25th September
At 6.00am, before daylight, Calypso and the Odyssey crew headed out from the Jungle House Resort bound for the border of Thailand and Malaysia at Sadao.....a five hour journey. Once all the necessary documentation had been stamped for both sides we continued our drive of 150kms to Georgetown in Penang arriving at approximately 7.00 pm.
Georgetown is the capital of the state of Penang in Malaysia and is located on the NE corner of Penang Island. Georgetown is the second largest metropolitan in Malaysia by population. The inner city of Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can find examples of colonial era architecture, Chinese mansions, Indian temples and Acehnese mosques.
Nicknamed the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ Georgetown boasts a melting pot of Chinese, Indian, Malay, and sundry influences and is famous for its soft sandy beaches, antiquated architecture and food.
After depositing our backpacks in our room at the Cathay Hotel (an old white washed colonial villa once the home to a rich Chinese millionaire whose descendants gambled away his fortune so was used as a brothel and opium den) and having a quick shower we met seven of the group and caught a taxi to Gurney Drive Hawker Centre and popular eating place patronized by mostly locals.
We made a quick stop at a nearby shopping mall to buy grociers for breakfast before returning to the hotel and heading to bed, tired after our long day on the road.
Distance travelled:-603kms
26th September
We woke this morning to heavy rain but that didn’t deter our plan of action. At 9.30 am Colin and I met Mandy, Steve & Denis at the bus station and caught a bus to Penang Hill, an early British Hill station perched 830m above sea level. We then caught the funicular to the top of the hill and there we visited a Hindu Temple, the old Bellevue Hotel and a bird aviary. Today the stunning panoramic view of Georgetown was smudged with mist and rain clouds however there were a few minutes where we were able to capture a few photos.
Late morning we returned to the bus terminal at Georgetown, found a place to have lunch in then Mandy, Colin and I went on a walking tour of the old town. Highlights of this tour included:-
· Malay Mosque – founded in 1808 by an Arab merchant prince from Adeh. The street where the mosque is was once the centre of the spice trade, Malay printing presses, religious education and Haj travel.
· Chew & Lim Jetties – this is where traditional Chinese waterfront settlements with fisher folk and stevedore’s homes built on stilts over the sea are found.
· Customs Building with Clock Tower – formerly F.M.S Railways then Malayan Railways, ‘the only railway without a rail’, built in 1907.
· Little India – a colourful place which offers many specialised Indian stores and eating places.
· St George’s Church – SE Asia’s first Anglican Church built in 1818.
· Town Hall – built in 1880
· City Hall – built in 1902
· Fort Cornwallis – built in 1785 originally of nibong palm then rebuilt in brick. This fort is largely intact with chapel, gunpowder magazine, lighthouse and historical gallery.
· Jubilee Clock Tower – this clock tower was erected to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee. The tower is sixty feet tall, one foot for each year of her reign.
Late afternoon we returned very wet to the Cathay Hotel after having had a great day walking around old Georgetown in the rain.
For dinner eight of us walked to the Teik Son Restaurant for a delicious meal of char koay kak (double fried pork), stir fried vegetables& pasenbur (deep fried chicken coated in rice flour).
27th September
We woke early, pecked out of the window and were pleased to discover the sun was trying to make an appearance.
At 8.00am Calypso and passengers pulled out from the Cathay Hotel bound for Kuala Besut. There we collected our backs, farewelled Calypso and climbed aboard a boat bound for Pulau Perhentian Besar Island......a thirty five minute journey.
The Perhentian Islands are a small group of beautiful coral fringed islands off the coast of north-eastern Malaysia, not far from the Thai border. The two main islands are Perhentian Kecil Island and Perhentian Besar, the island we stayed on.
The major port of Perhentian Besar is uninhabited and undeveloped apart from the resorts on its western and SW beaches.
All manner of aquatic life is visible both near and far from the beach such as turtles, sharks, coral and thousands of tropical fish.
The interior is covered by jungle, which is home to monitor lizards, monkeys, geckos, flying squirrels, butterflies etc.
