16. 27/09 - 05/10 - Snakes, Mice and Tarantulas!!

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27/09/07

With the roads in North Western Malaysia being UK standard, or dare I say it, better than UK standard, and the usual maniac behind the wheel, we reached the outskirts of Penang in no time. We drove onto the island via the huge, and originally named, Penang Bridge, and arrived in Georgetown (named after Britain's King George III, an early hint towards the British colonial influence), which is a major, bustling commercial centre. The city itself reeks of cash, although not OTT Hong Kong/Singapore bucks, but compared to Thailand, this place has it all, including pavements!!!!! The minibus dropped us at Banana Guest House, which, after a quick look around, looked fine. We were debating air-con or fan, but Chloe and Amy wanted AC, so AC it was...... After a quick shower, and Amy replenishing our funds at the ATM, we had a beer with the guys, and found out that Barrie had decided to can the dorm idea and get a room at our place. We headed out later for a couple of beers, and food, but Amy and I were finished after a couple, so headed back early at 9.

28/09/07

Due to our lack of windows, we didn't wake til half nine, which meant we had the best part of 12 hours sleep. We were on the sight-seeing trail today so grabbed breakfast on the way, the highlight being a quick chat with the chef who was confirming that we weren't American.......'they start wars all over the world'......couldn't agree more guv'nor!! Sight-seeing meant sucking up the British Colonial architecture including the civic buildings and Fort Cornwallis. I have to admit that seeing British influence abroad does get me feeling all patriotic, which helps me ignore all the exploitation and repression that we specialised in!!After about an hour of walking around the fort I sensed people's interest was waning, and Chloe, Lee and Barrie shot back to the hotel shortly after we left. Chloe wasn't feeling 100%, so she spent most of the day in bed, asleep. Amy and I carried on walking around the colonial district, but we were a little disappointed with the amount of 'heritage' on offer (this doesn't bode well for 'culture on a postage stamp' Australia. Lets hope that desite their lack of culture, they actually maintain what they have got.....), which was topped off by the museum being closed on fridays, today being friday..........We gave up and decided to head back, where we grabbed Lee and spent 2 hours wandering aimlessly around one of the huge shopping centres in the city, arriving back in the guest house at about half four. Now, bearing in mind Barrie had jumped on the internet at about 1, he was still there, 3 and a half hours later, with eyes like fricking squares. I jumped on, Amy enjoyed the AC and a book, whilst I secretly spent my time on Skysports.Com and ManUnited.Com, not the blog, she'll never know......) and I managed to kill 2 hours, as did Baz.

When we signed off at half six, Barrie had clocked up over 5 hours on-line, which ain't gonna do his tan or his sex/social life any favours, unless he is getting desperate enough to try meeting people on-line....... We did manage to get him outside after dark (we relented and let him wear his sunglasses, apparently he was 'blinded by the lights'), when we went for a Mexican (meal, not a racist anti-hispanic attack), which, despite my reservations, turned out to be pretty damned good. Oh, and quick observation, all Western men in Georgetown are weird. They look like the type of people you'd find on a politics seminar (i've been on one), an accountancy seminar (Amy's been on one) or in Games Workshop (sadly i've been in one...). I think this may be a hidden Thailand, another place for geeks and weirdos to get laid.........With nerds and hookers to keep us entertained, we did manage another couple of beers tonight, although I have to admit that 2 weeks boozing it up on Samui has really taken its toll, as that was our lot. Luckily sobreity equals kicking arse on the pool table, which I did until a persistent Malaysian fella eventually took my crown. The night petered out after we failed to get into a banging bar that was showing football (big thumbs up) AND hosting the Miss Malaysia contest (huge thumbs up)!!!!!!! Teased by that carrot, Barrie lost the will to live shortly after, and Lee and I weren't far behind.......

