Day 45 - 13 April - Gambang to Johor Bahru

Even the best laid out plans can be laid to rest, especially when one has to cross international boundaries. Singapore has very strict laws about permitting private cars into the country and, I presume, do their bit to discourage it. The most restrictive part is the stipulation that many of the formalities have to be completed in Singapore prior to entering the country. Besides possessing the Carnet, vehicle registration certificate and the owner/driver’s license and passport I have to secure a car insurance, the international car permit and the AutoPass. One cannot join issues with such government requirements. But what I am unable to understand is why they cannot be made available at the border or on line so that one does not have to enter the country on multiple occasions – first time to secure the permits and then to bring the car in.

Yesterday evening when I started going through the process involved, primarily the need to park the car in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and the time I would be reaching the city – around 1 pm – I thought it better to stay in Johor Bahru overnight and complete the Singapore formalities the next day. Sreekanth Nair, who has been painstakingly facilitating the drive into Singapore, too thought it a better logistics plan. I located the Princeton Hotel in Johor Bahru, which on its website claimed to have a public transport terminal in close proximity that would take me to Singapore duly completing formalities at the borders of Malaysia and Singapore. So then, the final plan for the day was to stay in Johor Bahru instead of driving through to Singapore.

Since I would have the entire day in Johor Bahru I thought it better not to rush the drive to the city. Instead of taking the faster motorways I took the coastal route and the less popular internal roads with Google Maps assisting me in the venture. The alternative was also necessitated as I was short on cash with the HDFC card being declined at BGRC and having to pay for the room rent in cash. I had just enough to pay for the fuel and a tenner to meet any other expenses en route! So, paying toll was a no go. Anyway, the route through the non-tolled roads took me through vast fields of oil palms, old and new, absolutely pollution free countryside and with not much of traffic. The only downside was that it was a single carriageway that slowed me down when a freight truck got stuck in front of me. Anyway, I was not rushed for time. In the final analysis it did not cost me much to take the non-tolled roads; it was only 30 km longer that consumed, maybe, 20 minutes more. But it did save me the toll.

I reached the Princeton Hotel in Johor Bahru at a quarter to 1 pm. Revathi, a second generation Tamil from Ipoh, enabled a smooth check in. The room is small and the bathroom tiny; the possibility of stepping on one’s own toes not ruled out! However, the room and the hotel are neat and clean. For an overnight stay nothing more is required. In such places normally service trumps everything else. It is so at the Princeton. Revathi helped me to locate a money changer and finally get out of the impoverished status. When I walked to the money changer I appreciated the location of the hotel – there were many restaurants and shopping malls in the vicinity. And as promised on the website, the bus stand was just a short walk from the hotel. I was told by the owner of the hotel, a Chinese lady, that I could choose to go to Singapore either by private taxi that would cost me RM 280 or by bus that would charge RM 5! She also told me how to get to Legoland and recommended that I go to the Hello Kitty Town when I visit the Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal to confirm about the ferry crossing to Batam, Indonesia.

But first it had to be lunch. Revathi suggested the Said Alawi restaurant and I took a short walk to the restaurant. Options were many from beef to mutton to chicken to fish and vegetables. There were curries and fried items. There was steamed rice and fried rice. After due consideration, I chose to have fish curry rice. The waiter loaded up the plate to the brim with rice and asked me to help myself with the curry. It took me a lot of effort to finish the huge meal that cost me RM 5.

Even though the meal made me soporific I decided to stay outdoors. The first visit was to Legoland which opened in 2012 in Nusajaya, a new township in Johor. The theme park is located in a sprawling complex that offers interactive rides and many other attractions for kids and adults. The Legoland Hotel is itself a huge complex, which is relatively new on the premises. I found a large number of visitors checking out with many kids in tow, which meant that the hotel and theme park were busy over the weekend. The entrance to the hotel and its lobby gives an idea of what to expect in the theme park. The many play areas and the souvenir shops were busy. I wished Eva, my granddaughter, was with me – she would have loved the place. The complex, I came to understand, has serviced apartments and residential units too.

When I was in BGRC I had read a report of a new ferry terminal in Johor Bahru that had services to Batam. It excited me for it was confirmed that there were no ferry services from Singapore that would ferry my car to Batam. The Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal offered some hope that I could do so from there. However, there was no mention of the service on the website. I had to physically check it out. The ferry terminal looked like an airport with a waterfront. Everything had been planned down to the last detail, including the drains and sewage sumps. The world class terminal has been built with a focus on tourism, evidently, and it is considered as a flagship development of the new regional city of Nusajaya. The arrival and departure gates were separate with Customs and Immigration facilities. The lounge was commodious, airy and fitted out comfortably for people waiting on the premises. The friendly customer service guy at the front desk almost shot out of his chair with a laugh when I said I want to reserve for a car and self to Batam. He reconfirmed with me what I wanted and said that they offer only passenger services. So that is that, and it is now officially confirmed that I will not be able to ferry my car to Batam. It will have to stay in Singapore while I visit Ajo David in Batam.

The development of Nusajaya is in full swing. Residential and commercial complexes, parks, entertainment centres, educational institutions, convention centres are all being built here. What interested me is the integrated and planned development of a grand project being executed taking into consideration sewage, water supply, electricity, street lighting and other basic civic amenities. Despite the deployment of large machines and other construction equipment there wasn’t any air or noise pollution. Why are we not doing this in our country, is a question that surfaces spontaneously in my mind without, in any way, detracting from the huge strides seen in infrastructure building in India in recent years. What is missing, though, is the planning and hassle free development of new towns and cities.

