Sunday 3 July 2011

Pangkor Island - Day 1 - Losing the first two sets

Four day weekend planned (leaving Saturday morning - working on Wed morning - 7:15 am).  Jess and Janet have explored much of KL (see other posts).  Saturday am a car would be delivered to the condo at 10:00 and we would be off.  The plan was:
- Day 1- drive north, stop in Teluk Intan to see Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan (creativity was not required) - then on to Pangkor Island  (including a ferry ride w/o the car) - explore
- Day 2 - Pangkor Island adventures (to be determined)
- Day 3 - leave Pangkor Island, drive to Penang - explore
- Day 4 - Penang - drive back to KL (4 hours) and time it to miss rush hour traffic leaving Penang and entering KL

In general (N/NE first day - 4 hours of driving) then Day 3 - 2 hours N and day 4 - 4 hours S.  I could do this an be an enjoyable travel companion.

I got hotel lined up on Thursday and Friday, car on Thursday.  Got some suggestions from http://www.wikitravel.org/ on a few things to do but otherwise I was woefully unprepared. I didn't realize key was being unprepared with the GPS.  If I had mapped out the route and details on the GPS before the trip began - the trip wouldn't have been as exciting but would have been much less stressful.

Car comes at 9:30 - a good thing but not prepared for things to be early in KL.  We left the condo by 10:00.  I was driving for the first time in 20 years on the right (wrong) side of the road.  I had watched enough as a passenger, it was much less of a challenge than expected.

The GPS couldn't get a signal in the condo nor in the car for the first 25-30 minutes.  Not a good start and tension between Janet and I.  I am like a shark when the vacation starts we are always moving.  I knew we were going north (Freeway 1) - so I followed signs and we were well outside of KL when the GPS found a signal.  No worries but since I hadn't mapped out the details, and really didn't have more than a general direction a challenge for my navigator who is comfortable with order and structure.  I left her without either and asked her to guide me - very stupid and unfair on my part.

We never did find the Teluk Intan Leaning Tower.  We never really found Intan (town) on the GPS but were able to take back roads via watching road signs to get us close.  Then the road markers took us to a golf club that had appropriated the name.  In the US (Matt you aren't in the US) there would be 120 miles of signs advertising the tourist bump in the road in the road,  In Malaysia, a internationally recognized landmark - no signs.  Lesson - plan ahead with GPS.  You aren't in US anymore.

In disgust with myself we moved on - a shark can't stop.  Another key mistake (in addition to the GPS) was to keep driving even as I was getting hungry and frustrated and limited supply of Diet Coke.

I was telling Janet to find the town that was the site of the ferry - Lumpkin (which is a town in Texas).  The actual town name was Lumut - close but when you are trying to find Lumpkin on the GPS - close doesn't count.  I finally stopped (wow - maybe I should have done that 90 minutes earlier) and set the GPS for Lumut.  But I didn't know exactly where in Lumut.  The details I had were that there were two ferry
- Working ferry - 30-45 minutes point to point
- Resort ferry 10-15 minutes point to point (but additional 10 RM membership fee)

We saw signs that were ambiguous at best as we got close to Lumut but in the end took the safe route to Lumut.  There was clearly a ferry and not much else in town.  But was it the "right ferry"?  We circled back and stopped at a hotel.  My lovely bride showing utmost confidence in me asked for me to check if we could stay there if we were totally lost.

No one was at the counter, but an old Chinese man was sitting in a chair so I asked him, not really expecting a coherent answer where was the ferry.  He responded in English much better than mine, and very patient - " - this is a one horse town - park anywhere and the ferry will take you to Pangkor".  Here was a man, it would be enjoyable to play chess with - and a reminder that I am not the only one who likes to be underestimated.

We get parked and go looking to confirm the ferry and if time allows for lunch.   It is 2:00 pm and while we have snacked the food has been in the trunk (another poor decision) and we all (especially me) are tired and on our last nerve.  The one upside is we have been here before so everyone is walking on eggshells.

We are in the right place for the working man's ferry  (bought tickets - seriously an extremely helpful person who explained the whole process in clear English) and have 45 minutes.  We go to find something to eat.  Janet at this point has developed one strong negative reaction to Malaysian food.  Salted little fish make her gag.  Lumut was awash (as was Pangkor) in salted little fish.  To be safe that we all got enough food to become human (especially me) we went to a KFC.  I hadn't been in a KFC in 20+ years but here it is a lifesaver.  Four registers working but nobody but us - this is odd.  After ordering I go to to the washroom (upstairs) this is packed - nobody over 22.  I was allowed upstairs as long I had a clear purpose and left quickly.

