Bangkok to Malaysia

After our few days in Nong Khai, we took the night bus down to Bangkok and, having learnt from our previous mistake, checked into a guesthouse near, but not on the Khao San Road. Since this was our second trip to Bangkok and we will most likely be there again before we return to England we didn't do too much sightseeing this time around, the main event being a trip to Patpong to visit the market and some of the area's more eye opening entertainment. And eye opening it certainly was. I managed to recover from my initial discomfort enough to appreciate the skills of the ladies - famous for their ping pong ball talents but much more impressive (and scary) for what they can do with razor blades. Really. Razor blades. Enough said.
As we plan to spend time in the South of Thailand at the end of our trip (so we can make you all as jealous as possible with our tans) we skipped straight down to Malaysia, and after a long and tiring trip involving leaving at 6pm, changing buses at 5pm, changing buses again at 2pm we arrived in Kota Bharu a mere 24 hours after leaving Bangkok. The next day we headed out to the Perentian Islands - which we had read had picture perfect beaches. The boat ride out was chaoppy to say the least - in fact we were both soaked to the skin by the time we arrived, but even through the rain, the island was beautiful. And nearly deserted as it was the very end of th season. We checked into a beach hut (well, not really checked in as the owner informed us they don;'t really do 'checking in' on the island) and started the few days there as we meant to go on - lounging around with books. That evening, we enjoyed freshly barbecued seafood and fresh fruit. All we needed now was some sunshine!
The next day we were lucky and the sun shone brightly, so we made our way to the beach on the other side of the island (through the jungle). It was a little wavy but we still managed some swimming. More seafood in the evening - we were feeling properly relaxed! The monitor lizards wandering past our hut every so often provided extra entertainment - some up to 2 metres long and clearly not worried by human activity. The storm that night was one of the most impressive we've seen on our travels, and led to 2 days when boats could neither leave nor arrive on the island - we were stranded! There's certainly worse places to be told you can't leave, and we were perfectly content to laze around enjoying good food (although this was beginning to run out...). Some of the other guests on the island were less content and we amused ourselves watching hopeful couples standing on the end of the pier in the pouring rain with their backpacks, refusing to believe the marine police.
Once we did leave (after being forced to pay extra for a boat on the way back - they knew we had no choice) we took a bus back to Kota Bharu and on to the Cameron Highlands, an area in the hills with numerous jungle trails to explore as well as tea plantations and strawberry farms courtesy of the British. A very colonial feeling place, reminding us of Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka and Darjeeling, but with the added advantage of think jungle nearby. Yesterday, we took off on a long trek from the town we are staying in to the start of one of the trails, and then up to the highest point of Cameron Highlands. A 2 hour climb through the jungle (some of which was very challenging for my short, unbendy legs!) took us to the top where we could see impressive views over the area. The road down was less steep, however it was 11 km long, and after around 5km (during which we visited a strawberry farm for strawberries and ice cream - well deserved!) we hitched lift on the back of a truck to the next town for lunch, from which it was only 2km back home. A great day, though I'm paying for it today with legs that will barely move.
Tomorrow we leave here for Pangkor Island, where I'm assured by Google Weather that it will 34 degrees without a trace of rain in sight. I certainly hope so - right now the rain is all I can hear on the metal roof.