I did not take time out to either visit the Little Red Cube quayside retail and entertainment complex or the Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, which is the first of its kind outside Japan, which are in close proximity to the Puteri Harbour. I wanted to get back to the hotel and check out the bus stand and the timings. When I got back to the hotel I parked in the only free slot available in front of the hotel. On the net I had read horror stories of cars being broken into in Johor Bahru. Revathi, however, assured me that the night guard would ensure safety of the car. I walked to the Aeon Mall from the hotel and noted the bus stand in front of the mall. Many taxis were parked there too and the drivers were animatedly talking in Tamil. I found out from them that the Johor-Singapore bus services ply almost every hour and even more frequently during the peak hours.

The Aeon Mall is a huge shopping cum entertainment complex. I walked around with nothing specific in mind when the smell of freshly baked bakery items made me look around for the source. I came to a small outlet selling hot buns and coffee. It was a Pappa Roti outlet. Despite a bun costing RM 3.40 I was tempted enough to try one. And my word, what an experience. The hot buns are placed in a paper bag and once the payment was done I was asked to pick up one. Before the first bite I wondered what is in it for so many to wait in queue to buy one. After the first bite I knew why. The fresh bun was an awesome delight. The coffee coated fluffy bun has a crackly caramelised exterior and a layer of melted butter inside. Is it a doughnut? No, it isn’t, it’s a baked bun. I guess the complexity of the bun is in how they get the butter inside it!

The Mall reunited me with the thirst quencher – beer. Anything remotely connected with alcohol is expensive in Malaysia. I picked up two brands I had not yet tried, Anchor and Skol. Two bottles set me back by about Rs 500. After getting through them in much less time than I anticipated I went in search of a restaurant that could offer me an alternative to rice. I located one opposite the Mall, run by Tamils. The restaurant seemed to be quite popular with tourists. A waiter told me to try out the biriyani. Instead, I ordered chappatis and spicy chicken curry. On the way back to the hotel I picked up an ice cream sundae to wind up the day.

Day 44 - 12 April - In Gambang

I had travelled to Malaysia a few times between 1999 and 2004, when Mahathir Mohammed was ruling the roost in the country as its unquestioned leader and Prime Minister. The economic turnaround he stitched after collapse of the ‘Asian Tigers’, whereby the free falling currencies of prospering South East Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand brought them to the brink, was hailed internationally. He chose Japanese investment over ‘unreliable’ western economic partners and changed the country into a mega manufacturing hub with emphasis on infrastructure building, shipping and logistics to support the makeover.

Officers of Indian Railways get railway passes on foreign railway systems on mutual hospitality basis. The entitlements on the foreign railways depend on the status in the home railway. Therefore, when I travelled to Malaysia and Thailand with my wife in 1999 I used passes to travel by rail from Singapore to Pedang Besar, the border of Malaysia with Thailand. We had stopped over a few days each to enjoy, Melacca, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang. I can never forget the kind railway station master of Pedang Besar who arranged a taxi for us to get to the Thailand border from where we secured visa ‘on arrival’ to tour the country. The station master extended assistance to a railwayman from another country because it does not matter where you come from, the railway fraternity is unique the world over.

After that Malaysia was regularly on my list of backpacking trips. With free tickets, thanks to frequent flier points on Air India, Malaysia was one country I could afford while in government service when ‘peanuts’ was the most appropriate description for government salaries and many of us were treated like monkeys by the employer! I remember, in 2004, staying in a small room with common bath and toilet facilities, opposite the Kuala Lumpur bus station for RM 5, when the exchange rate was Rs 11 to a RM, if my memory serves me right. Those were the days when decent accommodation with a full blown breakfast option was available in the Kuala Lumpur city centre for RM 30. Hence, I was appalled by the RM 252 charged by Bukit Gambang Resort City in 2015!

The breakfast lounge was full at 8 am. The BGRC was playing host to many groups over the weekend. Early in the morning I saw groups wearing distinctive T-shirts taking part in Tai Chi, the ancient intense Chinese martial art form which is growing in popularity as one that imparts health benefits and improves longevity. Many companies such as Toshiba and Senheng Electricals were conducting offsite meetings with emphasis on group activities. Besides, there were large contingents from the University of Pahang and Under-19 sports teams at breakfast. What touched me most was a group of physically and mentally challenged who came together under “Project Shine”. That they were enjoying the experience would be an understatement.

What a spread it was for breakfast. Besides conjee, curries, rice and noodles the Continental selection was varied too. I was curious to see a counter that announced ‘Indian Vegetarian’. What it had was waffles with maple syrup! I gorged on yellow watermelons and crispy red apples at the end of a huge meal of scrambled eggs, croissants, waffles, bread pudding with custard and repeated helpings of mango juice. Children enjoyed the wide selection of cereals and drinks. People did not waste food despite the large amount of it available.

I decided to explore a bit of Kuantan after breakfast. I lined up to visit the Sungai Pandan waterfalls, Tanjung Lumpur and city centre of Kuantan.  The Sungai Pandan waterfalls, about 40 km from BGRC, is a popular picnic spot for people in the area and it being a Sunday the place was getting busier by the hour. The road to the waterfall goes through oil palm plantations and active rock quarries. I was charged RM 5 as foreigner entry fee and was made to make entries in a register. There are paid and free car parks; I chose the latter. Food stalls were being set up when I reached there. School children had pitched camps there, perhaps for outdoor activity over the weekend. The cascading waterfall was not so copious, perhaps due to the season, but shallow sandy ponds and streams provided children and adults options to have fun. What amazed me most was that everyone from kid to adults was fully clothed in the water, complete with headdress. Not a single male exposed even the upper body.  A few of them wore knee high bathing trunks.

