16 and 17 September – Surat Thani (Thailand) to Penang (Malaysia)

Rat heaven. A collection of rats is called a pack or mischief. Read on lower down the page.

Clocks advanced one hour on entry to Malaysia.

The 0126 hours train eventually arrived and we left Surat Thani at 0230 hours for Georgetown in Malaysia. On crossing the Thai/Malaysia border at Padang Besar all our luggage had to be taken off the train for customs (they were quite good and did not check very much) before getting back on the same train. After two stops on the way to Georgetown the train picked up a crowd of Muslims at one station, most of the women and girls wearing a head scarf, and then a crowd of Indian people at the next stop giving the impression that they lived in different areas. Up to the border the carriage was a very comfortable sleeper, better then many I have been on, then at the border the beds were folded up and seats came down in their place.

On arrival at Georgetown the stupidity began. Arriving at 1345 hours it took until 1600 hours to reach the Banana Guest House in Penang as Penang is an island and Georgetown is on the mainland. The two hours plus was used up in taking a ferry and a bus with a driver that did not know where we wanted to go even though he said that he did. As we were to leave early the following morning that only left from 1600 hours until dark to look at Penang. Not even the cruise liners stop for so short a time here, really really pathetic, and as I have indicated before, no management capabilities by our illustrious leader or Madventure at all. For all the time that was wasted we could either have stayed in Georgetown or even gone straight from Surat Thani to Kuala Lumpur, our next stop.

Penang

We stayed in the Banana Guest house, rat heaven! Rats nonchalantly walked, not run, across the reception and lounge area and when the manager was questioned he apparently quite happily said that they had caught 100 rats in the week before. Obviously they did not catch all the rats. Should I recommend this as a place to stay, you decide.

Seamus and myself did go off walking until dusk and although information indicated that the Cornwallis Fort closed at 1700 hours and there was little to see it was actually open until 1900 hours and it was worth the visit as far as we were concerned. There was quite a lot of information available there and a reasonable amount of buildings and grounds to imagine how it would have been in the Dutch, Portuguese and British colonial times.

At Georgetown Railway Station

Penang

Penang

The chapel in the Cornwallis Fort

One wheeled cannon at the Cornwallis Fort

The Sri Rambai cannon (1613) at the Cornwallis Fort

The yardarm at the Cornwallis Fort

Little India

Just married

On the morning of 17th we left rat heaven at 0815 hours walking to the ferry terminal as it was quicker than taking the bus due to the normal morning traffic jam and the protest march that was taking place. Sitting on a very plush and comfortable bus in Georgetown ready to leave for Kuala Lumpur at 1000 hours we were told to get off and put on a very inferior bus round the back of the bus station, not where everyone else was getting on the different buses. Somehow I think our glorious leader was bamboozled and did nothing about it with us eventually leaving at 1100 hours and arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 1700 hours, another complete day wasted in travelling. There’s no point in complaining as the the usual refrain is ‘that's what we did last time,’ No flexibility, no original thought and no interest in the their clients, just take the money and run!