December 27, 2005
Merry Christmas! It has been one of the most unique Christmas’s for us this year. Traveling in Bali we didn’t experience any of the hoopla that goes along with a western Christmas until we arrived in Kuta for our last day on the island (back on Dec. 19th). We went in the mall across from our hotel (Lord only knows why) where the Christmas music was blaring, Christmas decorations were everywhere, people were shop shop shopping, and the Balinese people working there were all decked out in Santa hats. It felt very out of place and kind of wrong after not seeing a single sign of Christmas the whole way around the island. It makes perfect sense as the island is mostly Hindu. The other tourists didn’t seem to mind the craziness, but I guess if they wandered out of the Kuta area they might understand why it was so weird for us to walk into that.
Singapore was bustling with Christmas as well. That struck us as a little odd not really knowing what to expect, but not as odd as in Bali. Singapore is a big, clean city full of malls. They have different dedicated malls for anything and everything you could think of. I’ve never seen so many malls in my life. I told Kirk it’s like the “Mall of America” but spread out over blocks instead of encompassed in one building. Kirk and I went into the electronics mall and that was enough for us. Floor after floor with store after store all selling similar products for about the same price. It was very overwhelming. We certainly got the sense that the people in Singapore are large consumers just like in the US.
Malaysia was a shock as well. We thought being mostly a Muslim country that Christmas wouldn’t be an issue. I guess there is quite the population of Christians here because signs of Christmas were all over the place.
We spent the 23rd traveling from Singapore into Malaysia (40K) which was a pretty easy ride and very easy to get through customs on a bicycle. Johor Bahru was definitely a contrast to Singapore. It wasn’t as clean and didn’t feel nearly as safe. We agreed we only wanted to spend one night there and then move on. We ended up staying at the “New York Hotel” because we were having trouble finding accommodation. We looked at one hotel above a strip mall, but when they told Kirk they rent by the hour, we knew that we needed to find a different area of town. We couldn’t find any homestay or guesthouse type accommodations that we had grown so accustomed to in Bali so it was hard for us to realize that we had been spoiled there and in this city we needed to be looking for a high-rise hotel. We figured out the hard way that the high-rise hotels are actually the better places to stay and the rates aren’t too bad.
The 24th we rode from Johor Bahru to Kota Tinggi (40K) and on the way out of town we stopped at a bank to cash some travelers checks. After I stood in line for about 15 minutes and waited another 15 at the counter the woman came back and told me they couldn’t help me because their system was down. So we hit another bank along the way and they told me they wouldn’t be able to help me until Tuesday nor would any other bank because the market was closed. That didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to Kirk and I because we figured they could just give us the last rate the market closed at. No dice. So we left for Kota Tinggi with about 65RM (approx $18 USD) to get us through until Tuesday. We thankfully were able to use our credit card at the New York Hotel and were hoping for the same luck in Kota Tinggi. Fortunately we found a hotel there that took visa also. Looking back I wish I would have just cashed enough travelers checks at the Singapore airport to cover us in Malaysia too. Next time I know better.
The saga continued when we rode from Kota Tinggi to Mersing (100km). After using our cash for a few meals and some groceries we arrived in Mersing with 25RM in our pocket which still had to get us through 2 more days. Stupid stupid stupid! And I know you’re all probably thinking why not use an ATM card? Well, Kirk and I don’t typically use ATM cards and I have one, but I don’t have the pin number. Brilliant eh? So we looked around Mersing for accommodation both being hot, exhausted, hungry, near critical melt down mode and ready to get off the bikes when we looked at several hotels that didn’t take visa because we weren’t thinking clearly. It finally dawned on us that we were going to have to suck it up and stay at one of the nicer hotels so we could charge it. So the first night we spent at a family hotel with screaming kids and the second night we went to the nicest hotel in town (since we found out it was cheaper than the family hotel) thinking it would be nice and quiet. Wrong again! There was an all night party going on in the room next door and on top of that we kept waking up to a noise that sounded like it could be a rat! We certainly have not had the best nights sleep over the last two nights which was a little disappointing.
