Journey into the known

As we wanted to catch the ferry at 11:00 from Port Klang which is a good bit outside of KL we got up at 7 and left the hostel at 8. At Kuala Lumpur station I got a chocolate muffin to with my first Malaria pill and a couple of minutes later our train arrived as punctual as could be.

The KTM (KL Commuter train) took about an hour and a half. The train ride felt like trying to get from Kleinenbroich to Dortmund with the S-Bahn, just instead of Ruhrgebiet there was jungle outside the window.

The ferry terminal, a spanking new building, very much out of place in the otherwise cozy harbour village with little fish trawlers sitting in the bay, was just across the tracks but seemed unusually deserted. When we arrived at the front entrance a very surprised man with a cigarette in his mouth, a news paper in his hand sitting on plastic chair and a sleeping dog at his feet confirmed our fears that there was no ferry. Also there was not going to be a ferry tomorrow.

What now? We checked (and hoped for a miracle) at the local "cruise terminal" (more a little fish storage shed with a few chairs in front and a plastic sign saying "cruise termina") but they also only cruised around the harbour or to the other side of the bay.

So we really didn't have a choice but to take the same train back to KL that we came on. Another hour and a half of suburbian jungle.

Our new cunning plan was to go back to the "Bas" terminal we arrived at and take bus back to Melaka to see if we can find a ferry from there to Indonesia (roumor has it that there are some). Lucky us, there was a bus leaving at 12:15 (only 20 minutes to wait).

No major incidents on the way back to Melaka, at the bus terminal there we had free Wifi which we used to check Ferries going across to Indonesia. There was one mentioned in a travel blog (not an official ferry website - these don't seem to exist or are not listed in google) which ran at 3pm. It was 2:20 now. So we picked the very next bus to town and figured out where the ferry terminal was. Luckily it was right in town.

We just made it to get told that this ferry was going to another port in Indonesia and not Dumai. By this point we didn't really care where in Indonesia we would arrive but even that port was not an option as it did not have Visa on Entry facility, so we wouldn't be able to immigrate.

Next ferry to Dumai was at 10 in the morning, which meant back to the Hostel. As we were old-timers there now we were received warmly and got the same room again. We were not really in the mood to to "discover" the same things of Melaka again so we stayed in the hostel for while and did laundry... by hand in two buckets. Alan gave us some washing powder and showed us where we can dry them.

When we were done we backed up some pictures and relaxed a bit. Good thing we didn't go anywhere since there was a little celebration of the chef of the Discovery Cafe. His daughter turned 1 month, so we all got plenty of free Burmese food (since the family was from Burma). It's was great, loads of noodles and spicy pork and shrimp.An Australian and an American joined us.

Alan mentioned he took the same ferry once and it was a bit if an adventure, with touts, Mafia who want you to teach English and Mini Buses. We set our alarm for 7, just to be sure that we will make the ferry at 10.