The rail adventure continues: Bangkok to Padang Besar

  With a 1510 train departure, we decided we’d have a massage between breakfast and 1200 check-out, then eat lunch before going to the train. That worked well until the massage places didn’t really have anyone there despite the nominal 1000 opening. Even though we went at 1030, they only managed to start on my […]

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Shopping day in Bangkok

  Today was dedicated to a little more shopping, mainly clothing for the grandkids. I asked the taxi to take us to Pratunam Market. We got dropped off outside a building called City Complex. Even though it was a wholesale clothing place, there didn’t appear to be much of interest inside. Jo did pick up […]

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Bangkok Sightseeing

  Today’s the hot and sticky day of sightseeing I had planned with Jo. Hopefully it will be just half day. Our hotel included a good set breakfast. That placed us in good stead for the explorations ahead. The easiest way to the Royal Palace & Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) area was by the […]

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Flying to Bangkok

  Jo and I had separate rooms last night, the only night during our travels together. This cheap, well-located and highly-rated guesthouse only had double rooms and it didn’t break the bank for us to have two rooms. We woke early, had breakfast in my room. It was an easy day with a pick-up and […]

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Kota Bharu to Hat Yai

We woke to some birdsong, more like chirping actually, even though we had a windowless room (there may have been a birdhouse for swifts to make nests nearby). We investigated breakfast options around the hotel and decided against walking to the market so that we wouldn’t get too hot and sweaty before the long day. […]

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Exploring Kota Bharu

We remained horizontal (due to lack of choice), had some pastries and canned coffee for breakfast. The scenery outside was pretty gorgeous living up to the line’s nickname “The Jungle Railway”. There was dense jungle and in sparser areas I could recognise breadfruit, rubber and coconut trees. As we headed further north, we saw some […]

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Rail Adventure Begins: Kuching to Kota Bharu

Our rail adventure begins today for we fly from Kuching to Singapore, train to Johor Bahru and then the overnight train to near the Thai border on Malaysia’s east coast and overnight at Kota Bharu. We woke at 0600 and had a light breakfast at home before using a Grab (like Uber) service to the […]

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Sarawak Cultural Village

I went to the Sarawak Cultural Village about 26 years ago. It is a living museum of Sarawak’s tribal cultures. With Jo visiting, I thought it was good to go and show her what makes Sarawak special. The traditional dwellings were interesting for her and we tried the sago pancake, tumpik which turned out to […]

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Orang Utans at Semenggoh

With Jo still on New Zealand time, it made sense to go to the Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre early in the morning. We got there a little before 0900 and were hurried along by staff as the two animals were already hanging around. We observed them for a while before being led to another […]

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Siniawan Night Market

Today Jo arrived from New Zealand after a nightstop in Singapore. With an afternoon arrival, it made sense to pick her up at the airport and continue to the Siniawan Night Market not too far away. It was an interesting introduction to Borneo for her. Old buildings there are a rarity as the wooden structures […]

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