Steve and I left Langkawi together and headed to Penang for a couple of days before venturing on to Kuala Lumpur. I managed to pick up another computer while I'm here, and get reports etc. confirming my last computer was flooded and irreparable for the insurance company which they asked for however it looks like they won't pay out for anything again, it's a losing battle and actually they owe me for all my hospital treatment too which they're trying to get out of... bah, rant over!
I show Steve around Penang which he seems to enjoy but realistically I only give him pointers as I need to get cycling down to KL and I'm cutting it fine. The bike has a quick going over and repack and everything seems in order and I'm looking forward to getting back in the saddle again.
I say my farewells and set off once more, from Penang I took the car ferry over to Butterworth which is actually free to leave the island and only takes around 30 minutes, and I manage to sus out my route on arrival. At one point I ended up on a main road however it turned out to be more of a motorway and I got escorted off it by the 'Polis' which was pretty embarrassing however they pointed me in the right direction for Ipoh. The main road was better than the one I got sent onto, but what can I do!
The journey down to KL was all a bit fraught time wise, I ended up throwing the bike on a bus near Ipoh to cut out some kms at one point which was a savior, and realistically the only reason I made it into KL on time. The road down was fun though, at one point you could see the highlands in the distance with just palm oil trees everywhere, no houses or communities... just trees as far as I could see. I love all the thumbs up you get on the road and shouts of hello, it makes the cycling such a unique experience which is what I love. I stayed in a few small places on the way down with very little communication, it's back to the sign language for somewhere to sleep and eat but I've never been stuck yet.
Getting down into KL I rejoined the frantic traffic and I'm delighted that I'm staying with friends in the city however at the end of a long day it's all uphill and I manage to get lost several times. I'm really annoyed that I've lost my camera on route which was a parting gift from Danny... grr I'm never normally careless and I don't know what happened to it so unfortunately all my pictures on the road down were lost... sorry Danny!
I met Penny in Langkawi and she's kindly said I could stay at her place, plus leave my bike when I head to Brunei and I have the pleasure of meeting her husband Mike who's also a lovely guy. I'm guided in by phone and relieved when I actually arrive at 8pm after another long days cycling. Penny's house smells of Christmas as Mike is in the middle of making mincemeat for a craft Fayre along with other jams and pies, talented guy.
Once I'm settled in and hit the hay I managed to get the best sleep in a long long time, in the most comfortable bed, plus air con and actually I didn't get up until around 10am the next morning which after an early night is almost unheard of!
So onto adventures new, I'm meeting Steve in KL airport for our flight to Brunei the next morning... I can't believe I'm going to Brunei!
