Yunnan And Hunan 2025: Part V

Monday, 20 October 2025

I woke up early and left just after 07:00. This time, I made for Line B. Because my ticket was for Line A, a park official helped rearrange things and I was able to join Line B within minutes. I hurried to board the bus and got down at Bailong Elevator stop. Then I hurried to join the queue. Alas, the rain meant we didn’t enjoy any view as we ascended.

I walked out and to my surprise and pleasure, found a friendly ginger cat. After saying hello and giving it some pets, I left and made my way to another shuttle bus stop. After a while, I boarded the bus back to Tianzi Mountain, yes, again. This time, I managed to find the Ten-Mile Gallery route so I walked down the steps. I was so glad to be walking mostly down instead of the other way. I met two other cats on Tianzi Mountain and another cat along the way down. After exiting the route, I walked along the tram track to another shuttle bus station and to my relief, there were buses back to the East Gate.

I walked back to my hotel and after thanking rhe host, I walked to the bus station. The bus left at 13:40 and I got down at Guanli Road. After a brief detour to the bus station to ask about the bus to Furong the next day (there are no fixed schedule and I was told to return the following morning), I walked to find my hotel. It’s in an alley pretty close to the Tianmen Mountain cable car station and the kind host helped show me the bus stop on Yingbin Road from where I could take the bus to Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. Dinner was had at a halal restaurant across from the Tianmen Mountain cable car station.

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

I left the hotel early and walked to the bus stop on Yingbin Road. The bus number 17 came after seven minutes and it took thirty minutes to reach Zhangjiajie West Railway Station. I then made my way to the Ticket office and bought the 10:38 ticket to Furong, and also the next day’s 11:03 ticket from Furong to Fenghuang. There was a 3 yuan service fee which is still lower than if I had bought the tickets on Trip.com. I then alerted the guesthouse in Furong as the host would pick me up from the station.

My host was already waiting when I arrived at Furongzhen station. I had thought I was communicating with a woman so was surprised to find a young g man waiting for me. The ride took ten minutes and the host parked his car at a car park near the guesthouse. The double room wasn’t ready as the guest hadn’t checked out and as I wanted to charge my phone, I decided to take the twin room instead. Oh, visitors need to pay to enter Furong town and I bought my entrance ticket on Trip.com on Sunday evening. Turned out the guesthouse host could also purchase the entrance ticket for me for 90 yuan.

I ventured out after prayers at 12:57 and walked around Furong (Hibiscus) Ancient Town. I walked across Tuwang Bridge then down to the river and across the stones crossing the river. I followed the river then wound up along the pedestrian shopping lane before finding a doorway from where I could walk by the river again.

Pretty soon, I came into sight of the two-tiered waterfall. There were a lot of visitors here of course. I then walked down and behind the water curtain (I actually opened my brolly, one would get quite wet otherwise). What a beautiful view, I could not tire of it. I went to a small gazebo to take photos then up to the car park area for a few photos.

I then followed the shopping lane back to my guesthouse. I continued on and went into a small supermarket where I spent some time finding ramen suitable for Muslims. All the restaurants I came across had pork in their menu. I then continued on and found an almost-hidden path by the river and walked along it. It was deserted and pretty soon I came across another waterfall. I was sulrprised there was no one else there and I had the place all to myself, unlike the crowded area downstream.

I turned back and walked back to and across Tuwang Bridge. There was a square above some steps and near this square was a stall that sold grilled squid, corn, potatoes. I gave a quick scan, no pork in sight so I ordered some grilled squid. There was a performance at the square then.  I returned to the guesthouse and rested. I ventured out again after evening prayers to take in the night view of Furong. Met a few cats this evening too.

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

After morning prayers, I went for a walk around the town. Then I went back the the guesthouse for breakfast and to finish packing. I left at 09:15 and went to  Sanjiaoping to catch a bus. I must’ve missed the bus because I wanted until 09:45 and none came so I took a taxi to the Railway Station.

The train left Furong for Fenghuang, the trip took 33 minutes only. At Fenghuang Gucheng, I followed signs for the Tourist Shuttle Bus. The ticket was seven yuan. The trip took twenty minutes and I walked down from Qifeng Square to my hotel.

