Pangkor Hotels
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We must LOVE travelling
Entry 14 of 47 | show all | print this entry |
The next day, we are changing modes of transport more times than any other in our seven months away - nine in all. Take a taxi to the airport, as there's not much in the way of other local transport around then have the quickest flight we're ever likely to take short of crashing during take-off. Up and down in 20 minutes and they still make time to dish out a few complimentaries on the way. Have some great views of the islands as we come in to land at Penang airport. Collect our bags and out to the bus stop in a matter of minutes. The bus to Butterworth is very bumpy and very wet both inside and out.
It is absolutely chucking it down outside. The steam is rising as the last drops start falling, the humidity is back up above 90 percent. Penning is a popular tourist destination and there is a high-density population. Traffic congestion can be quite a problem and it takes us quite a while to get through the city. The ferry to Butterworth on the mainland turns out to be free, as tolls are only taken going on to the island. The bus station is very busy and everyone seems to be going somewhere in a hurry. We eventually find the stop we want but come across our first real travel problem.
The next bus available for Taiping where we should pick up our connection for Lamut leaves at 2.45. However, the last bus from Taiping to Lamut left at 1.00pm! We must reroute and go around the long way if we are to reach Pangkor tonight. As we are waiting outside we talk to a middle-aged German woman who has been backpacking for several months up and down the peninsular. She tells us about the rain forests up in Northern Thailand where real wild elephants can be seen in their natural habitat. She still has quite some time before she goes home but is intending to see more of the unspoiled parts of the country before she does.
Our bus leaves on time, yet is a far cry from the VIP luxury we have been experiencing so far. When assembling these buses for use in the Far East I am sure they manage to stuff an extra couple of rows of seats in, assuming that all people in this region are short and thin. The hard metal seats are bolt upright, they do not recline in the slightest and our knees are jammed in the back of the seat in front. In spite of this we miraculously manage to doze for a while arriving sore and aching in Taiping around 4.30pm. Discover to our horror that we are not actually in Taiping bus station at all but at Kamunting bus station on the other side of town and need to get a fast taxi if we are to reach our next connection in time. We arrive only just in time.
Another problem has arisen - our bus destined for Lamut has only one seat left for the 5.00pm departure and the next one doesn't leave until seven, meaning that we will miss the last ferry to Pangkor. Aaagggrrhhh!!!! ####** Fortunately, they allow us to take the earlier departure providing that one of us agrees to stand although we still have to pay the fair for two people nonetheless. Too tired and desperate to argue the point, we buy our two tickets and wait for the bus. As we sit in the station on our bags we feel a little uneasy. There are groups of local youths hanging around the bus station in a dodgy and somewhat menacing kind of way and we do not feel comfortable in the slightest. It seems we have become the latest attraction for them to stare at, but we do our best to ignore them.
Ladies, if you are considering backpacking, there are still countries out there where local men afford no respect whatsoever towards women and generally treat them as second class citizens. Your awareness of this is important for your own safety, particularly if you are fair-skinned and blonde. The covering up of arms and legs is essential if you want to avoid being pestered by the locals. Even then, you will still need to get used to a lot of staring from the local male population, as they tend not to see many young attractive women on the streets, as their families keep them locked away until a marriage is arranged.
Our bus eventually arrives, packed to the roof with families returning from a group holiday and straining under the weight. As the bus is unloaded, we are astounded at how much stuff can be packed into just the passenger seating area. We stand and watch in amazement as tents and poles, tarpaulins and fluorescent strip lights, oil lamps and cooking equipment and pets and passengers disembark from every conceivable exit of the bus. Within 10 minutes I would estimate that twice the legal maximum weight limit for the bus has been removed from it - where we come from at least anyway.
We are on our way again shortly on what appears to be a bus intended only for very short trips. There is no padding on the wooden benches and the metal frames serve only to make the ride even more uncomfortable. Leg flesh gets trapped between the planks and the scissor-action caused by the potholes along the way makes things even worse.
Luckily, we manage to squeeze on the back seat together and at least we can both sit down for the duration of the journey. Our co-passengers, namely 50 teenagers, are on their way back from a day trip and I have to say are much better behaved than their counterparts in the UK. Apart from a group of lads having a crafty cigarette, stooped down behind the back seats to avoid the attention of their teacher, they are behaving like little angels.
Pass through some plantations of sorts on the way and arrive eventually in Lamut aching and bruised as the sun is going down. The next and last ferry to Pangkor leaves in three- quarters of an hour giving us a bit of time to sort out somewhere to stay for the next few nights.
The ferry is quite basic but is functional and has a lot of open deck space. As with the ferries in Samui this is the main commercial lifeline to the island and large stacks of boxed tins and cases of cigarettes line the sides and central isles. It takes only 20 minutes to get to the island and we take a taxi to our bungalow accommodation. It is pleasantly positioned, clean and self contained and is just what we need after the day we've had. Eat coconut chicken at the little restaurant across the road before crashing out exhausted. What a day!
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