Durbar FMS

 What an amazing, fabulous day. Our initial reservations over our spontaneous detour to Ipoh have been shattered. We have had one of the best days. We awoke this morning after a great nights sleep, up showered and out by 10:30 on the streets waiting for our grab taxi. We intended on spending the day visiting the cave temples and decided to make Kek lok tong our first port of call. It is the biggest of the temples and many people use it as a recreation ground for early morning jogs and exercise. I checked google to make sure it was open and boarded our grab. I’ve mentioned before that grab is the Asian Uber but it is amazing. Incredibly cheap and super efficient. We have used a total of seven grabs today, including some journeys of over thirty minutes, for less than ten pounds Sterling. Plus we have never waited more than seven minutes from tapping the phone screen to boarding the cab. It’s amazing.

Unfortunately on arrival the Kek lok temple was closed for renovation but fortunately Dear old Crispy had spotted a  “cultural village” just around the corner so we quickly detoured there instead. It was completely bananas. A mock pre colonial village built inside a deep ravine in the mountains. The best way I can describe it is an Asian Mr Blobby world (Morcombe) or a crazy Blackgang chine (Isle of white). Both of which were a complete disappointment whereas the “cultural village” Ipoh wasn’t. A crazy eclectic mix of reconstructed pre colonial Malay houses and the worlds most bizarre museum.  I can’t describe what it was like as we have never seen or visited anything like it but it was fantastic. If you ever find yourself at a loss in the Cameron Highlands you must go here. It is bananas crazy and so much fun at the same time. It will be a highlight of our travels and the subject of many a laugh during a long cold winters evening in front of the fire.  I’ll let the following pictures tell the tale. 

From there we visited all of the remaining cave temples, beautiful in there magnificence and awe inspiring in there technicolour beauty. The temples were spectacular. It is a very rare pleasure to be inside the stillness of a temple, of any faith, and we have been blessed by having the opportunity to do so on many, many occasions. Neither Crispy or myself count ourselves as religious to any particular faith but accept that there is a higher purpose and take comfort that all faith, in whatever name you practice it, gives great comfort to many people including ourselves.

It was a long hot brilliant day. The temperature topped 34 degrees with a humidity of over 60% so we were both very hot and sweaty from our exertions when we took further comfort in the Downtown beer house. As I have mentioned before pubs and bars can be difficult to find in Malaysia but with a dedicated spirit it is never impossible to achieve. Just as we got under the cover of the bars veranda the heavens opened and a monsoon type storm hit the valley. Thunder and lightning shook the building as we sheltered undercover, drank our well earned beer  and watched the storm burn itself out in the course of twenty minutes. That’s the thing with South East Asia. It rains regular and often but never more than twenty minutes and after a further twenty minutes the streets are dry and once more the sun shows it’s face. Unlike the uk where it starts to rain in November and doesn’t stop till March. We could have stayed there longer but had promised Susan at the Durbar FMS that we would return to eat there tonight. I had been promised the “special”. 

A quick detour back to our lodgings saw us showered refreshed and back in downtown Ipoh for eight o’clock. We turned up back at the Durbar FMS and were treated like long lost family. Our table had been reserved under the portrait of the Queen, god bless her, and  Susan was very pleased to see us. We spent a great evening eating chatting and even dancing. Much to the amusement of the other guests. We have been privileged to meet many special wonderful people on our adventures and Susan Lee will count high on our list. 

After my initial reservations on leaving the island early to visit Ipoh I can honestly say that we have had the most amazing time here. It is certainly another  of the special places we have been fortunate enough to travel through. Tomorrow we depart back to the bus terminus to head back to Kuala Lumpur in readiness for our return flight to Blighty. We have two full days in KL before our departure and I gave a full itinerary planned for us. It will be amazing.

