KUALA LUMPUR

I FLEW OVER FROM MEDAN/ SUMATRA – FLIGHT TIME APPROX. AN HOUR. THE CAR WAS GETTING LOADED ON THE SHIP – I THOUGH…

JOSEF & ADAM GOT THERE ON THE SAME DAY AS I DID. JOSEF – MY LOYAL FRIEND FROM AUSTRALIA AND ADAM – OLD FRIEND FROM HOME. WE ALL JUST WANTED TO GET THE CAR AND CRUISE AROUND MALAYSIA – TOWARDS THAILAND

I GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE SHIPPING LINE AND GOT INFORMED THE VESSEL DIDN’T LEAVE INDONESIA YET. SOME DEMONSTRATION AT THE LOCAL PORT AS WELL AS CHINESE NEW YEAR DISTURBED THE WHOLE PROCESS – SO WE JUST KILLED TIME – HANGING AROUND KL

..VISITED THE BATU CAVES..

DURING THE DAY: PREPARING DOCUMENTS FOR THE IMPORT

IN THE EVENING: SHOPPING AND EATING IN CHINA TOWN

AT NIGHT: DRINKING AWAY THE FRUSTRATION ABOUT THE SHIPMENT AND SIGNING PAPERS

THE VESSEL FINALLY LEFT INDONESIA. I GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE SHIPPING AGENTS – STRANGE GUYS – FRIENDLY BUT THERE OPERATION HOURS SEEMED TO BE A BIT ODD – ALWAYS AFTER MIDNIGHT. THEY WOULD COME TO THE BACKPACKERS AT TIMES PAST 12AM REQUIRING SOME SIGNATURES FOR PAPERWORK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT – ALL IN MALAY LANGUAGE. THOUGHT I AM PROBABLY SIGNING MY CAR OVER TO THEM – I DIDN’T CARE – JUST WANTED IT DONE! I PROVIDED THEM WITH ALL THE PAPERWORK THAT I ARRANGED FROM MY SIDE..

SO WE WERE ALREADY STUCK IN KL FOR TOO LONG AND IT WAS WEEKEND AGAIN SO NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN AT THE PORT SO WE DECIDED TO CHECK OUT MALACCA – A LITTLE TOWN FURTHER SOUTH

WE CHECKED INTO THAT LITTLE GUESTHOUSE – I THINK IT WAS CALLED SOMETHING LIKE RIVERSIDE GUESTHOUSE. I WENT DOWNSTAIRS IN THE MORNING TO GET MYSELF A COFFEE. GOT TO TALK TO WORKER AND TOLD HIM ABOUT THE MISERY WITH THE CAR AND THE TRIP I AM DOING.. LATER THAT DAY – JULIUS MY FORMER FRIEND FROM AUSTRALIA – SYDNEY – MANLY BEACH – GOT TO THE SAME GUESTHOUSE IN THE SAME LITTLE TOWN SOMEWHERE IN MALAYSIA – NOT KNOWING I WAS THERE. NEITHER DID I KNOW HE WAS IN MALAYSIA.

JULIUS ARRIVED AND GOT INTO A CHAT WITH THE SAME OLD WORKER  AT THE GUESTHOUSE THAT HE KNOWS A GUY ‘PHIL’ WHO TRAVELS THE WORLD IN CAR. THE WORKER TOLD HIM – ‘I KNOW THAT GUY – I LIVES UPSTAIRS’

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?

SO THE GANG GOT BIGGER

WE RENTED SOME BIKES TO RIDE TO A BEACH A BIT OUT OF TIME BECAUSE ADAM NEVER FLEW A KITE AND WE WANTED HIM TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE

WE ARRIVED AT KLEBANG BEACH

WE BOUGHT SOME KITES AT THE LITTLE SHOPS ALONG THE BEACH AND GOT INTO IT

AND CAN YOU BELIEVE IT ? –  ADAM NEVER FLEW A KITE IN HIS LIFE! WHAT A DAY FOR HIM – WE GOT HIM A HELLO KITTY ONE – JUST AS HE WISHED – SHOWED HIM HOW TO GET IT DONE AND GAVE HIM BACK A PIECE OF HIS CHILDHOOD.

HE JUST LOVED IT – THE SMILE ON HIS FACE – PRICELESS. HE DID REALLY WELL TOO. IT WAS QUITE HARD TO GET HIM OFF THAT THING AT THE END. IF IT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN FOR US – HE’D STILL BE RUNNING AROUND THERE..

WE ALSO GOT ANNA A KITE BUT SHE IS… BUT AT LEAST SHE TRIED 😛

BACK TO KL – MEANWHILE THE VESSEL HAD ARRIVED BUT THE SHIPPING IDIOTS FORGOT ABOUT SOME STUPID PAPERS – APPARENTLY A NEW RULE AND THEY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT IT. THANKS FOR BEING SO INCOMPETENT. SO THE GUYS CAME TO THE BACKPACKERS AGAIN FOR MORE SIGNATURES…THIS TIME PAST 1AM IN THE MORNING. NORMAL OFFICE HOURS?

THREE DAYS TO PROCESS THE PAPERS – SO WE DECIDED TO GO TO THE JUNGLE THIS TIME..