Today is Tuesday and we originally wanted to hit the road at 7am to move on to our next destination which is about 70km north of here on the beach. We found out the banks here do not open until 9am so we figured we better stay in town to cash our travelers checks not knowing if the next town was big enough to have a bank. Good thing we did! We got up a little later than expected this morning after being pretty pooped from not sleeping so well. We ate our breakfast and were ready to hit the road at 9:30am to find a bank in town and then blaze out of here. Well nature was working against us and it started raining just as we finished packing our bikes. We jumped on our bikes and rode for a couple of minutes in the rain to get into the main part of town. We stopped at the first bank we saw and were told they couldn’t cash my travelers checks and to try the bank down the road. So I tried the next bank while Kirk waited with our bikes under an awning. Same story. I finally found a bank that said they could help me, but not until 10:15am. I’m assuming that’s when some market opened? So I waited in line and it was 11:40am before we had money in our pockets again. I’m really glad we didn’t risk going to the next town to cash our checks as we had a hard enough time here and this is a bigger town than most others that lie ahead. Moral of the story, cash as much money as you need either before or just after entering the destination country! Yes I feel like an idiot as that’s probably rule number one of most seasoned travelers. Oh well!
Kirk and I evaluated our situation and decided to lay over here one more day. A 70km ride will probably take us anywhere from 3 to 4 hours and we’ve discovered in our last few late morning starts that a nice little head wind seems to kick up around 1pm. We didn’t particularly want to have another epic day with the rains pouring on us as well so we took it as a sign that we should lay low and leave early tomorrow rain or shine. So the one good thing about being stuck in Mersing is we found an awesome internet café with a fast connection and a cheap rate. Today will be our opportunity to catch up on some things including the blog.
We are currently holed up in a nice little hotel that was only 48RM (13USD) per night with hot water, good water pressure and A/C that we could finally pay cash for. Now that’s more like it! Tomorrow we’re hoping for clear skies, light traffic and beachy bungalows awaiting us. We’ll see!
Mersing is right on the beach and has a river running through town so I can see that this might be a nice place for people in Malaysia to come on vacation. Again Kirk and I have been completely spoiled so we just don’t have the same perspective. There are several islands just off the coast here that are supposed to be lovely with resorts and great snorkeling and diving. Unfortunately we’re here in the monsoon season, so the ocean water is very brown right now and it’s probably not an ideal time to enjoy those islands. They are fairly expensive and we don’t have a lot of time left to spend in Malaysia, so it’s best for us to move on.
So far Malaysia has been a different world for us. We stick out like sore thumbs everywhere we go and people stare. The people don’t tend to be as outgoing and friendly as in Bali which is both good and bad. At least we don’t have people hollering at us all the time, but the stares can be a little intimidating. Riding isn’t too bad though because the people driving down the road on motorcycles give us a little honk and wave and the people in the cars usually do the same. Although I do feel like a zoo animal walking around town sometimes because several times I’ve seen kids with their faces plastered against the car windows, eyes wide and mouths agape. I can just imagine the conversation going on in that vehicle. “Look kids…there are some white people over there, otherwise known as crackers. They smell like sour milk so don’t get too close! Wow…they’re so weird looking!” Overall it has been a totally new experience to be such a minority.
The other thing that is an adjustment for us is that most of the women are fully clothed with their heads covered in scarves so Kirk and I are extra conscious of how we dress here. We both make sure that when we get off our bikes, we immediately throw on a sarong to cover our tight bikes shorts. I’m sure we look like dorks in our sarongs, with our odd looking bike shoes, socks, bike shirts, gloves, helmets, sunglasses and camel backs because we get the strangest looks from people passing us, but we’re just trying to be respectful of their culture. It was an eye opening experience at the family hotel the other day when the Muslim women were fully clothed with head scarves and all calmly soaking in the pool, while the boys splashed and played around them in their swim shorts. Needless to say I wouldn’t have felt very comfortable out there in my swimsuit so we bypassed the pool.
