The last country
I am leaving Thailand to enter Malaysia, the last country before starting my new job. This is where we will see if I will love my future adopted country!
I wake up at 7:30 a.m.
Martin Ruggle, the German Swiss around the world.
It is always warmer in the tent than in a hostel. Without ventilation, heat enters through the mosquito net, through the nylon floor, and is already exiting through my skin pores. A normal morning in Southeast Asia.
Shortly after, I meet Martin on the road, a German Swiss on a round-the-world cycling tour. He left Switzerland in May, a few weeks too late to pass through Central Asia. It is therefore driven further south than me, by Iran, the United Arab Emirates, India.
Like two thieves who compare their misdeeds, we stop for a coffee and we go into ecstasies in front of the itinerary and the adventures of the other.
The Kohs
Glad not to have missed my boats!
In Thai language, Koh means island. And talking too much with Martin, I practically miss the only daily ferry that can get me to Koh Tao.
However, I arrived at 11:15 am at the village ticket office, thinking I had plenty of time for the 13:30 pm boat. Until the lady tells me that this boat is at another dock ... almost 20 km away! I'm racing to get there on time. Finally, on the run ... at XNUMX km / h, which is already fast for my heavy horse and me. I pass a pass on the way and finally arrive in a big sweat, just in time to buy my ticket in front of a crowd of tourists patiently waiting for boarding in the shade of their air-conditioned bus.
On my first island, Koh Tao, it is the paradise of "dudes and dudettes". The local fauna seems to come out of the Pointe-Calumet Beachclub. Abs, tattoos, little bikinis.
I'm there to see my friends Julien and Daphné, a Franco-Quebecer couple that I met in Vietnam. They are here for a week of diving lessons. However, I must leave quickly because I have another invitation to Koh Samui, the next island. This one, much bigger, is rather the destination par excellence for people richer than rich.
There, it is the charming Antoine and Natasha who welcome me in their little house on the island. They have been here for a year working mainly with luxury hotel clients. Yoga, naturopathy, and lifestyle advice for these people who have everything and are still looking for themselves. In one of these hotels, the price approaches $ 2 a night!
I am very happy to have received the invitation from Antoine via this blog, himself a great cyclist with an impressive travel CV. He rode alone, or more recently with Natasha, in China, Nepal, India, and all over Southeast Asia.
Welcome to Malaysia
Back on the mainland, I continue south. Although still in Thailand, I notice that there are more and more Muslims on my way. It is the state religion of Malaysia, which I am approaching. The women are more and more veiled, the skins are turning brown and the food changes a little.
My last frontier takes place like so many others before it: quickly and almost with pleasure. As usual, I am directed in front of the long lines of cars and, a few minutes later, I have yet another stamp in my little blue notebook with the Canadian coat of arms.
At one of my first stops at a local restaurant, I eat alone while reading at my table. A Malaysian comes to me to tell me that he has already paid for my meal and that he wishes me a good trip to Malaysia! And for once, I understand everything. Although Malay is the official language here, English is almost equally widespread. It's been a long time since communication has been so easy.
One of the local cemeteries, most often built on a small hill.
The beautiful hotels ...
In this constant heat and humidity, I continue to be so loose with my tent. However, I quickly noticed that hotels are more expensive here than in Thailand. I shop with only one criterion: the price.
Sitting on the toilet in my little windowless room, I see a huge caterpillar emerging from the wall two feet in front of me. I try to control it by taking an old toilet sandal.
(Bracket to explain. All over East and Southeast Asia, showers do not have partitions or glass around them, so the entire washroom is almost always wet. Including the toilet itself. even because the rooms are often quite small. In order not to always get your feet wet, private homes, hotels and even many public places leave a pair or two of “toiletry” sandals at the door.)
In short, under this toilet sandal hides a cockroach. By the time I make a decision, my two new boyfriends are gone. I then try to flush my toilet, but I realize that there is no water in the tank. I have to take a hose which is nearby, but which works so slowly that I end up flusher using the hand-held shower ...
Remind me again why am I paying for a room? Dirty sheets and a battered mattress? No, certainly not! Ah yes it's true, the air conditioning! Crime that I am made cozy!
And the beautiful encounters
Despite these questionable hotels, what I see most every day since entering Malaysia is the kindness and curiosity of the people. The easier communication helps, I have great conversations with a lot of people. Especially with a teenager in a gas station who even writes me an email in the evening to tell me that he is reading my blog with the help of Google Translate!
I even come to see that the most generous and curious people on my way seem to have been found mostly in Muslim countries: Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Malaysia. I do not know why, or if it is a coincidence, but it starts to make a lot of countries proving this rule.
The sugar cane juice stalls that I love so much are becoming rarer here. So I jump at the chance when I find one, held by a mother and her daughter. I buy two at once and talk to them a bit between sips. On leaving, the mother fills my two gourds free to the brim with other juice.
Yes, I think I will love this country!
Mother and daughter selling sugar cane juice.