Food was safe, started increasing blood sugar and we went to garage, got our stuff and moved to the dock.  No real clear sign to go to the ferry but after awhile based on time and people movement we move forward and go to the ferry (kind of like the Yellow Submarine that doesn't submerge - I should have gotten a picture).  Several motor bikes were loaded - funny reminded me of pictures in the Old West of people loading horses on ferries - much more drama than expected.

Uneventful 30 minutes - some cute kids on (lots of them) the ferry.  almost get off on the working dock and not the resort dock (Lack of Bahasa limits us again) 50%+ of passengers disembark. Unloading the motor bikes was even more interesting.  Typical from my working man experiences as a teenager.  The kids huff and puff and make things look interesting/challenging.  An older man comes in, removes the drama and gets all the bikes unloaded with no fuss.  Muscle and energy are good but experience and knowledge win the day.

Another 15 minutes and we are disembarking at the tourist dock.  Surprised there are no touts shouting every 2-3 feet.  We keep moving (shark) and come to a pile of pink taxis/buses in no particular order and collection of drivers like the fish eating Janet and Jessica's feet skin.  I say we want taxi to Coral Bay - chatter and a man walks off and we are directed (I think) to follow him- I ask the price - 10RM.  Always ask before accepting the service.  In 5 minutes we are at the Coral Bay Resort. 

Funny to walk into a new hotel and everyone says "Hello me Heah" (Heath is tough for Malaysians).  We look at each other and realize that we are the only Caucasians scheduled to arrive that day - so they were ready. 

Two nights,with breakfast $100 USD  (I actually overpaid by about 30 %).  Fine hotel it reinforced impression that Malaysia is 1950s US .  It was a US 1950's beach hotel.  A nicer pool and courtyard but we are spoiled but no complaints we looking for clean and functional - the focus is on the beach and outside hotel activities.  

View from the hotel



Looking like a tropical beach resort
Even in paradise - people need the Internet












We chill 20-30 minutes, change and head to the beach - it's roughly 4:00,

We push through a crowd of Stinky Indian boatman asking for business (but not acting like they really care one way or the other) and then to the beach.  Overcast skies but still the trash, dingy sand, narrowness of the beach and lack of tourist is discouraging.  
We push on - we are here - no whining allowed. 

I tried to sit and read on these rocks while J&J were on the sand.  A couple of teenage Indians followed us around the bend and started finding reasons to splash me.  Relax, deep breaths, etc.  This wasn't the vacation I was expecting    





A few other pictures of the best side of the beaches (all the angles and Photoshop could do).  

 
 Not terrible but not tropical paradise.  









Then it started to rain - crown of a "great day".  We went inside.  It had been a miserable day.  I needed to regroup.  The ladies wanted a massage - my response was spend money like water - let's see if we can rescue the day.  I went through my limited planning and reread the wikitravel docs - ADVICE - take with grain of salt - it's free info with limited checking.  I had let J& J down.


I realize that Coral Bay hotel was not on Coral Bay.  My recommendation is DO NOT STAY AT THE CORAL BAY HOTEL on general principles of deceptive advertising.  Wikitravel had promised white sand.  I was humiliated in front of my family.


Janet came back before Jess (private conversation) - disappointed should we just bail on Pangkor in the morning?  Jess question (through mom to allow me to save face) was I just being cheap?  I really wasn't and more frustrated and embarrassed than anyone.  I take being an excellent vacation planner reputation very seriously.  We agreed to all get a good night's sleep and see how the morning developed before making any decision.  The massages were nice but the non-working girls were glued to the TV.  1950s US - the message keeps getting reinforced.

On the way back from the massages, in the elevator J&J talked with a very drunk Russian (getting drunk in Malaysia is expensive due to the taxes) - it must be very expensive for a Russian.  They were laughing a the falling down drunk.

The internet didn't work.  I noticed that they had a weight room and went to use it, it was 30RM ($10USD)/hour - what was this a JW Marriott????   I guess they didn't want anyone to use it.  A perfect end to the day.

Morning was much better (see Day 2
http://heathmy.blogspot.com/2011/07/its-not-size-but-quality-of-bike.html

http://heathmy.blogspot.com/2011/07/would-you-like-private-palau-island.html
http://heathmy.blogspot.com/2011/07/twilights-last-gleaming.html
) - one interesting point about this hotel and Malaysia in general.  The hotel had a variety of activities but all were for a minimum of 10 pax (people).  So I asked the booking agent for pricing for 3 - 20 RM per person/10pax minimum - so one person 200 RM, 10 people 200 RM.  He seemed surprised that I was shocked by the pricing scheme.  This was for private room Karoke (what do people do in private room Karaoke???? sing naked??? maybe this allows the women to take off burkas)  as well as beach activities.  So we were on our own (worked out better than I could have imagined).  I can see this as the primary purpose to sell group business but the guy had zero, zero current business - it would have been smart for him to freelance on small groups but that level of entrepreneurship seems foreign to Malays.

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