March 18th: Kota Bharu to Tok Bali – 45km
Day 156
Even with our luxurious bus, I barely slept. While watching Malaysian t.v. on the bus, we were surprised to see an advertisement for shampoo directed at Muslim women. Of course you never saw her hair in the advertisement, as it was covered in hijab, but it promised to keep her cool all day long. I never thought about how to advertise shampoo to someone who keeps their head covered. I was now too excited to sleep, as I began trying to see the world through this new revelation. Even when I was tired enough to sleep, the freezing cold air conditioning and the bus driver’s racing through narrow winding mountainous roads, kept me up either shivering or rocking. Between curling myself up to keep warm and safe, and listening to Chopper’s snoring, I slept for 2 hours of the six before we were dropped off at the Kota Bharu bus terminal at 4am. Despite the early hour, we still drew a crowd when we were assembled our trikes in the dark.
As we crossed the empty city of Kota Bharu, our pilgrimage to the east coast in the dark was accompanied by the early morning adhan from minarets along the road. We moved quietly in the dark through forests and small towns before cycling down someones driveway past their cows to reach the beach just before sunrise. The view was supposed to be splendorous, but I passed out cold while we were waiting for the sun to come up.
After a short nap, we were back on the road, looking for a hearty breakfast to jump-start the day. We stopped at a road side stall where locals helped us to order our first breakfast in Malaysia – delicious roti with curry, and 2 cups of black coffee, all for only 7 RM. Most Malaysians speak English, so it took very little time to make friends.
We set off again, now searching for a room. I had seen a lot of signs for homestays and guesthouses when we were riding through Bachok. But with a good breakfast in my belly and a cool morning breeze, we decided to press on a bit further.
However, when we finally decided to seriously look for a room, we could find none. We followed numerous roadside signs for homestays, guesthouses, or travel lodges, but we found either deserted houses overtaken by the jungle, or nothing – we guessed that many went out of business and didn’t take down the signs. On the plus side we discovered drinking water machines which charge 10 cents per liter, so we could carry on our hotel search in the afternoon heat.
When we eventually found a few resorts that were actually in business, they were incredibly expensive. The first one was fully booked, the second one started from 68RM for a very basic moldy room with a cold shower. Whoever decided carpeting a room in the jungle next to the ocean would be a good idea? A fancy resort down the road asked for 288 RM for the cheapest chalet. Determined to find a good deal we continued searching.
We came across yet another sign for a homestay, and at the end of a dirt road we found a shed with 6 single beds in it, and the price for 1 nights stay at this wonderful human stable, 120 RM. We were directed to another homestay which was supposed to cost only 40 RM, but the owner was nowhere to be found. Chopper suggested wild camping, but I was in no mood to entertain the thought. We had little food, no fuel, and not enough water, and although we would have survived, I desperately desired a shower, climate control and a ready-made bed to lay down my weary body.
Forward we went, and after almost 48 hours of non-stop traveling we came across a hotel that cost 100 RM for a room in Tok Bali, we didn’t hesitate to take it. It was modern, cold, clean, and we didn’t even flinch despite the fact that it was 1.5 times our daily budget for food and lodging.