After checking in and performing prayers, I went to explore Fenghuang (Phoenix) Ancient Town. I spent four hours walking along the river downstream before turning back to follow it back upstream. Just like Furong, I had problems finding a restaurant that doesn’t sell pork. I finally found one that looked like it sold vegetables only and they proposed shredded potatoes. I wasn’t thrilled when I saw it was potatoes sliced thinly and fried. I returned to the hotel after buying some fried prawn pancakes. I’d queued but the locals barged in and I argued that I’d arrived ahead of them. I walked a bit after dark to see the lights before returning to the hotel.

Thursday, 23 October 2025

I wasn’t in the mood to walk around town this morning unlike in Furong. I left and checked out at 09:20 and walked to Qifeng Square. A kind local showed me where to buy the bus ticket. The bus left at 09:40. I sat in the station reading while waiting for the 11:38 train to Changshanan (Changsha South). I met a few Chinese Malaysians in the same train carriage.

From Changsha South Railway Station, I took the subway to Changsha Railway Station. I walked out the station and around the block before taking the subway to the airport. After prayers, I had some tofu for late lunch then did some  reading. After performing evening prayers and freshening up, I went up to departure level to check in for my flight. I was not amused to find that my AMEX had been used fraudulently. Tried calling Maybank but no joy.

I had some ramen before boarding but it was too spicy for me. The plane was supposed to take off at 21:10 but it only pushed off at 21:30. We were served drinks first before they wheeled out dinner but it was either chicken or beef, so k had the fruits, bun and yoghurt instead. I asked for tea and was served Chinese tea.

Friday, 24 October 2025

We landed at almost 02:00. I called Maybank as I was waiting for my bag to appear on the carousel. I stayed at the airport until 05:22 when I took the ERL back.

So that was my solo trip to Yunnan and Hunan. I was amazed how I ever did Zhengzhou and Xian without installing any WeChat, Alipay, eSIM and using Translate app. The locals were kind enough to help me along. I find the people in Yunnan less willing to help visitors out. I still couldn’t log into WeChat as my phone doesn’t accept calls from I stored numbers and to sign into WeChat, it would give me the code by phone call. I had since installed Alipay and linked it to my Wise and for this trip, I decided to use eSIM cards for both phone and iPad because it was a much longer duration than to Zhengzhou and Xian.

The end

Yunnan And Hunan 2025: Part IV

Friday, 17 October 2025

I woke up to the sound of water which turned out to be rain. It rained on and on and finally I summoned enough energy to venture out and find the bus stop for the bus to the railway station. I walked all the way to Regent Hotel and then back again to finish packing. After checking out, I walked back to Regent Hotel and caught bus number 8 to the railway station.

I met a few Chinese Malaysians on the train to Kunming. In Kunming, I took the subway to the airport for my evening flight out to Changsha. I’d made my research and found that it was actually more economical to fly to Changsha instead of taking the high-speed train.

I had some spicy fried potato wedges and tofu for dinner at the airport. Then I performed prayers in a baby care room before walking to my gate.

The plane landed at 21:50 but we had to take buses to the terminal. I rode the metro from the airport to Changsha Railway Station (had to change lines). I had read that the Changsha subway operated only until 22:30 so was happy when the trains were still running until 23:30. I wasn’t keen on spending the night at the train station but I was even less keen to find a hotel and return to the station after five hours. 

Saturday, 18 October 2025

Of course sleep was elusive. I got up at 05:00 and went to perform ablutions. Alhamdulillah, I managed to find a quiet spot for me to perform morning prayers. After prayers, I walked to another waiting room which had just opened for the day for my 06:55 train to Zhangjiajiexi (Zhangjiajie West). I managed to charge my devices in the train although I did change seats (and was enquired by the train staff. I gestured that the woman sitting next to me was coughing and coughing and couldn’t be bothered to cover her mouth).

We reached Zhangjiajiexi and I followed signs to the bus station. I rode a local bus to Tianmen Mountain cable car station. The fare was 2 yuan but I had problems paying with Alipay. A white woman helped pay my fare and I had difficulty trying to pay her back by asking other passengers if they had change. Finally I managed to change my note with another passenger.

I got down and walked to Tianmen Mountain cable car then had to turn back to store my bag. I then joined the long queue for Line A (I’d bought ticket on Klook) to board the cable car. We had to queue outside first, then joined a sitting queue. Then we walked up the stairs and the queue began again. The ride took almost thirty minutes. At the top, I followed the West Line route first until completion before going on the East Line. The weather was dismal. It was raining and we could hardly see anything. Everything was shrouded in fog and mist and everyone was either wearing raincoat or holding umbrellas. Some had shoe covers on and I wondered if they were slippery.

