this time, I was not interested in rain, it was too soon before arrival, but there were clear signs…
This time, it was not the call for prayer that woke me up at 4a.m., it was the noise of my Chinese hotel owner or his family or whoever else was in the house. But at least some light sleep was possible for me for the next 1,5h.
I was not motivated for another breakfast at a restaurant, so I left Bagan Serai around 7:30. It was wet from a rain at night and the temperature was comfortable. So, I just cycled my way, making short stops for a photo sometimes but going on until 25km were done. Then, so my plan I would make a Spot tracking point (my new rule is, to turn on the SPOT every 25km), change my shoes (I start in my normal shoes and change to the biking shoes most of the time after an hour or so, when I make a first break. I prefer to use them, when I don’t have to stop too often) and have some street food.
The food came first, again noodles with an egg and two somethings that were slightly sweet but still fitting to the noodles and, according to the seller, traditional Malaysian food.
Then I turned on the SPOT and went on. Of course, I had forgotten to change my shoes what makes me feel bungling.
Originally, I wanted to try to reach Penang by one of those big bridges, that are said to be forbidden for bikes, but I even didn’t see a street sign to them and soon was near the ferry.
At that time, a heavy rain began to fall. The ferry was first filled with cars, then I was allowed to go and then came a crowd of motorcycles, the last of them making noise, to make enough pressure to those at the front, so that they also would get some space on the ferry.
The rain was so strong, that everyone standing near the side of the ferry got wet by the rain or by raindrops that were bouncing off somewhere.
After landing, it was only 11-something, so I decided to wait until the rain would stop as I had told Khoo, my CS-friend on Penang, that I would arrive between 14 and 15h, so I had time enough.
Half an hour later, I could go on. Still, I arrived too early. I decided to again go to a restaurant down the hill that I had climbed .
view from the restaurant down to the floating mosque
They had a buffet with many different vegetables and although I was not that hungry at that time, I enjoyed a big portion and climbed again the hill. Meanwhile, Khoo had messaged me, that she would be later, but I didn’t want to go down and up once more, so decided to wait there and do my business as usual, only outside and as long as the battery allows.
my out door office
Yuhsuan came, and when I now change from Khoo to Yuhsuan, then because by the way I learned that this her first name and Khoo her surname, only for Europeans she had used Khoo as a name to call her.
In the apartment, we talked a bit and played a bit guitar. One song, Yuhsuan sang and I played the chords. Her mother, Lin, came home, who only knows a little English, and Yuhsuan translated. Lin is from one of those Taiwan People who lived there before the Chinese came and Yuhsuan also learned a bit of her mother tongue. And after 7, we went down to meet Yuhsuan’s father, who went with all of us to a Taiwanese restaurant. He is good in English, he, like his daughter, had been studying in GB for a while. He told me many interesting historical things.
After that very delicious food, we made a short round through the old town and Yuhsuan left to meet a friend.
At home, I felt very tired, ok, it was after 11, but in my theory the other reason is that when I reach somewhere, the tension and energy goes down.
I saw so many cars with interesting combinations of letters, e.g. “BMW” on a Toyota, and could not take a photo fast enough. The most seen combination was “WC”, followed by “PKK”. In combination with “WHY” and “WHO” and “AKP”, you could even make small political sentences. I also saw “MA 24 37” and all the time was looking for “MA 2412” (An Austrian Tv series, I never saw).
On this photo you see a PKW named PKW (PersonenKraftWagen = a technical term for car)