29/09/07

We had hit the hay at 12 last night so a 10 o'clock start meant another decent nights kip, and we were ready to go come morning time. We killed a couple of hours on the net before heading out for a few hours shopping, and decided on the way back that a trip to Little India was on the cards for dinner this evening. Lee's stomach was feeling a bit 'un-settled' (following on from Chloe's 'sickness'), which made me think that spicy food wasn't gonna be the wisest choice, but Lee, being Lee, just cracked on with it. Before dinner we did manage to watch England squeeze past Tonga in the rugby, setting up a quarter final with 'The Convicts', shame we aren't in Oz to watch that one........Amy had a kip whilst I also did some weights before dinner, and we headed out about half 7. It was only a short walk but Little India was a world apart. The bustle, sounds and smells were amazing, and we walked around for about 20 minutes just soaking it up. It made a refreshing change from Thailand, and the sanitized version of Malaysia we have stumbled into in affluent Georgetown. We decided to have dinner in a busy street restaurant in the heart of Little India, and the over-whelming presence of locals re-assured us that we would be getting authentic fare. Our waiter was enthusiastic and spoke great English, although he was so positive about every dish that when Chloe asked for a recommendation, he recommended everything!! We managed to get an order in eventually, even Barrie went for something with a bit of spice, and we thoroughly enjoyed the food on offer. Unlike the Indian food at home it tasted fresh and left us feeling full, not bloated, as it wasn't full of cream or swimming in ghee aka clarified fat!!!!!! And, at less than 1 pound fifty each, it also ticked a very big box for me!!!!! After food I started watching the footie with Barrie and Lee whilst Amy and Chloe jumped on the net. We did 'lose' Lee for about 20 minutes to the toilet, which doesn't bode well for tomorrow, and our 6 hour bus journey to the Cameron Highlands.....

30/09/07

Today was our first early start in a while, half six, for our exclusive minibus journey to the Cameron Highlands for some trekking and mountain pursuits!!! Whilst waiting in reception for Barrie, Lee and I checked the footie scores (Man United won, again......Chelsea crisis continues, hee hee), before Baz rocked up, late!! Apparently he had had some alarm issue, but luckily it was just us on the bus so disaster averted, and we set off shortly after 7. Amy and I kipped til about 9, after which we enjoyed the secenery, which was stunning and very lush, if a little 'gorillas in the mist'-esque (don't think i'll be wandering alone into the bushes for a pee.....), before a quick rest stop. Lee was off the minibus all too quickly, which indicated that he may have some more 'downstairs issues', whilst Barrie loaded up on fruit (the banana he gave me had bloody maggots in it, yum yum). We also enjoyed some local hospitality, not, as the people appeared indifferent at best. A quick glance at a poster on the way back to the main road may explain things, its the 50th Anniversary of Independence, from the British, great!!! The journey continued at some pace, yet again we got a loony driver, but we were slowed down on our way by the driver's fag breaks. On one Lee asked if we could stop at a toilet, ASAP. Unfortunately the response was an emphatic 'NO', there were no loos for tens of miles, so Lee, in a bad way gastrically, had to go back to nature. It was hilarious watching him disappear off into the jungle, head bowed, loo roll in-hand, and as sensitive friends, we took pictures!!! He did make it out alive, although he did hear a rustle, maybe it was that tiny trouser snake.......

We arrived in our accomodation, Daniel Lodge at 11:30, and although basic, and with shared bathrooms, it was at least cool (the mountain air was fresher and less humid than Penang, with temperatures generally failing to get above about 20 degrees at the guest house's altitude). Lee was destined to spend the day in bed 'detoxing', so we booked an afternoon tour around the highlands. We lunched at a local cafe recommended by our guest house, and went for the buffet style servings. Thankfully the owner steered us away from the offal dish!!! After lunch we waited back at the guest house where one of the daughters of the guest house workers drew me a bookmark, pictures of Amy and I. With Barrie's encouragement, she proclaimed Amy as the princess, and me as 'King of China' in the picture, ha bloody ha Barrie......We set off for our tour at 2, first visiting a flower nursery, where Barrie got in-touch with his feminine side and Amy spent an hour discussing wedding flowers with Chloe and the other 2 girls on our trip......for christ's sake......thats next year.......deep breaths Matt, i'm starting to come out in a cold sweat!!!!! Next up was the strawberry farm where we pointlessly, and against my better judgement may I add (deny that Amy, go on), bought a jar of jam, which we've just chucked after a week....Then, my favourite, the tea plantation (which impressively produces 5.5 million cups of tea per day), where we saw the tea-making process and enjoyed categorically the BEST cuppa I have had in a very long time, genuinely, a taste of England....The Bee Farm followed, where, exercising my mischevious side, I used a twig to freak Chloe out about a bee attack. It back-fired, she went crazy (!!!) and she binned off the tour.....oops. The insect and butterfly farm was next, Barrie got covered in scorpions, which we were later told, did sting (!!), whilst we all handled beetles, lizards etc. Amy went a bit 'Eric Hosking' on us (google it) and spent ages deliberating over shots of butterflies......I think this is gonna cost me a few quid on a decent camera when we get back....luckily we haven't worked for months!!

