Batu Caves, leaving Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and arriving in Bangkok, Thailand

I was woke up in the middle of the night by a phonecall from one of my credit cards saying that my payment had been missed, charges incurred and my promotional rate has been lost and that if they did not receive alternate payment immediately that they would start to take legal action against me.

As you might image, this isn't quite the early morning wake up call that I expected or wanted, but at least it got me out of bed and reminded me that the problems with my old bank were still not behind me fully.

What was more worrying for me was that if my other credit card direct debits were bouncing this could only be because my main current account was overdrawn beyond its limit, made moreson by the fact that not only had I not been using that card recently but the last timeI checked it has almost two thousands pounds in it, which meant that things were seriously wrong and I would have no alternative but to cut my trip short and return home.

Once I was awake I figured that this was the best time to call the bank back home to see what the score was, but due to it being out of normal ofice hours I was told that there was nothing the telephone staff could do to help and that I should try to call my local branch later.

This news just about put me in the pits for definetly as I did not want to have to come home early to sort this all out but despite my repeated efforts this thing just isnt going away or looks any closer to being resolved.

With not much else I could do, I had to check out of the hostel, hoping that my stuff would be safe in their reception area, while I went off travelling around the Batu Caves with C' and one of her airline colleagues, an Australian, who also wanted to visit the caves without having to waste time with the sales pitches.

I grabbed a taxi from outside the hostel to their hotel for 10 RM and as chance would have it I spotted C' near the reception food kiosk so I didnt even have to ask for the reception to call up to her, instead just going up and saying hi and then very soon her colleague arrived and together we all went off to the caves.

The trip took about twenty minutes and as we had haggled on the price, settling on 40 RM even though 30 was closer to the correct value, and being just outside the main city limits it gave us a bit of a taste of the outer limites.

The Batu Caves are an amazing sight from the outside, as they are high, and have marvellous decorative Hindu sculptures and temples in and around it and you feel a real sense of awe when you visit.

There are 272 steps to the main plateau, past the huge golden statue that stands guard at the entrance and all over the steps are discarded flipflops and slippers, rubbish, coconut halves and semi-wild monkeys that howl, cry and thieve if you are unlucky enough to get too close to them when they have a mind for mischief.

As I had been unable to recharge my camera battery whilst in Malaysia, as they use the same plugs that we do back in the UK but my camera was an American Import and I never thought to bring an adapter to covert INTO a standard British format, I was forced into being extra careful with my choice of shots and not just snapping away at anything that took my fancy.

Travelling in a small group of three was ideal for photographic purposes, as we could take photos of each other and even mixed pairs without having to hassle anyone else or run of the risk of anyone running off with our cameras or having to explain how to use it and hope that they take a half decent photo that is at least in focus.

After wandering around for an hour or more we headed on back to the entrance, where the girls took turns holding the albino snake and parots, while I snapped away for them, not really in dire need myself to pay more for something that you can do in plenty of other places for free.

Once the snake charming had been done, C' decided to pause for a bit of Sari shopping, as her mum loves them apparently, before we then all jumped back into our waiting taxi guy ( which shows how much extra he was charging as he never asked for a waiting fee !!! ) and then headed on over to the National Museum and Park.

If the Caves had shown the dirty side of Malaysia then certainly the museum showed off its clean and tidy side, as the place was immaculate, well presented ( just not enough signboards or displays in English for me to make the most of it, but thats hardly their fault ) and had my camera battery pack still been charged I would have happily took enough photos to pass the 10,000 mark for this trip, however as it was it is still only around 9,850. The best bit was that it was only 2 RM to get in, so not quite free but it wouldnt break anyones bank to enter, however poor they might be.

Some of the clothes and weapons on display were magnificient and even the modern day section was interesting enough to keep us all there for another hour before we were all getting a little peckish and so went off in search of food.

After a light snack we headed across the motorway overpass to reach the National Park which was segregated into a few bits like the worlds largest enclosed bird centre, but at 39 RM it made no sense, especially as the other parts that we saw were free.

The heat and sun was glorious and often we would stop and just rest to shelter from the sun before continuing on our way, and it was a shame when he had to call it a day as I had a flight to Bangkok booked and they had their own flight to prepare for.

