Betty Wanders

We arrive in the Malaysian Peninsula with three weeks to explore without Betty and then a couple of weeks after her arrival to have a deeper look about.  The six day shipping time somehow expands to three weeks with time in shipping yards and ports.  No problem – there are plenty of places to explore without a vehicle before she arrives. 

We started in Langkawi, the famous resort island right up in north west, close to the Thai border, renown for its white sandy beaches, sun chairs and banana boats.  To be fair, it was a bit of a shock to the system.  There is a big difference between the authenticity of travel in Sarawak and Sabah to an entirely tourist area, where tourists outnumber locals by quite a margin.   We did our best.  We hired a motorbike and explored some of the natural beauty having a great time at the Seven Wells Waterfall and then heading further north to the Temurun Waterfall, before exploring some of the beaches in the North. 

It is an interesting island.  Most of the beautiful beaches are hidden behind the gates of the resorts that own them – they are not public spaces.  The main public beaches are the adjoining Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah, where watersports seem to be the preferred flavour – think jet ski’s, banana boats, parasailing, cars parked on the beach.  The tourists seem to be predominantly from the Middle East.  We found the local (Malaysian, Chinese and Indian) food quality poor compared to elsewhere in Malaysia, but they did have excellent middle eastern food and we indulged, eating at a fantastic Syrian Restaurant and a really interesting Algerian Restaurant – not what we expected! 

A little underwhelmed by the island we invested in a boat trip out to Pulau Payar Marine Park to snorkel the protected reefs of the area.  It was good, but still felt we were jammed into an expensive seat on the sweaty tourist bus of the island.  Maybe we just aren’t good tourists!

From Langkawi we took the short 30 minute flight to Penang, checking in to our little hotel in Georgetown and immediately felt more at home, soaking up the history, texture and life of the bustling laneways and vendor after vendor of amazing local food.  Yes, we are now in the right place! 

We had a great time exploring Georgetown, taking a self guided walk taking in the beautiful historic colonial era buildings and fort, the villages built over the water, the cool and rustic Armenian Street and the fantastic food and bar streets of Chulia and Kimberley Streets.  We certainly didn’t go hungry with each meal seeking out one of the iconic meals that Penang is famous for: Asam Laksa, Nasi Lemak, Es Cendol, Oyster Omelettes, Char Kwe Teoh, Dumplings, Curry Mee, Nasi Kandar, Biryani and many more. 

From Georgetown, we caught the train down to Kuala Lumpur, before transferring to a bus to take us down to Malacca, the historic port city south of KL brimming with fascinating history and yet more fantastic food.  Malacca has a long history as a trading port with heavy influence from trading partners, colonizers and migrants emigrating to the city.  The result is a rich tapestry of architecture, places of worship, language, culture and food, combining influence from Portugal, Holland, England, China, India and the ethnic Malay.  We spent days wandering the streets and laneways of Malacca, the historic sites including A Famosa, the last remains of the fort built by the Portugueuse in 1511, St Pauls Church of the same era, the Dutch era buildings at Red Square and the Chinese shop houses lining the laneways and waterways and a couple of museums.  We continued on our mission of seeking out the iconic foods of the region.  While I am sure there are many other dishes, the two main ones seemed to be Chicken Rice Balls (Hainanese Chicken served with Rice Balls that have been cooked in chicken stock) and Kepala Ikan Asam Pedas (Fish Head in a Sour Hot Sauce).  Both were fantastic.

With the arrival of Betty approaching, we headed up to Kuala Lumpur to be ready.  The Malaysian members of Rovernuts were hosting the annual event this year and we had really hoped to have Betty cleared through the customs and be able to join in.  The shipping gods were not with us and unfortunately Malaysian bureaucracy was the winner.  Why there is a full customs process shipping from one state of Malaysia to another I have no idea. 

While we may not have been able to join in with the whole event, we were able to join the opening dinner and morning activities the next day.  And what a wonderful group of people.  Land Rover Nutters all, shared comradery amongst members from Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia, with a couple of the Thai and Singapore members making the trek to the event in their own Land Rovers.  The collection of Land Rovers was so impressive.  The majority Series 2’s, 3’s and earlier Defenders.  While in Indonesia, many of the vehicles were modified due to a lack of available parts (many converted to Toyota and Daihatsu drivetrains), the Malaysian Land Rovers seemed to be mainly modified for improvement.  ECU’s running 300tdi engines, Land Rover V8 conversions into Puma era Defenders, Automatic transmissions, touch screen displays and the most incredible air conditioning systems (we may have weakened and agreed to have AC installed in Betty).  Most owners had multiple vehicles, many with purpose built off roaders, some with a Series era vehicles at home and most with vehicles that were driven for purpose – there seemed very few ‘poser’ vehicles there.  Absolutely great time and got to meet with many we hope to catch up with down the road.

