(DAY28 TO 40) -home-photos-cambodia-n.thailand-phuket-malaysia1-singapore-malaysia2-indonesia I first took a bus back to the mainland and decided to take a train down to Butterworth. But I did eventually find and reach the train station just on time... only to discover that the train would be a little late (about 20 minutes). I bought some postcards and a drink and wrote lil' bit of my travel journal. The train ride finally started.A 12-hour train ride (from 9 in the morning to 9-something at night at Butterworth train station). I slept a bit on the train, listened to some music(and broke my Ande-music tape!!!) and erote my journal. One extraordinary site that amazed me was that of the Orient Express train. It was sometime between evening and night, when some of us were feeling quite pleasant from the dinner, that a beautiful mahogany train (was it really mahogany?) train slided quietly and slowly past ours. It past us on right, and althought it was getting quite dark, we could see the interiors, being lit up by soft yellow light. It was furnished with plush seats and tables for four (the kind you dine on). It wasn't too hard imagining a magnificent candlelight dinner there. The train finally got to Butterwort around 9pm. . I then trudged up the metal-decked platform with my backpack to get to the ferry pick-up point (which was elevated). Quite a lot of people were already quietly waiting there. We paid our fares (60 cents each) and waited with the rest. The
ferry : The wait wasn't long. What happened
next was a bit funny- when we got onto the ferry boat,I didn't know that I
was already on the the ferry boat . I
think I expected some smallish boat, but I was greeted by the sight of
this huge deck with lots of seats (I thought it was another holding
area... ha ha...). The ferry boat was a medium-sized ship. Maybe I should
have expected it. Or maybe I was tired ;) The night air was strong and cool. Finally we got there!! I was exhausted!!! I looked for accomodation,a s I didn't want to waste to much time and go straight to sleep, I decided to go the YMCA intl hostel. I paid 33RM for a night there. It was very clean and comfty.I ate Indian food the first ngiht. It tasted sooo good:).Went straight to sleep. Next morning I went to the beach Batu Ferringhi and laid back. Then I wento for some sightseeing and visited the following site: Kuan Yin Teng Temple, the oldest chinese temple in Penang, then the Shrine of the Nine Planets, then the Masijd Kapitan Keling.On the way from Batu Ferringhi to these site I stopped at the Wat Chayamang Kalaram, a thai Buddhist temple just off the main road. The chinese influence on this island is very strong.On the opposite side of the street there is the only Burmese tem'ple in the whole Malaysia, the Wat Dhammikarama. Also I took a tuk-tuk island sightseeing trip and stopped at the KEK lOK sI TEMPLE, the biggest Buddhist temple in the whole country, the pagoda of 10.000 Buddhas and then to the Botanical Gardens. It was a very nice day. Next day I only went to the Teluk Bahang Beach, where I did nothing all day, but relaxing and so on , getting tanned, eating delicious chinese noodles:). Next morning I had a flight to Kota Bahru. It was a ncie flight on a good airplane. I got there and decided to take the jungle train to Jerantut so that I could go visit the Taman Negara National Park. During my three-day-stay, I visited the Orang Asli Settlement, went rapid shooting, caving, hiking...... a really good place to get in touch with nature. The
Park's canopy walk which is 25 metres high and over 400 metres
Then
I took a bus to Mersing and I went to the dock to take a ferry to
Tioman.It is absolutely great!! -home-photos-cambodia-n.thailand-phuket-malaysia1-singapore-malaysia2-indonesia
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I was soo happy, so happy like I had got
in Belize.The Pulau
Tioman Archipelago which is off Pahang is about 32 nautical miles
northeast from Mersing, Johore.Pulau Tioman, a tropical paradise hailed as
one of the world's 10 most beautiful islands. Where crystal - clear blue
water sweeps acrosss white sandy beaches and thick raintree forest remains
untouched.Come and discover the magic of this island of natural beauty.
Sunbathe or swim around at the sort sandy beaches. Go snorkelling or scuba
diving along vast expanses of coral reefs, windsurf or cruise around the
many neighbouring isles. Jungle trek into the island's interior, in search
of cool cascading waterfalls, exotic flora and fauna, go cycling, jogging.
The fun is endless.To really get away from it all, head for the beaches of
Salang or Juara. Salang and Air Batang are the ideal location for diving
and snorkelling - its collection of live corals and multicoloured fish is
simply stunning.See the Malay villages tucked away in the quiet kampungs
where the lifestyle is traditionally low key. Here, the houses are built
on stilts to keep them cool and dry. Or take a stroll around Kampung Tekek,
and observe how cloth is handpainted prior to being turned into colourful
T-shirt. Take some back home as souvenirs. I also took a days trip to Rawa
Island, where my best friend had overnighted the year before, it is a
great island, with white sandy beaches and coral water, but not for my
budget .hahahah. Then I took a boatride back to Tioman and took a plane to
Singapore with Sil Air.