After a pretty intense afternoon we got back at 6 and organised a full day's guided jungle trek for tomorrow, only 20 kms!! Lee wasn't feeling or looking great, with a bit of a fever developing. We headed out for dinner about half 7, enjoying an Indian feast, not exactly low calorie living, especially with all those beaches in Oz coming up, but at least we can burn some off tomorrow. We were all in bed by half ten after watching Blood Diamond in the film room. Not exactly the film you wanna watch when the next day you are marching off into the jungle.......

01/10/07

The alarm woke us at 7:45 and we got our survival kits together (I dusted off my swiss army knife which made me feel all manly) before meeting the guide at the local cafe for breakfast. We gorged ourselves on tea, carbs and protein, and ordered a takeaway seafood rice and vegetables for lunch. Barrie did have to make a quick dash back as he had forgotten the first aid kit, and still left his waterproofs behind!!! We set off about 9, the first part of the trek being very uphill, and bar Barrie and I, everyone struggled (partly because it was Barrie and I, and 4 girls.....). Their gripes and complaints formed a 'pleasant' soundtrack, but when we made it to the peak, and stood looking over the town, valley and mountains, which were shrouded in the morning mist, it all became very worth it. The guide did tell us that tigers had been spotted in the area, which gave us all a bit of a twitchy moment, until he dated the last sighting, the 60s!!! We set off again downhill, for a 3 hour trek to an aborigine village (thought that was just Oz), which was pretty arduous, and became even more of an ordeal when Amy fell on her arse (impressive bruise to show for it), and got in a right hump. I tried to help, but everything I did was wrong, so I moved up front behind the guide, and left her with Barrie!!!!!

We made it to the village just after 12, and were a little disappointed by the tin and concrete buildings, satellite dishes and car (singular) in view. The kids were very appreciative of the sweets, and Chloe had her eye on hiding one in her rucksack and taking it home. Luckily the 5 of us managed to restrain her!!! Slightly worryingly a couple of female villagers were eyeing me up (they're only human), and Chloe and Amy were weighing up whether to swap me for a kid and a puppy (am I that much of a weapon….?). They said they were only kidding, but Chloe had a devilish look in her eye…..cluck, cluck, cluck, good luck Lee!!! We made it out somewhat candy-less, and despite Chloe's attempts to exchange me for a kiddie, we were all in one piece and together. We walked through a tea plantation on the way to an uphill path which was essentially a stream (Barrie and I soaked our feet), before stopping in a clearing for lunch. The next stage was precarious, and the jungle thick, so despite the exertion and slight sense of achievement, Amy and I were left a little un-inspired, as the scenery was almost non-existent due to the thick foliage. We did finish up with a quick dip in a waterfall pool, but being about minus 5 degrees, only Chloe and Barrie stayed in for any time. I got the opportunity to be a smug twat when we jumped out, as being the only person who obsesses and over-plans (yeh you know who you are thinking that), I had a change of clothes. I chucked on some fresh gear, and just smiled..................i'm guessing there are a few adjectives you could utilise right now......

The walk back was more my gig, as we walked through the mountains on a dirt path. Barrie was up front with the guide, the girls were talking work and weddings (i've got my plans in place so this is my downtime), cue me taking a bit of alone time and walking on my own. For about 30 minutes I enjoyed the peace and beautiful scenery, not a care in the world, until we all re-joined and decided that, after 20 kms, we were getting a bus back. The girls wanted to do this, Barrie wanted to take the jungle trekking option, but I was sitting on the fence (missus on one side, male pride on the other). Being a man I caved and went with the missus, forcing Barrie to come along too.....sorry bud. We got back at 6, feeling it a bit (for me it was more joint the muscle pain, showing my age I fear...) but all having had a great time. Lee was feeling better so we quickly showered, changed and headed out for dinner as well as booking our trip tomorrow to yet another isolated tropical paradise, the Perhentian Islands. Treating ourselves, after a hard days slog, and Lee seriously needing to get some calories back on-board, we even went for dessert, and Amy and I completed the British Malaysia experience by going for tea and scones. Despite being, 'not quite how my mum makes 'em' and lacking clotted cream, they hit the spot........With the girls on the net, us boys finished off the evening in the film room, curled up under a blanket....