Tanjung Lumpur is listed as a ‘must visit’ in reports of tourists. The traditional fishing village at the mouth of the Kuantan River is among the earliest to be opened up by the Malays in Kuantan. Tanjung Lumpur and the city of Kuantan are divided by the river and a modern bridge provides access between the two. The view of the Kuantan skyline from the bridge is lovely with the magnificent Sultan Ahmed State Mosque dominating it. I caused a mini traffic jam stopping on the bridge to take a few photographs. Tanjung Lumpur has many restaurants serving seafood and almost all of them had Ikan Bakar added to the name of the restaurant, which means grilled fish. I spent some time on the beach fronting the Kuantan Resort Hotel watching splendidly coloured trawlers returning to the fish landing centre with their catch.

Kuantan, the ninth largest city in Malaysia, is the state capital of Pahang, which is the third largest state in Malaysia. The city has history dating back to the 15^th century and is one where modern and colonial era buildings mesh seamlessly such as in the Mahakota Square. The arrival of Chinese and Indian traders, tin miners and development of rubber plantations in the late 19^th century gave a fillip to the local economy. The Malaysian government has identified Kuantan as a future growth centre and has made several strategic investments in SEZ and petroleum exploration. Tourism is also high on the agenda for investment. I spent some time walking on the paved Kuantan River Esplanade watching motorised boats going across the sign board of the city set up on the bank facing that of the city.

Despite the heavy breakfast I was getting signs that I had to dip into another meal. I headed back to BGRC and dropped into the Mama & Nana store for another round of rice and beef curry. The young woman at the counter flashed a brilliant smile, perhaps thanking me for the repeat. This time, however, the rice was warm and the curry tasted even better. I had scheduled to do the Safari Park ride in the evening in the Resort City. When I boarded the Tram I was told that I have to take a ticket for the entrance and that after 5 pm most of the attractions are closed. That was a fiasco. One thing was clear though, room tariff entitled you to only a free breakfast; rest of the facilities have to be paid for.

It was time to have another round of beer. I went across to the shop where I had clandestinely procured a couple of cans yesterday. I went through the process once again. The young man fetched the cans from a cooler, where it was concealed behind an array of soft drinks. He made sure he had no other customers to service. He told me that alcohol is not openly sold because the Malay Muslims are not supposed to drink. I sat in the car and polished off the Carlsberg and Heineken beer cans, before walking into the Mama & Nana restaurant once again. By now they knew that I would only drink cold water, available free, and that I would have rice. The young woman fetched me a place of hot rice and I had it with a dry beef preparation, something that resembled the traditional Kerala beef ularthu, and a portion of excellent fish curry. Quantities are almost unlimited and hence, the price of Rm 6.50 for the meal was a steal. At another store I found RO plants, from where one could fill water for as low as 10 cents a litre. It seemed to be a promotional feature by the company that manufactured the machines. People had queued up with large containers to fill up from the two machines at the store.

It was a day when I had to change plans of driving to Singapore tomorrow. But, more about that in the next instalment of the blog.

Day 43 - 11 April 2015 - Tok Bali to Gambang

The main road outside the Arwana Hotel in Tok Bali is busy through the night and day. Youngsters use it to test out their bikes at high speed and owners of high end cars race on it. This morning I woke up to the sounds of a couple of cars revving on the road at 4 am. They kept going up and down the road many times and finally left after an hour.  Kelantan is rich in oil and fuel here is cheap; remember that fuel oil is one of the items smuggled across to Thailand via the Rantau Panjang border. Yesterday, I paid RM 1.94 per litre in Kota Bharu, approximately Rs.34! The cheapest diesel I have had on my international travels was in Kazakhstan at Rs. 37; but Malaysia has topped that.

While researching the drive from Tok Bali to Gambang, where I was to halt the night, I did not anticipate a drive of more than four hours with a couple of stoppages. The distance was less than 350 km. I did not imagine at all that it would be done in three and a half! The roads were fantastic. Movement of freight trucks on two way roads slowed me down in the earlier part of the drive, before I got to the motorway and the expressway. Road infrastructure in Thailand and Malaysia has to be experienced to appreciate it. And most of the roads, even the expressways, are not tolled. Today, for instance, to use nearly 300 km of motorway and expressway I paid one toll of RM 4.30 – Rs. 75! The Eastern Expressway E8 is flawless with low mountains and rubber and oil palm plantation along the way. Drains have been provided even on hillocks and low mountains and small trees and grass have been planted so that soil erosion is prevented. Wherever slippages are anticipated gabion mats have been pitched to avoid it. The 400 plus km expressway, which takes one to Kuala Lumpur, is fenced all the way through and provided with medians and service roads. Well planned exits provide access to the smaller towns on the way. The maximum permissible speed on the expressway is 110 kph. The Endeavour was steady on it at 160 kph. I wondered why in nearly 7 decades of being an independent nation we have not been able to design roads for the needs of our vehicular traffic. Most importantly, even in the lesser developed nations like Laos and Cambodia, drivers do not honk unless it is an emergency. Why are we such boorish and arrogant road users?

I was booked to stay in the Caribbean Bay Resort of Bukit Gambang Resort City (BGRC) for the last two days of my stay in Malaysia in the drive towards Indonesia. When I reached BGRC I was told that I have been upgraded to the Arabian Bay Resort. My own observation was that they were low on occupation and hence, had accommodated visitors in the three towers of the Arabian Bay Resort to cut overheads. The room tariff at over RM 250 per night is a bit stiff for Malaysian standards. Of course, if you consider it as a resort facility the tariff would be reasonable. But that is not the way I would see it as a budget traveller, who has no need of the water and safari parks. While checking in, the international credit card of HDFC was declined, the reason for which I have to investigate with the bank. Fortunately, I had cash on me to substitute.

