Khota Baru - Penang - Langkawi - Thailand - Hat Yai - Trang - Krabi - Ao Luk - Phang Nga - Phuket - Surat Thani - Koh Tao

  G'day All   Apologies for the delay. I've been having a good time ... since my last e-mail I've seen and experienced a lot. Please excuse me for putting these events in point form. Time and awaiting adventures hinder me from appropriately describing all that has happened ...   The bus journey from Khota Baru (East Coast) to Penang, George Town (East Coast) was going to be a lengthy overnight one. I didn't get much sleep as we stopped on occasion to pick up other pax along the way. anytime I was about to dose off I would sense the driver dosing off and going off the road. It was probably due to the motion of the return ferry from the Perhentian Islands.Penanag was interesting. I should have stayed a day or two longer and possibly even got my Thai visa sorted out at the embassy there. I met Paul (American) at the hostel at. He is by far the most intriguing character I've met on my travels thus far. If he's to be believed, you had best make the most of the next four years because the World's gonna end by 2014 ... so it was that I seized the opportunity and took a cable car 830m up a hill overlooking George Town. Most of the view of the city was obscured by cloud cover but I got a peek now and again. There after I visitted the Kek Lok si Temple and monastry. They have constructed a +/-304 ft high Buddha Statue and are in the processing of completeing the stupa. It looks amazing and in time to come will probably be the city's main attraction ...   ... Langkawi ... no public transport available, except for taxi's, which work out a bit expensive even though they are regulated. I had to wake up at 02:00 to watch the Barcelona vs Man. U. match with the local soccer afficianado's. The match was to be shown on a projector screen at one of the komplexes nearby. The atmosphere was one of camaraderie and friendly rivalry. It was an experience to remember ...   ... Langkawi - Kuala Perlis - Pedang Besar (border with Thailand) ... after some much appreciated assistance from a Malaysian taxi driver I managed to catch a mini-bus taxi to Hat Yai (closest big town from which one can catch a bus/train elsewhere). There was not much to see or do here. I hopped onto a motorbike taxi that met me along the street, daypacks in the front, my backpack strapped to me, holding on for dear life in the back. I found it as exhilirating as other commuters passing us found it. Than I boarded a bus headed for Trang. Unfortunately Trang was even smaller than Hat Yai with even less to see and do ...   ... Krabi ... having enjoyed the motorbike ride to the bus station in Trang I caught another motorbike taxi to another Buddhist Temple. I wasn't awarethe temple was up on a mountain and that I would have to climb 1237 irregularly constructed steps to get there. but when I got to the top it had some of the best views of Thailand I've seen thus far. Whilst strolling through the adjoining rain forest I also came across the humble abodes of Buddhidt initiates. They were just holes in the limestone mountain which the initiates now used as a place to sleep and meditate with just a sheet of cloth to block out harsh weather and disturbances ... Seeing as I was enjoying the ride on the scooters so much I decided to hire a scooter. After a few instructions from the owners son and having filled out the indemnity and insurance forms I got the motor running , headed out on the highway and was on my way. My first stop was at one of the numerous national parks scattered around Thailand. I did lots of climbing and sweating. In the process I got really attached to my first leech, as if I wasn't losing enough liquids as it were ... the waterfall in the park was beautiful. it was 7-tiered and cascaded from high up. I even saw two Iguana's, one really up-close. Having dealt with a crocodile , the overgrown lizard wasn't all that scarry ... next I visited some caves. I was guided by a mute lady. I was interesting ... on the way back I almost crashed the scooter into a sidestall because I pressed on the accelerator instead of the brake ...   ... Ao Luk ... I visited more limestone caves, this time by Kayak though. They were concealed within a mangrove forest ...   ... Phang Nga ... I had no intentions of visiting Phuket, but since I was enjoying riding a scooter so much I hired one and rode all the way. There were lots of Buddhist Wats along the way and in Thailand in general. I made a stop at the Bang Pae Waterfalls and the Gibbons Rehabilitation Project. The waterfall wasn't up to much but hearing the gibbons sing was fascinating  ... I also stopped at the Thalang National Museum. It had some intriguing historical information on how the Hindu culture influenced Thai culture. On the way back I cruised past Karon, Patalong and a few other beaches before racing (80km/h - speed limit here for motorbikes is 60km/h) back to Phang Nga ...   ... Surat Thani ... I was forced to move from automatic to manual motorbike. It took a bit of gettin used to but I managed once I was on the open rode. I went in search of some ancient Wats. Unfortunately the oldest Wat I came across wa sonly 800 years old. There are a lot older Wats. I did however get to see the farmers tending the rice paddies. Driving along the freeway you don't often get to see them as they are often hidden by palm and rubber trees ... Koh Samui also wasn't on my agenda but since I had the bike I caught a ferry across and rode about the island. I dleayed my departure by an hour and thought I'd catch the 16:00 ferry. Unfortunately I also missed that one by a minute which had serious repurcussions as I had to catch the overnight ferry from Surat Thani to Koh Tao that evening. all I could do was race back. fortunately I made it with time to spare ...   ... Koh Tao ... island life. It can be tough sometimes. I had to decided whether or not to do the Open Water PADI course or not. In the end I thought I've been having enough fun up to now and should do something meaningful. So after some brain numbing studing and repititive practicing I have managed to obtain my O.W PADI certification. It was very exhilirating. I got to swim with 1000's of Fusillier fish amongst others. Initially the thought of diving was daunting, but once we were in the water it wasn't too bad. Very tiring though and choppy waves on the one day didn't help me very much. In the end though I got my certification and much needed rest ...   ... Chumphon - Ranong - Myanmar and back to Chumphon. I had to do a visa run to obtain anotther 15-days visa to stay in Thailand. I caught the overnight ferry from Koh Tao at 23:00 last night. Didn't get much sleep. 05:30 in the morning a mini-bus taxi was awaiting us at the Chumphon Pier. It took us to Ranong where we stamped out of Thailand, took a ferry across to Myanmar, got a visa there and caught a ferry back to Thailand and stamped back in allowing us to remain in Thailand for a further 15 days. That should be enough for the remainder of my stay ... later I booked a ticket on the overnight train to Bangkok ... and that's where we shall leave it for now. Incidentally, I forgot to mention how burnt I've got. All that time in the ocean under the sun is not too good for my complexion. Once again, apologies for having to cut the trip details short ... take care and take it easy everyone ...