Leaving the mainland behind

Distance - 115km
Weather - Hot, strong headwind

The morning was humid and within minutes our bodies were drenched with sweat. We were determined that today we would reach the island of Langkawi off Malaysia, so we needed to make it to the port of Kuala Perlis.

A strong head wind plagued us all day, but for the last 30km it grew even stronger, almost blowing Shanna off the road at times. The sun was hot and it was a long day of cycling, but we managed to reach the port in time for the 6.15pm ferry to Langkawi.

During the ferry trip a Malaysian video was playing on the TV screens. We couldn't understand whether it was meant to be scary or funny, and amongst the other passengers there was a mixture of reactions so that didn't help us. Despite not being able to understand what they were saying, and even though the acting was terrible, we found our eyes riveted to the screen for the one hour voyage watching a bizarre mixture of comedy and horror that we won't soon forget.

As we arrived in Langkawi the sun was setting, and the scenery was breathtaking. Beatiful beaches and harbours with a backdrop of mountains. We were looking forward to a few rest days on islands like this one.

We needed money so Sam went to an ATM. But despite trying five different ATM's and three different bank cards, nothing was working. We didn't have enough money (cash) for a hotel and it seemed our cards, according to two different institutions, had somehow been cancelled. It was midnight in Australia by this time, so we couldn't call the banks.

This also meant we couldn't buy our tickets for the ferry we wanted to catch in the morning to Koh Lanta. Plus we weren't sure where the ferry left from (despite our best efforts to find out) and the ticket office was closed until 9 the next morning. Looked like we had no choice but to stay on Langkawi for another day, and sort things out in the morning.