The plan is to still be in Malaysia for New Years and we will probably cross into Thailand around January 7th or so. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you the best in the upcoming year!
Jodi
Singapore was bustling with Christmas as well. That struck us as a little odd not really knowing what to expect, but not as odd as in Bali. Singapore is a big, clean city full of malls. They have different dedicated malls for anything and everything you could think of. I’ve never seen so many malls in my life. I told Kirk it’s like the “Mall of America” but spread out over blocks instead of encompassed in one building. Kirk and I went into the electronics mall and that was enough for us. Floor after floor with store after store all selling similar products for about the same price. It was very overwhelming. We certainly got the sense that the people in Singapore are large consumers just like in the US.
Malaysia was a shock as well. We thought being mostly a Muslim country that Christmas wouldn’t be an issue. I guess there is quite the population of Christians here because signs of Christmas were all over the place.
We spent the 23rd traveling from Singapore into Malaysia (40K) which was a pretty easy ride and very easy to get through customs on a bicycle. Johor Bahru was definitely a contrast to Singapore. It wasn’t as clean and didn’t feel nearly as safe. We agreed we only wanted to spend one night there and then move on. We ended up staying at the “New York Hotel” because we were having trouble finding accommodation. We looked at one hotel above a strip mall, but when they told Kirk they rent by the hour, we knew that we needed to find a different area of town. We couldn’t find any homestay or guesthouse type accommodations that we had grown so accustomed to in Bali so it was hard for us to realize that we had been spoiled there and in this city we needed to be looking for a high-rise hotel. We figured out the hard way that the high-rise hotels are actually the better places to stay and the rates aren’t too bad.
The 24th we rode from Johor Bahru to Kota Tinggi (40K) and on the way out of town we stopped at a bank to cash some travelers checks. After I stood in line for about 15 minutes and waited another 15 at the counter the woman came back and told me they couldn’t help me because their system was down. So we hit another bank along the way and they told me they wouldn’t be able to help me until Tuesday nor would any other bank because the market was closed. That didn’t seem to make a lot of sense to Kirk and I because we figured they could just give us the last rate the market closed at. No dice. So we left for Kota Tinggi with about 65RM (approx $18 USD) to get us through until Tuesday. We thankfully were able to use our credit card at the New York Hotel and were hoping for the same luck in Kota Tinggi. Fortunately we found a hotel there that took visa also. Looking back I wish I would have just cashed enough travelers checks at the Singapore airport to cover us in Malaysia too. Next time I know better.
The saga continued when we rode from Kota Tinggi to Mersing (100km). After using our cash for a few meals and some groceries we arrived in Mersing with 25RM in our pocket which still had to get us through 2 more days. Stupid stupid stupid! And I know you’re all probably thinking why not use an ATM card? Well, Kirk and I don’t typically use ATM cards and I have one, but I don’t have the pin number. Brilliant eh? So we looked around Mersing for accommodation both being hot, exhausted, hungry, near critical melt down mode and ready to get off the bikes when we looked at several hotels that didn’t take visa because we weren’t thinking clearly. It finally dawned on us that we were going to have to suck it up and stay at one of the nicer hotels so we could charge it. So the first night we spent at a family hotel with screaming kids and the second night we went to the nicest hotel in town (since we found out it was cheaper than the family hotel) thinking it would be nice and quiet. Wrong again! There was an all night party going on in the room next door and on top of that we kept waking up to a noise that sounded like it could be a rat! We certainly have not had the best nights sleep over the last two nights which was a little disappointing.