On arrival at the Perhentian Island the group were issued keys to rooms at Watercolours Resort, our home for the next four nights, and given a welcome drink. Once we had settled into our rooms we had a few hours of free time before meeting at the resort’s restaurant to have dinner and take part in the “truck quiz” that Mandy had organised.
Distance travelled:-354kms
28th September
We woke this morning to the sun shining and the sound of the sea gently rolling onto the beach front.
Around 10.00 am Colin negotiated with the resort next door to give us a room for the next three nights as our room at Watercolours was terrible......mouldy ceiling, no place to hang damp towels or clothes, dirty floor and bedding. As soon as we had the new room key in our hot little hand we packed our belongings and moved.
We returned to Watercolours late morning to have brunch then a catch-up on the internet.
Over the last few days we had received emails from both Janelle and Quinovic Property Managers regarding the state of the house after the tenants left Pukekura Place last Tuesday week without prior notice, taking with them the house keys and garage remote. We spent several hours compiling a list of all the contentious issues we had with the tenants and claims for compensation that we needed to lodge with the Tenancy Tribunal before it meets on the 12th of October. This included quotes from tradesmen that would need to be employed to carry out the work.
Finally around 3.30pm we packed the computer away and headed to the sandy beach nearby for a swim and a few hours of relaxation.
At 6.30pm most of the Odyssey crew met for drinks on the decks of Zoe, Susan, Mandy, Keith & Sandra’s rooms then around 7.30 pm we all headed off to dinner at Mama’s Restaurant.
29th September
This morning we woke around 8.30 am then leisurely made our way to breakfast around 9.00 pm.
At 10.00 pm 14 of the Odyssey crew, which included Colin and I, boarded two motor boats to head out snorkelling. Our first stop on the snorkelling trip was at a great little spot where we could swim with lots of coloured tropical fish......about twenty different varieties. From here we moved to Shark Point where we were suppose to see some sharks but this didn’t happen so after 45 minutes we moved to a spot about ½ km from Watercolours Restaurant where we were fortunate enough to swim with two turtles on two separate occasions. It was a real thrill to see these graceful creatures in the water and so close. Our last stop on the snorkelling trip was to Turtle Beach where we once again swam with more tropical fish and admired the colourful coral and clams.
Early afternoon Colin and I made our way around to a nearby sandy beach and there we swam then found a palm tree to sit under and read. We spent several hours here before returning to our resort for a shower, updating the diary, naming photos and catching-up with our fellow travellers.
Dinner tonight was at Watercolours.
30th September
This is our third day on Pulau Perhentian Besar and we all just love our peaceful, relaxed surroundings located in the South China Sea.
Hundreds of years ago merchants, sailors and traders sailed from the South Coast of the Malaysia Peninsular to Bangkok and would stop at the Pulau Perhentian Islands to rest and shelter. It became so popular that it was named and known as the One Stop Island (Pulau Perhentian).
Today is our last day in paradise so we wanted to spend as much time as we could on the palm fringed powdery white sandy beach and in the crystal clear turquoise blue sea so we hired a kayak for four hours to go to Turtle Beach and do some more snorkelling.
During our time at Turtle Beach we spent most of it snorkelling amongst the big boulders and much to our surprise we came across a great variety of small and big tropical fish, coloured coral, crabs sunbathing on the rocks but alas no turtles.
Mid afternoon we paddled back the resort for a shower and to get ready for the Odyssey Olympics, our last games event for the trip.
On the beach outside Coral View Resort we spent several hours playing hilarious games on the beach before ending up with a swim in the sea at the next bay.
Early evening the Odyssey crew met at 214 chalet to have drinks for Zoe’s birthday before all going to dinner at the Coral View Island Resort Restaurant.......a great end to a perfect day.
1st October
The alarm rang at 5.30 am to remind us that we needed to get up early and pack our belongings as we were heading off the island today.
At 8.ooam we boarded a speed boat that took us to the mainland at Kuala Besuta and there we loaded all our backpacks on Calypso and made tracks for Kuala Lumpur, a journey of approximately 8 hours.
