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Published: April 13th 2013
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We arrive into Penang at about 8pm and the minibus spits us out somewhere in Georgetown. I heave The Bastard on and start looking. All the accommodation is between $5 and $10 but i'd rather pay more for somewhere half decent. It all looks prefabricated like they've just shoved a load of compartments into a warehouse and then plonked a fan and a bed in each one. Its a bit like prison – and in the heat of March – a fan just isn't cutting it.
I leave another one wearily, followed out by the owner and his sidekick. I can't understand a word he's saying to me even though he's trying to speak English.
“Look can I just leave this bag here while I find another hotel” I ask. I know its rude and wouldn't be allowed in the UK, but thank the lord Asians seem to care less about these kind of things
“i help you I help you!” says Choy Greendragon (for that is his name) handing me a motorcycle helmet.
“I want another hotel!?” I say “not yours!” I explain.
“I know I know, I take you round on the bike and
we find”
Choy Green dragon. Utterly demented Malay with punk hair cut, skinny jeans and hoodie and enormous heart - then proceeds to drive me around four or five hotels until I find the one i'm happy with, at one point offering me half the money to stay the night.
“one more one more!” He says, sensing my air of defeat.
We go to the Friendship Hostel where I meet the intriguingly named Robinson, a Malay teenager with excellent English and great pride in his historical knowledge. He shows me a room and Choy comes to. Its modern, has a/c and will do just fine -for $10. Choy is happy, i'm happy we are all happy. I settle down then come out stairs for some late dinner. Choy is in the restaurant outside -and gives me half his noodles. This man is ridiculously lovely. But then the Malaysians are perhaps the friendliest, sweetest people i've ever met.
"Its ok I help you! you help me when I come to England!" he says.
"Me, I learn English, no school no school, parents split when young then mafia..."
“Eeerrr..you are in the mafia?!” I enquire. He
laughs it off -but to be honest I'm never really sure!
The next day I find a hostel on my old street – Muntri – the Muntri Inn. Its a Chinese themed with a smoking water feature in the lobby amongst hanging red lanterns. I'm sharing a girls only dorm with only one other girl – a Japanese social worker who lives in Hither Green, Noriko.
I hand over my passport to the travel lodge and decide to do a little trip to Langkawi. I went there for a few nights with an ex boyfriend about 7 or 8 years ago and remember it being absolutely stunning.
When I arrive its hot and I find another cheap place – Daddy's - where I get a decent ish- room for the night. There is a beach front bar and clear white sands. I wander down and order a fruit shake from the enormous cheery Rastafarian Malay serving.
"What's your name?" I ask.
“Bob," he says with perfect deadpan timing.
The waters are clear, but I see one tiny orange fringed jelly fish innocently bobbing up and down. Apparently stingers are a real problem here so
be careful. An Egyptian guy starts chatting me up and invites me out for a drink but I decline. I'm not interested – and I want to get this blog up to date. I'm not sure if I should just accept rather than sit in by myself but then I remember.... its not good saying yes to guys you don't fancy!!
I don't do any writing, just spend my day sunbathing, reading and swimming in the sea. And as i'm coming up to being one full year away from home i've realised i'm ready to stop travelling and start working on the rest of my life.
I give myself a talking to. This is what was wrong with Koh Phangan, and now i've brought myself to another Tropial paradise. I don't think i'm ever going to seriously knuckle down and work on all the actions and goals i've set myself for this year while i'm distracted by a white beach and clear blue seas. Maybe its the English in me.
We are so used to the bloody minded random disappointing coldness of our own weather that most holidays are planned around the sun and as soon as
there is the first whiff of a ray in early March everyone strips off to their shorts and heads to the parks or the coast with a frisbee. If the sun is out and your are near a beach you just have to sunbathe! It is an opportunity that cannot be wasted, regardless of whether that is all you have been doing for the last 2 months and are already now a lovely shade of nut brown. I think to myself, I can either stay here, make friends, go out and continue the holiday or i can get serious with my life and go somewhere where i can concentrate on my writing, but I cannot combine the two it seems.
As if to tempt me further Bob has found me a friend.
"Nooooo!" He says. "You are not leaving....you are staying!"
She's a beautiful girl from down the road from me in London and on holiday by herself. Aaargh it would be so easy to stay and just hangout some more, but no one got anything done without a little bit of (better late than never!) self discipline so I say a sad farewell and make myself
ship on out early.
I get back to Penang and book back into the Muntri Inn. Noriko and I go out for laksa which she treats me to and then I make my journey back into Thailand. This time not to travel, but to live.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Thanks for taking the time to catch up on your blogs...
and for your times of reflection.