In our detour tour of Alor Setar (where we stayed overnight due to flooding in Kangar), we were like celebrities. Everyone, and I mean everyone, stopped to stare at us. Most of them waved and and smiled and practiced their English on us..’Hello, how are you?’ ‘Where are you from?’ It was kind of fun to be so popular for awhile. Not so much fun later that night, being the only 2 white women, alone at night. Decided cabs were a wise idea at night in Alor Setar!
While in Alor Setar, I worked out how the Malaysian Tourist Authority keeps people here…they put flashing pedestrian crossing signs on every street, for unsuspecting tourists to soon find that they don’t work, and you are left stranded on a street corner, forced to follow the locals across the street and dodge traffic, taking your life in your hands as you cross the road. I’m pretty good at it now, and to give them credit, the motorcyclists are pretty good at dodging you (hard to miss 2 white women really), you just can’t hesitate or change direction!
So after our overnight stay in Alor Setar (and sustaining a minor injury – I fell down a drain. No, I wasn’t drunk! Minor graze, but it is making it difficult when I have massage!!) we jumped in a taxi (or teksi as the locals say) and headed to Kangar, the smallest town in Malaysia.
Guna, our friendly teksi driver, kept us entertained throughout the 1hr drive north, almost to the Thai border. The countryside got alot more dense, with large rock formations cropping up everywhere. Our teksi driver had to drive through some pretty serious water to get into our hotel. Apparently it is going down, but it looks pretty bad in some parts of town. Low level flooding, but still damaging to the people here.
Another first in our hotel in Kangar – our room comes complete with the Holy Qur’an and a prayer mat! No gideon’s bible around here! (And not much alcohol either – a dry hotel!). Attempted to walk into town, but there was too much water. Had dinner with the in-laws, Chinese banquet, and met Elaine’s grandmother. She was wonderful! An 84yo lady who runs a medicine shop in a tiny village, and speaks no English. Needless to say I was forced to very quickly brush up on my Chinese!
Spent Sunday with another teksi driver, who took us to some caves, local sights and…no man’s land…literally! That’s right, we went to some markets BETWEEN the Thai and Malaysian border. They have duty free shopping!! We did try to buy some wine for Elaine’s parents as a thank you, but apparently you can’t bring it back into Malaysia…Muslim country! I am even finding it difficult to spot alcohol in the 7-11 – something that is quite common in most parts of Sth East Asia. Markets were good – lots and lots of food and clothes.
Sunday night was wedding #2. Was a full Chinese affair, starting with a Tea Ceremony, which mum and I got to be a part of. Elaine and Chris offered relatives cups of Chinese tea, while the relatives handed them ‘red envelopes’. Inside the envelopes is cash as a wedding present. I must say, it was great to have my brother have to serve me! Even if I did have to pay for it! After the tea ceremony (and a dress change from Elaine – gorgeous red dress for the tea ceremony), the bride and groom (in another gorgeous white wedding gown) entered the ballroom of 270 people, followed by mum and I…that’s right, we got to be a part of the entrance!
A 10 course Chinese banquet followed, with singing and speeches. A Malay self proclaimed ‘Michael Jackson’ got up and did a cover of ‘Heal the World’ (with girls in the crowd coming up to give him roses onstage!), as well as singers from the local church. It was great! Chris did a speech in Mandarin, which went down exceptionally well, and then the families got called on stage for the champagne toast (cue 3rd dress change for Elaine – beautiful strapless champagne coloured dress). Thought Chris was going to spray the entire room with champagne (after excessively shaking the bottle!) but it was all good. The night finished after that, with all guests filing out, and shaking the hands of the bride & groom, Elaine’s parents and mum and I. My little hands were exhausted after 270 shakes! All up, another fabulous wedding.
So now, it is down to the serious business of traveling. Yesterday we took off for Langkawi, an island off the coast of Malaysia, were we are definitely not the only white people around. The beach is gorgeous, and we celebrated our arrival with a cocktail on the beach. Have resumed my massages in order to get my quota back up, as I fear I won’t be able to have as many in Cambodia & Laos. Tomorrow we are planning to hire scooters to travel the 60kms around the island. FUN! Then Thursday, we hit Cambodia.
more photos!!! loving the blog Hayles – good work!