After 90 minutes, I walked to the  cross-mountain escalator and rode the escalators down. Then I walked down 999 steps but the dreary weather meant we didn’t have a view of Tianmen Cave at all.

I then took the cable car down, this is a different cable car altogether and could fit 26 pax compared to the earlier cable car up which could only carry eight pax. From the base, I rode another shuttle bus to the Tianmen Mountain cable car entrance to retrieve my bag. Then I asked for directions where to wait for the bus to Wulingyuan. A kind woman helped me and even hailed the bus (mini van) for me. The fare was 13 yuan and the journey took about 50 minutes.

I got down and walked to my hotel on Wuling Road. The rooms are themed and I was thankful my room was only one flight up and the kind host helped carry my bag up. To my delight, there was a halal restaurant only two doors away from the hotel. After checking in and performing prayers, I ventured out. Dinner was had at another halal restaurant before I walked back to my room.

Sunday, 19 October 2025

I left the hotel after 07:40 this morning and walked to the East Gate of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park about 12 minutes away from the hotel. I then followed signs for Line A and boarded the shuttle bus to Tianzi Mountain cable car. I’d bought ticket via Klook as it was priced slightly better than on Trip.com. I then joined other visitors to queue for the cable car. Once up there, I took another shuttle bus. Well, I actually took the shuttle bus back and then out again. After a frustrating morning (the rain didn’t help improve my mood), I finally trekked the Golden Whip Crag route and then took a shuttle out to East Gate.

I walked back to my hotel and performed prayers before going to the halal restaurant two doors away for dinner. After dinner, I sat down with the host to consult him about Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Yes, I should’ve done it before I left this morning but I didn’t expect to find myself confused. He tried to help me with the Bailong Elevator but because my ticket was purchased on Klook, he advised me to go there early the following morning.

To be continued

Yunnan And Hunan 2025: Part III

Tuesday, 14 October 2025 

I woke up early, showered and performed prayers. After breakfast, I headed out to the bus station to buy ticket to Dali for Thursday. Then I walked to the South Gate of Dayan Ancient Towns to find bus to Shuhe Ancient Town but I was told to go to another road to the north of Dayan. Against my will, I walked through Dayan Ancient Town again until I came upon the Giant Waterwheel. I followed the river then decided to detour a bit to find the mosque seeing as I was already in the vicinity. I had to walk down a road, cross it, walk up and climb a hill to get to the mosque but it was closed and deserted. The gate was opened but there was no sign of life. I peered among the slates and saw that it was indeed a mosque. It wasn’t prayer time yet then but weren’t there any caretakers at least?

I went back to the main road and walked up until I came upon Mao Zedong statue. After asking at a hotel, I went to wait at a bus stop near the statue. The bus came after ten minutes and I paid five yuan for my fare. We reached Shuhe Ancient Town about ten minutes later. I spent about two hours there.

I wanted to have lunch but the Muslim restaurant I went to was closed so I searched for a vegetarian restaurant and what do you know, there was actually one in Shuhe! There were two other Muslim restaurants but I decided to have vegetarian instead so I walked there and after some silent communication via Translator app, agreed to have vegetarian noodles. It came in a big bowl and believe me, I finished it all.

After walking around and stumbling upon photographers taking photos of couples in traditional wedding outfits, I walked out to catch a bus back to Lijiang. The driver let us all out at the bus stop across from Mao Zedong statue so I walked back up to Black Dragon Pool. I don’t know how China does it with its billion of people but everything is clean, orderly and structured. Park keepers are diligent in picking litters and collecting rubbish, and most people are careful and mindful enough not to litter. At Black Dragon Pool, you can enjoy view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and it makes for a special park. The water from the pool runs into the river that flows into Dayan Old Town. It all just made me sigh with contentment.

I decided not to walk through Dayan Ancient Town again so I walked along the main road back to the guesthouse, stopping en route at a fruit market to buy some peaches. I didn’t venture out for dinner - the vegetarian noodles were filling enough - and just had some snacks for dinner.

Wednesday, 15 October 2025  

I left the guesthouse at 06:50 and hurried to the bus station. The 07:00 bus left at 07:05 and went around the city picking up passengers from various points. We reached the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Info Centre at around 08:25 and I went to the Information counter to ask if there were any more tickets to Glacier Park. Only 10,000 visitors are allowed at Glacier Park on any one day and I wasn’t to be one of them but I wasn’t too disappointed. I then followed signs for the bus to Yak Meadow and we had to wait about 15 minutes before we could board the next bus to Yak Meadow. The ride took more than 30 minutes before we reached the base of the cable car. I rode the cable car alone, indeed it could only seat two people comfortably. The cable car ride took another 30 minutes.

