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Our Far Eastern
Tour in 1988
These pages are
a tribute to my wife Noi , who
was never afraid of a challenge , we faced many!.
We had 27 years of happy marriage together
She died suddenly whilst on holiday
with me in Europe in 1990
Penang
28th October to 2nd November |
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All images if clicked, will Download a quality jpg photo
Butterworth 28th October
Train First class overnight seat cost Ringitts
62 each.
We arrived at Butterworth after an exciting
overnight journey. We had double bunks, but Noi
wanted us to sleep on one bunk as she was
scared of the pitch dark carriage, so she
climbed onto my top bunk. I managed to strap
ourselves onto the bed and off the train went.
She started laughing, saying how funny it
looked us both strapped in the single bunk, our
honeymoon all over again (we didn't have one).
We cuddled and held each other tight, just
happy to be together, saying how much we loved
each other. How lucky I was to have this lady
who was beautiful, sexy and full of adventure,
how good it felt.
She told me how when she worked on a rubber
plantation when she was young, as an Amah for a
white planter (Englishman), she was in her room
at night and the house was empty as her Tuan
(boss), wife and children had gone to the city
and left her behind to look after the house,
which was situated in a clearing in the rubber
plantation miles from other civilisation. She
couldn't sleep due to the heat, and she felt a
presence in the room. She lay still and
gradually surveyed the room which was in
darkness but there was a slant of light from
the moon which threw a line of moonlight from
the shuttered window onto the floor. Within
that light there was a piercing set of eyes
closely set together glistening, looking
directly at her from the floor 5 ft away. It
was a snake. She was terrified and afraid to
move. If she didn't move the snake would not
strike -------- luckily enough the plantation
manager arrived early morning, and shouted "Ah
Noi, mana sini?" (Noi where are you?)
"Saya sini" (I'm here) then as he entered she
started crying and shaking. The snake had gone.
She never worked in the plantations again.
She was afraid of the dark from that day. In
Malaya snakes can get ANYWHERE -
The porter arrived early the following morning
with tea/coffee. We got a quick wash in the
minute sink, which was funny. I didn't like the
toilet - it was the squat down type, so I
waited until Butterworth hoping there was a
European one. The cabin was nice and clean, no
great problems with it. The rail system was
poor, like being on a ship ha ha.
We knew
that Butterworth was a way station, and that
the next step was catching a ferry, the ONLY
means in them days of getting to the island of
Penang. So we made our way off the platform and
there was this hulking Malay/Indian porter who
pointed that he could take our cases over the
platforms to the ferry on his barrow, He said
$3 per case (Tiga) so off he went, me watching
him making sure he didn't do a runner with my
NEW shoes I had to buy in Kuala Lumpur after my
last pair was nicked ---. I saw an old Chinese
bloke put his case on the barrow as well, well
we had company.
Noi said
said she was tired and had not slept well on
the train and would be real happy to get to an
hotel and lay down, I said it wouldn't be long
on the ferry to Penang, so we boarded, and the
old Chinese man came across to me and asked me
how much I had paid for the porter, I said $3
per case, He said, in that he had given only
one dollar, I hate being cheated, even if it
was only a few pence, He only got two dollars.
The old
chap was great as we left the ferry with the
Indian pulling our cases to the taxi stand, Noi
and I pulled out the accommodation book, the
old chap said, if he can share our taxi he
would make sure we get a clean hotel at a good
price, so of we went to the Ambassador Hotel, I
did a check turning down a couple of rooms,
cost £7 per night R34 (for room) air
conditioning, not bad.
We laid down for a few
hours then set out on a look around, a busy
schedule.
TOP
We went
up Fraser's Hill by Funicular railway, CLICK
photos for LARGER picture
The hill
which is cool due to its height has several
little stations on the way up for residents to
hop off. Noi worked on the hill as a cook for a
rich man in her younger days - she showed me
the house. He was a banker she said. We went up
the funicular railway in Athens some years
before - it is a strange feeling, nearly
standing but sat down. ha ha
We went to the Botanical Gardens. Noi loved
gardening, she utterly devoted every minute she
could to the garden. She had been buying seeds
for her return to England, but these Gardens
were so lovely */Photo of Noi sleeping*/ with
the trees enveloping the side roads creating a
lovely shaded area, where one could rest until
the wild monkeys plagued you for food. They
attacked you if they saw you eat and not give
them some.
Here is
Noi bravely feeding the monkeys
Click for
LARGER pictures
At some
stage we went to the Snake temple which is
outside Penang, On a rural road, near to local
villages, never seen nothing like it. There
were snakes everywhere on the altar. Noi said
they had been drugged and were sleepy, also the
fangs had been removed. Lovely temple.