My original plan was to go on to Penang in the north east of Malaysia, but with my bank again giving me grief I wanted to rush and get to there as quickly as possible so that if I did have to come back and kick some financial butt I could still say that at least I got to see some of Thailand before doing so, and of course flights back to Europe from Bangkok are not that expensive as it is a major travel hub in the Far East.

We shared a taxi back, dropping them off at their hotel before continuing on and then once I collected my own luggage I just had enough time to ask the best way to get to the airport before walking to the skytrain station. A few stops later and I got out and with no signs to guide me, I just followed the flow of other passengers with large suitcases of rucksacks lead me to where the main train and bus station was and where various methods of going to the airport could be found.

The express train was around 38 MR but as I had plenty of time, I instead jumped on a coach supplied by the same airline as I was flying, Air Aisa, for only 9 RM, though this took twice the time ( around an hour and a half from when I first arrived to getting off at the airport ) and so I was able to check in without delay.

The airport is going under a bit of a renovation just at the moment, so there were divertion arrows, scaffolding and plasterboard walls cordoning off areas while dust and noise of workmen overwhelmed the normal hussle and bustle of passengers finding their flights or searching for cheap accomodation / taxis.

I am not sure if it is the renovation works of my own, but once I had gone through security there was nowhere to plug my laptop in or to get a working wifi signal, so instead I just had to sit quietly, kicking myself for putting my brand new lonely planet guide to the far east in my main luggage instead of keeping it with me in my hand luggage.

The flight across was a couple of hours and as there had been no chosen seating, instead of going for my usual window seat I took one of the first seats available at the front of the plain in the hopes of a early exit.

The visa permit came in a double sides twin form, that was easy to complete and calmed my nerves as I did not want to have to pay or get stuck at immigration in Bangkok and I was probably one of the first people on the flight to have it completed so that I could enjoy the rest of the flight in peace.

In addition to last minute flight to Bangkok I had also had to book a quick hotel and not really being keyed up for it, and in a rush, I forgot to check the distances between the airport and the city centre, so although the hotel was only £20 per night, around 1,000 Baht, it was also almost an hour away by car from the city centre, although I didnt realise this after I had checked in and agreed to stay for two nights instead of the original one.

As bad omens went the first rooms tv did not work, the second the air con had packed in and while the third had both in working order it was only after taking a shower that I realised its own downfall, in that the drain was not working properly and so I had succeeded in flooding my toilet / bathroom for the remainder of the night.

Not noticing anything too special around the hotel on the way over, I asked how to get ino the city centre, despite it being around 10pm, only to find the hotel staff very confused over this, and didnt really want to get involved. After I ended up saying that yes I wanted to go to where all the nightclubs and discos were and I understand that it is a little far away, they relented and I got a taxi for 350 Baht.

What i didnt realise is how far away it really was, and even at this time of night the streets were still full of traffic and it took over an hour to get to the district where the clubs were, but by this time I was tired, too tired to stay out for long so I planned on just getting a little money out from the ATM's, a quick pop into a club and then back to the hotel to recover and plan for the next day.

Disaster, no matter which card I tried or how little I asked for all my cards were declined in all the machines that I used, even the HSBC machine and one of mine was a HSBC card!

Thus, short of funds I went to an internet cafe and for 20 minutes I sent a few emails to my bank asking what was going on, for only 10 Baht, and then had to catch another taxi back.

Before the taxi back I did at least walk up and down the street, expecting to be approached by lots of girls but instead it was the guys, pimping the clubs that approached me but at I had little or no actual money, and with my credit cards refusing me access to more, I knew that it was a waste even talking to them, especially as they might not understand if I went went inside and then claimed poverty, I might not get out again all in tact and in one piece.

The taxi ride back was worse than the one there, purely due to the lateness of the hour and the fact that I was in a dark mood. Arriving back at my hotel I decided that as the hotel was so far away I would see what the local area within walking distance had to offer, and it ended up being plenty of wild dogs that thankfully more bark than bite and a couple of karaoke bars.

I got a little too close to one and so this "person" came up and taking hold of my arm led me to a table. I am still not sure about them as the figure was slim, the large breasts were so fake as to be laughable but it was the face, chin and eyes that I could not make sense of. In the end, despite their polite requests I declined everything offered and after paying over the top a coke ( but possible the cover charge is built into the first drink of the night here ! ) I walked back to the hotel.