Bare and Crispy signing off. Ipoh, Malaysia

(Excuse the proliferation of photos, a picture paints a thousand words so they say)

Goodbye Pangkor

 Well our time on the island is up. There has not been much Adventuring for dear old Crispy. Sun, sea and sand. Swimming in the ocean and chilling on the beaches. We are so pleased Pangkor hasn’t changed. In fact I think it is probably quieter now than when we last visited. It’s one of the nicest beaches we know and somewhere that you can feel is genuinely unspoilt. Long may it remain so. We have seen a handful of other western travellers but no more than a handful. The only thing that has changed is the amount of monkeys has increased. We have decided, reluctantly, to move off two days earlier than planned. The last time we were in Peninsular Malaysia we ran out of time to see the Cameron highlands and Ipoh. It’s only two hours bus and ferry from Lumut and the island. Ipoh is considered the gateway to the highlands and is famous for its spectacular Buddhist cave temples. It’s a big city in the scheme of things and not really a major destination on the traveller route other than the old town and temples. We have no time to get further into the highlands and plantations but the caves should be amazing.

We caught the first ferry from Pangkor to enable us to break our fast before heading inland on our 52 seater steel chariot. Crispy was elated as we found a small Indian cafe serving Dosa near the bus station. Crispy loves her Dosa. You never see them in Blighty which is a real shame and people are really missing a trick with it. Thin rice flour pancakes served with curry and chutney. Perfect with a sweet cup of chai.

After breakfast we caught the bus and two hours later arrived in Ipoh Sentra bus terminus. Ipoh is big and sprawling and we had not the faintest idea where our lodgings were. I tried to navigate the bus timetables to get us closer to where we needed to be but couldn’t make head nor tail of them. Eventually I gave up and fired up the grab app on my phone. Within minutes a young lady turned up with her taxi and herded us aboard. She set off before I could tell her where we were going to make sure that her  google maps was accurate with the position of our hotel. It isn’t always accurate and you are better off reiterating the details before screaming off into a strange place. The map was not accurate and the grab driver couldn’t find it. She drove into some deserted part of the town and stated  “your address”. I explained again where I thought we needed to be but she was getting fractious and kept repeating, “u here, I don’t know where is. I have other job waiting”. Crispy lept to the fore and explained that a team of the devils horses would not move her arse off that backseat until we were outside our hotel. There was no way she was getting out of that taxi till we were safely at our lodgings. One look at Crispy and she knew she wasn’t going to win. I explained again where we needed to be and after a few minutes she fiddled with her phone and drove us to the right location. We are a fair way from the old town but it’s a lovely place and very quiet. I think we will have to rely on the grabs whilst we are here as nothing is in walking distance. We are only here for two nights to see the temples so we won’t really get a chance to work out the lay of the land. 

After getting settled we again took a grab back to the old town and had a look around. Ipoh is not a pretty place. Think of Little Hulton post apocalypse. A Warren of run down old buildings interspaces with tired old colonial buildings. I don’t know who took the promotion photos for the Ipoh website but he must have great artistic flair and be a master of photoshop. We found a bar to strengthen our reserve with a stiff drink before finding somewhere to eat. In the bar I searched google for an eatery and by chance came across Durbar FMS. It looked like it served food Crispy could eat so we headed there through the maze of downtown Ipoh. It didn’t look much from the outside but inside was amazing. One of the oldest restaurants in Malaysia that had great fame amongst the colonial rulers. Beautifully decorated and filled with pictures of old colonial Ipoh and newspaper cuttings. We dined under a huge picture of Queen Elizabeth II, god bless her, and the food was amazing at four pounds per main course. Susan, our waitress, has made us promise to go back tonight as she wants me to have “The house special”. I’m intrigued so we will definitely go back. After dinner another grab saw us tucked up in bed under the air conditioning. Tomorrow is a busy day and I feel a bout of temple overload creeping on. 

Bare and Crispy, signing off, somewhere in Ipoh, Malaysia.

