“Faith moves mountains. Indeed. The reason leaves where they are. That's better.” Pierre Bourgault

We set the alarm not to sleep all day and enjoy the free breakfast. Nice touch to what our palates only the bread is edible, peanut butter also despite a strange taste, but more like butter salted oil and jam has a taste of the chewing gum !

Breakfast in Kuala Lumpur

Open Space de Matahari Lodge

Douchés, prepared, we release at midday and hang out a bit in the living room of the guest house waiting for thirteen hours. Direction Pudu Sentral, a bus and metro station a few meters, that make us sweat in the heat and the weight of our luggage. Odors - not always the best - of the city seem stronger under the sun and taxi and bus drivers are as tenacious as sellers, trying to attract you to them. From the area around the station, we intend to offer bus tickets for some all directions, although this did not inspire confidence at the beginning, more we plunge into the station the more it seems to be different employees (paid to the percentage, declared or not, We will never know !) who try to fold the potential customer. They even have walkie-talkies to communicate with each (but can they tell good ? ! “Now the two white mules loaded as there, they go to Lumut, they are mine !”), a lady we finally get their hands on it when we tell him that we want to go in Lumut, it guides us to a room on the first floor where there are dozens of small counters different bus companies. I recognize the name of one of them : Alisan, where we buy two bus tickets 56RM (about 13.5 €). It's in the basement as following happens, align the docks where the buses come and go in an incessant brush engine sounds, Brake, gasoline odor, sewage and sweat. Our bus arrives at 13:45, not bearing the same name as the company, but noted the license plate on the ticket matches. The driver confirms, and a pair of Spanish from the same place as us. The bags are loaded into the hold and that put us at the front ready for the four-hour trip north.

Our crazy bus

Funny map of Malaysia

After two hours drive, we stop a few minutes at a gas station : “Demolished ! Demolished !” and seeing that white tourists do not include the driver adds “Toilets ! Toilets ! Ten minutes !” – in English with the Malaysian accent. Equally shape than those of yesterday Tang City Food Court, since that time when I flushed, I find myself wading in a puddle !

The landscape that unfolds through the window after small (many curtains in the bus !) is very green since we left Kuala Lumpur concrete, still as palm, some farms ... and Ipoh. Comment ça Ipoh ? Heck, wrong bus, there is a direct and one that makes a stop in the city of Ipoh - east Lumut - and therefore takes nearly two hours to reach destination. I reach for my phone to send an SMS to the owner of the guest house where we booked a room in order to prevent that we will arrive after the time of recording ... Second surprises, coui my phone **** called himself, international fare I just ruin my package leaving a message on the answering machine a few minutes from Ronald (bus noise ... probably yes because it is extremely noisy, a little too well, some noise would be disturbing enough !). Three's, this is the bus that winds through narrow streets between various warehouses and stops facing another bus. “Change bus ! Change bus !” – toujours en anglais et toujours avec l’accent malaisien 😉 , OK, So the rumors were perhaps really abnormal ! See the bright side, the second bus is more comfortable with large windows clear that enable us to observe the landscape and the different cities we are going through, Spaniards are behind us and we talk sometimes, because rest seems a bit compromised by our front neighbor listening to oriental music without headphones ...

Arrival in Lumut

Premier terminal de Pangkor

He is ready to nineteen hours when we finally get to Lumut Bus Terminal. Night falls and we have to find the dock where the ferry left for a small island few kilometers the coast : Pangkor Island. We find but staff refer us back to buy tickets, quickly, quickly, because the last shuttle sailed to twenty hours ! Spanish on a mission and four tickets triumphant returns (10RM one - about 2.40 € – to keep for the return). The boat takes a little more than twenty minutes to make the crossing, he first stopped at the fishing village of Sungai Pinang Kecil, then in the main town of the island : Pangkor. We are preparing for the first stop for this is that we booked only in the guest house of the village, whose owner warned us that we must insist off at the first stop. Actually no less than three people sign that we are not where we need to stop : a passenger, then the man who opens the door and one on the dock. Out of the terminal, we turn to our right in a narrow, dark alley in search of the eighth house on the left with brown and green colors should help us recognition - whatever the night, all the walls are gray ! Oh joy, the gate is partially open and there is light ! Joyce, the owner is currently writing a note to our attention to explain it starts eating and will be back soon. We apologize for the delay and explain our misadventures. No problem, this must happen sometimes, What the majority of customers should be Malaysian families. It makes us around and we settled into our room (still without window), then it tells us a plan restaurants that are still open to twenty hours spent.

Terrace bar SPK

Street from the guest house

We opt for the Chinese restaurant just around the corner : the cook is very friendly and took the time to explain the map. Ronald chooses a sliced ​​pork dish sautéed with vegetables that gives it slightly spicy, me a plate of noodles and vegetables. Installed, man returns wonder if it can spice up the dish and made round eyes like saucers when I explain that even pepper is too spicy for me – better be careful ! As I chose a vegetarian, he returned a second time to see if he can put eggs : Care ! While waiting for our food we drink a beer and a Coke – my stomach is a little woozy with fatigue and Travel. What we feast that Ronald dish is too spicy ! We suspected, Now we are sure, said that when Asian dish is slightly spicy, is too many for us, Western Poor ! The addition amounts to 26RM (approximately € 6.30) and we end the evening in a small bar where three people present did not speak a word of English. Laughter on both sides before we can settle on the terrace at the water's edge (34,50€ 8.40 RM or three beers). Back to SPK Guesthouse where we turn in bed, impossible to fall asleep before three in the morning for me, jetlag may last a few days !