The BGRC is an integrated 730 acre resort situated in what is classified as ‘secondary jungle’. Being a weekend the resort was a bit busy, even though I found the facilities highly underused. The water theme park is listed as one of the biggest in Malaysia offering many contemporary rides and amusement. Cabanas are available for rental. I thought that the water park would be available free to residents of the resort. But no, RM 28 is charged for an adult entrance. There is a large souvenir shop, which does not require a ticket to access, if one has money to throw around. The Safari Park, to where trams ply at frequent intervals, is promoted as the largest Zoo Safari Park in Malaysia. It occupies over 130 acres of BGRC and has the only white lion in the whole of the country. I have decided to spend some time there tomorrow.

I went down to the restaurant of the resort, where a buffet lunch was in progress. The buffet is normally a part of group package tours. At RM 37 I did not find it worth a try. I learnt from the reception that the shopping lot just across BGRC offered a wide variety of restaurants, if I wanted to sample local fare. In blazing heat I drove to the lot and, on impulse, walked into the Mama & Nana restaurant. Many items were on display and I was told to help myself. I took a plateful of jasmine rice and a large portion of beef curry, which smelt delicious. I was not wrong - the rice and curry were superb. It was all the more so because it cost me only RM 4. Of course, it was cold, but what the heck, I would have had it straight from the refrigerator for that price! And cold water was free too.

 

After laundry and a brief snooze I received detailed instructions from Sreekanth Nair, my host in Singapore. He had been processing papers for entry of the car into Singapore. It is through him that I found out the rather detailed and costly process of driving into Singapore. Besides the Carnet, registration papers of the car and the International Driving Permit one has to obtain an insurance, which costs nearly $200 for 8 days (!), an International Circulation Permit and an Auto Pass. The three have to be obtained from different offices, which Sreekanth told me may occupy the better part of a day. However, he had already established rapport with crucial contacts in the offices and that was a great help. Thus, unlike with other countries, one cannot drive to the border and get papers stamped and drive into the country.

I have travelled this far without the support of a mobile phone connection. I bought a sim card in Thailand and that never worked! I have relied on free WiFi and WhatsApp for communication. However, with the procedures I have to go through in Singapore and the contact I have to maintain with Sreekanth and his friend, Pranoy, I thought that time has come to invest in a prepaid Malaysian sim card. I knew I would be able to source it from one of the shops opposite BGRC. Sure enough I did. The young man at the counter helped me activate a sim purchased at RM 10, for which I could not produce any proof of identity. He accepted my passport number without verification and in 10 minutes I was live! Since entering Malaysia I have not had my customary beer since I have been travelling through the conservative parts of the country where liquor is not sold openly. The heat and the deprivation felt by the mind must have made me do what I did – I asked the young man where I could buy a couple of bottles of beer. He told me in a low voice that he could give me chilled cans of Carlsberg beer for RM 6 each; the price was steep, but I did not dwell too much on it as I had to slake my thirst.

I emptied a couple of cans of chilled beer in the car and ordered chicken tomyam soup in the Tomyam Seafood Restaurant. I sat outside and watched the night market getting busy around the shopping lot. The spicy tomyam soup was just about alright. Thereafter I walked around the small night market that principally had clothes, footwear, toys and lots of food. After a thorough examination I bought a half portion of egg and sausage bun, a peanut pancake and a tall glass of chilled coconut water. The lively couple vending pancakes told me that the night market is only on Saturdays. The hot peanut pancake was delicious and I regretted not having picked up the pancake stuffed with black rice, which reminded me of going in search of black rice in Manipur during the Swift Bharat Yathra.

Dy 42 - 10 April 2015 - In Pasir Puteh

When I woke up in the morning I heard some pitter patter on the tin shades of the hotel. I thought that my mind was playing tricks. When the curtains were parted it was raining and there was evidence on the road to suggest that it had rained quite heavily overnight. The rain was most welcome since it had been extremely hot and humid the previous day. Progressively the downpour became heavier.  By 8 am I knew that my plans of visiting the nearby beaches, and maybe even try my hand at snorkelling, would be spiked. However, I had another chore to do; I had to exchange currency, which the receptionist said could be done only in Kota Bharu. That was about an hour away from Tok Bali where I was staying.

Kota Bharu is the capital of the Kelantan State of Malaysia. Politically, Kelantan is unique as it is the only state where the opposition party is in power in Malaysia. It is a rural state along the South China Sea, which gives it a long stretch of rustic fishing villages and beautiful casuarina lined beaches. However, tourism has not prospered here since strict Muslim laws are enforced, whereby sunbathing in bikins and public consumption of alcohol are no-gos. It is said that males and females have to follow different queues in supermarkets. But I did not see any evidence of such restrictions when I visited one in Kota Bharu. Malaysian batik and open markets are the unique contributions from this region. Songket, hand woven cloth with silk or cotton threads and gold or silver interwoven, is a unique product of Kelantan. It is said to have been in existence since the 15^th century. Kelantanese women are known for their business skills, which is on display in ample measure in the Central Market in Kota Bharu.

