FYI - this is a picture of hot dogs already mayonaised and ketchup'ed that were out on a table at our rest stop - I just couldn't even imagine eating one!
It seems like the past two days have been an endless set of stories about transportation and toilets. We left our beach on Tioman Island with the off roading adventure, only to get to the other side in Mersing and find that the busses to our next destination (Kota Baru) were all booked for three days. We had no idea that this would be the case, and the town we were in was not appealing for a two or three day stay! Of couse there was a solution - ther always is! A man from a bus counter ensured us that he could take us with another couple to Idon - this little town an hour north and from there we could catch a public bus to the next town - Kuantan - and then there would be a bus from there to Kota Baru because it was a bigger city. This all sounds nice, and when you are flying from airport to airport it is usually not a problem to make connections - but with even one connection here there is so much room for error! We met up with a nice couple from England (right near Warwick Castle, where I spent the night last summer!) and the four of us hopped in a mini-bus (translation mini van) for a crazy ride up the coast to Idon. We arrive at this bus station that is rural and dirty beyond belief. There are two places to sit and get food and a huge concrete area for busses to pull through. We are told that in 40 minutes our bus will leave. Feeling reassured that we made the first connection, we grab a bite to eat. There are two busses in the parking lot. Sophie went to ask if one of them was ours because we had only 10 minutes to departure. The man said "not this one" "wait in there" pointing to the other resturaunt. So - being the obliging tourists we are, we waited. In a few minutes the bus pulled out - we were confused- upon asking again the main told Sophie that no, the driver was having lunch over there, and that that had been our bus. %#*&& This is the kind of thing that happens occasionally, which really messes up our plans. Of course...we were most lucky and there was a bus in just two hours.
After trying to catch the 2:30 bus and missing it, we were all certain we would have to use the toilet - see toilet experience #1! Finally, after walking to an ATM to get money, and waiting for the bus we boarded the dilapidated city bus. The driver had his million (okay maybe 4) dirty kids hanging out on the bus, and as it filled up we realized that it was going to be jammed full - good thing we had seats. This turned out to be a milk-run bus, and we stopped every 10 minutes or so for the next 3 hours. Upon arriving in Kuantan, we just took a taxi (a Mercedes - if you had a Mercedes would you turn it into a taxi????) to a guest house. Sophie and I ran up to check the rooms - needless to say we were tired and didn't do such a careful job, and it ended up being the worst place Lewis and I have ever stayed!!! The sheets were dirty, so we had to get new ones, there was only a squat toilet, and the air conditioner basically didn't work. We did our best - using our sleep sheets and our own clothes as pillows - and got out by 8:00 the next morning.
We made our way to the bus station - thinking we had a good deal going since we were going to be on an express bus. Man - you should have seen the satin and lace curtains in this bus - they were insane!! Of course this would not be easy either, but at least this time we had made a reservation ahead for a place to stay, so we weren't so worried. The bus ride was supposed to take 6 hours, which meant there would be a stop half way through. Last time we did this we stopped at a pretty modern bus station with an indoor food court and toilets - not so lucky this time. We pulled off the side of the road at a family run resturaunt and more squat toilets...This is where we found the hot dogs in the picture above! I ate the yogurt I had brough from 7-11, and a bag of peanuts while Lewis dove into the food, braving whatever it might be! It worked out okay, and thinking we had only 3 hours left, we bought a pop for later on the bus and hit the road.
Complication: The whole road that goes up the coast was under construction - I mean, why work on just one section at a time when you can tear the whole thing up???? It was insanely slow, and to top it off, there were police check points every 30 minutes or so which meant all traffic slowed and stopped. So - when we had about 45 minutes left, I was feeling good and popped open my diet coke - bad idea! We were supposed to arrive at 5:00pm, and by 6:00 I had to go to the bathroom so badly it was hard to sit still. At 7:15 our bus dropped us off at a random corner in the middle of Kota Baru, and we called the guesthouse - at 8:00 I was finally able to go to the bathroom in our room, and by then I was REALLY grumpy!
Our room here is pretty nice, no AC, but it's not right in the sun so it stays cool enough. Our task now is to figure out if we're going to go to the Perhentian Islands, to Thailand to bum around, or jet over to Vietnam because we've heard such great things. These are the tasks for today!
TOILETS:
1) Bus Station Toilets - this was a new experience for me. I have used so many squat toilets that it hardly affects me any more. I haven't mastered pooing in them because it's so awkward, but I'm pretty good at keeping clean and being quick. At the bus station in Idon, we were shown to a room off the kitchen with a concrete floor. You would think - okay - what am I supposed to do in here - did you misunderstand me when I asked for the "toilet"? But no - here there is a flat concrete floor, with a hole in it about 1.5 inches in diameter. You pee on the floor, and wash it down the hole. I mean, in this situation, where do you even stand, people have probably gone everywhere!!!! There is even a brush and hose incase you poo. Goodness knows that wasn't going to happen! We all went as quickly as possible, and just hoped for the best. Needless to say my hand sanitizer is almost gone!
2) This is also teh first time we have stayed in a room that only had a squat toilet. The beauty of this is that every time someone on a floor above you pees or poos and then washes it down you can hear the whole thing! In the middle of the night it woke Lewis up and he was so confused about what the noise was! There is also a shower head on the wall next to the squat toilet - you just turn it on and stand next to the toilet to wash up. This was all about the most unsanitary business since the time we stayed in a chicken shack in Koh Tao last time.
That's enough about this business - We'll keep you updated about what we decide to do next!
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