Kuala Lumpur or KL is the capital and second largest city in Malaysia by population. Literally meaning “muddy estuary” in Malay Kuala Lumpur has grown from a small sleepy Chinese tin mining village to a bustling metropolis of around 6.5 million people in just 150 years.
We arrived in Kuala Lumpur around 6.15 pm, unloaded our bags from the truck, booked into the Citin Hotel, showered, went for a quick dinner at a nearby restaurant then returned to the hotel to settle in for the night after our long day on the road.
Distance travelled:-461kms
2nd October
We woke this morning thinking that we had our day planned down to the last half hour however when Colin discovered that he had captured two bed bugs in the night we were down at reception asking for a room change and a bag of clothes to be washed by the hotel......itch, itch, itch!!!!!
After breakfast we packed our bags and left them in storage while we went out to do a bit of a walking tour of Kuala Lumpur, the first stop being the KL Tower.
The KL Tower is a 421m high telecommunications and broadcasting tower with an observation deck that offers a bird’s eye view of the city. The KL Tower ranks fourth amongst the tallest telecommunications towers in the world.
The tower ticket also gave us admission to the Animal Zone, a mini zoo next to the tower. There we saw tanks of insects & reptiles, cages for large iguanas, birds, monkeys and other small mammals.
From the tower we walked down through the Burkit Nanas Forest, the only oldest gazetted forest reserve in the country, past the Maybank Tower (which used to be the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur but is now superseded by the Petronas Twin Towers) to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (formerly the Government offices) and clock that first tolled during Queen Victoria’s birthday parade in 1897.
The Sultan Abdul Samad building faces a cricket green which became Merdeka Square (Independence Square) after the declaration of Independence on 31st August 1957.
Continuing on our walk we visited the National Mosque, a uniquely designed building that embodies a contemporary expression of traditional Islamic art. Its roof is a multi fold semi opened blue umbrella that symbolises the five pillars of Islam and the thirteen states of Malaysia.
Directly opposite the National Mosque is the beautiful Kuala Lumpur Old Railway Station.
From the mosque we walked back to the hotel via the outskirts of China town.
At the hotel we collected our bags from reception and headed to our new room where we quickly settled in then listened (via the internet) to the last half hour of the Ireland vs. Italy Rugby World Cup game.
Early evening we wandered to Chinatown for dinner.
3rd October
This morning we headed down to breakfast at 9.00 am then an hour and a half later were walking to Stop 9 to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus to discover alittle more of Kuala Lumpur. The main areas of interest included:-
· Royal Palace –Istana Negara was built in 1928 by a Chinese millionaire and is the official residence of His Majesty Yang Di Pertuan Agong.
· Little India – this area is filled with sari shops and stalls selling spices, sandalwood, crafted ornaments etc and of course a range of foods.
· National Museum – Muzium Negara produces an overview of Malaysian history and culture. It was opened on 21Agust 1963 and houses four main galleries allotted to ethnology and natural history.
· Lake Garden – is 91.6 hectares of parks and gardens in the heart of Kuala Lumpur that was established in 1888. The gardens incorporate the National Monument, Deer, Butterfly and Bird parks.
· St Mary’s Church – the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia.
· Independence Square & National Mosque which we walked to yesterday.
· Petronas Towers – the tallest twin buildings in the world but were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by Taipei 101.
· Golden Triangle – a large area that encompasses a number of major streets that form a triangle. Here towering scapes, shopping malls and world class hotels pierce the landscape including the Berjaya Times Square building. This twin tower complex is Malaysia’s largest building ever built in a single phase with a gross built up area of 7.5 million sq ft. It is the 5th largest building in the world and home to Asia’s largest indoor then park (includes an indoor roller coaster) and Malaysia’s first ever GSC Maxx 2D and 3D theatre.
We had dinner at Times Square early evening then walked back to our accommodation.
4th October
Colin and I headed off at 8.30am this morning bound for the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, a 20.9 acre public aviary which houses more than 3000 birds representing more than 200 species in an enclosed aviary. The park was established in 1991 and is the world’s largest covered Bird Park or free flight aviary.
