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MALAYSIA

Mar
2004-09-14 16:33:03

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morning we visit the Indonesian consulate in Georgetown, Pinang Island. The reply of the consulate official is simple "We can not help you, we have not yet received a formal instruction from the embassy in Kuala Lumpur. As residents of The Netherlands you can go to Indonesia without visa at the moment for the duration of 60 days". That's fine if we wanted to go today, or before the first of February. This changes our plans drastically. We don't want to take the risk of having too little time to reach our final destination, without seeing the things we want to see on Java. We don't want to go to the embassy in Kuala Lumpur and try our luck there and probably have to wait for our passports (while it is Chinese New year... long weekend). So we choose the obvious, a speedy ride through the rest of Malaysia, cross the Indonesian waters before the new visa regulations apply and are irritated about the things we will miss.

Early the next morning we saddle up, and head for the ferry that will take us across to Butterworth where the train station is located and expect to take the first train to Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately the first (and only) train leaves is the night train that leaves at 21:30 and arrives at 06:45. We go into the centre and find a small bakery for a long breakfast and spend the rest of the rainy day in an internet cafe. At 20:00 we are back at the train station. We take our bicycles to the stationmaster who directs us to the cargo area. The duty manager explains us that we cannot pick the bicycles up at 'Kuala Lumpur central' (where the passengers get off) but at 'Kuala Lumpur' the old train station. The train is an hour late but at least the cargo van is connected and we quickly jump into our clean beds for a good night rest (with ear plugs).

Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

At arrival in KL Central station we take a local train for one station to 'Kuala Lumpur' ...