A Cyclist went to sea 8/02/2011: Kuala Kangsar to Georgetown 115.21km

Ferry to Georgetown

On the road by 9am, gluteus maximus vasalined up and I was on my way. All was pretty easy going, my knee was still cause for concern but seems to be slowly improving, I just have to take it easy. I met my first other cycle tourist today, she was German and had cycled from Chengdu, we had the normal excitable chit chat us cycling folk do when we see one another, its usually along the lines of  what the road ahead is like etc (for some that’s a long road). I was really interested in China as it’s the place I’m most apprehensive about. Apart from telling me the roads were pretty bad, the driving is something to be wary of she did give some good news and that was it’s the cheapest place she’s been to thus far. I gave her a map of Ipoh I’d picked up as she was planning to stay there then we carried along our merry ways.

All was going good, the sun was really strong and today was the day I ended my rain record as this was the first day cycling in Asia it hasn’t rained on me. Searching for the place I’d need to get the ferry across from Butterworth to Georgetown proved much harder than it should have been. Asking for directions I was getting answers to all over the place until one guy walked me the 100m I needed to go for the ferry! The ferry cost me and bike RM1.20 (11p) to get over to Georgetown on the island of Pinang. From a distance it looked cool, I guess it is a pretty good place but from the moment I got here there was something I wasn’t keen on about the place. This was the first place where there were signs for cyclists but ironically the drivers are the worst I have come across in Asia thus far.

These little piggies went to market.

I checked into a hostel for the pricey sum of RM 10 (2GBP) where I was meant to meet Rayann the Canadian girl I met in Singapore. I wasn’t feeling massively sociable and didn’t make much of an effort with people, for whatever reason but I go through phases like this. I went on the hunt for food and found the town incredible touristy and wasn’t very keen, it was busy, noisy and stank, I wasn’t in the best of moods but I wasn’t keen on this place. Having originally planned to stay 3 nights I decided 2 would be enough, I was feeling finished with Malaysia and ready for some island beaches in Thailand.

While eating I got to thinking about the peacefulness of being in my tent, especially in Australia and New Zealand, I loved getting somewhere springing up my tent cooking on the stove, food always taste better when you camping and a cup of tea always feels well earnt, then I’d spend the night gazing at the stars just in complete peace. I feel along way from those days but I’m sure Mongolia (if I make it that far) will throw up more nights like those of Australia and New Zealand.

After eating somebody in my room told me a Canadian girl was looking for me and that she was staying in the hostel next door. I went over and found Rayann, we got chatting like we were old friends, it sounds stupid but it was nice to see an old face, somebody I didn’t have to go over the same old chat with. We stayed chatting till around mid-night after a beer, beer is expensive (relatively) so we shared a big bottle. She’s to leave early the next morning but we are on similar routes so we might cross paths again. One thing before we parted was she warned me of bed bugs in the hostel, which is why she left! I didn’t have bedbugs but due to the heat and mosquitoes I had another bad night’s sleep.

HOT HOT HOT

9/02/2011: Georgetown

Washing clothes sporting a
superb tan

It was as bad as the title suggests but all I could do today was sweat, infact its 10pm, im sat in a room with a fan overhead  writing this and I still have sweat dripping down my face, at some points of the day I looked as if I just came out the shower. As it was so hot I didn’t want to anything before 4pm, I had already decided I wasn’t going to ride round the island as previously planned, mainly to the heat and that I was cutting short my time here by a day. Instead I hand washed my dirty clothes, this was about the highlight of my day, except maybe for cycling to Pinang hill where I missed a turn and I didn’t actually get to the road to go up it, as the road goes via the Botanically gardens which shuts at 7pm (it was 630pm by the time my mistake had been realized) I just went back to the hostel for a cold shower and food.