And so while the Rovernuts event continued, we waited, prayed to the various gods and waited, got frustrated and waited and waited.  We shared the shipping container with Rodney and Maria’s Land Cruiser (@wilma_and_the_wanderers) and with them also staying in Petaling St in Kuala Lumpur, we spent time together taking in the good food and quirky old China Town (now more Bangladeshi – but the buildings were Chinese inspired). 

With the container arriving on the Sunday night and with little feedback from the shipping agent during the week, we headed out to the receiving depot on Thursday with our fingers crossed.  No, hadn’t cleared customs, but we now had a contact for the company arranging the trucking of the container from the port.  Back to a hotel in the industrial estate.  By Friday afternoon we received the great news that the container had cleared customs, the trucking was arranged and we were right to pick up the vehicles on Saturday morning.  Wooo Hoooo!

What a feeling.  Ratchet straps undone, chocks removed, we drove out of the depot.  Our travels were back underway. 

Off to the supermarket to stock up the fridge, a tank of fuel and we were on our way to Ipoh.  Smiles all round.  It felt really similar to our first overland trip which also started in Kuala Lumpur.  Saturday traffic heading north up the highway.  Sun shining, great scenery and lots of chat about our travels over the next few weeks and then bang – the highway became a carpark and we were in to the back of the car in front, hitting hard.  While there was quite a bit of damage to the rear of their car, the driver and passenger were unhurt.  Betty sustained some light panel damage on the front, but it appears that the front bar took most of the impact, protecting the rest of the vehicle from serious damage.  As they say with Defenders, the other car becomes the crumple zone.  I was so disappointed in myself.  After navigating the often crazy traffic and poor quality roads of parts of Indonesia I had crashed on a perfect highway in Malaysia.  I was too relaxed and just hadn’t tuned back in to the level required to drive without incident.  Fortunately with all documentation and insurance in order, the other vehicle was covered and while we needed to complete all the mandatory paperwork with the police, there was no issue from a legal standpoint.  The police were actually really professional and helpful.  Accept responsibility and move on!

So we arrived in Ipoh late and a little shellshocked, spending the next day looking over the vehicle and shaking my head a lot.  Still so disappointed in myself.  We had arranged to meet up with Karthik from SVK on the Monday to chat about servicing the car and the potential of installing air conditioning.  Looks like we now have a longer list!  Karthik was great and nothing appeared to be a problem.  He also showed us around his operation.  How impressive!  Karthik’s father started the business servicing the 1000’s of Land Rovers that worked in the Cameron Highlands carting produce up and down the mountains.  As time progressed and the army started to offload their old Land Rovers, Karthik and his father bought them, often as job lots of over 100 vehicles.  The result is three yards full of Landrovers, predominantly 300tdi 110’s that Karthik and his team are now working through and restoring back to as new condition while also being the main specialist Defender workshop for the region.  An absolute playground for a land rover enthusiast and absolutely the right place for the repair, servicing and upgrades for Betty.  Couldn’t be happier. 

With solutions now in place for the repair of Betty and her still driving without issue (though looking a little worn) we lifted our heads and got on with our travels.  We had a couple of days left in Ipoh so we had a good look around, visiting the temples at Perak Cave and Sam Poh Tong, spending time in the old town on the streets and lane ways around Concubine Lane.  We really enjoyed Ipoh.  It had all the charm of Georgetown and Malacca without the impact of heavy tourism.  It felt real, authentic and charming.  A city of over a million people, its prosperity has come from tin mining.  Many locals referred to it as a retirement home, but to us it felt great.  We camped in the park right in the city and had great chats with morning walkers, cyclists, fishermen and passerby’s.  While we really enjoyed cooking again, we did duck out for the odd meal, with the highlight being the Dim Sum.  Ipoh has a large Chinese population and Dum Sum is done well!  We really took to Ipoh.  I think it is our favourite spot in Malaysia.

From Ipoh we headed back to Kuala Lumpur.  One of the realities of travelling with your own vehicle is the additional bureaucratic baggage that comes with it.  In addition to requiring a Carnet de Passage, Malaysia also requires an ICP (Internal Circulation Permit).  We were issued one at the border at Customs and it is valid for 3 months.  With us planning to spend a few months back in Australia, it will be due for renewal in November and can be extended for an additional 3 months.  So off to the Traffic Ministry to see if we can get underway.  Maybe, No, Yes?  So much conflicting information.  Will continue to get more information, but it seems the most likely scenario is flying back one week before expiry to have the vehicle inspected and the permit granted.  Quite a bit of kerfuffle for a document that was issued in 5 minutes at the border.

