20412 km Georgetown
Door: Erik en Tjeerd
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Erik en Tjeerd
16 April 2008 | Maleisië, Kuala Lumpur
After our little daytrip to Burma it was time to do what everyone in Thailand does, visit some beaches! We headed to Chumphon where we took the ferry to Ko Tao. We spend 3 days there not doing much except reading a bit, snorkeling and of course the occasional beer on the beach. It's sure was nice to have some good old R&R but we get bored easily and we started to feel a little lazy after a while. So we did a 15km bikeride to and from the ferry to Ko Phangan :) Then we dropped on the beach once more. of course more beachtime was required after that heavy bikeride ;) When on the islands Tjeerd and I have mainly gone our own way and that felt good for a change. Being together 24/7 can be a bit much at times. Therefore we have decided we will go our separate ways from now on. This would have happened in a month anyways and this gives us both some time to explore what travelling on our own is like.
So on the 10th we each left our own way. I took the ferry from Ko Panjang to Dan Suk and headed for the town of Surathani. A fairly large town where I had my km-counter fixed and bought some necessary spare parts for the bicycle. Next day I headed south hoping to make it to Hat Yai for the Thai Newyear, Songkran. Luckily I made it there in time and I was welcomed with loads and loads of water on me as is the tradition here. They say the "offering" of water is a sign of respect and it's a time for "cleaning and renewal" Well they sure must respect me a lot because the game of the day seemed to be: "soak the Farang" I sure had a lot of fun though, trusting my Ortlieb bags on the bike to be very very waterproof ;) When I checked in a hotel I went out to take my revenge. The receptionist had a supersoaker left and I've been dropping a water mayhem on the streets of Hat Yai. I had a blast with this 3rd newyearparty of 2008. Happy 2552 everyone!
Next day I was off for Malaysia! Only 55km to the border and another 50 to the first decent size town (read big enough to have at least one guesthouse). The border crossing was as easy as it can get. An exit stamp from the Thai and another free visastamp from the Malaysians. A 90 day free visa, thank you very much. Early afternoon I arrived in Alor Setar and guess who I met in the evening... Yeah you guessed it Tjeerd was also there, we had been travelling roughly the same speed, though we used different routes. Next day I left for the island of Penang and yes we managed to check into the exact same guesthouse again. What are the odds with so many guesthouses/hotels to choose from. We spend the evening together, talking eachother through the past week. We checked out "Chinatown" and "Little India". The next day was spend relaxing a bit and doing some shopping in Penang. Tomorrow I'll be off again on the bike.
Still a bit of cycling to do but in a couple of days I should reach KL. It looks like there might be some time left before my flight leaves and I'm very tempted to continue to Singapore. Will let you all know how it turns out...
Yours,
Erik
So on the 10th we each left our own way. I took the ferry from Ko Panjang to Dan Suk and headed for the town of Surathani. A fairly large town where I had my km-counter fixed and bought some necessary spare parts for the bicycle. Next day I headed south hoping to make it to Hat Yai for the Thai Newyear, Songkran. Luckily I made it there in time and I was welcomed with loads and loads of water on me as is the tradition here. They say the "offering" of water is a sign of respect and it's a time for "cleaning and renewal" Well they sure must respect me a lot because the game of the day seemed to be: "soak the Farang" I sure had a lot of fun though, trusting my Ortlieb bags on the bike to be very very waterproof ;) When I checked in a hotel I went out to take my revenge. The receptionist had a supersoaker left and I've been dropping a water mayhem on the streets of Hat Yai. I had a blast with this 3rd newyearparty of 2008. Happy 2552 everyone!
Next day I was off for Malaysia! Only 55km to the border and another 50 to the first decent size town (read big enough to have at least one guesthouse). The border crossing was as easy as it can get. An exit stamp from the Thai and another free visastamp from the Malaysians. A 90 day free visa, thank you very much. Early afternoon I arrived in Alor Setar and guess who I met in the evening... Yeah you guessed it Tjeerd was also there, we had been travelling roughly the same speed, though we used different routes. Next day I left for the island of Penang and yes we managed to check into the exact same guesthouse again. What are the odds with so many guesthouses/hotels to choose from. We spend the evening together, talking eachother through the past week. We checked out "Chinatown" and "Little India". The next day was spend relaxing a bit and doing some shopping in Penang. Tomorrow I'll be off again on the bike.
Still a bit of cycling to do but in a couple of days I should reach KL. It looks like there might be some time left before my flight leaves and I'm very tempted to continue to Singapore. Will let you all know how it turns out...
Yours,
Erik
-
16 April 2008 - 12:02
Cees Van Lugtenburg:
Wanneer stoppen jullie nu eens.....of komt er geen eind aan dit avontuur. Hebben jullie onderweg al een nieuwe fiets moeten kopen? Fijne tijd nog jullie en geniet er nog van. Groeten uit een koel Nederland. -
16 April 2008 - 12:03
Gloria&Gerard:
You have finally arrived at a place I visited as a school boy. I spent an Easter holiday in 195* with a friend and ate too much rambutan and mangistan that we collected from his garden - and perhaps from the neigbours garden too.
Take care, especially as you do not travel together at this moment. Let's hope Tjeerd can still upload his beautiful pictures within a few days. -
16 April 2008 - 12:05
Erik:
Hi Cees,
Bijna klaar nu, op 5 mei vlieg ik terug naar Rotjeknor. Uiteraard kom ik dan even bij Lyondell buurten -
16 April 2008 - 12:07
Peter S.:
Erik, nog een klein stukkie. De spreekwoordelijke meet komt in zicht. Dit jaar wel een mooie Parijs Roubaix gemist. Het regende zowaar weer eens wat. Misschien iets voor jou om volgend jaar aan mee te doen? Of is dat te soft?
Groeten,
Peter -
18 April 2008 - 09:07
Els En Evert:
Leuk verhaal weer. Wel heel sterk dat je Tjeerd weer tegenkomt als je net uit elkaar bent. Nou, weer veel sterkte de rest van de reis in je eentje en als je Tjeerd weer tegenkomt, doe hem dan ook de groeten.
Els en Evert -
20 April 2008 - 12:37
Truus:
Hi Guys, want ik ga ervan uit dat Tjeerd en jij toch wel af en toe de mail lezen om naar reacties te kijken. Ik hoop dat Tjeerd ons ook op de hoogte zal houden van zijn belevenissen, zal best raar zijn na 24/7 samen, om nu alleen op stap te zijn en uiteraard komen jullie elkaar steeds weer tegen dat kan niet anders. Ik wens jullie beide nog een goede reis en vele mooie momenten toe.
Het is nu lekker zonnig hier in Nederland. Jazzou zoals de Griek zegt.
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