Kelantan is basically an agrarian economy, primarily cultivating rice, rubber and tobacco, with a culture that differs from that of the rest of Malay Peninsula. Some of the oldest archaeological discoveries in the region has been from here and is known to been home to aboriginal settlers. This must be one of the reasons why the peculiar Kelantese Malay dialect is unintelligible to those who speak standard Malay. Kelantan has a lesser known Indian connection. One of the theories is that the word ‘Kelantan’ is derived from the Indian words “Kolaan/Kolaam Thana”, which refers to the diagrams or paintings on the floor in Hindu temples in ancient times. The words are supposed to have morphed into Kelantan.

As I drove into Kota Bharu I was taken aback by the number of cars parked all over the central part of the town. Then I realised that people would be out in large numbers because it was a Friday. I could not find any free parking lot and hence, opted for paid parking in the Trade Centre building, opposite the Siti Khadijah market. I first visited the Trade Centre shopping mall, which is one of the examples of modern urban life in the state. The mall is dominated by the Giant supermarket, where people go bargain hunting. I picked up some food provisions that were on promotions. Most shops in the mall had offers going as deep as seventy to ninety per cent. Even then footfalls seemed to be low.

The Siti Khadijah market, named after the Prophet’s wife, was another experience altogether. This is a place to see women at business and I was reminded of the Metei market in Imphal. In scale, however, the Siti Khadijah market is much larger. It is an octagonal building of four floors. As I neared the market I was hit by smells of fresh and dried fish and meats. The ground floor is for wet items such as fish, poultry, vegetables and fruits. The brightly coloured walls give it a vibrant look with the glass ceiling providing adequate light through the day inside the market, where business starts at 6 am. The first floor is meant for dry food items and the rest of the two floors are for business relating to non-food items. I was amazed at how the market was kept largely clean and free of garbage, in total contrast to what I have experienced in Kerala. I believe it is part of the culture of the place. Even in busy tourist places like Siem Reap, Pattaya and Luang Prabang the shops and stalls are regularly swept and garbage collected into bins at frequent intervals, which are either collected late at night or early in the morning by an arrangement with the local authorities.

I was hungry, having skipped breakfast. I located a small, but busy, restaurant near the central market, hoping that it would have WiFi connectivity, to set navigation for the return trip to Tok Bali. After ordering rice and chicken curry I realised that it did not have net connectivity.  A decent helping of the ordered items and a tall glass of iced tea cost me the equivalent of Rs 100. What I saw at the proximate table was an example of modern day friendship. Four girls, obviously friends, ordered what they wanted and immediately pulled out swanky mobile phones from their bags and pockets. They got busy with the phones and conversation happened only when they had to mention something to each other about what they came across on the phones!

I had not yet done what I had come to Kota Bharu for – exchanging money. I asked the restaurant owner where I could get that done. He asked around, as he himself did not know, and could not come up with an answer. I walked around a bit in the town and could not see any money changers – in direct contrast to say, Pattaya, where money changers are dime a dozen, owing to tourists. I went to a bank then, where a Western Union counter was operational. There I transacted the required business and headed back to the hotel. I took a route that was mostly through villages, partly due to non-availability of navigational assistance, on the way back to Tok Bali. Most of the villages gave me a feel of the coastal villages in Kerala, but without the flags and propaganda.

6 weeks of the expedition that began in Cochin on 28 February is over. In another five weeks, on 13 May, the South East Asian Expedition will end in Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh. The two week Himalayan Expedition will start the very next day from Tezu to Jammu.

Day 41 - 9 April 2015 - Phatthalung to Pasir Puteh

The ‘invisible hand’ has worked wonders for me all my life. And it did again this day. Some time after I had posted the blog for day 39 I got an email from N Mohan, a resident of Bangalore, who I had not known till he communication arrived. Having read that I was exploring border crossing options between Thailand and Malaysia, he came up with the information that there is a land crossing at Sungaiko Lok (Thailand) and Rantau Panjang (Malaysia). He sent me a link that was most useful in deciding to take that crossing. He had reached out to me at the most opportune moment because I was not able to get any additional information in Phatthalung and was mentally prepared for a diverted route. I had experienced something similar when I was at my wits end about getting to Cambodia after having been denied entry to drive through Vietnam. At the time, Mathew Thomas, another Facebook friend, suggested the southern route in Lao PDR to Siem Reap. And that worked. These are guardian angels that He sets up on your way to ensure safety and protection. I have no other means to describe such incidents.

Mohan offered a suggestion about route maps too. I had detailed in the blog about my misery with Google Maps and how it frequently shut down at the most inopportune times. I did what he asked me to – upgrade to a newer version. With that done, I had absolutely no issues during the drive to the Malaysian border. Voice guidance and GPS worked perfectly well to take me to the borders without a single wrong turn.  The road infrastructure was, once again, top class with sign posting absolutely brilliant. Even a person like me, who can lose his way on a straight road (an adaptation from Manoj, a friend in Warsaw), could not despite many tries! However, there were many road checks by heavily armed police personnel, examining personal baggage and a few freight trucks. I was stopped just once, but when I told them that I was on a drive from India, I was let through without any check. The stickers on the car helped too, as also that I was alone.

About 60 km from Sungaiko Luk, the Thailand side of the border crossing, I was overcome by a few doubts. Road signs started appearing for Tak Bai and Ta Ba border crossings into Malaysia. Nevertheless, I pushed on in the direction of Sungaiko Luk. When Google Maps showed a diversion, 4 km short of the Tak Bai ferry crossing, I spotted a traffic policeman on his rounds. I asked him for directions and was told to take the diversion to Sungaiko Luk in case I wanted to drive through to Malaysia, which I did. The Sungaiko Luk – Rantau Panjang border crossing is via a small bridge over the Goluk River. Immigration formalities on the Thailand side did not take time, the officer was initially hesitant to accept the immigration papers for the car given at the Poi Pet border. His supervisor asked him to file it. At the Customs station a junior official helped me find the correct person to stamp and sign the Carnet.

