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Welcome to my travellog. Here you can read about my journeys day by day. 
Aug 24, 2008 06:00 PM From Perhentian island to Kota Bharu
At noon I left Perhentian island first for Kuala Besut (by boat) and then took a bus (4.6 ringgits, 2 hours) to Kota Bharu. It's not a very fascinating city, but from here I will catch a bus in the evening to Wakaf Bharu, from where I have a train to Singapore at 10:30 p.m. Bye, bye Malaysia...
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Aug 23, 2008 06:00 PM Another lazy day
This day wasn't very different from yesterday. I was relaxing again and in late afternoon I made a walk through the island's jungle to catch some nice views from one of the hills. Tomorrow I'm leaving Perhentian Kecil.
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Aug 22, 2008 06:00 PM Relaxing in a hammoc
It's a really perfect place. I spend hours in a hammoc hanged between two coconut palm trees reading a book or just looking at the bay. It's so idyllic and calm you can just spend the whole day admiring it. I took with me several books and now have time to read them. Now I'm reading The Empire (I don't know under what title it was translated into English) by Ryszard Kapuscinski - a very interesting set of stories from the former Soviet Union as well as authors thoughts and remarks about it.
In the morning I was also snorkelling. The tide was higher than yesterday afternoon and I managed to see even more marine life.
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Aug 21, 2008 06:00 PM To Perhentian Island
I decided to spend the last days of my trip on Perhentian Kecil island, just relaxing and doing almost nothing but for sunbathing, snorkelling and reading a book laying in a hammoc.
To get to either of Perhentian islands (small or big one) you need to take a boat from Kuala Besut jetty. The boat cost 70 ringgits return and the trip takes anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. You just tell the boatmen at which beach or guesthouse you want to be dropped and he'll bring you to your destination.
On Perhentian Kecil island I'm staying at D'Lagoon. It's very basic and relatively expensive (40 ringgits for a fan room with shared facilities) but it's perfectly located at a beautiful bay.
Food here is quite good and not expensive (you can have lunch for less than 10 ringgits and set menu dinner is 15).
In the afternoon I was just sunbathing and swimming on the reef. It was low tide and the corals were just beneath water surface. It's nice to see them from so close, but it's dangerous as well. Corals are sharp and it's very easy to cut or at least scratch your skin.
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Aug 20, 2008 06:00 PM Islamic Kuala Terrenganu
I arrived in Kuala Terrenganu three hours later than I planned. There are several sights in this town. I went saw a nice mosque in the city center as well as sultan palace and a Chinese temple.
There are a lot of mosques here and it's a strictly islamic city - all institutions are closed on Friday and Saturday (that's why I decided to leave earlier for Perhentian Kecil island).
It was quite difficult to find a hotel in Kuala Terrenganu and I almost had to stay at a hotel for 130 ringgits, but finally found an air-conditioned room with attached bathroom for 40 ringgits. It's well-worn, but the staff are very friendly. They also plan to renovate the hotel until November this year, so it should be a good, comfortable choice soon. The name of this hotel is Alamanda, previously it was called Grand Paradise (and as such it's mentioned in LP guidebook). I managed to book a room on Perhentian Kecil island, so I will go there one day earlier than planned to relax before going back home.
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Aug 19, 2008 06:00 PM On the boat, on the bus
I left Taman Negara by boat. It's several times more expensive than a bus and takes more time, but it's much more enjoyable. The boat ticket costs 35 ringgits and the journey takes 2 hours (when going to Taman Negara from Kuala Besut it takes 3 hours as you're going upriver). The boat leaves Taman Negara at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. I managed to take a nice picture of a fisherman casting a net into water.
Then I took a bus to Jerantut (30 minutes, 5 ringgits). The buses wait for the peoples getting off the boats.
From Jerantut there is a bus to Kuantan at 2:30 p.m. (12.30 ringgits, 3.5 hours). There's nothing interesting in Jerantut from a tourist point of view, but for one Chinese temple located several minutes walk from the bus terminal.