We spent several hours amongst the friendly birds before the heavens opened up and the rain came down. Fortunately it was around midday so we exited the park and caught a taxi into the centre of Kuala Lumpur where we had lunch then shopped for a few bits and pieces before returning to the hotel late afternoon.
At 5.45 pm we met Mandy, Denis, Steve, Aoife and Ben and caught a taxi to Dirty Nelly’s Cafe and Bistro where we all had dinner and Ben was making a guest comedian appearance comedian later in the evening.
The story behind the Cafe and Bistro “Dirty Nelly” goes back one hundred years when a middle aged farmer and his faithful pig, Dirty Nelly lived in a small village in Northern England. One unfortunate day the village was cursed with famine, the crops were dying and the villagers were starving. Having nothing to eat himself the farmer stood before his beloved Dirty Nelly and decided to sacrifice her for the sake of the people. It was a relief to the villagers as Dirty Nelly was so large that she fed the village for an entire week which regained the villager’s morale and uplifted their spirits.
Just as the resident band started to play the rest of the Odyssey crew showed up and after a bracket of six songs the entertainment began. First to take to the stage was a Malaysian comedian followed by Ben who entertained us for 30 minutes.......it was ‘great crack’ as the Irish would say.
We all returned to the hotel around 1.30 am.
5th October
After the late night out last night it was nice having the luxury of a sleep in before once again loading Calypso with our bags and heading to Malacca....a journey of three hours. This was the last journey that most of us would all be making in the truck because on Saturday we all leave Malacca in two mini buses and travel through to Singapore.
Meanwhile Calypso stays in Malacca till Monday 10th of October when CJ, Colin, Clare and I return to clean it then CJ drives Calypso and all the helpers back to Kuala Lumpur where the truck will get shipped back to South Hampton in the UK.
Once we arrived in Malacca we all pitched in to clear Calypso of all the gear we had collected over the last 6 months and booked in to the Yellow Mansion Hotel. From the hotel we walked to a river restaurant for a quick lunch then onto the Information Centre.
Malacca is on the West coast of the Peninsular of Malaysia. It is rich with heritage buildings, ancient landmarks and colonial structures.
Malacca was where colonial forces first made contact with Malaysia which eventually shaped the country into its current economic and political system.
Today the town is a vibrant old city and visiting it is a unique experience; its rich historical background earned it World Heritage site designation in July 2008.
Late afternoon we walked to Jonker Street, the centre street of Chinatown, once known for its antique shops. We wandered this area for several hours, had dinner then returned to the hotel for an early night.
Distance travelled:-151 kms……..a total of 23711 kms in 6 months on Calypso
(not including public transport or privately hired van travel)
6th October
This morning Colin and I walked down to the Malacca River boat Jetty to catch a boat heading up the river on a 45 minute sightseeing cruise. When we got there Sally, Mel, Emily, Zoe, Susan and Mandy were also waiting to do the same tour.
Once dubbed the ‘Venice of the East’ by European seafarers back in those days when the state was yet to be formed Melaka River
At 11.00 pm the boat set off and points of interest along the way included:-
· Tan Boon Seng Bridge - the Portuguese used this bridge as a means to capture the state by seizing it, cutting all communications from the left and right side of the river thus dividing Malacca into two parts.
· Ghost Bridge of Malacca – this pedestrian bridge links Kampung Pantai to Kampung Jawa. It is not known whether the bridge’s name as anything to do with the supernatural...it remains a mystery.
· Old Market Bridge – this bridge links Kampung Hulu to Jalan Kee Ann and the old central market. A picturesque scene of fishing boats berthed along the riverbank used to grace this area and where fishermen unloaded their catches to be sold at market. Now, the area is populated by a row of restaurants serving mainly Chinese cuisine, including a particular eatery which has featured in the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Entrapment’ starring Sean Connery.
· Kampung Morten – an old Malay settlement. Classified as a national heritage site, this typical Malay village is widely recognised as a living museum with its well preserved Malay architecture and charming age-old culture and lifestyle unaffected by the passing if time.
