Riding the world: In Penang, Malaysia. Not long now

25/7/11 to 1/8/11

Wow typing that in made me realise it's eight months into the year, bloody hell that has gone quick, maybe I need a job to start slowing things down a bit mmm, no that want work I'll just have to do some more diving and relaxing till the 10^th when I start true travelling again. This holiday lark gets a bit old after almost 2 month, bring on the real travel hehee.

Yes I'm in one of those moods, had a brilliant time on Iboih Beach with the girls and couples and guys who where all staying there for longer than the norm of 2-3 days. Was nice. Although I shouldn't have believed the story that the ferry's weren't running properly because of Ramadan.

The dive shop

I loved this tree. The palm has come down into the V and split the other tree in half.

2/8/11

Up nice and early after paying all the bills the night before, got share taxi to the ferry, which was more than I remember on the way over, but then it has been 3 weeks. Got to Banda and got hold of Harry for a ride to the airport where the fun began.

The Firefly place at the airport doesn't have it's own credit card facility it just books the tickets on line like everyone else. Of course I had tried booking on line many times, without success, and with the call canter but always my card was declined. The call center people say “we do accept Visa, and international card, also cards that aren't debit cards". Mmm I say and call ANZ to see if they have locked my card, No all is good heaps of credit. Back to the call center they say it's "OK head to the counter at the airport your ticket is on hold there for 90min", I'm on an island with over 2 hours travel to get to the airport this isn't possible I say. "Well the planes are almost never full on that flight just go to the airport when you fly and they can do it for you there", OK I'm relaxed enough to do that, I know you couldn't mum but this is me.

SO of course when the guys at the airport say no card facilities I'm surprised. After getting out to an ATM and going back to pay for the ticket, I though all was well. Until I checked bags and get told there is a airport tax not in the ticket price of 100,000 for international flights, some one had mention a fee of around 20,000 and that is all I had left. After asking the man very nicely if he could help me out by charging me the lower amount a nice man came over and said “How much do you need” and gave me the 100k for the tax, that was lucky, I if you are reading this thank you very much again for helping me.

All sorted waiting for the boarding time, just need to go through passport control and I'm off. The lady at the counter took a bit too long and gave my passport to another man, mmmm maybe things weren't so good.

Well it turns out, if you arrive in a country on the 3^rd and the month has 31 days, and you are given a 30 day visa, you cannot leave on the 2^nd you have to leave on the 1st. Oh shit over stayed by a day, how much, 200,000 wonderful I was going to have to miss my flight buy another ticket for tomorrow, get a hotel, and pay for over staying by 2 days. Until I found folded up in my international divers licence, some Singapore dollars that I though I has exchanged with Ian in Malaysia a month earlier. Man you have to love corrupt officials, I put the money on the table and said that's all I have is there any way around this situation so I can get on the plane, he put the money in the passport hummed a bit and went to see the lady, then gave me back my passport with a stamp and sent me on my way. Heheee my first border bribe and it was on a plane who would have guessed that one, you should all start a lottery on which border the next one will be on and how much will it cost lol.

But anyway I'm now back in Malaysia in Penang so being the veteran traveller I am I did what every body does in a new town in another country, I went to a shopping mall and had McDonald's lol, I was looking for KFC but never mind. This of course was followed by the other travellers favourite, Harry Potter movie with pop corn and soft drink lol, this of course would have been far more enjoyable if I had remembered what most experienced travellers always remember, Malaysia is an hour ahead of Indonesia, D'OH so I walked into the movie 15 min early by my watch but almost an hour late by theirs. Oh well will have to see it again tomorrow then, and maybe Transformers.