Kuantan isn't very interesting either, but it has a nice big mosque (Mesjid Negeri) which is best viewed at night from the football field in front of it.
I decided to go to Kuantan, because I wanted to go to Tasik Chini to the the lakes. But at the tourist information office (very helpful and informative staff) I learned it's quite difficult to make such a day-trip by public transport and a taxi for one person is too much for me. There are no organized trips either. Tomorrow I'm leaving for Kuala Terrenganu.
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Aug 18, 2008 06:00 PM Again in the jungle
Today I spent a few hours walking in the jungle of Taman Negara national park. At least close to the park headquarters it doesn't look like a real jungle - there are well marked trails, information boards and even steps, to make walking around easier.
First, I went to walk along canopy walkway - a bridge suspended on ropes attached to trees. It's a nice experience to walk around 20 meters above the ground. The admission fee to canopy walkway costs 5 ringgits. You also have to pay for entry permit to the park (1 ringgit) and an optional camera permit (5 ringgits).
After canopy walkway I climbed Bukit Teresik (Teresik Hill) and also went to Lubok Simpon - a swimming area on Sungai Tahan, but I didn't swim at all.
In the evening there was a very heavy storm with torrential rain. That's why yesterday my internet connection was broken and I couldn't finish the entry. Internet access in Kuala Tahan is relatively expensive - 6 ringgits per hour. You can find an internet cafe opposite Terasek Motel. The connection is quite fast, contraty to what they write in LP guidebook.
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Aug 17, 2008 06:00 PM Going to Taman Negara
It's a long way from Cameron Highlands to this large national park but travel agencies in Tanah Rata organize transport for turists (see one of my previous entries). We left Tanah Rata at 10:30 a.m. and arrived in Kuala Tahan in Taman Negara at 7:30 p.m. We had almost two-hour delay due to traffic jams (school holidays in Malaysia).
It was a good decision to book a room in advance as it would almost be impossible to find something after late arrival. Now even in the morning it's difficult to find anything.
I'm staying at Agoh. A ramshackle chalet with airconditioning and attached shower costs me 50 ringgits per night.
On the minibus to Taman Negara I met Andrey from Russia, so we decided to share the room (as he couldn't find anything). I also had a chance to practice my Russian, which I haven't spoken for more than a year.
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Aug 16, 2008 06:00 PM Hindu festival
In the morning I took a us to Brinchang. I wanted to see a Chinese temple located near this town as well as Orang Asli (aboriginal people) village. While the temple was very interesting (admission free, donation appreciated), the village turned out to be a disappointment with the local people (both adults and children) asking me for money.
On my way back I saw small Parit Falls. Although they aren't impressive at all, the walk itself is quite pleasant.
In late afternoon I wanted to seee Robinson Falls, but on the way there I met a parade of Hindu people. I learned it's the last day of their festival and today they were going to offer things to one of their gods in the river. I was invited to follow the parade and could have an insight into Hindu culture. The whole ceremony was very interesting and I managed to take some nice pictures. When it finished it was too late to walk to Robinson Falls, but I don't regret.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for Taman Negara. A direct minibus makes this route from Tanah Rata in eight hours. The ticket costs 95 ringgits, but if you by directly at the tour operator (not at your guesthouse) you can save 5 ringgits. You'll find the office near the taxi stand on the main street.
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Aug 15, 2008 06:00 PM Tea plantations
There are a lot of tea plantations around Cameron Highlands. You can visit them for free and some of them even open their factories for visitors.
First, I went to Cameron Bharat Tea Estate. There is only a viewing terrace and you can actually see the plantation from the main road. It's located to the south from Tanah Rata.
To the north there is a much more attractive plantation - Sungai Palas Boh Tea Estate. To get there take a bus from Tanah Rata bus station and get off at Sungai Palas junction. From there it's a 20-minute walk to the plantation. To reach the factory you need about 1 hour (allowing time for taking pictures). Sungai Palas is a very picturesque plantation with hectares of hills covered in green tea carpet.
From the plantation I walked back to Tanah Rata (ca. 2.5 hours). In the afternoon it rained, of course.
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