TOP
Please
click for LARGER photos
W e caught a taxi back to Penang town. An old
trick from my early days was to get a taxi and
allow other people to be picked up. Noi told me
in 1963 that you must NOT pay full fare but
speak Malay and ask for Boleh Ankat, so that's
what happened. In Malaya it is usual for men to
order taxis if with women, the Muslim way,
that's why I do everything, so when I flag down
the taxi I say in Malay "I give one Dollar you
can take other passengers?" The problem is you
cannot select the passengers ha ha. An old lady
flagged him down and in her arm was a baby pig;
another stop after she was dropped was a young
girl with a wicker basket full of hens. An Old
man got in after she got out and he stunk to
high heaven. "Well you asked for it Les." "Well
you taught me Noi" --ha ha
Busy day
-------- back to hotel --shower change go out
for a meal then bed.
There is
not really much to see in Penang. There is an
old Fort, Cornwallis, we had a quick look
around, but decided to go to the beach area Batu Ferringhi ------ got a taxi after paying
the bill.
We
arrived on the one road that runs along the
vista of hotels. We asked the driver if there
was a cheap hotel ??, he took us to the
Lone Pine Hotel,
which looked quite old, but if the price and
amenities were OK, that would suit us
dining room was very
nice; it had an old billiard room and to the
sea front side there was a grassed area that
led down to the private beach. It wasHere is
Noi stood in front of our room in 1988. The
room was fine, the old hotel was the first to
be built on the coast, the
wonderful
and only cost Ringitts 51 (£11) per room.
We walked down
to the beach and to the right were some very
new hotels, cost loads of money - many white
tourists were there with their white legs and
white socks. We had a look in the hotel,
beautiful lounge, nice swimming pool which we
could use if we wanted, as we didn't have a
pool at the Lone Pine Hotel, but anyway we had
the sea ---- ha ha.
Here are some shots of the beach
Along the road
was a butterfly farm - it was a lovely outdoor
area with thousands of butterflies. Here are
some photos. At this time on this beach road
there were NOT many hotels and there was a
Malay Kampong (Village) but on visit years
later this had gone.
There were some Kedai Kopi (coffee shops) and
larger restaurants, also noodle hawkers selling
from mobile barrows. There were millions of
mosquitoes. I didn't trust the electric plug
anti-mosquito deterrent for our room. I went to
a Chinese village shop and bought some mosquito
coils. They stink when lit, but as the lit end
travels around the coil, the mosquitoes stay
away. We put them under the beds.
My Chinese family in Hong kong
showed us the Mosquito coils in 1982 when we
stayed at my brother in law's house in Shek O,
Hong Kong, which was situated on an hill.
(Photo Susan) 
You could see the trading junks
arriving from China in South China Sea, as you
sat outside, in the morning breeze. The clouds
at night used to envelop the property, swirling
clouds in the yard, but it made it cooler. In
the day in July it was very very hot.
To get to
Hong Kong City in 1982 you had to go by bus and
tram, to the New Territories to visit Lo Shuk
Fong (Sister in Law)
It
could 4/5 hrs, now with the M.T.R ( Mass
transit railway) less than an hour.
TOP
Noi insisted one afternoon that I should have a
go at the parascending ---- the posh hotel next
door to ours were charging a high rate, £50 per
go, the guest paid at their desk and the ticket
was taken to the Indian men operating the
parascending. Because I was NOT a guest at the
Golden Sands Hotel (posh hotel) it was out of
bounds, but Noi was NOT going to be outdone,
she INSISTED I have a go. 'Les are you a
COWARD?'
"Yes" I said.
Anyway she wouldn't listen and went to
negotiate a price. I could hear her, but they
walked away from her --- I could NEVER let
anyone insult my wife and walk away from her or
let her lose face. I went after them - 'Stay
here Noi - won't be a minute.'
I got the leader, he said not speak English.
Anyway after a few choice words in Malay, he
went back to Noi and said sorry in Malay. I
persuaded them that I was only paying Ringitts
400, and the photos show the preparation and
the up and away, finally landing in some trees
ha ha.The harness was crippling me between my legs,
something was trapped ha ha, see photo 3
closely.
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Getting sorted
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Putting me in the harness
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Attaching the line to the
motor boat (3)
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Nice shot of me flying
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Landing in trees
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We had a schedule that I would contact the main
airline carrier, in reference to my movement
from country to country, but individual trips
like from Langkawi to Penang it was a separate
payment. As Langkawi had no booking office at
the newly finished airport we had to purchase
tickets for a return to Penang. The bus
travelling was very tiring so we were hopping
from resort to resort, on our way back, BUT we
had to keep in contact with the Penang office
as we didn't know how long we would stay in
Langkawi.
It was a wonderful time at the beach resort ---
we relaxed, ate well, ready for our next
journey to Langkawi, which was a long trip by
bus to Perlis, then a ferry to the Island of
Legends.
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