Piece of paradise on Pangkor island, Malaysia

Destination: Pangkor island, Malaysia
Time of travel: December 2011
Duration: 12 days
Travel plan: 7 days on Pangkor,  5 days in Kuala Lumpur

We chose Pangkor because it's a quiet place without too many tourists. It's small enough to be explored in one go and is as real Malaysia as it gets. Before going there we read very different things about this island. Some said it was clean, the others said it's dirty. Some said it's boring, the others found it overly entertaining. Go figure! So we thought we better see for ourselves.

The journey from Helsinki, our hometown back then, to the island was long and rough. 12 hour flight and no sleep, 6 hour wait for the bus, four hour bus trip that got extended by another three hours. It was all worth it, though! We woke up to the warm sun, peaceful rhythm of the island life, birds singing and monkeys quarreling. Ahh. Beautiful.
Don't be put off by the long journey. The way back was much smoother; hopped on a ferry, then bus (direct to KL) and finally taxi to hotel.

How to reach Pangkor from Kuala Lumpur? There are several ways to reach Pangkor, we chose the most simple one. First we booked bus tickets (in advance, but there was lots of space so I guess it's not necessary) from www.transnasional.com.my. Choose a journey from Kuala Lumpur to Lumut. From Lumut you take a ferry. The ferry tickets are sold at the harbour and last ferry leaves around 8-9PM.

The bus leaves from the Puduraya bus station near Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur. The station seems a little shady at first but I guess it's safe. There's a luggage storage (a bit hard to find, though) and there are several shops, cafe's (even Starbucks to get you caffeinated and connected) and few restaurants nearby to kill time.

Our bus got cancelled and as we didn't get this info immediately, we felt a little lost. The bus was replaced by another one which drove to another city and from there yet another bus took us to Lumut. We managed to get this info by asking around from several bus drivers at the station. Level of English was so-so but the friendliness was at it's maximum.

On the road the views were amazing and the aircon on the bus worked perfectly all the way! Don't forget a sweater because the aircon seemed to take it's job seriously!

Pangkor island turned out to be fantastic! The weather was perfect with lots of sunshine and temperature reaching+32. The nature was beautiful and sea almost crystal. There's lots of things to do for active people; you can do sightseeing by visiting the few sights on the island, rent a scooter, kayak or water jet, hike, walk, snorkle, fish etc. etc. Or you can just lay on the beach, if you want.

Our hotel was on Nipah Bay which seemed to be the best location on the whole island. The beaches were largest and cleanest, there were some restaurants and shops nearby.

Weather:

We read from somewhere that during December it rains a lot on the island. Well, we went there at the end of the month and the weather was amazing! The air is humid but in a nice way. It wasn't too hot at all.


Water sports:

The island is perfect for all kinds of water sports; you can snorkle, canoe, rent a water jet or jet ski. The equipment isn't the newest possible but it was good enough. For snorkeling you can buy or rent your own snorkle and a mask. We brought our own and rented a cayak. It was amazing! We found some perfect spots for snorkeling and also saw and visited beautiful deserted coves. For snorkeling the water was quite clean, not the cleanest but clean enough again.


Jungle Trekking:

Jungle trekking is something we really suggest to do at the island. Just try to find a way to protect yourself from leeches. Our trekking lasted for only 30 minutes followed by a fast-track speed run because Tony had 11 leeches on him. I guess they're not dangerous but they most definitely are disgusting and damn scary!


Food:

The best restaurant on the island is definitely Pasir Bogak near Pasir Bogak's shopping area. The restaurant was clean as well as the plates and glasses etc. were clean, the food tasted amazing and the service was superb! This is the place where we ate every night after discovering it!

Daddy's Cafe at Nipah Bay was okay. The location was amazing - right there on the beach! Also the restaurant was highly over priced considering the quality and the local price range. Worth trying, though.

There are several other little restaurants, too. Step in and take a look, you might be surprised! =)

At Pangkor it's a little difficult to get wine. Daddy's Cafe is the only restaurant that sells wine. There are two shops on the main street in the "city centre" where you can find some different wines but the selection isn't that wide - just about 5 different wines.


Mosquito's:

Before the trip we read some horror stories but mosquitos and then saw only one. No panic, I guess.


We recommend:

Rent a scooter! It's a wonderful way to discover the island. Just beware of the traffic. There's not much traffic on the island but the drivers don't really watch out and they might drive on wrong lane etc. So keep your eyes open, wear a helmet and enjoy. Beware that Malaysia has left side traffic.

The Chinese temple!

Restaurant Pasir Bogok was seriously the best one on the island.

Go snorkeling by renting a kayak! The best fish-spotting places are near Coral Island which is quite crowded, though.




A Piece of our experience:

Pangkor island is ideal to see some wildlife. You'll see monkeys running around, sometimes climbing on your balcony. Hornbills fly around, and we saw them close-by because our hotel was feeding them every day. Kris got a nice surprise in the shower when a small lizard crawled in followed by screaming, shouting and running/jumping. Eek! Also saw a large lizard, about the same size as a medium dog further away when scootering around. Plenty of colourful fish in the sea to view when snorkelling. Delightful! Also, more than half (maybe even more!) of the island is actually still covered in jungle!