Colin, Sally and I got off the boat at Jetty 2 to visit Villa Sentosa, a private living museum. There we were guided through this home by a surviving son of the original owner and shown collections of costumes, embroideries, furniture, china, muskets and other interesting relics.
At Villa Sentosa Sally left us and went walking to the spice garden while Colin and I walked back down the river to Jonker Street.
Jonker Street, once the rich man’s street is now a living proof of Malacca’s rich babanyonya heritage. The buildings are immaculately constructed with elaborate carvings on its pillars and walls. The street is also famous for its antique shops.
After a muffin and a coffee at a little local bakery we made our way to Simpson Wong’s, the maestro of top spinning. Here Colin had a twenty minute session with Simpson on learning to spin the wooden tops he sells.......needless to say we bought three wooden tops.
From Simpson Wong’s we visited the following:-
· Porta de Santiago – this fortress was built in 1512after the Portuguese captured Malacca. It has suffered severe destruction during the Dutch invasion.
· English & Dutch graveyard – the tombstones here have Latin and Portuguese inscriptions on them. St Francis Xavier was buried here in 1553 before his body was moved to Goa in India.
· St Paul’s Church – On top of St Paul’s Hill is the ruins of a once Portuguese Catholics prayer house turned into a burial ground for their noble dead by the Dutch.
We returned to Jonker Street to eat at the Geographer Restaurant before joining Sally, Mel, Susan, Zoe, Mandy, Emily, Lucy & Aoife on a night cruise of the Melaka River. We were fortunate enough to have a commentary by Mr Bernard, a local Melakan who began guiding at 9 years of age and now has become Malacca’s best known historical guide.
Colin and I left the girls at the jetty discussing where they would eat and we returned to the hotel.
7th October
It was our last day in Malacca today s we wanted to make the most of it so began the morning by visiting the Kings Well or Hang Li Pohi Well.
The Kings Well was dug by the orders of Sultan Mansor Shah of Melaka (1458 – 1477 AD) especially for his wife. The water from this well was used for the daily needs of the princess and has never gone dry. Legend has it that if one was to drink from this well then he or she will surely return to Melaka. In 1551 Malay warriors poisoned the well causing the death of Portuguese people who drank from it. In 1606 Dutch soldiers poisoned the well and in 1628 & 1629 to sabotage and eliminate their enemies.
When the Dutch conquered Malacca they realised the importance of the well and built a wall around it complete with a canon and guard posts to safe guard it.
From the Kings Well we walked to St John’s Fort, once a private Portuguese Chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist, then onto the Portuguese settlement.
In 1933 eleven acres of land at Malacca was purchased for the purpose of creating a haven for scattered Kristang (mixed ethnic group of Portuguese and Malay) and their culture. Ten wooden houses with earth floors and attrap roofs were built. St John’s Village, as that simple village was originally known soon attracted additional Kristang and it grew to become one of Malay’s main tourist attractions and improving the standard of living of its villagers.
We returned to the hotel late afternoon just in time to have a shower before joining the Odyssey group for one last photo shot in front of Calypso.
In the evening we returned to the night/weekend market in Jonker Street to eat at some of the food at the local stalls and to try and find some of those last bargains to buy and pack before leaving Malacca.
8th October
This morning we left the Yellow Mansion Hotel in Malacca at 9.00am by mini buses and headed to the Malay/Singapore border. Once at the border it only took 30 minutes for us all to be processed through both border controls......the quickest border crossing yet.
The three mini buses pulled up outside the Asphodal Hotel on Racecourse Rd, Singapore around 2.00 pm.
Singapore is a city state in Se Asia. It was founded as a British trading colony in 1819 and since its independence has become one of the worlds’s most prosperous countries and sports the world’s busiest ports. Combining the skyscrapes and subways of a modern, affluent city with a medley of Chinese, Malay and India influences and a tropical climate with tasty food, good shopping and a vibrant night life scene this garden city makes a great stopover or springboard into the region.
