Taba Plaza Hotel Narathiwat

... anything you might do in India. The sleepers are of American design, so go length ways along the carriages. A very nice man comes along and makes the bed up for you, with clean sheets, pillow cases and a blanket. Sometimes the A/C can be a bit too cold at night, but this one was fine. It's a bit like going back to the womb, because once inside you can pull your curtain across and have complete privacy. I wouldn't dare get completely naked in one (for fear of having to ...

... a lot of travelling by train and the jungle train is my favourite so far. The jungle is so close that in places the trees rub against the carriages and bits of plant come through the windows and doors. It was fun to stand in the doorway and enjoy the breeze and watch the world go by. A lot of locals use this train and there were a lot of school kids going home for the holidays getting on and off along the way. I am going to chill out here in Kota ...

Khota Bharu is a city near Thai - Malaysian border. It is the most Muslim city in the country. But it also has a lot of Thai influence already. I liked it. It's got great day markets and a nice night market, where one can eat whatever one's heart desires. I had blue rice (this is a Malay thing, they colour rice with a flower, according to the book; doesn't taste differently though...) and seafood (spicy squid and shells). Kota Bharu is close to the sea, so they offer a lot of ...

... pticev v kletkah. Aja, pa znani so po izdelovanju tistih zmajev iz Zogice Nogice (pihajte, otroci, pihajte...) Khm, tukajle se pa res znajo zabavat. Potem grem raje malezijske cajtnge brat v ono trafiko na zelezniski. Alkohola kajpak ni za dobit, zato se niti korektno napit ne moreva, da bi zabila teh nekaj ur. No, pa saj bova zdrzala. Ko bi imela vsaj boben in lajno:) Jao, jao.

... tourists trying to absorb everything we could, as much as we can in as little time as we have. Siti Khadijah Market: We only have a few hours in Kota Bharu before we catch our ferry from Kuala Besut, about 40 minutes away from Kota Bharu by car. I know I had to take Argi to this market for him to get a quick general idea of how life is on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia ...

... were in third class carriage with no ventilation and well worn seats. Very hot and it was us that smelled bad after 3 days in the jungle with only wet wipes to keep you fresh after a sweaty trip down to the train. Yat just went off to get himself on the train and was asleep before the train left the station. After 3 hours Anastasia came to wake Yat up to ask if we had to get off at Wakaf Baru Station......when he said yes we pulled into the station. A frantic ...

... waited. I could wait no more eventually, and had to rush off to the bathroom, and in that interval, the two minutes of fire dancing was over, and never to return. Typical, I suppose. We headed for a good sleep. Morning was more of the same before we had to head back. On our way back we shared a taxi with a French couple, and chatted about trying to get a visa in Europe, travelling Europe, as well as the rest of the world. We ...

... looks like I timed my trip through there pretty well). Kota Bahru advertises itself as "The Islamic City", and it's pretty much the center of the malaysian islamic culture. It's kind of fun, a lot like the buddhist culture of luang phrabang, where the entire city revolves around the timing of prayers - the night market, for instance ...

... Secret Recipe' et ensuite retour chez Zecks. Je bavarde un peu avec les travellers du coin, un vieil italien, un allemand dans la quarantaine et une jeune anglaise dont la copine a attrape la dengue fever quelque part. Ca me fait un peu flipper, sur ce je vais me coucher en me disant qu'elle a du trainer dans la jungle quelque part ce que beaucoup de gens font en Malaisie mais pas nous ... Sur bye bye il est temps de dormir. Demain on voyage a nouveau!

... the night ferry -again! - to Ko Phangan. I got there around 10.30 and ran into Claire straight away, which was convenient, and not totally planned but was nice to see a familiar face after that much traveling. And if any of you need reminding what the night ferry is like again its a big old smelly boat that takes 6 hours to do what a normally day ferry takes 2 hrs to do and you get to sleep on padded floor while doing it all.. not that ideal. What ...