When I drove over the bridge to the Malaysian side I was not sure how to handle the immigration and Customs because not a single instruction was in English. I saw a line of cars driving through a lane and getting passports, or what looked like them, stamped. I too joined the queue and was pleasantly surprised when my passport was accepted, visa examined and entry stamped in less than five minutes. All this, while I was seated in the car. I did not have to fill up an arrival/departure form or any other. The officer also confirmed that I did not require any immigration clearance for the car and asked me to drive through to Customs. A few metres away there were two lanes, one for vehicles with goods and the other without. I drove through the Green Channel and passed through the Customs barrier. I could have driven on but for the Carnet formality. At the exit of the ICQS (Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security) complex I parked the car and approached the Customs station. And that is when I met the next guardian angel – Faizah (pronounced Fayeezah).

She was one among the three Customs officials manning the inward gate. I handed over the Carnet to her and asked for it to be stamped. She offered a chair and went in search of the authority who had to do the needful. She returned in a short while and requested me to wait a while. While doing that I asked if she could help me with getting insurance for the car as well as to exchange currency. She said would after the Carnet is stamped. While waiting for that I told her about the expedition and she said, “You are brave man, I respect”. The senior officer came to the gate with the Carnet and without any fuss the job was done. I had to only tell them what had to be filled up where. Then Faizah took over. She took me to a counter where she thought the insurance could be done. Some discussion later she decided to take me in her car further down the road in search of insurers. Each one of them was closed for lunch – I lost an hour after entering Malaysia, which is +8 GMT against +7 GMT in Thailand! Then she took me to the Duty Free Shop, where she thought she could get currency exchanged for me. That also proved futile, but she would not give up. She requested one of the guys in the shop to take me, safely, on his bike to a money changer. The woman was very reluctant to accept USD and when I persisted she gave me an appalling rate. I accepted it as I needed local currency for the insurance. Then I suggested to Faizah that we could have lunch and try the insurers after 2.30 pm.

We went to a small restaurant and she ordered Nasi Goreng Pathaya, basically fried rice with chicken and egg. I was parched because it was hot and humid. I ordered iced tea. The smiling middle aged woman brought me sweetened milk tea with pots of ice cubes. Even though that was not what I had asked for it was delectable and, naturally, I asked for a refill. The fried rice too was tasty and filling. In the car and over the meal we exchanged a lot of information. She was very friendly and forthcoming; I became certain that I have journeyed with this soul in the past. I may have accepted Mohan’s suggestion to take this border crossing to meet up with her again! It is only travel that can help to connect up such dots in your life and see a larger picture.

Faizah is a 40 year old divorcee with three children, the oldest being 17. Of course, I did not believe her at first because she did not look a day older than 25! Her mother stays with her and helps out with the children and home. She is the youngest of three siblings – her brother works in Kuala Lumpur and her sister too works with the Customs department in Rantau Panjang. She does a lot of overtime to meet her financial commitments. In fact, this day she is on a double shift, 6 am to 2 pm and onwards to 10 pm. She seemed to be quite popular in the place and kept on telling people that her Uncle had come to visit her from India! When I asked her why she was doing all this for me, which is something I could not have expected even in my own country, she said that I should be comfortable in her country. I could not believe what I was hearing and experiencing. She mentioned that it is not often that Kelantan gets foreign tourists; she wanted me to know that they are a friendly people in a beautiful land. Yes, people make the land and Faizah exemplified it. She kept on telling me that I should tour Kelantan again with family and I invited her to ‘God’s Own Country’. I do not know if I will ever see her again or interact with her, but she has etched herself indelibly in my mind, with her charming demeanour and helpful attitude. Goodwill, certainly, knows no boundaries.

Rantau Panjang is a very small town, but very well known. Besides it being a popular border crossing its claim to fame is as one of the foremost towns in Malaysia for smuggling. Fuel oil, cooking oil and sugar are cheaper in Malaysia than in Thailand and hence, are smuggled in large quantities for sale across the border. Vehicles are specially modified for this purpose with additional tanks and dummy boot. Enterprise will find expression in innovative ways.

I had to get to a WiFi point to get directions to the hotel in Pasir Puteh. Till I got to one I drove on in the direction of Pasir Puteh with the help of road signs and general directions that Faizah had given me.  Closer to Pasir Puteh I drove into a restaurant that promised WiFi. I ordered a mango shake and connected to the Net. Arwana Hotel was at Tok Bali, quite some distance from Pasir Puteh. It was hot and getting hotter. I had to change the room initially allotted because the air conditioning was not effective.

I walked around a bit and found that the place has nothing in the immediate vicinity to offer, except a dry dock and boat repair facility, where I spent some time. The receptionist told me that I could check with the travel desk in the morning about how I could fill the extra day in Pasir Puteh. The Koipitiam is a restaurant in the complex. I ordered chicken noodles for dinner. The chef produced a beauty and came across to ask if I enjoyed the meal. He promised to cook me an excellent fried rice dish the next day.

Day 40 - 8 April 2015 - In Phatthalung

 Last night, as I was at the end of the second bottle of beer, I fell off the chair when I tried to put the empty bottle in the bin. The result of it was a broken glass and spilt beer. Fortunately, the broken pieces slid under the table and were ‘arranged’ in a neat pile there. I had no worries of hurting my feet. More than the irreplaceable loss of the precious liquid adoring the floor I was more worried about the smell and the sticky floor. The odour was quite strong even when I woke up this morning. I tried to counter it by making a strong cup of coffee, and it worked. Breakfast consisted of bread and peanut butter with another cup of coffee.