The highlight of our time back in Kuala Lumpur was spending time with Rashid and his family.  We had been put together by Putu Andy from Bali, had briefly met at the Rovernuts event, but had not really properly met.  Rashid had agreed before meeting to store our car for us while we were back in Australia.  Generous, a land rover nutter and has led a fascinating life in the Malaysian Navy and then later in their family business.  A genuine overlander, taking his Toyota Fortuner with a group from Malaysia to the UK in the space of weeks and plenty of travel within South East Asia.  He clearly has been bitten by the Land Rover bug, with a Series 1, 2, 3, 2 x Defenders and a Discovery 2.  We had a lovely afternoon and then evening with Rashid, his adult children and Rodney and Maria with great open discussion on Malaysian history, culture and what Malaysia looks like to live in today. 

After a slow start and much more chat with Rashid, we headed off from Kuala Lumpur to make our way to Kuantan where we would begin our journey up the east coast of Malaysia, before heading across the north and making our way back to Ipoh where we would leave Betty for her various treatments.

Kuantan was our first stop.  A popular beach town for local tourists, we found a great spot to camp hidden down a narrow track next to the Hyatt, right on the beach.  A day of relaxing, swimming and reading followed by the very pretty lantern / candle celebration of the moon cake festival on the beach. 

From Kuantan we started our journey northwards, stopping in at Cherating Beach on our way up to Chemarong Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Malaysia at 400m with a wonderful facility and parkland at its base.  Unfortunately the National Parks office needs reservations to be made 3 days prior.   Empty carpark, full facilities, no flexibility.  Off to a nearby campground on the river and then back in the morning to find out that if you wish to climb the track one hour up to the waterfall, a guide is required at a cost of just over AUD100.  Long term travel doesn’t allow for AUD 100 bushwalks, so we opted to explore the river and minor falls around the National Park facility and they were great.  Super pretty.  Unfortunately we had a number of water falls on our itinerary and all had the same rules.  I am really not sure what the reason is for the rules, but it really only works for big groups that plan trips like this weeks in advance.  Certainly not suitable for individual travellers like us whose plans are often formed as the day unfolds. 

After a lovely morning walking around the lower sections of Chemarong Falls, we headed back to the coast, stopping in at Rantau Abang, a quiet beach used as a base for local fishing boats and also as we found out, a Turtle Sanctuary.  We had met a lovely couple; Stephen and Clara earlier in the day who had been following the turtle migration.  Apparently there was a chance for turtles laying eggs on the beach that we were camping on.  And that they did!  We had a very excited ranger arrive at about 10.00pm on a motorbike shouting and pointing down the beach. Waking up with a start, we worked out what was happening and headed down to witness a large Green Sea Turtle laying eggs.  To protect the eggs from the elements, the rangers collected the eggs and will hold them until hatching and then release them back into the ocean.   What an experience!

Keeping on our northerly trajectory, we stopped a night in Kuala Terengganu, sampling the fantastic food in the Chinatown (apparently the oldest Chinatown in Malaysia at 300 years old) and checked out some of the local landmarks. 

Next was Bukit Keluang, taking a roundabout route via Kenyir Lake.  We had a great evening at Bukit Keluang Beach.  It was a public holiday so the beach and foreshore was packed with families enjoying the beach, picnics and heaps of food stalls selling local delicacies.  We took a night off cooking and enjoyed the fresh seafood and Satar, a local snack made with fish paste, coconut, ginger, garlic and lemongrass steamed in banana leaves.  Really tasty!  By 7.30pm the beach and foreshore were completely empty – perfect camping spot backed up to the beach.

Having made it as far north as we planned to travel, we turned left and started heading west.   First stop, the Taman Negara Kelantan National Park on the edge of Sungai Lebir (Lebir River). 

We had a really interesting discovery on our way in to the national park.  Right on the edge of the national park was a village called Kampung Orang Asli Kelantan.  Directly translated means the village for the original people of Kelantan.  We had been completely unaware that there are a people that existed in Malaysia before the Malay’s.  Locally referred to as the Bateq or Batek ethnic group, they are a part of the Semang group of people, with very small communities existing in parts of Malaysia and Thailand with estimates their total numbers are only about 4000 people (across all the communities).  They still live relatively separate from mainstream society and still engage in a traditional forest based hunter gatherer life.  One of the rangers said that they cross the mountainous country with ease, taking two days to walk across the national park that takes regular people four plus days.  It appears this village is one of the largest and most traditional communities in Malaysia.  We ended up seeing small communities also in the Cameron Highlands.