I then followed other visitors explore the park. Yak Meadow it may be called but I only saw one white yak. There were some goats pestering some visitors for food. There were signs forbidding us from feeding the wild animals because well, it would mess up with their digestive system, wouldn’t it. Some visitors though were feeding them food.

I walked for an hour around the meadow or park before returning to the cable car station for the cable car down. Before long, I had boarded the bus down. I thought the bus would go to the Information Centre and that I would have to wait for another bus to Blue Moon Valley (which I read from another visitor) but the bus stopped along the way to let visitors to Spruce Meadow down and then stopped at Blue Moon Valley so I happily went down. I walked up before walking down the lakes on the side which had fewer visitors. There are five lakes and they’re among the most beautiful scenery I’d seen in China as they’re set below the majestic and towering beauty of Yulong Snow Mountain. I spent an hour there before leaving.

I took the shuttle bus to the Information Centre and followed signs for bus number 101 back to Lijiang. Everyone was sleepy in the bus in the afternoon heat. The bus dropped us just outside Dayan Old Town so I walked back to my guesthouse. I ventured out again in the early evening to find dinner. 

Thursday, 16 October 2025

I left the guesthouse at 07:40 and walked to the bus station for my 08:00 bus to Dali. Well, the bus actually left at 08:13 and stopped once for the driver to fill up and for us to use the facilities. We reached Dali just before 11:00 and I got down the bus just outside Dali Ancient Town, crossed the road and walked down the pedestrian shopping street which were thronged by shoppers and vendors.

After checking in, I ventured out to explore Dali Ancient Town, one of the few in China that is surrounded by walls. Then I walked on to the Chongsheng Temple and Three-Pagoda area. The three pagodas are the landmark of Dali. I walked in and up the many, many steps within the area to see the complex of temples. It started raining while I was there and it wouldn’t let up for the next few days. I spent exactly two hours there including waiting out the relentless rain.

I returned to the Old Town and bought some food from a halal street vendor. This would be my dinner.

To be continued

Yunnan And Hunan 2025: Part II

Sunday, 12 October 2025

Sleep was elusive again and I was up as I had been for the past week after 02:00. There are times when I was up after 01:00 and couldn’t sleep, worrying about the house. Anyway, that’s a different story.

I got up at 05:00, freshened up and performed prayers. I left at 06:50 and it was still dark. The Railway Station was only a five-minute stroll away. There were a few vendors selling hot food outside so I bought something that looked like a pancake and a corn. Then I went into the station and after security process, found my gate.

We boarded just after the earlier train departed and I soon settled in. The train was not full, at least not in my coach. We reached Xianggelila Station at 13:15. I walked out and headed for the bus stop but only bus showed up and it wasn’t going to the bus station. So in the end, I took a taxi to the bus station. It cost 25 yuan but the driver let me off for 20 yuan. I went into the bus station and bought a ticket for the following morning to Hutiaoxia Town for the Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge. The ticket cost 50 yuan. Then I walked to my hotel. The road name is slightly different, perhaps it’s been ’Tibetised’. The hotel is only a ten-minute walk from the bus station. I checked in and it took a short while before I was shown to my room on the third floor. I was gasping by then due to the thin air.

After resting and performing prayers, I ventured out to Sumtseling Gompa/Songzanlin monastery about 25 minutes’ walk away. I started feeling lethargic as I walked on, this due to the thin air. I finally reached the ticket office and paid for a ticket and shuttle bus. No way was I going to walk there and a good thing too because there was a road construction.

After taking photos, I walked in and my heart dropped when I saw the steps I had to climb. Indeed, I had to stop a few times to pause and catch my breath. Even the locals had to stop and some had oxygen tanks too. I didn’t even notice where those oxygen tanks were sold. Anyway, I finally made it to the top and walked around. It wasn’t too bad when you’re already up there.

I made my way down as I wanted to catch the bus out before 17:30. After exiting the complex, I walked until I reached a bus stop and what do you know, it served bus numbers 3 and another and I quickly searched and found that I could ride bus number 3 to Dukezong Ancient Town. The bus came at around 18:10 and I was at Dukezong within ten minutes. Dukezong Ancient Town is an ancient Tibetan town with a history of more than 1,300 years. ‘Dukezong’ is a Tibetan pronunciation, meaning ‘Moonlight City’ and ‘castle built on stone’. I stayed for an hour t before walking back to my hotel.

