon leaving Phuket, I did not. I was so restless to leave the morning I have to check out because nostalgia had been creeping in. It was sad indeed but I am looking forward to going back with my dive buddies and enjoy its underwater.

I don't know how can I sustain to be so happy and so carefree as much as I can because after this holiday, things would be back on the fast lane, multi-tasking again, doing a lot of things to get a lot of work done. I would be like a train engine again pulling those coaches rolling on the railway tracks.

Traveling alone was scary but challenging. In the end, it was enlightening and empowering because I built confidence in myself, in people, in life, gaining knowledge and wisdom and best of all friends. This trip was more liberating than before and I am looking forward to another travel adventure planned or unplanned the soonest possible time.

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