As with the other national parks, hiking without a guide is not allowed so after a lovely evening in the rainforest, we kept heading west joining up with the East West Highway and crossing the spectacularly beautiful Titiwangsa Range that runs down the centre of Malaysia.  With such a beautiful campsite at the top of Pahit Hill we ended up stopping for a couple of nights, enjoying the cool air and beautiful view.

From Pahit Hill we completed the crossing of Malaysia, checking out Gua Sireh (Sireh Cave) in the north west, camping nearby at Lubuk Pedati, before heading to the Cameron Highlands, enjoying tea and scones with the cool weather and beautiful views of the tea plantations. 

And then we had completed the circumnavigation of Malaysia, arriving back in Ipoh where we will leave the car to get the damaged front panels repaired, the car serviced and then a few upgrades – Carpets out to be replaced with PU, Seats re-foamed and the big one – Air Conditioning installed!

We had a great time in Malaysia, starting in the North Borneo states of Sarawak and Sabah, spending 3 weeks as tourists traveling without Betty and then another couple of weeks covering quite a few kilometres exploring the eastern coastline, popping in to lakes, rivers and waterfalls before crossing the beautiful mountain ranges of the north and back down to the always lovely Cameron Highlands, finishing our lap in Ipoh. 

We really enjoyed the interaction of the three largest ethnic groups – Malay, Chinese and Indians.   From an outsiders perspective, there seemed to be a tolerance of each others customs, religions and languages and a genuine integration of each others foods into daily life.  It was normal to see a Chinese or Malay sitting down at breakfast having Roti Chennai.  What was not normal was the integration of different ethnic groups in marriages and relationships.  I believe religion is the core reason, but expect there are also societal norms at play.

We found Malaysia a really friendly place, but it was more reserved and less forward. People would generally wait for you to make an advance before interacting.

The food of Malaysia was fantastic.  With so many influences, it is not surprising that the quality and variety was excellent.  Roti Chennai for breakfast became quite the norm and then exploring different food for lunch including Nasi Kandar, Nasi Lemak, Curry Mee, Asam Laksa and all of the different Chinese options from Char Kway Teow, Mee Tarik (from Western China), Bak Kut Teh and Dim Sum often finishing meals with a refreshing Es Cendol.  We also really enjoyed access to great ingredients in the supermarkets, with quality meats, seafood, fruit and vegetables, particularly in the larger cities.

As has been consistent with our travels throughout the year, Betty has been one of the great social connectors.  The Land Rover community is a wonderfully eclectic and passionate community and even with different cultures, religions and languages at play, there is very little difference when a group of owners get together in Australia, Indonesia or Malaysia.  We all joke about the flaws in our vehicles, discuss the fixes to sort some of them out, chat about the trips undertaken (and the mishaps usually involved) or about the trips being planned.  There is a congeniality in the community and a genuine feeling that if you were ever in trouble, someone would be in their vehicle with a spare part or expertise to help out.  Something I really noticed amongst the owners in Malaysia was the ability, skill and passion for improving their vehicles.  Vehicles had genuine upgrades to make them perform better. 

While our time in Malaysia was fantastic, there were a few frustrations. 

Bureacracy. While a country needs laws to keep everyone pointing in the right direction, some of the bureaucracy was more than frustrating.  Our vehicle permit was issued in 5 minutes at the border on entry.  To renew is a whole new ball game.  Conflicting advice between offices on where the vehicle can be inspected, conflicting advice on what forms are required, conflicting advice on whether originals or copies are allowed, conflicting advice on whether we need to be present or not and then the real beauty – it can only be renewed within one week of its expiry.  Back to Malaysia in November!  A five minute process previously now involves an international flight. It seems that rules are important even if they don’t make lots of sense and not just in the Transport Ministry.  National parks, road rules, hotels, restaurants – no, these are the rules and they are absolute.

Traffic.  No where near as intense as Indonesia and roads of much better quality than Indonesia, but there seems a real lack of courtesy on the road.  If you indicate to merge, it is guaranteed that someone will speed up to block your way.  If you want to pull out on to a road, it seems that people speed up to block rather than slow down naturally to let you in.  Where the traffic in Indonesia flows like water, people moving in and out of traffic, passing readily and people making space for the other road users, in Malaysia it seems all about the individual, even if that means the traffic doesn’t work as well for all.

These are minor complaints for we had a fantastic time in our seven weeks in Malaysia. I guess living on the road you get to experience the good, bad and ugly at street level. That is what we are looking for and what we travel for.

So thank you Malaysia. Let’s catch up again for coffee in November and get a few formalities in order, before giving a last goodbye in January.