Back Again.

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Thurs. 30th. Mar.
We've been on a tea plantation tour today and our guide was so philosophical about his job, and the world in general, that we were thorughly entertained. We saw the tea being harvested from some of the plants that are over 70 years old, and then a visit to the dilapidated factory, where it was graded. Very interesting, even for someone who has never drank tea. It's a 4 hour tour taking in other things as well, and as we drive through the villages the satellite dishes are very much in evidence, even on shaky tin rooves. Through the open door you can see a huge silver tv, and very little else. Tonight, we were determined to get past Mr. Karma and try somewhere else to eat - but we failed! Good job we enjoy the food.

Fri. 31st.
We're off to the north-east of Malaysia today, the Perhentian Islands. A minibus picks us up after breakfast and we drive through some beautiful scenery. some of the houses here would not look out of place on knob's hill. We stop for lunch at a pleasant hotel, and then swap minibuses and head for the coast. This is where it all goes pear-shaped. The boat we are booked on doesn't materialise, or probably doesn't exist, so we have to wait 2 1/2 hours at the run-down booking office for the next one. Eventually we set off with 20 other lost souls, and it's really pleasant until it gets dark. There are no lights on the boat and we're bombing along in the pitch darkness. We've arranged to be dropped off at "Watercolours Resort", so the engine stops and out of the blackness comes a much smaller boat to transfer us to the island. To say it was scary was an understatement, but we made it and came ashore at the most perfect place. A quick meal before they close at 10:00 and then we crash out in our jungle hut.

Sat. 1st. April - Mon. 3rd.
This island, Basir Perhentian, is what we've been searching for since leaving S. America. The texture of the off-white sand is a cross between silver sand and castor sugar, and the water is so unbelievably crystal clear. There are lots of little coves with accommodation ranging from hellishly expensive, to cheap as chips. The people are so happy, as they should be, living in paradise! We've lumped these days together because they were all much of a muchness. Breakfast - Beach - Lunch - Beach - Dinner - Bed. One day we were entertained by the white-eyed, long-tailed monkeys playing in the trees. Don't know where they get their energy from.

Tues. 4th.
Time to leave and it's one of the few places we may well come back to.
Transferring from the little boat to the ferry aws a doddle, - in the daylight! When we docked at Tok Bali, we had to scramble accross another boat to get to the rickety landing stage. I was OK but Jim got landed with the bags. We took a taxi to Kota Bahru, and the contrast between the island is unsurmountable. The place is scruffy and downright filthy. Our hotel is clean enough but the aircon doesn't keep the lizards out, and we're on the 2nd floor. We find a posh restaurant, mainly to try and avoid food poisoning, but they were 'halal', so nothing alcoholic. Tomorrow will be better!

Wed. 5th.
It's a long bus journey today to catch another ferry to Langkawi. After 2 hours, civilisation fades away and we're left with just the jungle. After 8 hours of this, and acres of paddy fields, we were bored to death, except for the sighting of a monkey walking along the road! 2 hours later than scheduled, we arrive at the ferry terminal, in time to catch the last sailing. The boat holds over a hundred people, but you felt that you were on a submarine, waiting to dive, so low were we in the water, with the hatches battened down. We share a taxi with a Manchester couple, and then a quick dart for dinner (again) at a good chinese.

Thurs. 6th.
This is the life. After a breakfast taken on the patio, within sight of the beautiful beach, we walk the 40 metres down to the water's edge, only to find it as hot as a bath. That's no good when you want to cool down, but we'l have to put up with it. We had a sun-downer watching a blue sky change to a vivid red - quite spectacular.

Fri. 7th.
Much the same as yesterday except, fearful of being repetitive, we had our sun-downer on a different beach, but with the same amazing sunset.

Sat. 8th.
While waiting for the car to take us on the next leg to the ferry, and then on to Thailand, Mark rang the hotel to say Sarah has gone into labour. If we could have taken a pill and been transported home instantly, we'd have done it but the magic would be over by the time we could realistically get there. Half way through the journey we have an hour to kill at a Thai town called Trang. We scurry around trying to find a sim card so that we can use the mobile properly. No joy, so we heard in the most modern way possible (text) that our longed for Grand-daughter, Beth Tori was safely born. The travel agent even took Jim on his motor bike to a phone shop, but all that did was lose allour previous text messages - even the notification of Beth's birth.
Does any whizz kid know how we can retrieve them? Back to reality and on to a minibus to be transported, with the aid of 2 car ferries, to Koh Lanta. The island isn't very impressive, and to be truthful, the resort of Riviera Bungalows is a bit of a let down. Until night falls that is, and the staff put on a flame-juggling act that enthralled us and all the local little Gilberts. Magic! All the baby Beths must have been catching up on their sleep.

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