Tuesday 12 February 2013

Route Planning - Malaysia

I head across the border into Malaysia on Thursday, February 14. I plan to leave at about 10am in the morning and am expecting about 2 hours to get through customs and continue on my merry way. This means I need to start planning where I am going and what I am doing, especially so I can book accommodation or plan where I will be camping.

Here is the plan as it sits before I have even entered the country:
  1. Day One - Cross the border. If I have time, visit the Muzium Diraja Sultan Abu Bakar, otherwise I may have to do it when (if) I come back (although according to Google Maps, it will take me 37 minutes to get to the museum). I plan to spend the night of the 14th in Mersing at the Fishing Bay Resort (booked) on the East Coast of West Malaysia (directions).
  2. Day Two (and Three) - Start out at 10am from the Fishing Bay Resort in Mersing. Stop for lunch in Kluang, then continue to Muar where I follow the coast along the Malacca Strait into Melaka and stay at the Mari Mari Guesthouse (booked) for two nights (directions).
  3. Day Four - Start out at 10am from the Mari Mari Guesthouse and cross inland over the Segamat District, across Rompin and Pekan and into Kuantan for the evening of the 17th (directions).
  4. Day Five (and Six) - Start out at 10am from Kuantan and head to Kuala Tahan (directions) to camp in Taman Negara for the 18th and 19th. This will involve getting myself to some of the wilderness hides and seeing if I can spot any local wildlife while not getting eaten alive by leeches.
  5. Day Seven - Start out at 10am from Kuala Tahan and head to Kuala Lumpur for the evening of the 20th (directions). I am hoping to find a good spot to stay so I can scrub off the grime from my camping at Taman Negara.
  6. Day Eight (and Nine) - Start out at 10am from Kuala Lumpur and head to Tanah Rata Pahang for the evening of the 21st and 22nd (directions) to climb trails and drive the Cameron Highlands for two days. I had hoped to climb some of the local mountains, but we shall see - if I twist an ankle it will really screw my plans up.
  7. Day Ten - Start out at 10am from Tanah Rata Pahang and travel to Kota Bharu for the evening of the 23rd (directions).
  8. Day Eleven (and Twelve) - Start out at 10am from Kota Bharu and travel to George Town (Penang) for the evening of the 24th and 25th (directions).
  9. Day Thirteen - Start out at 8am on the 26th from George Town and travel to the Malaysian/Thailand border, into Sandao and staying at Hat Yai (directions). This then links to my route planning for Southern Thailand which will be determined, soon.
This is the plan so far, but we all know how brilliant plans can go to shit very quickly once they actually meet the road and since I am meeting the road intimately (although hopefully not hard) and the weather could also really screw up my plans, or at least delay me, then I suspect these plans will turn out very differently.

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