Today another (probably the last one this year) journey started. I took an evening flight from Wroclaw to Charleroi near Brussels. I chose Ryanair as it offered very cheap tickets. The only disadvantage is the distance to Brussels (1h 30 min of combined bus and train ride). This combined ticket costs 11 euros to any station in Belgium. In Brussels I'm staying in Sleep Well Hostel. A night in single room with shared bathroom (but with private toilet and washbasin) costs 30 euros. It's conveniently located near Brussels Noord station.
Aug 27, 2008 12:00 AMSingapore - Munich - Wroclaw
This is my flight itinerary I made today. No problems at all. We even managed to land in Munich 50 minutes ahead of schedule. After 15 hours of travel I reached Wroclaw where my family waited me and took back to my hometown of Legnica. The time difference is 6 hours but I don't feel jet-lagged at all.
Where to go next...?
Aug 26, 2008 12:00 AM14-hour delay
It was the longest train journey in my life, because of technical problems my train to Singapore was delayed in the end by 14 hours. We left almost 9 hours after the scheduled time of departure, i.e. at 5 a.m. After midnight I went to the first station, where the train was waiting to leave to have at least a short sleep on the train.
Unfortunately, this delay made it impossible for me to see anything in Singapore as I arrived at 1 a.m. on Aug 27. At least I managed not to miss my flight, what I had been afraid of. And there is even one advantage of that - another reason to come back here again :)
Aug 25, 2008 12:00 AMFrom 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...
Aug 24, 2008 12:00 AMAnother 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.
Aug 23, 2008 12:00 AMRelaxing 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.
Aug 22, 2008 12:00 AMTo 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.
Aug 21, 2008 12:00 AMIslamic 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.
Aug 20, 2008 12:00 AMOn 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.
Aug 19, 2008 12:00 AMAgain 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.