On the subject of monkeys

 It seems the little furry feckers were not prepared to wait till tomorrow to launch their attack. After writing the previous blog I retired to the rooftop terrace to play the uke and practice the bagpipe chanter. As soon as I walked onto the rooftop I was surprised by ten monkeys that took great umbridge at my presence. After a small amount of chattering and barring of teeth they settled down and watched as I played. I couldn’t really concentrate as I was concerned that at any moment they were going to come and try to steal what they could. In the past they have tried to take all manner of things. I had no food with me as that would have been a very bad idea. They particularly seemed to enjoy “I wanna be like you” from the jungle book but after a while they got fed up and wandered off. I was then joined by several hornbills that sat within 10 feet of me doing what hornbills do which isn’t much. They are a magnificent bird and it is a privilege to be so close to them. As I was on the roof Crispy was facing a secondary assault in the room whilst she showered. They where outside on the roof and leaning over to look in the windows. Crispy loves monkeys whereas I most certainly do not. However since the hotel owner warned her that they can be dangerous and can carry rabies she is thankfully a little more cautious of getting too close. 

This morning we took kayaks off the beach and spent a fantastic two hours on the water. Last time that we were here we found a secluded little beach just around the headland. It has no overland means of getting there as it is surrounded by dense jungle so It’s perfect. Just me and dear old Crispy skinny dipping in the warm crystal waters.  We both got stung by some little jellyfish but they are not dangerous and the effects feel just like a nettle sting but without the rash. They didn’t put us off. I am however constantly on the lookout for box jellyfish. They inhabit this part of Malaysia but are usually out in deeper water. A box jellyfish sting can be fatal as it causes complete paralysis leading to drowning. The last time we encountered these was in Langkawi just up the coast towards Thailand. The week before we arrived in Langkawi a young Australian woman had been killed by them on the beach close to where we were staying. 

We had a great time on our beach before paddling back to the main island via a few small islets. Two hours in a kayak is enough for us in our twilight years. It’s hard work but great fun. Crispy is not a natural sailor and doesn’t like deep water but she is a demon with a paddle. After a shower and change we walked across the island to the landward side. Lush thick jingle and rainforest lined the road and it was beautiful. We saw a wild pig but nothing more interesting. 

We are again in the lodging and preparing to go and get something to eat. The monkeys are here again but keeping a safe distance whilst I try and concentrate on my music practice. As soon as they saw the uke they did one back to the jungle. I guess they don’t rate my playing. I don’t blame them.

It has been hot today and beautiful weather. Not sure what we will do tomorrow but will probably try to find the sea turtle rescue centre. 

Bare and Crispy signing off , still on the island Malaysia

The last remaining member of my audience

The monkey looking through Crispy’s window, it’s on the roof!

The plan worked

 We are on the island. We have visited here before and it’s a beautiful place. Just off the coast of Malaysia near the small town of Lamut. A lush green tropical paradise with only a few small settlements. The main beaches are around the sea ward side of the island. Only small consisting of a bar, essential, a few local restraints and several rustic guest houses. A smaller island Pangkor Laut lies just off shore and is one large 5 star resort. Crispy has already had her birthday treat so we are now back in backpacker accommodation. 

We are staying in Jo Fisherman’s hotel. The same as we stayed in the last time we were here. It’s perfect. Cheap clean and very well appointed for budget accommodation. It is one of Crispy’s favourites. 

