Texan adrift in Malay(Asia): Pangkor Island - Day 3

Day 3 in Pangkor Island (Palau) - ferry left every 45 minutes so we had some flexibility but the sooner we left, the more time we would have in Penang. I am slowly learning that there is a balance been seeing "everything" and being on vacation. There were a couple of sites that we had either missed or been too tired to visit on the previous days' bike ride. So the plan was to have breakfast early and then rent a taxi/driver for one hour to take us the remaining sites and then to the dock to catch the 10:00 ferry.

We got a bit 30-45 minute late start so the plan shifted to the 10:45 ferry.

I appreciate metered taxi's. Pangkor taxi's don't use meters - so the negotiations. I'm negotiating with a group (there isn't a queue like in an airport) and then they are discussing in Bahasa how much they can overcharge me and without me walking away. Finally agreement 50 RM ($17USD) probably 50% overcharge but what are my options?

I guess learn Bahasa.

Good thing we didn't try to ride to these sites the previous day - farther than we realized - I wouldn't have made it back to the hotel (which would have been very embarrassing).

First stop - Dutch fort - from 17th century - I'm pretty sure these geometric designs are a 20th century addition

Small palau - small fort - turns out it was rebuild in like 1980 (the brickwork doesn't look300+ years old

Inside the fort - disappointing compared to how described

Not a bad view from the fort

Best picture of the fort

There was a large rock in lot next door - the local coffee klatch was kind enough to tell us we were looking for Tiger Rock further up the road.

There was sort of story/legend about a tiger and the Dutch Governor's daughter and good luck due to the tiger etched into the rock. The less said about how overblown this tourist spot the better.

Best part of Tiger Rock - Janet join the goofy picture parade

Then to the last of the three sites we'd missed - a Chinese temple and amusement park. The big draw was a miniature Great Wall of China. After the first two "sites" our expectations were low.

Entrance - not for the first time I would like to be able to read Chinese. Interesting point about the Chinese characters. There are multiple dialects - Mandarin, Cantonese, etc but only one written language. Regardless of what dialect a person speaks - everyone can read the same newspaper.

Not sure if that is true with the phonetic spelling (likely not)

Guarding the entrance!

Amazing look alikes for Toy Story characters - which came first?

This local coffee peanut gallery got a positive kick out of the posing

Some of the entrance sculptures - hard to describe what they really are - but mostly recognizable forms based on all the the Chinese and Buddhist temples we have visited.

Fish (carp) and turtle ponds - no reputable Chinese temple is complete with out least one of each

Tigers chained up for everyone's protection

A couple of the segment of the Great Wall of China. It winds around and doubles back on itself around the property - more more wall than expected

A modern day Caucasian Ghengis and Sorhatani (Kublai's mother) Khan showing the Chin the limited deterrence of their wall!

Up the side of the hill - still on the property but looking down and out

The guards - one with protection from the sun. Janet told me to stop making fun.

What after 23 years of marriage she's still trying to improve me?

Walking into the temple proper from the front

Photography books encourage shooting from different angles. I need to go to more extremes and not just shoot up (which gives an odd angle to the picture) but actually get on the floor and shoot straight up.