Aftermath: 
You don't need a week to explore the island as a couple of days would be enough. Great, when combined with other islands or cities in Malaysia. Excellent spot for a vacation away from everything familiar, in total tranquility. Shopping is basically non-existant so save your money to KL!

All in all, Pangkor is a wonderful, authentic little paradise where you most definitely won't see your local travel agent or even that many other western tourists. Perfect little island for some good times and relaxation!

Good website for more info: www.pulau-pangkor.com

Bus from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo, Egypt

Destination: Cairo, Egypt
Time of travel: End of December 2009
Duration: 7 days
Travel plan: 6 days in Sharm El Sheikh, 1 day in Cairo

Behind the pyramids

So you have decided to take on a little adventure and hop on a bus to see the pyramids. You're all set. You're ready! Bring it on! ..and while you're at it, bring some snacks, a sweater and water, too, it's going to take some time, a bit of nerves and require a little bit of preparation, too.

Cairo is definitely worth the visit. Smog that literally makes your teeth hurt, constant haggling and insane traffic are few of the main things that you'll experience after those painful 8 hours on a bus. The incredible tastes of Egyptian cuisine, warm and friendly locals (those who are not trying to sell anything) and all the history make the trip worth all the stress. Yes, there is also a plane flying between these two destinations but do you really want to miss the adventure?


From Sharm to Cairo on a local bus

Sharm el Sheikh's bus station is about 15-minute taxi drive away from the Naama Bay. Buy the tickets in advance because it will get crowded. We don't have the names or the addresses of the stations but you'll get the info from your hotel or a taxi driver. We asked the cab driver to take us to the station where we can buy bus tickets for the night bus to Cairo (note that there are two bus stations in Sharm el Sheikh!). We got tickets for the next day. The bus left at 1AM.

Note written by hotel staff in arabic, explaining our destination (to the taxi driver)

There are two bus stations in Sharm. One sells tickets but the other one is just for picking up passangers. The station selling tickets also has a transfer service for passangers to the other station. Confusing, huh? We bought the tickets, took a nap and when it was time to leave we just took a taxi and drove straight to the departures station. The road to the station feels long in the middle of the night and it basically runs right in the middle of desert. There's no street lights, not even that many buildings. You arrive to a parking lot near a big warehouse look-alike. That's the station. Soon you'll see other people and buses, too. There's a little cafe and waiting room in case you need to kill time.

We don't really know what's the difference between the 1st and 2nd class tickets. Except that in 1st class you'll get lunch boxes. Are they worth it? No, not really. Would we buy them again? Of course! The content was a bottle of water, some local crackers and a baguette like bread filled with some sort of a paste.

One ticket cost about 20€ in 2009/2010. The journey takes about 8 hours.

DON'T FORGET YOUR PASSPORT! There are two border controls near the Suez canal. The armed border guards will check your passport and visa. You don't want to get in trouble with those guys and be left alone in Egyptian desert.

On the way to Cairo the bus was quiet and the ride was peaceful. Also the scenery was very beautiful. Just imagine a looong road in between the mountains, full moon, black sky.


Cairo was a big shock. We arrived there before 8AM. As soon as we stepped out of the bus the haggling began. It was dirty, loud and a little intimidating. We didn't even have a map because we thought we can get it at the station. Get a map in advance! You can't buy one at the station. We asked for a local traffic police to help us with the map. They were very friendly and lead us to a hotel nearby. They even got us a (legal) cab.

Take a (legal and metered) taxi to the pyramids of Giza. The illegal ones will definitely rip you off, drive like complete maniacs and treat you like dirt. Also, you'll most likely end up arguing with them about the final price even though you thought you already settled it before. Don't put your bags in the back of the car.

The journey back to Sharm was a little restless. The TV and radio were shouting all night long and it was very, very cold. Don't forget to take some warm clothes and earplugs.



Top things to remember:

1. Buy the bus tickets in advance
2. Make sure you have reliable transportation to the station - on time!
3. Don't forget your passport!




A piece of our experience:

As soon as we arrived to Cairo we attracted lots of attention at the station. I guess there are certain people waiting for tourists to arrive. They started following us, offering taxi, accommodation - you name it. One of the men literally followed us for a good half an hour. We asked him to leave, in a friendly manner, told him we would like to walk on our own, yet, in a friendly manner he refused to leave. While we walked, and he followed, he talked to other men in his language (probably arabic) and continued to follow us. It was a little scary, to be honest. Finally we ended up near a hostel. He told us he will help us to book a room because he knows the owner. He said he'll be back in two minutes. As soon as he was out of sight, we ran. We literally ran. Where? To McDonald's. It felt like the embassy. 




Aftermath:

Cairo was very interesting to see. It wasn't what we expected at all but we are glad we took the trip. It goes without saying that you should definitely visit the pyramids, also the national museum is beautiful. Looking back, we were horribly unprepared for this trip, thus didn't even find a good restaurant (I'm embarrassed to admit that we actually went to McDonalds to eat). Shopping was so-so. We visited a local mall which was just like any high brand mall anywhere in the world. 


Good luck!

Ps. Please beware of the political turmoils. During our trip it was peaceful when it came to politics. We probably wouldn't take the trip now (as of May 2015). Also, if you're departing from Sharm, be aware that Cairo is much different and way more religious which does show around the city. Ladies, the more you cover the better.