Traveling is fun except when it's not. There are always plenty of annoyances and frustrations that go along with the good times. On some days I have to put on really thick rosy-colored glasses and tell myself that it's all part of the experience. Friday was one of those days, and there will be more I'm sure.
Since it was our last day in the Cameron Highlands we packed up our backpacks and had a big breakfast at the hostel before we were going to catch our bus at two back to Kuala Lumpur. Breakfast was delicious and we ended up hanging out there for awhile waiting until the afternoon downpour (that came early today) was finished so we could hike over to the bus station. I spent the morning reading and writing postcards until I was interrupted by an elderly Malaysian who was passing through and stopped to chat. She gave me some advice about where to go in her country and what kinds of food to try. A little eccentric, she warned me not to go in the ocean as many people she knew got "sucked out to sea and never came back." She, herself, had been sucked out to see once or twice but had always made it back alive. Slightly alarmed by her stories, I assured her that we had no intentions of swimming off the coast of Malaysia. ($8 brunch)
When the rains cleared and it was nearing time to leave, Sean and I headed over to the bus station. It only took about four hours to reach Kuala Lumpur and after getting lost a few times, we finally figured out where the bus had deposited us and made it back to the "Golden Triangle" area again via the monorail. Because of the bedbug incident, we weren't too eager to stay at the Green Hut Lodge again so we tried a few other places within our budget. Unfortunately, after about two hours of trekking around the hot and humid city, hungry, with packs on our backs and sucking in exhaust from the nearby whizzing cars, buses and motorbikes we hadn't found any better options. Some hostels were more sketchy and more expensive, others seemed to be actually fronts for brothels, a few were without electricity entirely and many were full. I got really really grumpy and suggested we just stay at the Green Hut Lodge which we were now calling the "Bed Bug Inn." ($1 monorail, $22 room)
We met Daniel for dinner and traded stories of the last five days. Daniel had spent his time exploring the capital city in depth, reading and relaxing and was quite satisfied that he did not accompany us to the jungle or the highlands once he heard about the insects that also joined us. After a few slurpees we all decided to call it a night early in preparation for a trip to Melaka, a city in the south of Malaysia, the next morning. ($22 dinner, $1 slurpees, $2 drinks, $12 mail)
At this point, I was still ok with staying at the Bed Bug Inn. Unfortunately, I had missed a pivotal conversation that Daniel had had with Sean earlier that week. While doing his business in one of the shared bathrooms in the aforementioned hostel, Daniel noticed a small hole conveniently located at eye level that peered directly into the neighboring shower. On this floor of the hostel there was only one shared bathroom and one shared shower which was directly adjacent to the bathroom. Daniel had warned Sean to be careful as it seemed one could use this little hole for inappropriate purposes. For some reason, Sean forgot to tell me about this and since I am a little spacey and not too observant I never noticed the little hole in the bathroom or in the shower.
That night, I decided to take a shower so I would be all ready to go the next morning. I waited and waited for the person to get out of the bathroom so I could pee but finally gave up and just took a shower. This had happened before; the last time we stayed at that hostel it was impossible to use the bathroom in the morning and evenings (prime shower time) because it was always occupied. There was always a guy hanging around but we never thought much of it, that is until he was still there five days later when we stayed there a second time. When Sean found out that I was in the shower, he immediately knocked on the bathroom stall to see if the guy was in there. He was. I could hear all that was going on but was really confused as to why Sean was yelling and threatening the guy on the pot. Turns out, the Bed Bug Inn had their very own "Peeping Tom" which only added to the rapidly growing list of reasons not to stay there. Sean informed the management and they were really upset and promised to look into it.
When I told Daniel this story he thought it was hilarious and made me promise to post it on the blog. It also made him very glad that he had chosen to upgrade to a nicer hotel many days earlier. This also makes one think, do you prefer to always know about the crazy/creepy things around you like bedbugs or peeping Toms or do you prefer to live in blissful ignorance? I'm not really sure though one thing I do know is that we are not going to be doing anymore business with the Bed Bug Inn anytime soon. That being said, trying to travel on a budget requires certain sacrifices; sharing rooms with beds full of people you don't know, using shared bathrooms and showers, dirt, bugs, loud and questionable noises.... Daniel may disagree, but I prefer to spend my money on activities and good food rather than where I spend the night. As the wise Ken Ferrell has noted many times in the past, whether you're in the Four Seasons or a skeet hostel, "It's all the same when you're asleep." Total for the day = $68 (for two people)
that sounds awful! i am leaving for my first big travel through thailand on saturday and have my fingers crossed for nothing like that!
have a great rest of your trip! :)