I did try to find dinner but in the end, bought some vegetarian ramen from a supermarket.

Monday, 13 October 2025

I woke up early this morning and left the hotel at 07:35 for my 08:00 bus to Hutiaoxia Town for the Tiger Leaping Gorge (Upper Gorge). The bus stopped at one point and a man got up. Turned out he was selling entrance tickets so I paid 45 yuan for my ticket. There was some confusion but finally I understood that I could get down at the Upper Gorge and return to the bus for the journey to Middle Gorge which is where I could take a bus to Lijiang. We reached Upper Gorge at 10:20 and after confirming with the driver that he would leave at 12:00 noon, I went down to the platform below.

And my, what a spectacular show of nature that was. It was simply incredible and breathtaking. Alhamdulillah, I felt so blessed that I was able to witness and experience the beauty and splendour of nature. It was humbling too to realise we are all just small creatures in this world and we could be swept away in the currents of life. And the currents at the Gorge was something else. If you accidentally drop something into the water, there is no way you’ll get it back. Nature is always more powerful than us mere mortals if we would only learn to accept it.

Visitors have a choice of going down and up by escalator but I decided to test my leg muscles so I climbed the stairs up. It was nowhere as challenging as the stairs at Songzanlin with its thin air.  We left Hutiaoxia and drove on to Middle Gorge. The parking spot didn’t offer much view of the gorge so one would need to walk downhill. I bought ticket for the 14:20 bus which was the first afternoon bus out to Lijiang. There, I also met five Malaysians who are travel buddies. We chatted for a while and they even kindly shared me their lunch of bread and tuna. Yes, they even haul rice cooker and food to be cooked from Malaysia.

The bus left at 14:15 and we reached Lijiang about two hours later. The driver dropped us not at the bus station. I walked about fifteen minutes to my guesthouse and I was so glad I chose to stay there because the neighbourhood was so charming, beautiful, peaceful and quiet. It’s like a little community tucked in and only about five minutes away from the bus station.

After checking in and a little rest, I went to the bus station to buy bus ticket to Yulong Snow Mountain or Jade Dragon Snow Mountain for Wednesday. Then I walked to the Old Town of Lijiang. Actually the Old Town of Lijiang comprises three parts: Dayan including Black Dragon Pool, Baisha and Shuhe Ancient Towns, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I spent 140 minutes in there. It was such a huge area.

I stopped at a Busy For You supermarket and headed back to the guesthouse after buying some food.

To be continued

Yunnan And Hunan 2025: Part I

This trip was planned back in May 2025 after I came back from East Africa. I decided to go in this trio after 7 October which is when the Golden Week ends. Did some research in the months before the trip, booked hotels, searched train times and made bookings, drew out my itinerary, etc.

Thursday, 9 October 2025

I left home after Asar prayers and made my way to the airport. I had spent enough to secure a pass tothe Plaza Premier lounge. I reached KLIA T1 just before 19:00 and made my way to the Batik Air drop-off counter. I must’ve missed the announcement that the airline had implemented self bag drop-off. Well, even a novice like me could do it.

After performing prayers, I went to Plaza Premium lounge and a good thing too as there’s no prayer room in there. And my, it was full. Tables were not cleared fast enough. I managed to get a seat after pushing away used plates and glasses. I found the food to be bland and almost tasteless except for the vegetarian noodles.

I made my way to the gate 30 minutes before take-off and was surprised to find myself the last person to board. I had a window seat but it didn’t matter as you couldn’t see outside anyway! We took off at 22:10 and I managed to doze off.

Friday, 10 October 2025

Well, I woke up just shortly after I dozed off and stayed awake despite trying to get some sleep. We landed just after 02:00. We had to fill up landing forms before going through immigration. My bag didn’t take long to emerge.

After collecting my bag, I went up to departure level to find somewhere to rest. I finally found a baby care room and rested there.

I was woken up by the cleaning lady just after 04:00. I switched off the light when she left only for her to come back in and saying something loudly to me which I took to mean not to have the light off.

After performing ablutions and prayers and freshening up, I went down to take the subway to the East Coach Bus Station. The metro fare was 5 yuan and it took a while to reach the East Coach Bus Station. There, I bought ticket to Shilin for 08:00. I saw a white man but the rest were local.