Yesterday was a logistical nightmare to get here consisting of three long distance buses, a ferry and two taxis. I am very proud and relieved that we pulled it off without a hitch. We left the Avillion at eight am. We had to download an app and call a grab driver. It’s a little like Uber. The hotel said it could arrange a hotel taxi but that would work out comparatively expensive. I downloaded the app, using the hotel WiFi, and called a grab. Seven minutes later he was waiting for us at the hotel lobby. A twenty minute ride saw us at the Port Dickson bus terminus. We managed to catch the first bus back to Setamban terminus where I had pre-booked seats for us for the journey to Kuala Lumpur. Two hours later we arrived at the huge TBS terminus on the outskirts of Kuala Lumper City. At TBS we caught another pre-booked bus to take us a long way north to Lumut. A four to five hour ride depending on traffic in the city.  This was the crucial bus to catch as it connected with the ferry to the island. The last ferry left at 18:30 and we arrived just in time at 18:15. If we had missed the ferry then I would have to arrange accommodation for the night on the mainland in Lumut. We boarded the ferry just in time and left on schedule. Onto the island and a short taxi ride to Jo Fisherman’s saw us in our lodgings. There are no buses on the island as it isn’t big enough. Out for Dinner and tucked up in bed by ten after a very long days travelling. We enjoy the travelling days as much as the sedentary ones. They are a fun filled adventure and when the plans work out are very rewarding. When the plans don’t work out they can be a pain in the arse. That’s travelling I suppose.

Today has been spent on the beautiful coral beach near the lodgings. A spectacular golden beach with crystal clear waters housing several small uninhabited islets. The wildlife here is amazing as apart from the few small hamlets and villages here the remainder is jungle. Whilst on the beach as Crispy was taking the waters a Sea Eagle flew down close to her and plucked a large fish from the surface. I am envious as I didn’t see the catch but managed to see it flying away with its dinner directly overhead. We have seen Sea Eagles before and have even fed them from canoes but never seen them hunt sporadically in the wild.  The trees surrounding the lodgings are filled with large Hornbills and they are amazing to watch. The last time we were here there were a lot of monkeys close by and I was pleasantly surprised to have seen none last night. It’s common knowledge that I hate monkeys and don’t like being anywhere near them. I have explained the reasons for my abject dislike of them previously in this blob. It’s a recurring theme. I had hoped that there had been a purge and the island had been cleared of them.

The jungle drums must have been beating for as I walked along the small road from the beach to buy Crispy her can of pop and a packet of crisps, to stop her getting fractious, the jungle next to me came alive with the furry little feckers. Dozens of them lined the trees at the roadside sneering and chattering at me. The last time we were here one climbed onto the balcony where I was sat reading and I shooed it away as aggressively as I could. The little shite must have remembered me and called his mates to give me a welcoming committee. I know where they are now and shall try to give them a wide berth.

Tomorrow we intend to walk a road and small trail through the jungle to the other side of the island. I would give a gold clock to have my shotguns with me as a pound to a bucket of  shite the furry little feckers will be waiting for us somewhere along the way. We will no doubt find out tomorrow.

Bare and Crispy, signing off, on the island of Pangkor

The lap of luxury

 The lodgings are amazing and sleeping over the sea in the water chalets is a real treat. There’s not much adventuring going on as it’s Crispy’s downtime before once again moving on. The weather is a little hit and miss which is not surprising as Malaysia is almost equatorial in its seasons. It’s usually cloudy with the odd down pour and sunny day. It’s more changeable at the moment due to the huge tropical storms that have been hitting all south east Asia but it’s still +30 degrees and very humid. We’re not complaining as without cloud cover it’s really uncomfortable to be out in the sun. We went for a walk along the beaches yesterday and had a mooch around the local area. The beaches are full of Malay on their New Years holiday. Hundreds of tents lining the beaches and parks. Everyone is very friendly. We have only seen a handful of western tourists here as it’s not on the backpackers trail as apart from nice hotels the place is expensive with nothing other than beaches to see. We found a great little bar, the only one in Port Dickson that is not in or attached to a hotel. It was as you can imagine very busy with the locals and although they had no free tables for the evening Crispy managed to work her charm and secure us a table for seven pm. The food was fantastic and the live band excellent. The rest of the time here is just chilling and Crispy bless her has gone for a spa treatment.  Tomorrow we move on to Kuala Lumpur and swop buses up to Lumut and the Island of Pangkor. Unless the weather improves somewhat we may cut our time in Pangkor . It’s ’s a tropical island and other than beaches there is not much to do. We may head further north for a few days in Penang. Crispy likes Penang and there would me more to keep us occupied. The other option is to head inland to the Cameron highlands for a couple of nights. We have not been there before and it looks amazing. We will play it by ear and see how it goes.