Feeling a little better being on familar ground once more I thought I would at least see what the hotel's massage room was like, only to be confronted by a large woman old enough to be my grandmother smiling with too few teeth eager to give me a massage for 'only 500 Baht' and so I feigned tiredness and disinterest and fled back to my room, locking the door and with not even a good tv movie to fall back on, I ended the day much as I started.

A day and a half in Kuala Lumpur

Well I woke up this morning, planning on going to see a few historical
and cultural sights as so was ready for my tour driver to pick me up
outside my hostel at the appointed time.
The tour driver arrived on time, a little early in fact, and on the
way to the main drop off I chatted about the tours I wanted to go on
and I was surprised that he said that there was not a 2 person minimum
on the elephants today, in fact there was a group of Australians and a
Argentinian already booked.
Realising that I could visit temples almost anywhere, but the chance
to actually stroke, ride, feed and swim with elephants is not
something that comes along everyday and so despite already having
booked and paid for a trip today, I decided to switch and move over to
the other tour, at a cost of 195 MR or about £11.
It was suggested that it was a full day tour, and that the place where
the elephants are is at least 1.5 hours away, but in all honesty the
thing that took the time up was their compulsory stop overs.
Firstly, before we even left the city limits we stopped at this
leather imporium where they bought Italian leather and worked it, at a
price that made Italy look almost cheap, and so I wasnt going to even
waste my time.
The fun thing was that they had the buy one get one free tag, which
they must have thought was a crowd pleaser but all it did was show
that indeed everything was so overinflated that they could really drop
the price in half easily if they wanted and still make a good profit.
What did get me was that they were stamping buffalo skin to look like
crocodile skin, and being so blatant about it that it was like they
thought it was a good idea.
I was half interested in the items made from processed Sting Ray skin,
as it meant to be so hardwearing that it will outlast its wearer, but
then I have seen plenty of belts and buckles where the metal is the
thing that goes first, and I am not sure if it is possible to get
replacement buckles that fit abroad and I am certianly not buying
spares for the inevitable at these prices.
The second stop off was a fifteen minute rest stop minutes away from
where we were due to stop for lunch, but I am glad that I bought a few
snackies as when we reached the proper meal stop over, for about an
hour, the tours inclusive meal was either KFC or from this tiny
backroad restaurant where the food choice was very limited and too
spicy for most of us, so the rest of the tour group left more than
they ate yet I am sure that they left still hungry.
We all agreed privately, away from the tour guides ears, that this was
a complete rip off and that they could have done a half day tour as we
didnt reach the elephant enclosure til around 2pm, despite being
picked up before 9am.
The final piss take was that we were promised to see some local
aboriginals in their natural habitat, but this involved nothing more
than us driving up past a couple of old straw huts and being told
"this is how they still live and although you can't see them right now
it's only cos they are probably out hunting in the forest".
It would have been better if he had stopped the minivan and let us get
out to take a few photos or something, maybe, but as it was all we got
was this pause in driving before we started off again.
When we finally got to see the elephants in was a relief as it wasnt a
few brief seconds or a glimpse through trees but you actually got
right up close and could touch them and feed them.
To start with it was a bit of a photo frenzy, as everyone wanted to
get in the picture all at once instead of any organised line and it
was next to impossible to stop people walking right in front of you
just as your friend was about to take a picture of you feeding or
stroking them.
Not meaning to be racist, but the Indians in the crowd were the
pushiest, spend longest next to the elephants and didnt really care
whose photo they ruined by walking in front of camera's, which got
really boring after a while.
Once we had fed them it was a chance for us to walk on them, which
involved climbing up a wooden ramp and then onto the backs of the
larger elephants, but the ride was such a small circle and if you
didnt have your camera already switched on and focused then it would
probably be all over before the camera got into the right mode.
As I had switched tours I had not throught to bring along a change of
clothes, but the real quality time with the elephants was when they
went for a swim after, as being a muddy river you could just jump in
and swim by them while they play about for around half an hour or
more.
I sat chatting to my new Argentinian friend C' who turned out to be
alike me in a few ways, travel wise, and was a working air hostess who
was on a 49 hour stop over, one of the few proper stop over perks that
the company offers once a month.
They get accomodation in a big 2 or 3 star hotel in the centre of town
paid for plus a few hundred MR for meals, though this is really
spending money as a meal will only cost ten or twenty MR each and so a
few hundred goes a lot further than 4 meals if they are wise and dont
chose expensive restaurants.
On the way back we all were so tired from the heat and the driving
that we pretty much slept the whole trip back to the city centre, and
then once there we just said our goodbies, all except me and C' who
had agreed to meet up the next morning and grab a taxi together to go
and see the Batu Caves in the morning.
I asked to be dropped off near the main plaza where I got to visit the
worlds largest indoor amusement theme park, including roller coasters
and such, before grabbing a McDonalds and watching Ong Bak 2.
The McD was surprisingly good, as they dont salt the chips but leave
them in little sachets that you can add yourself.
Ong Bak was a good film, the action sequences fun and even the script
was good, but the ending was a complete and total let down,it was like
the star had died or the film budget had totally run out, as they just
killed the footage, added a few lines of blurb in writing over a black
background and then rolled up the ending credits.
From there I walked around to see what shows I could see were, but I
didnt want to spend any more money as I was having more financial
problems with my bank, so I kept what little I had left, went back to
my hostel and then crashed asleep, preparing for an early trip the
next morning.