We boarded the bus and left for Shilin. The journey took about 80 minutes. We got down and changed buses (we didn’t get new ticket for the second bus so I suppose the fare was already included in the ticket) to Stone Forest. The trip took about ten minutes. There, I had to pay ten yuan to store my bag. If you have WeChat, you could store your bag without charge at storage lockers near the ticket counter. I was not able to create WeChat account.

I was not feeling well and was feeling nauseous in the bus so I rested for a bit and took a gastritis pill before making my way to the entrance of Stone Forest. Here, we had to board a shuttle into the park. We got down and walked in and before long, I found myself among the local tour groups, walking among them k dodging in between, slipping in and out from one group to another.

At Lotus Pond, I made my way up the hill and pretty soon, the crowd disappeared. I spent some time exploring and even met the white man again - he’s a Brazilian with Israhelli citizenship too.

I left the park at 12:30 and made my way back to the local bus station to get my bag, I bought the 13:00 ticket back to Kunming. From East Coach Bus Station, I rode the metro to West Coach Bus Station but when I got there, I was told there was no evening bus for the following day. Instead, there were two morning buses. I left and made my way to North Coach Bus Station - I could feel this was already at the outskirts of the city - and was told there were no buses to Shangri-La either on Saturday or Sunday.

I decided to head for my hotel to rest and ponder my next steps so I rode the metro to Chuanxingulou Station. It took me a while to find the hotel. After checking in and performing prayers, I went out to nearby Lane to find dinner. I had beef lamian for dinner.

Saturday, 11 October 2025

This morning, I headed out to Yangtou Temple, an ancient temple built in the late 8th and early 9th century. Entrance was only six yuan. I spent forty minutes there before continuing on to Green Lake. I spent another forty minutes there before walking on to Yunnan Memorial and Old Street Kunming. I spent some time wandering around the Old Street area and even went to check out Nancheng Mosque.

I walked back to my hotel and rested before checking out at 16:00. After buying some mooncakes, I had early dinner at the Muslim restaurant just next door before making my way to Yunni’s All Girls Hostel near Kunming Railway Station. It took me a while to get to the hostel, the metro exit provided by Trip was incorrect and I had to take the underground walkway to cross the rail tracks with all the stairs going down and up. The hostel is in Building 1 and I had to persuade the super to open the door for me. The hostel was clean but untidy with toothpaste tubes at the bathroom sink, plastic bags and pails in the bathroom, untidy kitchen... anyway, I was there for only a few hours. I didn’t bring a towel and had to buy a disposable one for one yuan.

After prayers, I settled myself in.

To be continued

Reconnect: Journey To The East Coast

I’d planned to visit Dabong and decided September 2025 would be a good time to do it before the monsoon season. Of course I had to get school hols out of the way first. I bumped into an old colleague at a wedding in early August and when I learnt she was based on KB, asked if she’d been to Dabong. She said no and wanted to join me. I told her I would come on 22 September and we agreed two nights in Dabong would be sufficient. Next I got in touch with a couple of lodgings in Dabong to sort out our accommodation.

I’d also asked another colleague who was sending her son for his diploma in end-September if I could get a ride back with her. Subsequently she informed she’d be leaving a day earlier so I browsed for flight tickets and as luck would have it, Firefly was having a promotion. As I was not going to get a ride after all, I decided to stay in the city instead of in Batu Buruk and paid for a bed for two nights.

The bus from TBS to Kuala Krai was so late (by 90 minutes!!!) that we eventually departed at 00:45 on 22 September instead of 23:15 on 21 September. We arrived at Gua Musang R&R at 04:30 and stopped for 30 minutes. I had initially considered taking the bus to Gua Musang and continuing on to Dabong by train but the R&R is outside town and I would have to find my way into town and the train station. Kuala Krai looked to be doable so I bought my ticket to Kuala Krai instead. After thirty minutes, we continued on.  I’d dozed off and woke up just before we entered Kuala Krai. I was the sole passenger to get off and I quickly made my way to the nearest mosque to perform morning prayers. I stayed at the mosque until 08:00 and a few of the female congregators came up to say hi to me. Very friendly folks! They all seemed surprised that I was travelling alone but I told them I was meeting a mate in Dabong.

I left the mosque and went to find breakfast. The theme over there and indeed in the East Coast is rice, rice and more rice even in the morning. Some people actually eat rice with dishes that early in the morning. I can manage nasi lemak and fried rice but that’s about it although I could make some exception when I’m travelling. I bought nasi lemak and had it at another restaurant where I ordered a hot drink. After breakfast, I walked on and when I came onto the Mini Zoo, decided to stop and have a look.