Bare and Crispy chilling in Port Dickson, Malaysia

New Years day

 Today we moved on to Port Dickson. A small town halfway between Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. I wasn’t to sure what was here but it’s a convenient staging post. The main reason for coming is that there are a few posh hotels dotted along the coast and nice beaches. As a birthday treat for dear old Crispy I have arranged for us to stay in a very upmarket place. The Avillion hotel and water chalets. She has always wanted to stay in a water chalet over the ocean but usually the cost can be prohibitive on our meagre budget. As a special treat {coupled with the fact I got a very good rate on a late deal) I have pushed the boat out. 

It was New Year’s Day today and a lot of the local shops and services were not operating. I managed to get the hotel guys to arrange transport back to the main bus terminus where I had already booked a bus ticket to carry us onwards. I think it was the reception girls mum and dad who turned up to drive us to the terminus which was an easy forty minute ride. We arrived in plenty of time and boarded one of the few buses running today. Bus termini are usually chaotic and very busy. Today it was quiet and sedate as we boarded our transport to Port Dickson. Two hours later we arrived in the town centre. It was eerily quiet.

We had not eaten so searched out a cafe to get some lunch. Most places were closed so we picked one of the few open that looked busy. As a rule if the places to eat are limited then we always pick the busiest and choose something on the menu that is recognisable. We chose the chicken rice as its always a safe go to.  It was awful. A hacked up piece of chicken, god knows what part of the poor creature it was as you couldn’t tell from the bone and sinew, served in cold gravy with a side portion of tepid rice that had seen better days. We ate it as best we could but it was by no means a Gordon Ramsey masterpiece. After lunch we secured the only taxi there and went direct to our hotel. 

Most posh hotels are.situated away from the town or  transport hubs and this one was no different. A good thirty minute ride from the bus terminus. We will have to take this into account when retracing our steps for our continued travels.  On Arrival Crispy was very impressed. It is very nice. A huge sprawling beach complex with pools, restaurants and a bar. We felt a little special on turning up as everybody was dressed suitably for a nice hotel and had expensive looking suitcases. We had our travelling shorts and dusty backpacks. I personally love the looks we receive in situations like this. I imagine they are the same looks a gypsy gets when parking his caravan on a village green. The best ever similar situation was when we turned up to the Imperial hotel in Delhi in a Knackered old Tuk Tuk. We were staying there two nights to celebrate our twenty fifth wedding anniversary before moving onto Kathmandu. The Imperial is one of the finest hotels in the world and the fancy security guards wouldn’t let us in. Normally the hotel picks its guests up from the airport in one of their hotel cars. You can choose Rolls Royce, Bentley or Range Rover. We chose a Tuk Tuk. The looks we received from the hotel staff and other guests was priceless as the battered black and yellow three wheeler coughed and farted its way to the main entrance. 

We are here for three nights so Crispy can kick back and relax. It’s been full on for the past few weeks so some comfortable downtime is in order. It’s not glorious sunshine as a tropical storm over Borneo has dragged a lot of cloud over peninsular Malaysia. However it is warm and chalet over the sea is beautiful. 

Bare and Crispy signing off, Port Dickson Malaysia

The scousers

 This morning after another great nights sleep we awoke refreshed and ready to go. It’s a great find where we are staying. The 906 riverside hotel is a budget style hotel positioned on the riverside of the Malacca river and in close walking distance of all the major sights of Malacca old town. It’s not posh by any stretch of the imagination but has everything we need. 