The Ok Talu Mountain rises majestically from the centre of the town and can be seen from anywhere. The mountain appears on the provincial seal and hence, is also the symbol of the province. It was on top of the list of places to visit in the town. The town is so small that any place can be reached on foot. I decided to take the car so that I could drive around the town after that to take in whatever I could of this small administrative town. The town has a population of less than 40,000 people. Being the administrative capital of the Province of Phatthalung it has very little touristic importance; witness, the absence of any massage parlours in the town! The town is not even on the radar of most people visiting southern Thailand. However, here I was, transiting through to Malaysia determined to see the eastern and the western parts of the country.

The locals talk of the legend of the Ok Talu Mountain.  Just some distance away is another mountain called the Khao Hua Taek, which means ‘cracked skull’ and Ok Talu means ‘punctured chest’ in local lingo. The Khao Hua Taek has a splintered peak and Ok Talu has a hole at the top of it. It is said that the two mountains were originally the ‘mistress’ and ‘wife’ of the male Khao Muang Mountain. They are said to have sustained injuries on their skull and chest from the fights over their lover!

The Centris Hotel is located quite close to the mountain. A visit to the town is not complete without climbing the vertical steps to the summit of the mountain, I was told. I drove and parked at a place which I thought is the entrance to the mountain climb. I did not see anyone there, even though many cars were parked. I surmised that tourists must have started the climb as soon as the premises opened at 8 am. I took a bottle of water, some cakes and camera for the ‘trek’. If anyone had told me that I would have to climb over 1000 steps to reach the summit of the mountain, I may have had more than second thoughts about the climb. The steps were steep and through a jungle. However, apart from dry leaves the steps were free and unencumbered. At regular intervals concrete benches and tables are available for those wanting to rest. I did not sit down because that would have put additional stress on the mind and body.

It took me about an hour to climb, halting at every flight to catch some breath as well as to take photographs of the ‘wife’ and ‘mistress’. Even though I was covered in sweat by the time I reached the top I was not exhausted because it was not so hot. Shrubs and vines have formed a neat arch to protect climbers from the harshness of the Sun. The steps end a few metres below the ‘punctured chest’. A platform has been made from where the hole in the limestone mountain can be seen. Through it a panoramic view of the city can be had. Work is still going on to make the place easier to access. After a few minutes there I began the descend, which was tougher than the climb. I found it difficult to balance with the thighs that felt as if a road roller had gone over them a few times. I had expected company of visitors on the way with so many cars parked at the entrance to the climb to the summit. There was not one; I was alone in that jungle. When I reached where I had parked my car I realised the reason for so many cars. There was a garage close by! There are many temples on the mountain and work is going on to improve the area. Winches have been set up on the sides of the mountain to ferry construction material and men.

The Phatthalung railway station is the next place I visited. It is on the southern link to Malaysia. The metre gauge trains and stations appeal to me because my first posting in Indian Railways was in Mysore Division of Southern Railway, which was a metre gauge division at the time. The premises are very well maintained; people do not litter – that is a feature I have seen on this journey. And they are unhurried and is possibly the reason why trains move so slow here.

One of the interesting things I noticed in the town is the number of jewellery shops. I did notice this in Laos too. People are fond of gold as a savings instrument, I am told. The jewellery and the counters are protected with steel railings, which means that customers can only see the items and not take them – may be as part of security systems. They are placed, piece by piece before the customers as and when they wish to see them at closer quarters. I did not see much business being transacted, like what we see in the jewellery shops in Kerala. But, of course, the population factor and the purchasing power are different. 

I drove around the town and was on the highway in about 15 minutes! That is how small the town is. The administrative offices were all busy, indicating that government is the major employer in this town. The buildings that house the family court and school looked colonial with Thai facades. Work was going on to repair the Governor’s Residence. Once I got back to the hotel I thought of changing a few USD to THB and walked into a bank apprehensively, for I did not know what the procedures would be. As soon as I walked through the entrance a person at one of the counters stood up with folded hands and kept on saying something in Thai. I felt embarrassed as other customers started looking at me. He was treating me as if I had discovered gold on top of the Ok Talu Mountain and not one with a few measly USD. I went up to him and told him what I wanted. Apologetically, I surmised for he started bowing too with his folded hands, he asked me to go to Bangkok Bank. Yet again, in the Bangkok Bank, I was treated like royalty and my work was done in a jiffy.

I dropped in at a way side eatery for lunch. I was keen on rice but they had run out of it and there was no menu. I went up to the stall and pointed out to a few items to be mixed with the noodle soup. The soup with pork and minced chicken balls was heavenly; a different experience from that in the steakhouse last evening. For dessert I had a magnum almond dipped ice cream. I thought of returning to the same shop for dinner, of course, after a beer.

I took a walk in the evening to build up some appetite and landed up at the night market, which was just next to the railway station. By 6 pm the place was full of people and I stood out like a sore thumb. I was the only foreigner in the place and was cause of much mirth among the young. One of the stalls was doing brisk business and it had some items on the menu written in English. The chef was busy and I pointed out to him what I wanted. He immediately called his daughter who spoke to me in flawless English. I placed the order and watched the chef make a very large portion of Phad thai noodles, to cater to take away orders. He made a portion specially for me and embellished it with more shrimps than normal. I have always considered fresh and steaming street food safe and tasty. This was an experience that proved it.