There were some works at the main entrance and I was told to walk up to the other entrance. After paying RM10 for the ticket, I walked up. There were quite a number of animals there and all looked healthy and thriving. I was the sole visitor there but then again, this was on a Monday morning right after school hols. I spent an enjoyable 70 minutes there before continuing on my way. I would highly recommend the mini zoo. I walked on to the train station, detouring briefly to Tangga Krai and a supermarket and pharmacy to buy some bread and mineral water. The train to Dabong was late by 23 minutes and I dozed off briefly during the journey. We had to pass through a few tunnels before reaching Dabong.

My colleague, N, was already waiting for me and we drove to Rose House where we would stay for two nights. After prayers, we drove to Lata Kertas 20 km away. Apart from three men who pulled up to take some photos before leaving, we were the only visitors there. We spent 20 minutes there before driving on to Gunung Stong viewpoint.

Dinner was had at the local market where an eatery was still operating. I must say it was a delicious and satisfying meal. Alhamdulillah. It rained shortly after we reached the guesthouse and it continued on until early evening.

On Tuesday, we went topping find breakfast. N had nasi ke Rabu and I decided to have the same. We returned to our room before leaving for the Cave Complex. A guide by the name of Midi came at 10:10 and brought us into the caves across from the car park. We started off with Gua Gelap so named because it was dark inside (aren’t most caves supposed to be dark though) where we had to first climb then squeeze ourselves between the narrow crevice before crawling through a small opening. This necessitated getting ourselves a bit wet and I do not like getting myself wet unnecessarily and so soon after starting our trek. But needs must so I pushed on. After some twenty minutes, we emerged from the cave and climbed up a hill and walk through a forest to reach the second cave, Gua Keris, so named because of a keris-like formation in it. Then it was on to the third cave, Gua Pagar, where there were a few intriguing formations in the cave which include the stalactites and stalagmites: sea fossils in the cave, seaweed fossil, a small crocodile-like formation, a being on a throne, gigantic shoes… we were waiting for the sunlight to penetrate through a hole in the cave ceiling which takes place between 11:00 to 11:15.

After that, we made our way out of the cave and down. This was when N’s right shoe sold decided to peel off. She soldiered on until we left the caves. After patching up her shoe and thanking Midi, we went to explore Gua Ikan. You don’t need a guide for this cave and it’s nowhere as dark as the other caves but there are bats in there.

We left and went to look for prawn noodles for lunch but alas, the two stalls selling prawn noodles were closed. So we drove back into town and had mee celik instead. Then we returned to our room to rest. Dinner was had at a restaurant very near to the guesthouse. We both had soup or bone broth as some may call it.

On Wednesday, we checked out at around 10:00 and drove towards Wakaf Bharu, stopping en route at Lata Renyuk. We had the place all to ourselves and what a lovely place it was too. All that nature had me feeling famished, so we drove to a nearby restaurant and had prawn noodles for lunch. While waiting, we shared some laksam. Honestly, no one would go hungry or starve in Malaysia as long as you can pay for your meal. After that early lunch, we drove on to Wakaf Bharu, reaching Halo Rooms Hotel just after 14:00. I checked in (there’s a RM50 deposit) and rested.

I’d managed to track down my good mate whom I’d lost contact since we finished our O-Levels equivalent and she agreed to meet. So I waited for her while reading my book (even finished it!). She messaged saying she was running late ans she had to attend a meeting on behalf of the headmaster. She finally arrived after Maghrib and we went out to find dinner and catch up. It was so great to finally meet her again after all this time. Alas, she couldn’t sleep over as her brother was coming to meet her and family so we had to say goodbye at 22:00.

On Thursday morning, I checked out at 07:05 and walked to the bus stop across from Wakaf Bharu school. I waited about ten minutes before the bus came (I was ready to leave if the bus didn’t turn up by 07:25). The fare was only RM1.30 and change was given. I asked the driver to drop me off after the bridge where I could then walk to the bus terminal. I had some forgettable fried rice for breakfast at the bus terminal food court.

The bus arrived at 08:20 and left at 08:33. I was quite impressed. We reached MBKT Bus Termjnal at 12:05 and I waited for my colleague to come. We then drove to a halal Vietnamese restaurant in Kampung Cina and I had dumpling soup for lunch. After lunch, she dropped me off at the hotel and I sat until it was 14:00 and time to check in. I went out for a walk to nearby Pasar Payang in the late afternoon (after getting some keropok lekor from a shop a few doors away from the hotel) and walked up to Pesisir Payang before turning back. Then I went to check Uptown Pulau Warisan and bought a small plastic container of forgettable coconut shake before returning to the hotel.