Today is Tuesday and we originally wanted to hit the road at 7am to move on to our next destination which is about 70km north of here on the beach. We found out the banks here do not open until 9am so we figured we better stay in town to cash our travelers checks not knowing if the next town was big enough to have a bank. Good thing we did! We got up a little later than expected this morning after being pretty pooped from not sleeping so well. We ate our breakfast and were ready to hit the road at 9:30am to find a bank in town and then blaze out of here. Well nature was working against us and it started raining just as we finished packing our bikes. We jumped on our bikes and rode for a couple of minutes in the rain to get into the main part of town. We stopped at the first bank we saw and were told they couldn’t cash my travelers checks and to try the bank down the road. So I tried the next bank while Kirk waited with our bikes under an awning. Same story. I finally found a bank that said they could help me, but not until 10:15am. I’m assuming that’s when some market opened? So I waited in line and it was 11:40am before we had money in our pockets again. I’m really glad we didn’t risk going to the next town to cash our checks as we had a hard enough time here and this is a bigger town than most others that lie ahead. Moral of the story, cash as much money as you need either before or just after entering the destination country! Yes I feel like an idiot as that’s probably rule number one of most seasoned travelers. Oh well!
Kirk and I evaluated our situation and decided to lay over here one more day. A 70km ride will probably take us anywhere from 3 to 4 hours and we’ve discovered in our last few late morning starts that a nice little head wind seems to kick up around 1pm. We didn’t particularly want to have another epic day with the rains pouring on us as well so we took it as a sign that we should lay low and leave early tomorrow rain or shine. So the one good thing about being stuck in Mersing is we found an awesome internet café with a fast connection and a cheap rate. Today will be our opportunity to catch up on some things including the blog.
We are currently holed up in a nice little hotel that was only 48RM (13USD) per night with hot water, good water pressure and A/C that we could finally pay cash for. Now that’s more like it! Tomorrow we’re hoping for clear skies, light traffic and beachy bungalows awaiting us. We’ll see!
Mersing is right on the beach and has a river running through town so I can see that this might be a nice place for people in Malaysia to come on vacation. Again Kirk and I have been completely spoiled so we just don’t have the same perspective. There are several islands just off the coast here that are supposed to be lovely with resorts and great snorkeling and diving. Unfortunately we’re here in the monsoon season, so the ocean water is very brown right now and it’s probably not an ideal time to enjoy those islands. They are fairly expensive and we don’t have a lot of time left to spend in Malaysia, so it’s best for us to move on.
So far Malaysia has been a different world for us. We stick out like sore thumbs everywhere we go and people stare. The people don’t tend to be as outgoing and friendly as in Bali which is both good and bad. At least we don’t have people hollering at us all the time, but the stares can be a little intimidating. Riding isn’t too bad though because the people driving down the road on motorcycles give us a little honk and wave and the people in the cars usually do the same. Although I do feel like a zoo animal walking around town sometimes because several times I’ve seen kids with their faces plastered against the car windows, eyes wide and mouths agape. I can just imagine the conversation going on in that vehicle. “Look kids…there are some white people over there, otherwise known as crackers. They smell like sour milk so don’t get too close! Wow…they’re so weird looking!” Overall it has been a totally new experience to be such a minority.
The other thing that is an adjustment for us is that most of the women are fully clothed with their heads covered in scarves so Kirk and I are extra conscious of how we dress here. We both make sure that when we get off our bikes, we immediately throw on a sarong to cover our tight bikes shorts. I’m sure we look like dorks in our sarongs, with our odd looking bike shoes, socks, bike shirts, gloves, helmets, sunglasses and camel backs because we get the strangest looks from people passing us, but we’re just trying to be respectful of their culture. It was an eye opening experience at the family hotel the other day when the Muslim women were fully clothed with head scarves and all calmly soaking in the pool, while the boys splashed and played around them in their swim shorts. Needless to say I wouldn’t have felt very comfortable out there in my swimsuit so we bypassed the pool.
The plan is to still be in Malaysia for New Years and we will probably cross into Thailand around January 7th or so. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you the best in the upcoming year!
Jodi
posted by Kirk & Jodi Roberts at 8:14 PM
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