Kuala Lumpur 8th November

Today Eamon, Norman and Lyn decided to visit the Batu Caves.  These caves are 13 km north of the city and is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India.  We took the monorail from outside Times Square (our hotel is at the back of Times Square) to the KL Sentral station then crossed the road to the main KL Sentral station and took the train (on the KTM Komuter line) to Batu Caves.  On the way we befriended Desiree Bartsch a Canadian (who is now living in Bali for the next year) as she was also finding her way to the caves and an extra pair of eyes looking for directions helped. 




The cave is reached by climbing the 272 steps to the entrance.  There are several cave temples and Hindu shrines withing the main cave.  Below the main cave (Temple Cave) is the Dark Cave which contains unique animal species, but we decided not explore this cave. 

On the way back we overshot the KL Sentral station and so had to get off at Angkasspuri and return to KL Sentral before returning to the hotel.

Later I ate in the main food street in the nearby Bukit Bintang district at one of the many food stalls.

Now to Malaysia (5th to 7th Nov)

Left Koh Samui early in the morning (I caught the first jeep at 05:00).  This meant it was a very short night as we only got back from the Thai boxing at 23:45 the previous evening.  We then caught the ferry at 07:00 arriving at the Thai mainland 90 mins later and boarded the Truck for the drive south towards the border.

We stopped for lunch about 100 km north of the border and then went quickly through the border mid afternoon after changing any remaining thai currency we had.  We went through a couple of rainstorms, but they had stopped when we got into Malaysia.  The main problem was that they would not release the Truck until the insurance had been sorted out and that took a couple of hours, so it was nearly dark before we set off towards Kuala Lumpur (KL).  The time advanced 1 hr and we were now 8 hrs ahead of the UK. 

We had planned to have a bush camp on the way to KL, but in view of the time it was decided to find a hotel in Alor Star, a town a couple of hrs into Malaysia.  We then all found some food (most of us at a Pizza Hut where there was appalling service).  We left the next morning just after 08:30 (Eamon and me had to be woken as I had not changed the time on my alarm clock!!). 

We then drove until we reached KL mid afternoon.  The dorms in the hostel (Classic Inn) were very narrow and with facilities limited a few of us upgraded to double rooms.  We only had time to orientate ourselves and get some food before we planned how to use the next 2 days in KL.  We are located (as usual) near the centre and the shopping really does need to be seen to be believed here (The hostel is at the back of a huge retail development complete with indoor rollar coaster and amusement park. 

Koh Samui

First 2 days here (2nd & 3rd Nov) were spent exploring the local town (Lamai Beach and also the island on an around the island tour. 

Glyn, Kieran, Laura and Martin arrived back from their diving course safely at lunchtime on the 2nd, unfortunately Martin failed the diving course but the other 3 successfully obtained their certificates. 

The island tour started at the Plai Leam Temple which was stunning over the water then moved to the nearby big Buddha temple. 

 

 We stopped at a viewpoint over the Chaweng Beach. 

We then moved south to the Grandfather and Granmother rocks (next door to our hotel) and then on to the Khunnaram Temple where the Mummified Monk Loung Pordaeng is on display. 

 We then saw a short monkey show and spent some time clambering up to the Namuang Falls (80m waterfall).  I then went on for a short visit to Nathon Town before returning to the Hotel at Lamai Beach. 

To Koh Samui (31st Oct and 1st Nov)

Travelled from the River Kwai initially towards Bangkok and then south towards the Bay of Thailand. 


We stopped at a Tesco Lotus store for lunch at Pranburi and then made a bush camp approx 220 km north of the Don sak Harbour

We left the bush camp at 07:00 arriving at the harbour 3 hrs later.  This gave us time to dry out our tents before embarking on the Ferry to Koh Samui for a 90 min crossing to Thailand's 3rd largest island.  We all crammed into a small truck and made our way to White sands bungalows at Lamai beach.  Sarah, Honnie and Megan had upgraded to the bungalows next door so made thier own way there.  Walked along the beach to the town in the afternoon - the sand was disappointing as it was fairly gritty and the sea was reasonably rough and you had to be a confident swimmer to vebnture into the water. 

During lunch at the hotel a cobra was soptted and caught and then it was going to be returned to the mountains in the centre of the island. 

Kanchanaburi 30 Oct

Spent the day with Megan, Terry, Jonnie, Peggy and John on an all day excusion to a number of tourist destinations along the River Kwai. 

We left the hotel at about 08:00 and first went to the Sai Yak Noi Waterfall. 

We then went to the Hot Spa at the Hin Dat Hot Spring (Peggy & John left us here to go Elephant riding and Bamboo rafting.  The 3 of us enjoyed both the hot spring and relaxing in the cooling river beside.  The hot spring was hot!! 








After we had lunch (when Peggy & John rejoined us) we then went to the Hellfire Pass and Memorial Museum which demonstrated the extreme hardships and brutality which the POW's suffered under the Japanese while building the Thailand to Burma railway. 

 

We then went to the Krasae Cave (used as a hospital at a POW camp) and the wooden railway bridge.  The trains were not running (water problems in Bangkok I think), so we walked across the wooden bridge instead. 

Finally we returned to Kanchanaburi to walk across the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. 

Kanchanaburi (River Kwai) 29 Oct

Yesterday evening there was a heavy rainstorm and this made all the stall and shops stop trading for about 45 mins.  The rain was very heavy and the road was soon awash with water.  An hour later the roads were dry again.  

Left Bangkok this morning after joining up with the Truck at the Skania dealer.

We arrived in Kanchanaburi in the early afternoon and booked into Sam's Riverside Guesthouse. After a late lunch there was only time to visit the Thailand-Burma Railway centre and see the War cemetery outside. 

We are here for 2 nights before heading south and a bush camp and then 5 nights on a island off Thailand's south coast. 

Bangkok 28 Oct

Glen, Kieran, Laura and Martin left yesterday evening for an island resort where they will take an accredited diving course before joining us in a few days at the beach. They were travelling on an overnight bus then a ferry before getting to their destination.







  

Spent most of the day walking a few Temples (Wats), finding the floods and buying new sandals as one of the straps has broken on my new pair.














The floods are worst at sunrise and therefore in most of the city that we are in (west bank of the river) it is almost completely cleared by mid morning with only the riverside streets still affected and being pumped out. So far all the streets near the hotel have not been affected although the shop are taking precautions with sand bags and temporary walls. Bottled water is short in some stores, but can easily be obtained a few streets away.

The Wats are very impressive and they all vary in size and style.

China Town was intense and very busy (as with all China Towns) and as I did not need (at that stage) to buy anything I did not spend too much time there.

 On the way back to the hotel I went through numerous flower sellers and then along some partially flooded streets. I bought a new pair of sandals from one of the shops in a street near the river which had been flooded earlier in the morning, but was now pumped dry.

We leave tomorrow on the Truck for Southern Thailand and a beach resort for 4 or 5 nights.