INTO THE ROOTS

TO THE TREETOPS

ON EXACTLY THIS RIVER, SITTING ON A BOAT, CRUISING TOWARDS KUALA LUMPUR, WATCHING BUFFALOS DRINKING WATER – ENJOYING THE VIEW – I GOT THE MESSAGE THAT THE CAR HAS BEEN RELEASED FROM THE PORT

NOT SO MUCH DID I ENJOY THE LOOK OF THE LUMP SUMP THAT THEY WANTED ME TO PAY. STORAGE FEES FROM THE PORT, CUSTOMS EXAMINATION FEES, HAULAGE FEE, ONLY TO NAME A FEW AMONGST MILLIONS OF OTHERS RESULTED INTO A MASSIVE LUMP SUMP. TOO MUCH TO MENTION RIGHT NOW AS I WOULD ONLY GET UPSET WRITING ABOUT IT. ANYWAY THE CAR GOT TRANSPORTED TO THE SHIPPING AGENTS WAREHOUSE SOMEWHERE IN THE PORT AREA AND WAS READY TO BE COLLECTED. WE QUICKLY MADE IT BACK TO KUALA LUMPUR. I SPENT A BIT OF TIME AT THE ATM GETTING ALL THAT CASH OUT AND LEFT WITH JOSEF, BOLDED POCKETS FULL OF CASH , PAPERWORK AND A BATON THAT I BOUGHT IN CHINATOWN.

IT IS MORE THAN AN HOUR ON A TRAIN TO GET TO PORT KLANG FROM KL CITY CENTRE. IT WAS ALREADY LATE. WE GOT TO THE TRAIN STATION. I RANG THE GUYS A BIT EARLIER TO GET US PICKED UP BUT THEY FUCKED UP AGAIN AND IT TOOK AGES BEFORE SOME FRIEND IN A SHITTY CAR PICKED US UP. IT WAS PITCH-BLACK BY THEN. WE DROVE AROUND AND THE FELLA DIDN’T SEEM TO REALLY KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING. WE HAD A BIT OF SMALLTALK THAT ENDED IN SILENCE PRETTY QUICKLY. JOSEF ON THE PASSENGER SEAT AND ME BEHIND THE DRIVER (APPARENTLY SOME FRIEND OF THE AGENT). EVERYTHING WAS FINE. SUDDENLY WE DROVE OF THE LIGHTED STREETS – SOME RANDOM WAREHOUSE TO OUR RIGHT. WE KEEP DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD.  -DARKNESS –  THE ROAD STARTS TO BECOME REALLY BAD – A LOT OF POTHOLES AND GRAVEL. THE DRIVER STARTS ACTING WEIRD. I DIDN’T REALLY HAVE A BAD FEELING BECAUSE I MET THE GUYS BEFORE SO I THOUGHT IF THEY WANTED TO GET SOME CASH OUT OF ME THEY PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE SHOWN THERE FACES TO ME. BUT BY NOW WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN AWAY FROM THE LAST STREETLIGHT AND FOR AT LEAST 5 MINUTES AND THERE WAS NOTHING AROUND. I JUST TRIED TO IMAGINE HOW A BIG TRUCK WITH A 20FT CONTAINER WITH A LANDCRUISER INSIDE CAN GO DOWN THAT FUCKED UP ROAD. IT WAS AKWARD. JOSEF AND I STARED AT EACH OTHER TO COMMUNICATE IN SILENCE THAT SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT. I MEAN I HAD JUST UNDER A 1000 US DOLLARS IN MY POCKET. WE NOTICED THE FRONT LIGHTS OF ANOTHER CAR FOLLOWING US THROUGH THE DARKNESS. THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE SITUATION ANY LESS SCARY. THE DRIVER STARTED TO ACT WEIRD. A PHONE CALL – WE DIDN’T  UNDERSTAND ANYTHING. THE DRIVER IS STARTING TO LOOK AROUND. HE TAKES HIS SEATBELT OFF. THE OTHER CAR BEHIND US IS GETTING CLOSER. SHIT GOT REAL – JOSEF ASKED – ‘WHERE ARE WE GOING?’ – NO ANSWER – ME AGAIN ‘WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE GOING?’ NO ANSWER. WE ARE GETTING SLOWER AND A RUSTY GATE IS COMING CLOSER. JOSEF QUICKLY UNBELTED HIMSELF. I GOT MY BATON OUT READY TO TAKE THE FIRST HIT OR CHOKE HIM FROM BEHIND. – THE RUSTY GETS OPENED BY TWO TOPLESS GUYS – IT OPENS FURTHER –  AND I CAN SEE MY BELOVED LANDCRUISER! WHAT A RELIEF I QUICKLY PUT MY BATON AWAY AND WE GOT OUT OF THE CAR. THE CAR BEHIND US TURNED OUT TO BE THE SHIPPING AGENTS GETTING THERE AT THE SAME TIME AS WE DID. THE DRIVER WAS ACTING WEIRD BECAUSE HE HAS NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE AND HE PROBABLY WAS UNSURE OF THE WAY – UNDERSTANDABLE AS IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AWAY FROM ANYTHING ELSE ON A FUCKED UP ROAD. HE DIDN’T ANSWER TO OUR QUESTIONS AS HE WAS PROBABLY TO CONCENTRATED TRYING TO FIND THE GATE IN THE DARKNESS. OH IT WAS SCARY!

WE HAD A LOOK THROUGH THE PAPERS AND AGREED TO A BIT OF A DISCOUNT AS I ACCUSED THE AGENTS OF MAKING MISTAKES. WE MADE A DEAL AND EVERYONE WAS HAPPY. ESPECIALLY ME. I HAD THE CAR BACK AND I WERE STILL ALIVE!