02/10/07

Luckily the bus to the Perhentian Islands was a late starter, so we didn't need to get up until 9, and we didn't!!! Amy's butt, which she had fallen on, hurt, as did both of our legs. Yet again it was chilly, so I was dressed in shoes and fleece, although clearly i'm the biggest mincer, cos the others were flip-flopped to the hilt. Lee was feeling about 80%, and to our surprise, the bus turned up early. Barrie was cutting it fine so was late getting aboard, but in fairness, was there for the designated time. The driving through the mountains was pretty horrendous, tight bends and road works meant we were swerving from side to side, which left all of us with travel sickness by the time we changed buses at 11. We did get an hour for food and drinks, but I was a little concerned I had caught Lee's bug, so spent most of the time on the john, allaying my fears. We all avoided food, our stomachs feeling more than queasy, and we were relieved to get on a bigger bus. I pulled the 'need to sit near my missus' card on Barrie to secure the 'enough room to build the New Wembley' leg room seat, so my journey was 5 star. The drive to the port for our fast boat transfer took another 2 and a half hours, and we were fortunate enough to have vast palm tree forests as our vista.

We arrived at the port and confirmed our place on the ferry before getting stung with a 'conservation charge', which I thought it was a blag (I hurriedly consulted Lonely Planet to save my precious pennies, no joy), but we had to pay it, so I reluctantly handed over the cash. Our boat was indeed 'fast', sporting 2 big daddy outboard motors, although the staff had a serious BO problem, which brought the travel sickness bubbling to the surface. The ride over to Kecil, the smaller of the 2 Perhentian Islands, was breakneck, and Amy and I lucked out on the seating front, getting the 'wet side'. Barrie thought he was on a promise with a, I have to admit, very attractive Dutch girl, until she confirmed she was staying on the other island, poor Barrie..........Our arrival in the PIs was heralded by breathtaking scenery, quiet white sand beaches, palm tree covered hills and clear calm seas. We were collected from the fast boat by a taxi boat, and shared the journey with another couple of Dutch girls, who I thought Barrie might score with, but judging by their lack of manners and the fact that he didn't see them again, it wasn't to be..... (Lee and I waited on the beach with all the bags, including their's, which wasn't the most arduous task. We chucked the American football around and dipped in the sea, but when they returned after finding their accomodation, they didn't even say thanks.......yet again confirming my view that North European's are generally, not all may I add, selfish, ignorant and lack manners).

We all got checked into our huts, Barrie taking a dorm, and went for a diet coke, before Chloe and Lee realised they harly had any cash. Bearing in mind the island had zero cash points, just one fella who charged 10%, Lee was ready to haul ass ASAP, but upon seeing the price of diving, Lee went all pragmatic!!! After a shower, shave (down to once every 3 days. Got 3 razor blades left and I want to make them last 3 months....tight or what) and un-pack, we headed out for dinner. To say the service was awful would be an understatement. We got 4 out of 5 meals, 2 of them were crap, Amy copped at me because her's was the one left out, so we moved on to another restaurant. Chloe and Lee had dipped out on portion so they had dinner number 2, Amy, had dinner number 1, and we spent the evening playing cards, watching the bats, and getting seriously wound up by the morons setting off fireworks from the restaurant next door.....Bed followed, at half ten, not a beer in sight.....

