Road trip and Penang

I had planned to leave Kuala Selangor yesterday morning but ended up taking a tourist tram up the local hill. I was in a museum when it started raining really hard so was stuck there till it stopped raining a couple of hours later. I met a couple of more Pakistanis, one of which drove me to the bus station so that I could head to Cameron Highlands for a half-day trek. That is when things got interesting.

The dude manning the information desk told me to take a bus to Sebak Bernam (bus 1), then a connecting bus to Teluk Intan (bus 2) and then a third bus to Cameron Highlands (bus 3). But he didn't mention that I wouldn't make it in time to catch bus 3 from Teluk Intan. I was only informed when I got to Sebak Bernam at 6:30. I was stranded.

I asked around and found that there was a Penang bus from Sebak Bernam leaving at 11pm. So I walked around town looking for a cybercafe, when I bumped into another Pakistani (looks like many of the carpet stores in Malaysia are run by Pakistanis). He was a real pleasure to talk to and made a mean daal. We chatted for a few hours till I headed down to the bus stand at 10:30.

The bus ride itself was pretty awful. The driver drove like he was rehearsing a scene from the film Speed. Didn't get much sleep in the bumpy ride. Arrived in Butterworth at 4 and hung around until the first ferry for Georgetown left at 5:30. Once on Pulau Penang, I headed down the Masjid Negeri to get some sleep. Upon waking at 10, I got to witness a traditional adat nikah (Malay Muslim wedding).

Then Ginger drove by and drove us around town. Saw Fort Cornwallis and planning to go watch a film as well as head down to the Pasar Malam (night market) to buy souvenirs. Plans until Thursday include water sports and a hike up Penang hill.