Heading south

I woke during the night with a stonking headache - not the time to feel ill facing a coach trip, luckily it passed.

The view from my balcony was my last look at Hotel Penaga and the fish pond that 11+ years ago was a lap pool.

I was at the bus stop in very good time and chatted to a Dutch guy who was on a year world wide trip with his family, involving camper vans, my dream.   They were off to the Cameron Highlands before heading to Vietnam.  I was impressed by the small amount of luggage they had - for a year!

3 of us were on the KL bound bus went it left Komtar. An interesting trip.  First we had to go south to the Penang Bus station where we picked up some passengers and sat for at least 30 minutes with dispatchers and other sic like folk coming off and on the bus but no explanation.  Then back north again to cross the bridge (the original) to the mainland.  Funny I did this crossing in reverse in 2011 but I have no memory of it, or of leaving Penang by plane though I do remember landing in Langkawi.  Memory is such a strange thing.

Anyway, I digress, over the bridge and then north once more to Penang Sentral in Butterworth where we picked up more passengers and sat for another 30 minutes or so.  If you look at yesterday's blip you can see the Komtar tower in the middle of the picture on the Penang side and Penang Sentral a low white complex to the right in Butterworth, over the narrow strait from Georgetown.  We were now about 25 minutes by bus and ferry from where we started at 10.30.  We left Penang Sentral at 12,30, yes two hours later.

Then on to the north-south expressway.  Coach travel is a big thing in Malaysia.  There are loads of lines often covering the same routes and they are relatively comfortable, 2 + 1 formation and plenty of leg room.  Our coach however had seen slightly better days and the driver was on his phone almost non-stop.  I was a bit worried he wasn't using hands free and hen he did an I was even more worried as hands free extended to the steering wheel as he gesticulated. And then there was the fags smoked under the Dilarang Merokok sign (no smoking).  And despite this being public transport there were ni masks either. 

We got to Ipoh (120 kms) in just over an hour and there was a comfort break at the arrivals hall, then round to departures where we sat for another 30+ minutes, no-one got on, no-one got off and no explanation. There was a final delay leaving the bus station with some kind of roadworthiness check carried out by some of the 'almost police' you see here. 

So 4 hours after leaving Komtar we were 120 kms south, not counting the detour round Penang.  But then it was non-stop to Hentian Duta which relatively speaking is just round the corner form home.  There is a bus station there but it was the only one that we didn't go into and 3 of us were 'dumped' by the side of the expressway, 360 kms south and 6 and a quarter hours later.   Too late for #1 to pick me up (getting in to the apartment was the problem) but WH came and collected me.

Later, after both girls were home and had been at the playpark we went downstairs to La Casa for dinner. I doubt there was food in the house.  There was an enormous thunderstorm (we moved tables twice to avoid the rain) so we had to have dessert.  

They are off to Taiwan tomorrow afternoon.  No packing has been done!

PS - just realised that 3 years ago today I blipped form another balcony, in Thailand.