Chillin in KL

Met a cool guy from Holland at the hostel, his name is Oscar. We tromped around KL today checking out the sites, checked out some mosques as well.

Ran into some other tourists, a guy from Germany and a girl from Oregon. The guy said he knew someone that got ripped off $8k US in a similar type scam!!....turns into a card game. This one was more in depth though, this guy had met some people and travelled with them for a week, then they offered to have this guy stay at their home for a few days. Card game got going one night, the guy clearly said he didn't want to play for $$, they said no problem. At the end of the night they gave the guy a bill for $7k, said they would let the guy live if he bought a ring in a store for $8k, they knew there would be a limit on cash withdrawals......sketch.



Rockin a cart wheel, sweet pic :)Very nice color combos I do say. Oscar had some crazy orange Thai pants, mixed with his banana yellow t-shirt. I'm sporting a supplied purple house coat type ensemble, we clash a bit.....

Almost scammed in KL....almost....

Crazy story, crazy. So I'm in KL, got here in the afternoon, travelled most of the day. Looking for a camera for hours, getting low prices etc. Finally bought one, came outside and a guy started talking to me. He was about my age, maybe a few years older. He was with a girl, who was his "niece", maybe about 20. Asked where I was from, when he found out Canada he said his niece was trying to apply for a work visa to be a nurse there. She said her mom was for her moving, but her grandma was against it. He asked if he could buy me a coffee and ask about Canada, sure....why not? After a while we were getting to know each other, he asked if I would come to his place and have dinner, to meet his family and tell this girls grandma about Canada. Instantly I felt a weird gut feeling to decline, but then I reasoned it thinking that all the times I've agreed to go to someones home here in Asia it's turned out to be an amazing experience! So off we went, in a cab.

Got to the home, instantly the dad of the girl started talking to me. I talked to him for a while, found out he worked on a cruise ship in Asia as a card dealer, blackjack. When I was done eating he wanted to show me some card stuff in the kitchen, where we went and another woman followed....not sure how she was related. So he starts telling me on how we can form a team and scam the ship. I was obviously not interested but entertaining him and seeing his little tricks. Then he starts telling me about a guy from Brunei, can't remember his name but it was something like Mr. Mustafa. He told me how with his help Mr. Mustafa made $30kUS one night and was supposed to pay him 5%, $1500. Mr. Mustafa only paid him $400 and said that was good money. Then he said that Mr. Mustafa wants to take him out to dinner, but he would decline because Mr. Mustafa shorted him. Then it all happened so fast. The "dad" pulled out 2-$100 US bills and placed them in front of me, then said something like if someone came in to pretend the $$ is mine cuz he didn't want them to think they were his. All of a sudden the "dad's" wife came into the kitchen saying that his guest was here....all of a sudden a big dude wearing gold rings, chains, and watch came in. The dad said hello to Mr. Mustafa and Mr. Mustafa asked if he was ready to go for dinner. The dad declined as he'd previoulsy mentioned he would do in such a circumstance. Then somehow Mr. Mustafa sat down across from me to play cards and the dad was the dealer, I think the dad mentioned this briefly Right before Mr. M got there saying he wanted me help to scam Mr. M.

Everything inside of me knew I was in the middle of a rehearsed scam....how could I be so naive??? I instantly got up and said I needed to go and made me way to the door despite their avid protests. I came out of the kitchen and everyone knew I was not happy, they gave me a ride to a train station. I look back on it and see how the whole thing was set up from the beginning.....

I should have recognized my gut feeling from the getgo and not relied on previous experience and my rationalizing. I'm lucky the scam went only as far as this team trying to trick me out of my $$.....in reality I was alone in this team's home where the scam could've turned physical. I think this scam goes further as well, the "uncle", the guy from the beginning kept asking me to come out with him and experience KL nightlife, which I declined. I'm sure knockout pills are administered at this stage.

When I arrived back at my hostel I started telling the owner about my night, he said he should've warned me but forgot....that scam has been going on in this area for llloooonnngggg time, he thought they'd been shut down by now, and that they have been known to use knockout pills. Foolish, foolish, foolish. Ya live, ya learn.



I had an awesome time surfing in Cherating, such an amazing place. One morning the waves were so amazing it looked like a surf movie!! I'm sleeping in the airport on Christmas eve, catching a plane to Langkawi early Christmas morning.


MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Back in Cherating

Went to the museum in Terengganu, took a free tour bus thing there. It claimed to be the largest museum in south Asia. I wasn't very impressed, it was actually pretty lame....AND they wouldn't let me bring my camera in....AND there was a different price for foreigners. Anyway, when leaving the museum I was informed there were no buses, so I walked for about 2km to the nearest bus stop and waited....and waited...and waited. Waited for about 1.5hrs when I asked a guy and all I could understand was "no bus", not sure the reason for it. SO, I remembered there was another tour bus that should arrive at the museum shortly, so I ran back the 2km....the tour bus refused to stop for me. I asked a guy at the museum to call me a cab, he said "no cab"...hahahaha, I asked him if had any suggestions on how to get home, he said "jelan-jelan"....walking. So, I started walking....and it started POURING rain! I decided to make the best of it and have fun. I got crazy blisters from my sandals so I just took em off and walked barefoot, people thought I was "gela", crazy :) The cool part about it was that I ended up in China town, an area I had given up on seeing because of the bus situation. I had an awesome meal of rice, chicken, apricots, green onions, cooked in a clay pot. I had a drink made out of dragon fruit and coconut, it was amazing! The crappy part was that my camera got destroyed cuz it got wet, I was a bit distraught. All this time I've been nickel and diming my way through these countries just to save a few ringgits here and there.....then I go and make a $400 mistake, brutal. So no pics for a while. I'm back in Cherating for about 6 nights, I worked out a good deal for a surf board rental and a cheap room. I like it here, the surfing is good and the town is super cool. After this I will make my way back to KL (where I'll probably buy another camera), then fly to Langkawi. Peace. Out. Word.

East coast Malaysia....closed!

Freddy and I left Cherating I think two days ago, he went south, I went north. My plan was to go to a town called Marang and take a boat to a nearby island called Kappus. My bus driver forgot to drop me off at Marang, so I went to Terengganu and took another bus back to Marang. As soon as I got off the bus a guy on a motorbike offered to give me a ride to a hostel, no charge. He also told me that Kappus island was closed due to monsoon season....and the Perhentian islands were closed as well!! My plan for Malaysia was destroyed instantly....I had no idea what to do. Got to the hostel and met an East Indian man named John who has been living in Surrey for 20yrs, him and his wife spend the winters in Malaysia. He's the first Canadian I've met in Asia, a retired engineer who has traveled the entire world! He was unbelievably helpful and super nice, his wife even made me noodles and eggs :) He told me about some options and things I could do, awesome....I needed that, I now have a new plan.

In the afternoon I took a bus to Terengganu (no easy task, it was Friday, the day when Muslims pray....and it's a very religious state...everything is closed!), then a bus to Kuala Berang. I really didn't know what I was doing but I heard that Pengkalan Gowi was cool, so I asked around on how to get there. No buses, in fact, the cabs even said the road was closed due to all the rain! So I took a cab to Sekayu as I didn't want to just turn around. Got to Sakayu, only one chalet place was open (again, Friday....) but it was stupid expensive (50 Ringgit/night, about $15...over budget...hahaha) and the guy said there was no water as the high water from the river damaged the line or something. Whatever, I stayed...didn't want to turn around. Also, there was no food there so the manager guy offered to drive me to a whole in the wall goreng place (kinda sketchy) but I had to wait in his car for a bit while he prayed in the mosque first. Arranged with the cab to pick me up in 24hrs. Checked out the waterfall, it was a pretty cool place, everyone left at night and I was the only one renting a unit....I was alone in the wilderness...no one for miles! Hung out on the porch with a crazy cool frog, he watched me read for hours, I watched him gulp down moths.

Next day (today) I swam in the river for a bit and read some more. Tried to hike a bit in the bush but didn't get to far....leeches started clinging to me, I thought leeches were only in water. During the rain season they're in the trees and bushes, the manager guy told me last month a guy from NZ got so many that the manager had to take them all off the guy when he was naked, the guy cried a bit. Caught the cab back to Kuala Berang, then a bus back to Terengganu. I'm staying in a dorm room (multiple people stay in one room) for the first time, 8 ringgit/night, the price is right. I'm going to check out the museum tomorrow, then probably head back to Cherating for a bit and surf again, the only good place to be during the monsoon season.


Cherating

Cherating

Marang

Sekayu

View from my porch

Frog who kept me company

Swimming in the river


Oh yeah, one more thing I forgot to write about from our time in Cherating: One morning we were eating breakfast when we saw gang of wild monkeys across the road checking out the garbage can. The garbage men came and started throwing sticks at the monkeys....the monkeys were pissed off! They were screaming and shaking the trees, it was awesome! Then the monkeys made there way to our side of the street, one even came up the restaurant all stealth like, jumped on a table and tried to steal a bunch of bananas! The owner yelled and chased the monkey, the monkey got scared and dropped the bananas. I wish I had it on video, it was priceless!