03/10/07

We finally got up at 10 but our night's sleep was a little disturbed, Amy thought she heard rustling, I had a go at her for over-reacting and making stuff up, and we agreed to differ.......Unfortunately I was forced to admit I was........I can't say it.........don't make me...........its not fair.........ok, ok, 'I was wrong' Matthew Salmon, Perhentian Islands, 03/10/2007 10:47.........We found mouse droppings (jokingly Chloe had said last night that we had a 'mouse hole' under our door)!!! Amy went mental, I said i'd block the gap under the door where it had 'obviously' got in, and we went down the beach. Barrie, Chloe and Lee had gone diving so we enjoyed the sun, which we were later told, had been non-existent for days, and chatted about the rest of our trip, and most importantly, the budget. I've been happy going more than half under budget, Asia being cheap as chips, so figured, more cash when we get home. Luckily, I have Amy to educate and enlighten me, so, from now on, we are spending more!! I am only joking, I see her logic. We are only doing this once (please take note future employers, I am worth the ridiculously large package i'm asking for, i'll be sticking around for a while), and we have worked hard to save up, so lets spend it, and if we have a bit of a credit card balance to get through when we get back, c'est la vie!!! This has taken some getting used to for me, but luckily 2 days later I got some re-education from Amy for discussing budgetting too much, sorry Miss!!!!

The guys got back from diving at 1, and their dive sounded amazing as they saw reef sharks, a turtle, trigger fish, sting rays etc, so maybe i'll grow some balls, get over the shark thing, and graduate from snorkelling to scuba diving. I'm not doing it in Asia, they are way too lax, but maybe good old Oz. We killed the day on the beach frisbeeing (now a word), American footballing, and even buried Baz (he wasn't too keen on a full body internment with just a straw to breathe through). Due to the general lack of infrastructure on Kecil, we had to wait for the power to some back on at half six before we could get ready for dinner, but we were ready to go at half seven. I did notice that Chloe and Lee had left their window open all day, which I thought was a risk. Even though it had bars, something like a big, hairy, 'look at the fangs on that puppy' tarantula could crawl in, AND IT DID!!!!!!!!!!!! When we saw Chloe she was almost hysterical (apparently Lee had resorted to yeling at her to, can I quote, 'shut the f&*k up'), especially as they had had a dual attack from a legion of ants too. Lee reckoned he had jettisoned the intruder, Chloe wasn't convinced, I piled in with knife and torch at the ready, but we found nothing, and Chloe was somewhat distracted over dinner. Barrie just sat there, happy in the knowledge that he would be returning to his dorm with 24 hour electric, air-con, a fan, cleaned daily, brick walls and a fella who lent him some free weights!!!!

We bailed at 11, and when Amy and I got back we found, to Amy's great pleasure, more mouse droppings, this time on the bed!!!! Amy freaked, big time, the door blockage hadn't worked as they had another hole, and I had to calm her down, get her to tidy the room (which she didn't, she just freaked, and freaked, and freaked), so I could make the room properly mouse tight. Amy, to her credit, found the entrance point, the sink downpipe, and using only the tools and materials (swiss army knife and plastic bottle) at my disposal, I fashioned an anti-mouse barrier. Upon completion of my epic construction I lay in bed, with testosterone surging through my system, feeling like a real man. But I tell you what, physical work is tiring, I went to bed knackered and sweaty.......think I’ll leave it to the real mean in future……(Oh and Chloe and Lee had some similar adventures. They had dealt with the tarantula issue but when in bed, Lee found an army of ants crawling over his head, cue, changing rooms. That is what you call an infestation, when it is in the bed!!!!!).

04/10/07

I was up at 9, Amy at half seven (she reckoned she had 4 hours sleep). The mouse (I really didn't want to tell her that I thought it may have been a rat....), had apparently tried the hole, Amy heard it, but my sturdy construction had repelled the furry invader. Amy was adamant we were moving, but I trusted my skills, and convinced her too (that is what you call a salesman), and we stuck with it. The weather was even hotter so we beached it all day (it did mean I went a touch beetroot), and the guys did another dive, this time a ship wreck. They all enjoyed it, although maybe not as much as they could have due to strong currents, which meant they couldn't do the whole wreck. The beach provided our afternoon's entertainment, and we headed back early at 5 as the electricity was still on. We rushed our showers with our imminent loss of juice looming, and I jumped out just in time. We killed an hour reading, whilst I did a few sit-ups, but we got bored and decided to go for an impromptu drink on the beach. On the way we saw an owl (as you do!!), and as Amy wanted a picture, I headed off, found a bar and ordered a drink. Unfortunately we had had a slight breakdown in communications, and Amy had been looking for me around the guest house (I wondered what was taking her so bloody long), so was not best pleased to find me relaxing in a beach bar with a cold one (diet coke) in one hand, rocking back gently on my chair. A bit of groveling later and normality was restored, although we are left with the David Attenborough-feeling, as we’ve seen rats, mice, snakes, owls, an enormous eagle and hornets!!! We’ll be pretty glad to get to the mainland, and the cities, as we’ve been a bit animal heavy these last few days.........

