So what about Sumatra?

Lovina Krui Surf bungalows appeared out of the dusk in the nick of time. It was the end of another very long day in the saddle. I had been riding for 11 hours, the light was fading and I had eaten enough dust to give Dyson a run for it's money. 

It's nearly two weeks since I got Rhonda back and hit the roads of Sumatra and it's not all together been plain sailing. 

The GPS has completely given up now and so where as before it would switch off when things got complicated, it now switches off as soon as it has booted up. It's like it wakes up realises it just can't do Sumatra and shuts down again quickly. Too tired to care anymore. My Poor overworked GPS has finally decided to call it a day. I call him Marvin! RIP Marvin! He just couldn't take the pace. 

All bikers are equal but some are more equal than others!

I've never been a fan of biker clubs. At least I have never felt the urge to join one. I guess that stems from my early days when biker clubs meant an army of rebels who wore the patch and the patch meant total loyalty and total submission of your rights as an individual to your Chairman. I always found this ironic for people who claimed to be rebels. If your leader said jump you jumped. If your leader said set your hair on fire and pull your teeth out whilst singing "sweet home Alabama" then that was what you would do. New recruits, or prospects who were still to earn their patch would be subjected to all manner of tasks and challenges. Mostly illegal, some downright barbaric. Women were not considered eligible to earn a patch. Women probably had more sense than to even try!

A big THANK YOU

I felt this thank you deserved a post of its own so here goes.

The Swiss-Belhotel offered to put me up in Medan while I waited for my bike to arrive on the onion boat. They have been the perfect hosts, providing me with a lift from the airport, a complimentary massage, food and beverages during my stay. The team here have been so friendly and helpful and all speak very good English. They even lent me a camera as mine is with the bike.

It has been wonderful to have such a friendly base during my stay in Medan.

I will be sad to say goodbye to the team tomorrow but I hope to stay in touch with some of them and who knows, they may see me again!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for making my time here a comfortable and memorable one and especially for helping with my budget. I still have a long way to go but you have made it that little bit easier.

Special thanks to Agus, Herman and Selamat!!!

PS - I can highly recommend the Spag Bol!!

May the roads be twisty and the facts be straight!

"Hello Madam are in there?"
I stirred unwillingly out of a heavy slumber and looked at my watch. It was 11.30am.
"Hello yes who is it?" I said with the rough, slightly confused voice of a person who had been up drinking whisky until 5am. Probably because I had been up drinking whiskey until 5am!
"Madam you need to get up"

I grabbed a towel and threw it around me. Hiding partly behind the door I opened it to see three proud smiling faces. Faces of people I could tell could not wait to share with me what they had done!

The three guys were Malaysian and had something to do with the guest house I was staying in but I had no idea what . I had just seen them around and briefly spoken to them the day before (I found out later it was the owner and two staff)

"We have arranged a press conference for you. You must get up. They will be here at 2pm. The English and the Chinese papers for the WHOLE of Malaysia." Big emphasis on "Whole"

Meeting the locals

Gentle giants

I woke with a smile as I heard the monkeys banging about on the roof of my cabin. It was preferable to an alarm clock and once again it reminded me that I was lucky to be here.

I won't lie to you. Riding around the world on a 250cc motorbike can be challenging at times. I said I wanted to be able to "see and feel everything". Well somedays you feel it more than others. I'm not sure why it hits when it does but some days just feel like hard work. I guess this time my energy levels were still low after a bug that had put me in bed for a day and a half. I'm always grumpy when I'm ill and Rhonda was not helping! We had fallen out!

Back to simplicity

Ye Olde Smoke House

I could have been forgiven for forgetting I was in Malaysia. As I sat in the English garden on white victorian chairs in front of the Tudor house enjoying cream tea I was transported back home. The only thing that gave it away was the fact that the sun was shinning and, well, I can't tell you the last time I had a cream tea in the UK!

"The only thing that's missing here is the red telephone box" I said to my Malaysian side kick, Keith.
He smiled and led me to the side of the building where, sure enough, stood a red telephone box.

Ye Olde Smoke House in the Cameron Highlands is a must visit if you find yourself riding this beautiful part of Malaysia.