A day leaving Surabaya and a day spent in KL

Well what a 48 hours this has been, hectic is not even the word for it.

I had to get to the airport around midday in order to check in and catch the flight over to Singapore, so I was packed up and checked with plenty of time, however it was a shame that my taxi driver spoke no English.
I really wanted to have the taxi driver take me to the zoo first, where the statue of the symbol of Surabaya was, but he didn’t understand and so despite driving right past it all I got was another almost useless drive past photo and nothing worth sending off to National Geographic or anything.

Apparently from the CBD I can get a bus to the airport for around 10,000 but my hotel wasn’t in the CBD and I had no idea ofhow to get there, so in the end I just went with the taxi which cost me around 70,000, not too much all things considered.

It was a shock to the system to have to check my luggage through security the second you got through the main airport doors and I hadn’t even reached the check in desk yet, so they are quite thorough on this.

A 150,000 IDR airport leaving tax was the last mini disappointment that I had before it was off flying back to Singapore in order to then cross the city and catch an overnight train to KL, Malaysia. The flight was a few hours and although we got a drink we didn't get any meal for free, and I really wasn’t interested in buying anything so I just fell asleep and waited for the flight to be over.

There was almost a good chance to catch the Singapore sunset just as we arrived around 6pm, but the sky was still too overcast and cloudy and so only the tiniest red slip of sky was visible.

Touching down I had the pleasure of going through security all over again, which is Singapore is one of the quickest and most pleasant it could be, before I was then retracing a familiar route to the third terminal in order to then catch the MRT to the nearest stop to the train station at Keppel Street.

This was where a map and a compass would have come in very handy, as the train station was due south of the MRT station but instead I ended up going due north and almost ending up back in China Town, which is quite a way away. Although I had given myself a bit of time, this wrong direction delay cost me badly and it meant that I was rushing back the way I came trying to find a taxi to take me there before it was too late.

I took a side street in an effort to cut off a corner of my route and I found myself slap bang in what could only be one of Singapore’s red light districts, or at least massage and gentleman club areas, and had I had more time I could have stopped and had a drink or two but being hard pressed I had to forge on ahead and remember it for next time, if there ever was a next time that I will be back in Singapore.

I did eventually find a taxi, but he almost didn’t want to take me, saying that it was only a few minutes’ walk, but I explained that I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to lose, so despite having to go the long way round a one way system he agreed to take me there and in less than five minutes I was jumping out, having paid him less than SIN$10, and was rushing to try and find if the ticket booth was still open or not.

Around 9:15 I found it, less than an hour before it was due to leave, and that gave me just enough time to buy the ticket SIN $38, buy a quick meal and few cans of drinks, less than SIN $10 and then completed the visa application form as of course Singapore is a city state and a country all in one, and although it was once part of Malaysia, that was many years ago and now they are separate.

The train left at 10pm prompt and it took at least half an hour before we reached the checkpoint where we had to get out and go through border immigration, but thankfully I could leave my stuff on the train, assuming that I didn’t mind leaving it unguarded for a few minutes, which I didn’t as everyone as out doing the same as I was, and if someone was going to take my rucksack then good luck to them as it’s a heavy beast and the straps are almost frayed to the limits after all the times its been thrown around in airport lounges.

