Day 155
Yep, it was a long day. We started our travel marathon with a pleasant 10km morning ride along the mangrove forest, and got to Tamalang Port with just enough time to hop on the 9:30am ferry to Langkawi, a small island off the coast of Malaysia. From Langkawi we needed to catch another ferry to the mainland of Malaysia. Even though the direct trip from Satun to Kuala Perlis only takes an hour on a longtail boat, there is no public ferry service. We could have chartered a longtail boat for 1800 baht to go directly to Kuala Perlis, but we would have had to backtrack to a town 60 km away to catch it. 
The ferry ride was economical, efficient, and air-conditioned. A one way ticket cost 300 Baht for 1 passenger and 100 baht for each bike. Once we arrived in Langkawi we got our visa stamps within 2 minutes, and were able to ride our trikes through Malaysian immigration without being searched, x-rayed or delayed. Langkawi was the easiest border crossing so far. From Langkawi to Kuala Perlis, the ferry costs 18 MR per person and 15 MR per bike. 
From other cyclists’ blogs, we learned that the east coast of Malaysia is better for cycling. There is less congestion, cheaper accommodation and much of the road follows undeveloped beaches. However, we arrived on the west coast as planned in order to avoid travelling through southeast Thailand, where separatist groups have recently bombed military checkpoints and shot teachers. You can find where and why not to travel in this region here. We would also have had to cut across the Malaysian peninsula on mountainous roads to reach the other side. Steep climbs, coupled with a lack of cheap accommodations along the way and tropical heat made the decision to take a bus from Alor Setar on the west to Kota Bharu on the east easy. We got off the ferry in Kuala Perlis at 2pm and planned to take the night bus from Alor Setar to Kota Bharu. Since we have our own human-powered vehicles we decided to peddle the 46km to the bus terminal in Alor Setar. On our first ride in Malaysia we were treated to typical tropical weather with stifling heat and humidity followed by short hard showers followed by more heat and humidity. 
We made it to the Alor Setar bus terminal at 6pm, with plenty of time to book an overnight bus to Kota Bharu. Unexpectedly, none of the several bus companies there would take our bikes as luggage. Fully aware of my unwillingness to change the original plan at this point, Chopper tried his best to persuade a bus company called Pancaran Matahari to take our trikes, including inviting their sales person to observe a demonstration on how small our trikes fold. After watching the demonstration he was satisfied and at the price of 25 RM for each trike, and 45 RM per person, we were allowed on the 10pm overnight bus to Kota Bharu. In the end we still had to remove the 2 front wheels from one of the trikes to fit it in the compartment, thankfully we have quick release tires and didn’t hold up the bus taking them off. 
We had a leisurely dinner at a nearby restaurant and quickly assessed our situation. First of all, we were covered with muddy road grit from the earlier shower and several layers of sweat which left salt rings on our clothes, and Chopper wreaking. We both agreed that a shower was necessary for me to survive an overnight bus ride. We quickly resolved this problem by taking a cold shower in the bus terminal’s public bathroom, which cost us only 50 cents each. A shower was also a necessity since we would arrive in Kota Bharu at 4am and we could not immediately check into a hotel without paying extra, thereby defeating the purpose of taking an overnight bus. So once we arrived we would cycle until mid day to before finding a place to stay. If the bus terminal hobo shower put us in a good enough mood to tolerate an overnight bus ride, the bus itself put us in a heavenly good mood for the upcoming journey. It was brand spanking new, fully air-conditioned, with gigantic reclining seats and plenty of leg room. Without exaggeration. these were the kind of seats you would find in first class on a plane. Earlier, we were complaining about the expensive bus tickets, but now we felt like they were a steal. It was like traveling on a Euro express train, but only better. Who could ever expect such a luxury at a reasonable price after going through all the ordeals? 
