May 8th, 2006 - Pilau Penang

KL proved a bit of a nightmare to get out of by bus. As a central transit hub for all of Malaysia and with competing bus companies and travel agents scattered around the terminal its a wonder that Laure and I found our bus and got out of there in one piece. Everyone flags us down with their broken english muttering 'where you go' and nine times out of ten, we politely decline their assistance - the tenth time out of ten when they follow you around the building I wish I could build up the courage to tell them to piss off! When we finally got our tickets sorted it was down to the loading platforms where the exhaust fumes are enough to get anyone high...and whats even more annoying is that there are at least three buses at the platform and guys with walkie talkies all over trying to arrange the mobs. I was convinced we weren't on the right bus, but sure enough eventually we arrived at the right island, but the wrong bus stop. A long public transit ride later we were finally in Georgetown on the island of Pilau Penang. We booked the next leg of our journey before leaving the bus depot and then it was off to find an accomodation, which is always a pain because your lugging around your backpacks and all the cabs and trishaws beep their horns to give you a ride, not to mention the heat! We settled into a crumby little room in a clean place in Chinatown. Tomorrow, it's the history of the China East India company which was based from here and interrupted Malaka's trade monopoly and then its off for Thailand. Two weeks of lounging on pristine beaches, rockclimbing and diving! Can't wait, all of these dirty, smoggy cities are starting to look the same.