Home » Egypt Malaysia Singapore Thailand » Odyssey Update 4 - Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore/Egypt

Four countries in 2 weeks make a lot of material for this update. On April 14th, after 51 days of rice, I finally left Asia for Egypt, but not before relaxing for 4 days in the South of Thailand and making my way via Malaysia to Singapore.

Odyssey Update 4 - Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore/Egypt

Mark Morin
2006-04-29 14:32:58

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Four countries in 2 weeks make a lot of material for this update. On April 14th, after 51 days of rice, I finally left Asia for Egypt, but not before relaxing for 4 days in the South of Thailand and making my way via Malaysia to Singapore.

A FEW DAYS OF ISLAND R&R
I chose Koh Lanta, a relatively little known island just across from Kho Phi Phi where "The Beach" was filmed. Its mostly deserted beaches have "Chunks Ahoy" rocks baked into cookie coloured sand. The water temperature was a spa-like 34 degrees C - soothing if not refreshing. I did a bit of swimming, some reading and quite a lot of pacing up and down the beach.

What you rent here is called a bungalow but that can mean anything from a hollow haystack on stilts to one of many identical imitation pagodas (very tacky). I chose neither, opting to pitch my tent at the end of the beach next to the "Hippy Bar". The owner of this unusual establishment welcomed me enthusiastically and it was free! This was the first time since leaving Canada that I slept more than two consecutive nights in the same location, and after 4
days I was ready to move on.

CANADIAN HELPS CONTROL KUALA LUMPUR'S RODENT POPULATION
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - In an act of heroic clumsiness, a Canadian (who wishes to remain anonymous) has been credited with the destruction of one of the city's least desirable pests. At 3AM on April 12th, only minutes after arriving in K.L., this visitor was already patrolling the streets of the Chinatown district, armed only with a heavy weight strapped to his back. His cover: pretending to consult a guidebook and look for a place to sleep. He was ready to pounce when his prey darted out from a shadow, pinning it to the ground with his left foot without even breaking stride. Then, just as the animal broke free, he landed a second crushing blow with his right foot, stumbling only slightly. Although the squealing rat hobbled to cover, it is thought to have been ...