I had booked a sleeping cabin, which was like a slim bunk bed stuck to the train walls and was barely 6 foot long, so just enough room for me but I doubt any basketball player could get in without being decapitated first.

The bus was cheaper and took only four hours, apparently, but I wanted to try the train and it fitted my timetable as I was going to check in once I got to KL in the morning, however I was doubting this logic soon after the train left as it was the most uncomfortable train journey I have ever been on and I doubt that I got a wink of sleep the whole night.

Sadly for me, the hostel where I was checked in was a mixed dorm and they did not want me to check in until after 2pm, which is a total killjoy and after the train journey I had just had I decided to look around for something else that I could check into right away.

The taxi was arranged by a ticket counter inside the train station and for 10 RM I was given the ticket, but just my luck the driver didn’t know it and so he took me close, near the road, and pointed that it was up there somewhere, meaning he didn’t know the hostel but the road name rang a bell.

The hostel I had chose was 6 people sharer for 25 RM but instead I went across the road and got a private room for 50 RM, that was no more than a bunk bed and an air conditioner unit, but the room itself was barely able to fit the bed in let alone stand up or do anything else.

I slept for a few hours until about midday, when I thought that it was time to make the most of the day, so went for a walk to see if I could find a map and take some good photos. After a bit of a trek I found a mall, a place where I could get a headset for my laptop to use with the Skype, for free phone calls pc to pc, and a good view of the twin towers.

Retracing my steps I came back to the mall where I found a tourist bureau and I had heard that they are cheap and good in Malaysia, so I booked a night time tour for today and then a full day city tour for tomorrow, for 245 RM the pair, which is barely over £60 and so I didn’t think it was going if the trips are any good.

I also almost bought a rip off DVD of a Chinese martial arts movie by the smooth selling salesman, but I didn’t realise that they were rip offs until after I agreed to it and the only thing that saved me was that he had to burn the copy before I could have it and despite being told to come back in ten minutes, in twenty minutes it was still not ready and I couldn’t wait any longer before returning to catch the night time tour.

The tour bus arrived over half an hour early, it threw me, and he said that it was to beat the rain and traffic, but in my opinion he did neither. The rain started and then poured and then it was heavy thunder and lightning and this meant that everyone was jumping in taxi's and we sat slow moving for over an hour before we got anywhere.

When we finally got to the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia I was disappointed as the guide didn’t come in with us, and it ended up being no more than a brief photo opportunity before going back into the bus to wait for a couple of Australian Chinese for almost half an hour before then being led to China Town night market and told to wander around and meet back in less than half hour to go to the meal and show.

With less than half an hour there was not much time to do anything, so I just strolled around and then went back to the minibus and waited.

At 7:45 we then all met up to go to the dinner buffet, which was a mixture of Chinese and Malay food, which was included but the drinks were not so I just had a couple of glasses of water which they prided themselves on never letting it get too low before being re topped up.

At 8:30 an hour long show started up, with various dances from the region, and there was even a couple of dart blowing shows but it was done on such a small scale and the compare spend longer talking than the dancers were dancing so it was a little of an anticlimax for most, but a perfectly reasonable ending to an overall below average tour in my opinion.

The thing that got my goat, apart from the fact that they allowed some of the Joe public up on stage who wanted to dominate everything including the photo sessions, but one guest thought he was Borat and was OTT on everything while some of the females in the audience stood up and took photos all the time so anyone not right up at the front could not take anything of any good quality without having them in the frame.

It was a good show if you didn’t mind all that, and the endless buffet included was almost worth if it you considered that you could eat for almost two hours nonstop, but my belly has limits and so I can't just go on eating, after a point it says enough is enough.

I did try taking some photos from the sides, where the standing women were not, but then I noticed that the lighting man had set up the rig so that the lights flashed and dimmed at irregular timings and so it was not possible for my automatic camera to take adjust to the light, as it kept changing, and so I took plenty but don't think many will come out worth framing.

The route back I stopped off for a stroll to try and walk off the meal, but it was so hot and muggy that I couldn't last long without having to take get back and take a cold shower and just chill under the air conditioning unit.

I will be moving hostels in the morning, to one just around the corner that has a slightly bigger room for slightly less, and a day trip booked that I hope won’t be ruined by the rain, so fingers crossed.