Mersing

Although the road is rocky, it sure feels good to me and if I'm lucky ....

boats

Now this is more like it!! Malaysia is much like parts of Africa only different.

The main differences, it's moving forward. Slightly chaotic and it's all building in progress the people are friendly and try to be helpful. Litter! There is a little litter and it's great.

Made my way from Singapore on by local buss to this small fishing town on the west coast, Mersing. What the hell am I doing in this town?

Is, I'm sure what the locals must ask themselves often. As for me I know what I'm doing in this town and that is leaving, on a ferry right now. I'm off to an island that time magazine once rated the most beautiful, Tioman. But that is for the next entry.

Got chatting to an expat on the buss to Mersing yesterday and now I have a hangover mmm expats in these far out places have one thing in common and that is they can all drink me under the table no no it's that they all drink allot .

A Scot, one of the towns five expats, decided I looked thirsty so he ordered loads of beers. Interesting bloke he spent about seventeen years out in PNG (Papua New Guinea) and collected some amazing stories but for some reason I can't remember them now. Oh yeah on the Malay royal family. Evidently there are about six sultans and they all get a three year bash at being king and one well know advantage of been a sultan is that you are considered above the law well at least that used to be the case.

There was a prince that was pretty good at soccer but unfortunately just not good enough so he was dropped from the provincial team. Little prince got on the phone to daddy who happened to be king at the time. Daddy was naturally upset and sent a group of thugs round to give the coach a good beating. The current president is said to have big balls and set out to prove it. To cut a long story short there is no longer a king.