There are several things we look for in our accommodation. Location, it must be in walking distance of the places you need to see and close to a public transport hub. Cleanliness, no one wants a dirty or cockroach infested hovel or stained sheets. A private bathroom, under no circumstances do you want to share a bathroom with 300 Chinese people all suffering a simultaneous bout of the runny bottom syndrome. Quiet after dark, check google maps or peruse the area for fun pubs and karaoke bars. karaoke bars are the worst as you are guaranteed several hours of painful renditions of John Denver in a Mandarin accent. There’s only so much “cunty woads” anyone can take especially at one o-clock in the morning. Most importantly helpful staff are a must as the staff in the lodging are key to the success or failure of your plans. They are almost always local guys so know the area well. They have contacts for onward travel if conventional options fail and if you are friendly and polite to them they will go out of there way to help if you come unstuck. 

We made our way, after completing our morning ablutions, back to the Sultinates Palace via the Dosa shop for breakfast. To our delight the palace was open for viewing and well worth the trek back to see it. After the Palace we again trundled around the markets as Crispy was determined not be outdone and find herself a dress as her birthday present. After many a long and forlorn search she managed to find three dresses that she liked and fit perfectly. All three for the princely sum of 20 pounds. She was as happy as the proverbial pig in muck and carried the little pink plastic bag containing her hard won finds with pride. 

It was hot so we decided to call into a small riverside bar for a quick drink. Mallacca is unusual for Malaysia as it is quite well supplied with bars. Not surprising as it is a major tourist hub for western tourists. As we sat in the bar watching the people and river cruise boats pass along in front of us we were wondering if the cruisers operated as a water taxi service or just a tourist attraction. Crispy turned around to a western guy who was sat behind us and asked “excuse me, do you know how the boats work?”. The guy, an American, answered as quick as a flash “ Yes, they are designed to float and have propeller things at the back”. He said it as I thought it and Dear old Crispy was not in the least amused.  It made me giggle for the rest of the day.

The American who sensed he had crossed the line soon departed. It started to rain and he was soon replaced by Brian and Angela. Two seventy year old scousers who still travel independently. They entertained us with tails of their travels to far flung shores over the course of the last four decades. Crispy always says I am a good story teller but I fade into insignificance in the face of Brian’s finesse at recounting tales of their adventures. He made us laugh with his stories and we ended up staying in the bar far longer than we had originally planned. Brian was a retired lawyer and Angela a university lecturer in mathematics. They told us that they had started to travel forty years ago after being involved in a serious road accident that very nearly killed Brian. He said the realisation that life can be stuffed out in the blink of an eye led them to explore our amazing planet and enjoy every experience it presented before it was too late. It’s a sentiment I can relate too and I take my hat off to them. We really enjoyed their company and it was a true pleasure to meet them. I cannot imagine a worse scenario than having lived and died on this truly beautiful and fascinating planet without seeing its treasures. Crispy and I are so very lucky to have been the places we have been and had the adventures we have had. I look forward to many, many more. 

Whilst chatting to Brian and Angela she mentioned that they had seen huge monitor lizards in the river. I was just saying that we had not seen any when as if by magic one appeared right in front of us in the water. It was only 5 foot long but presented a fantastic sight as it swam downstream. From looking on the t’interweb it seems that there is an infestation of them in the Malacca river and they can grow upto 7 foot in length. We had probably walked past a few of them in the past few days but never took notice. 

That evening we again visited the night markets to watch the new year celebrations and eat from the food stalls. Crispy has developed a taste for Dragon beard candy so we searched out a stall and sat on the roadside to eat our fill. We had an early start the next morning to catch the bus to Port Dickson so left the market early. The celebrations were nowhere near as interesting as the ones we witnessed in Penang so we decided to call it a night.  On the way back to our lodgings we passed a Mexican themed bar that was bouncing. A great singer and guitarist duo were drawing a crowd so we stopped for a couple of drinks before retiring to bed. 

The bus for tomorrow is already booked so I anticipated no delays or trauma in respect of our onward travel north through Malaysia.  Time would tell.

 The Sultinates Palace

Eddy Lizard, looks smaller than it was

Dragon beard candy, fantastic. The tub was full a few minutes earlier

Bare and Crispy signing off, Mallacca, Malaysia