Chloe and Lee joined us for a drink, on what will probably be our last night traveling together. They are heading to the jungle in Teman Negara at 8 tomorrow, but Amy and I want to go straight to Kuala Lumpur to soak up some civilization and are leaving at 12. We were, well still are actually, hoping to meet up in Australia or New Zealand, but the timeframes and distances may put a kibosh on that. We played some cards and moved down to the restaurant where we were meeting Barrie for dinner, all starting to get a bit peckish, and it had only just gone 7, 45 minutes before we meet Barrie, and more than likely over an hour before we chow down!! Luckily Barrie was on-time, food was ordered (promptly), and it wasn’t long before our stomachs actually realised our throats hadn’t been cut!!!! Despite it being our last night together, yesterday's fun and games on the mouse and ant front, and the diving, had taken it out of all of us, so we bailed at 10. We said our goodbyes to Barrie (although only for a week), and Chloe and Lee (potentially until we get back in blighty), which was a bit sad, but I guess everything has to come to an end, even the good things……

05/10/07

We didn’t wake until 9, under no pressure because our fast boat to the mainland was at 12, and chilled in bed, enjoying the feeling of another rodent free night. After a decent nights sleep Amy was in a ‘human’ mood, and I was 100% too. The others got off ok at 8 (well we are assuming so, the rooms empty and they aren’t to be seen), and we packed and headed for breakfast at 10. We found and ate at, a cracking little place on the beach, which served fresh, filling food, and fruit shakes for less than the going rate. Typical considering this is our last day on the Perhentian Islands!!! We took our time, minced back at 11, checked out and waited on the beach for our ferry, which, although it was on-time, had some engine issues. There were only a dozen of us on-board, and the boast wasn’t massive, but it had 2, big old widow-maker outboard motors, one of which wouldn’t start. I think some of the passengers secretly hoped we’d been on half power, but some tinkering later, both puppies were primed and good to go. The journey to the mainland, and Kuala Besut (a small fishing town where we planned to spend one night before heading for Kuala Lumpur on the first bus), took no time at all, and was both white-knuckle, and fun!!!!!

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Photos

Cameron Highlands
In the waterfall - the water was ice cold

George Town
Fort Cornwallis - Matt & Barrie nearly coming to blows over who gets to be manly and hold the gun!!!!

George Town
Parkson Grand Shopping mall - we spent a few hours getting used to the Malaysian shopping experience

George Town
Never far away from a Tescos

Cameron Highlands
The Rose Centre

Cameron Highlands
Barrie enjoyed getting down to his manly side

Cameron Highlands
Matt fitting in with the locals

Cameron Highlands
The Rose Centre - Matt

Cameron Highlands
The Rose Centre - Amy in the Flowers

Cameron Highlands
Tea Plantation - Planted into the hill sides

Cameron Highlands
Butterfly Farm - We saw a lot of animals we didn't bargin for there - Matt holding a gecko

Cameron Highlands
Barrie is Scorpion Man

Cameron Highlands
Rumble in the jungle

Cameron Highlands
The View at 10am from the top

Cameron Highlands
The boys call to the wild

Cameron Highlands
Amy & Chloe Monkeying around

Cameron Highlands
Me Tarzan, you Jane

Cameron Highlands
We were a bit tired after the stroll in the hills

Perhentian Islands
Our home for 2 days - Paradise???

Perhentian Islands
Lets bury barrie in the sand

Perhentian Islands
The smaller of the 2 snakes i saw in 2 days

Perhentian Islands
Barrie can you see him

Perhentian Islands
The owl that looked stuffed

Perhentian Islands
Long Beach

Comments

[chloe]

i lied...
...this one's even funnier than the last! im going to miss being a part of your blogs. oh, you guys. missing you already - somebody pass me a tissue!x x x