Once Colin and I had booked into our room we met Aoife, Ben and Lucy downstairs where we all took a cab to THE Dubliner Irish Pub on Penang Rd to watch England vs. France World Cup Game......we were too late to see the Ireland vs. Wales game. A great result for both France and Wales who now go into the semi finals.
After the game had finished we came back to the hotel to shower and change then headed to the famous Raffles Hotel to meet the rest of the Odyssey group.
Raffles is a colonial hotel which was opened in 1889 and is known for its luxurious accommodation, superb restaurants, tropical garden courtyard, museum and Victorian style theatre. Raffles is where the Singapore sling was invented by a bartender named Ngiam Tong Boon between 1900 & 1915.
CJ gave a farewell speech and awarded certificates for the trip then Colin replied with a “thank you” speech on behalf of the group.
From Raffles most of us went to a local food market to have dinner then we caught the subway back to Little India.
Sally, Colin and I ended up by walking down Serangoon Rd (through Little India) past the beautiful Sri Mariammam Temple (oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore) to the hotel.
9th October
It was nice to be able to have a sleep in and not worry about packing to head off on the truck or public transport. However today was rather a sad day as this was the last day that 21 Odyssey 2011 crew will be together.
We sent an email to everyone on the trip before we headed out for lunch and it read as follows:-
“We started off as strangers and have ended as friends. We have shared 6 months of our lives on a “once in a lifetime journey” together and now have memories that have left footprints in our hearts forever and we will never be the same, Just as the story of life is like a blink of an eye so too is our Odyssey Journey as it comes to the last day of us all being together. Let’s celebrate with good wine and delicious food and not let our goodbyes be too painful. Colin and I would like to wish each and everyone of you all very best wishes and safe travels.”
At 11.00 am we all met in reception and caught taxis to the Grand Hyatt in the heart of Singapore. There we were shown to Mezza 9 where we were seated at tables for the well known Mezza 9 brunch. The group spent four hours drinking and eating their way through unlimited succulent food (including NZ oysters) and delicious wine (including French bubbles and NZ Sav Blanc)....an wonderful meal to end an amazing journey.
At 4.00 pm we made our way to The Dubliner, an Irish Pub, where we watched the All Blacks play Argentina in the World Cup and won. Once the game was over we took taxis back to the hotel in time to farewell Emily, the first of our group who was leaving and flying out to Australia.
The rest of the evening was spent in rather a sombre state as we all realised that the trip was fast coming to an end.
10th October
This morning there was a flash of lightening followed by a loud clap of thunder and rain, rain and more rain. This was so apt as the Odyssey group (except Emily and Jim) had gathered in the foyer of the hotel to farewell Clare, CJ, Colin and I as we were catching a bus to Malacca to pick up Calypso and drive through to Kuala Lumpur so emotions were running high. It was sad saying goodbye to the people that had become your family over the last six months.
The bus journey to Malacca was very uneventful, even the border crossing was quick and efficient so it in no time at all that we were reunited with Calypso.
From Malacca we drove through to Kuala Lumpur arriving late afternoon and after a quick shower the four of us headed out for a curry before heading to bed for an early night.
11th October
There was no rest for the wicked today as CJ had Clare, Colin and I up early to clean Calypso before she gets shipped from here on the 20th of October.
Firstly we erected the tents...Raffles, The Ritz, Taj Palace, The Oriental (full of sand), Sandy Lane (wine stains on the floor), The Peninsular, The Priory (immaculate), Pera Palace, Beverley Wiltshire, MGM Grand, Mt Nelson, Bellagio and Faulty Towers. With the help of Steve we swept them inside and out and checked for any repairs that were needed.
Next we got out the sand chairs and they were given a good brush and wipe down, especially after ants were found swarming all over them.
Cleaning the cutlery box, food & utensil boxes was a big job along with the pots and cooker however we managed to complete all tasks by mid afternoon.
CJ, Colin and Steve worked hard to change the back tyres, dismantle the wood box and bull bar......all and all a solid 6 hours work was put in by the five of us.
We returned to our rooms around 3.30 pm for a shower and some free time before all meeting up at 6.30 pm for our last dinner together.
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