It was time to move on from Thailand. Malaysia beckoned.

Day 39 - 7 April 2015 - Hua Hin to Phatthalung

The guy at the reception knocked on the door exactly at 5.30 am making me wonder if he was at the door waiting for the clock to strike the half past. I was already up and getting ready after an invigorating infusion of coffee. Before starting the drive I went over the route once again and that served me well in the end. About 100 kms into the drive Google Maps misbehaved. It just switched off. I wondered if it was anything to do with the hardware or the software. I was totally put off and kept the handset switched off for a while, to cool it off! Anyway, I had to travel by Route 4 to Chumphon and 41 thereafter to Phatthalung via Surath Thani. It was not too much of challenge since the roads were brilliantly signposted. About 25 kms short of Phatthalung I dropped into a fuel station and used WiFi of the coffee shop to get directions to the hotel. That helped me reach The Centris Hotel without any hassles. I had driven 650 kms in slightly over 7 hours.

The road condition was near perfect all the way through, with rough patches at some places. Water drainage was provided either at the sides of the roads or in the middle of it, depending on the camber of the road. At many places road works were on to correct undulations and other defects without creating traffic snarls. The intersections were warned in advance and were wide. The infrastructure, even in villages and small towns, was never compromised. A sine qua non to good infrastructure is proper use of it – the courteous use of the road and observance of rules made high speed possible, which in turn helped clearance of more traffic with the available infrastructure. Provision has been made for vendors at intermittent places; cars could be parked without impeding traffic. Besides, the fuel stations all along the way had rest room facilities and small shops. Along the way are swathes of oil palm and rubber plantations. It looked as if the latter is giving way to the former.

The Centris Hotel, right in the heart of the small town, was an extremely good ‘ buy’ for 1800 THB for two nights. It has covered parking for vehicles and I ‘cornered’ one of them for the car. The room is big and the facilities quite adequate. This time around I asked for a hot water kettle and got one immediately. The only challenge is communicating with the three girls at the reception. They had varying degrees of inability to understand English, but tried to be as helpful as they could be under the circumstances. I wanted direction to the attractions in and around the town; but they could not be of any help, whatsoever. So I did what I could at the time. I did the laundry and in a couple of hours it was dry, thanks to the hot and dry climate.

One of the ‘attractions’ in Phatthalung is the Ok Talu mountains that rise about 250 feet almost from the centre of the town. I decided to take that on tomorrow, as the place opens at 8 am. The rest of the places to visit seemed to be quite a bit out of town, which I did not want to venture out to unless I had adequate information about their location. That left me with just one place to experience this evening – the Larn Ta Chu steakhouse. It is listed as a must visit in most travel sites related to Phatthalung. Since I had not had any solid breakfast or lunch I was hungry by 5 pm. The reviews I read of the steakhouse only exacerbated the condition. The girls at the reception, this time, seemed to know the place and drew it out on a map for me. It was just a short walk away, they said. I walked and I walked, with the growls getting louder with every step. But, the only place I could not locate was the steakhouse. In the process I walked through the entire town, well almost. Phatthalung must surely beat Cochin for ‘the town that goes to sleep the earliest’ tag. Except for a few cars and some shops that seemed to be reluctantly open there was hardly any activity in the town.

I got back to the hotel and retrieved a couple of bottles of Thai beer as I thought it best to spend time with them rather than walking around the boring town. I started looking at options to enter Malaysia. I had planned to take the coastal route on the east to move from Thailand to Malaysia. As mentioned in an earlier post, thanks to the scars on the psyche festooned by the Vietnam experience, every border crossing is a trauma. I do a lot of research to get additional information that could be of help. In the instant case I found that a ferry crossing is involved on the Malaysian side. There is absolutely no mention whether the ferry gets cars across. In the absence of further information I will have to take the western route and go to Pasir Puteh via a diversion of almost 150 km. Anyway, that has to wait for a decision tomorrow; I hope to visit a travel agent to get more information. However, considering the one horse town it is I do not expect to get much assistance.

The beers dulled the hunger for a while. But, as soon as the two bottles were over, the second faster than the first, the stomach became belligerent yet again. I had to find the steakhouse. This time I was in luck. The receptionists had changed and on night duty was another girl who understood where I wanted to go and gave me clear directions to it. I reached it without a fuss too. I realised then that the girls had given me the wrong directions in the evening. They probably wanted me to explore the town and build up a better appetite!

The Larn Ta Cha steakhouse was almost full – all residents of the town seemed to be there. Charming young girls helped me to a comfortable seat and produced a menu that was, thankfully, in English. I took my time over it and chose the spicy fish maw soup with jasmine rice. The girl who took the order asked me at least thrice if I wanted it spicy and I confirmed it all three times. She also asked me to reconsider if I wanted the rice, which I did affirmatively. The steakhouse, besides serving traditional steaks, was also supposed to serve typical Thai food. And that is what I had ordered. The strong fishy aroma of the soup hit me as it passed the door of the kitchen. One spoon of the soup and my palate reacted to the spice and the fishiness. It was really spicy and tangy. I asked for a bottle of cold water and regular gulps from that saved me quite a bit from then on. The serving of the soup was large and I wondered how I was going to get through it. The rice helped. I used the soup as curry and managed to finish the meal. The smell of fish stayed with me till I reached the room and rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth. So much for the steakhouse – I must have picked out the one dish I should not have ordered.

Well, it all balances out in the end, I guess. I had the run of the road in the morning and in the night I ran on the road all the way from the steakhouse to the hotel with spice spilling out from my ears!