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On February 14th 2002 we enter Malaysia. In total we'll ride 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) along the West coast of Malaysia.

Via the Thai border town of Satun (Tammalang) we'll sail to the Malaysian island of Langkawi. We will wait till the Chinese new year passes and then take an other boat to the city of Georgetown on the island of Penang. With the local ferry there we want to get on the 'mainland' again and bicycle via Melakka to Singapore.

02). Arrival on Langkawi. Malaysia is (here) a modern developed country with a high prosperity level. But Langkawi is a tourist hotspot where a lot of money circulates. Many Malay people in the villages live in quite primitive conditions.

03). The Langkawi coastline is one massive concrete coast line. Along the North coast we discover this last untouched little bay. We stay here a few lovely days and camp on the beach in our micro tent (The mermaid on the beach is Jolanda).

04). Our camou-tent stands great under this tree. It's lovely swimming from our micro private beach. The spot is very tough to discover from the road, so we are alone. (the secret location is 06.25.20 NB and 99.46.55 OL).

05). The city Georgetown on the island Penang is a mainly Chinese town. Here are old Chinese customs being practised uninterupted (contrary to 'motherland' China). Here are incense sticks as thick as bicyclists legs burned for the Chinese new year celebrations (that last for 14 days).

06). On february 23 th we visit the island Pulau Pangkor. Here is one of many VOC (United Dutch East Indies trading company) forts that can be found all along the Malaysian coastline. This fort is called locally "Kota Belanda" (Holland Fort) and was used for tinn storage. Today only the main tinn storage room remains.

Shield of the VOC. The "A" stands for the Amsterdam chamber, one of the seven VOC chambers. (V = United, O = East Indies, C = Company. 1596 - 1795)

On February 26th we visit Kampong Kuantan. Here we see millions of fire flies at night. This is one of the very few spots on the planet where these beetles (NOT flies!) blink synchronised. A magic spectacle! It's all about sex, by the way.

07). February 28th 2002. On our way to Melakka we pass this Chinese temple where a sort of 'open day' is going on. All are welcome. Taking pictures is no problem.

08). Now we can buy almost daily the great jackfruit: my nr.1 of all fruits! Jack is the best! Here Rene (84 kilo) holds a 'jack' (20 kilo).

09). Safe and sound in Melakka. This city was the regional capital of the world for centuries. Many nations and religions have battled over it, including the Portugese, the Dutch, the English and the Japanese. There are mainly Chinese people living in the old city, that has been preserved quite OK. This is a VOC painting of Melakka, seen from the sea (important navigation information those days!).

10). The 'Stadthuys' (City Hall) was the residence of the VOC gouvenor in Melakka. It's build with original bricks from Zeeland (Sealand in English: A province in the SouthWest of the Netherlands. A country 'down under' carries it's name too). Originally it was white, but the English colonial successors (1795) painted it pink, a colour is has till today.

11). Many Dutch have died here. Estimates say that two out of three died on their search for 'gold' (spices) in the East. More than a million made the journey in 200 years....

12). Watch out! Jolanda behind the VOC kannon. This is the second VOC fort of Melakka, Fort Johannes [John], that served as backup. It was build in 1760. In 1795 Melakka was handed over peacefully to the English (the VOC was bust and the French invaded 'the lowlands').

13). This remarkable giant riksja stands as a piece of art along the highway. Is is build with many correct details. It makes a nice photo (Rene on 1:1 scale).

On March 7th we ride out of Malaysia and into Singapore. We have been only three weeks and only 1,000 kilometers in Malaysia, so our opinion is with some reservations. The Malay people seen to be divided in 4 clear seperate groups (3 of them being open, nice and friendly). The coastal ride is quite boring, and not really worth the effort. The remarkable thing about Malaysia, is that the things that are interesting about this country are the non-Malaysian subjects:

• The Indian people with their great kitchen and great customs and Indian temples and quarters.
• The Chinese with their old customs and Chinese quarters.
• The VOC history (if you live in the Netherlands)

All in all, Malaysia was a quite interesting country to have past once per bicycle.

Malaysia bicycle tour 2002 download/offline version
Copyright 2002: René Maassen     rene_maassen@zonnet.nl