On Friday, I walked to find nasi dagang but the restaurant was closed so I turned back to the old Pasar Payang and had nasi air for breakfast. After checking that the water boats were not operating today, I then spent a few hours browsing in the new market and without planning to, bought two long maxi dresses. I returned to the hotel to perform prayers and rest before venturing out for dinner. The rain started then and before long turned torrential so I turned back to the nearest mamak and had a forgettable plate of fried kuay teow.

On Saturday, I went out to have breakfast at the old Pasar Payang and had nasi dagang with some keropok lekor this time. Then I went to the jetty and bought ticket for the water taxi. We left at 09:35. The ride lasted 45 minutes and honestly, I didn’t really find it exciting. So that was a waste of RM30. I walked back to the hotel and read my book.

I checked out at noon and had lunch at the halal Vietnamese restaurant. After lunch, I arranged for Grab to the airport. I had deaf lady driver for a change. We reached the airport at 13:30 and I went to perform prayers.  The 15:10 flight took off at 15:00 and we landed at 15:50. Just like the Firefly flight from Senai, we landed again on the tarmac so yeah that meant having to take a bus to the terminal. At least this time the door didn’t take that long to open. Again, we had to take the bus to the terminal. I managed to catch the 16:22 train.

So that was my week-long trip to the East Coast. I can now tick Dabong off my bucket list. And InsyaAllah, I’ll be back in either KB or KT again though maybe not so soon.

Reconnect: Journey To The South

I’ve decided that September 2025 would be a month of exploring local destinations and reconnecting - with relatives, colleagues and old friends. As it turned out, I received four wedding invitations this month and went to three of them to reconnect with old friends and colleagues.

I’d also decided for some months  to pay my aunt a visit. After looking at the calendar and the wedding invites and taking into account the school holidays, 8 September 2025 looked to be a good date to make my way down south. I didn’t call my aunt beforehand to let her know as I wanted to surprise her.

So I boarded the bus to Larkin Sentral and the bus left at 09:32, only a couple of minutes after schedule! I was quite impressed. We stopped somewhere to use the facilities before continuing on. We reached Larkin Sentral at 13:50 and I was lucky to catch the T10 bus to Pasar Pandan (yes, there’s Pandan in Johor too!) where I changed buses for T20. Must say I was impressed that we could use bank cards to pay fares on the local buses.

It rained along the way to Larkin along some stretches of the highway and it started raining again just as we were approaching Plentong. I stayed at the bus stop waiting out the rain and made my way to my aunt’s when it petered off. I didn’t call her ahead as I wanted to surprise her.

When I arrived, an unfamiliar elderly woman was there and I asked if that was my aunt’s house as I was confused. She said yes, and I entered, giving salam. My aunt just woke up for her afternoon nap and she was a but disoriented until she saw it was me. We hugged each other and she demanded to know why I didn’t call her to inform I was coming before catching herself and remembering that her house phone was actually out of order. Oh and the elderly woman was my cousin’s sister-in-law who’d been staying there for a few months.

She quickly busied herself and it wasn't long before I was at the kitchen table, having a cuppa and eating some cakes. She then served me curry noodles that she happened to have. We caught up as best as we could before I performed prayers. After Asar prayers, an elderly neighbour dropped by. She didn’t stay long though.

Later in the afternoon, I went up a small hill and discovered a path. I followed the path before turning back and going up the other way before returning back to my aunt’s. In my absence, my aunt rang her son and daughter and have them come over at night to meet me.

I had booked a room at a budget guesthouse reasoning that if I felt uncomfortable, I would leave the following day. Well, my cousin’s SIL was starting to bother me. She didn’t help my aunt unless asked, she was glued to the TV, she didn’t chip in with the groceries or pay the utility bills and she even wore my aunt’s clothes! I know it’s not my house but I was bothered by this lazy woman. She acted like a VIP guest, my poor aunt did most things, and she would also do something when asked like boiling water and making drinks.

On Tuesday, the elderly neighbour who came the previous afternoon came. My aunt invited her to have breakfast. After breakfast, she joined the lazybones in the living room and next thing I knew, both were dozing away with the TV blaring and the fan on. She must be so familiar with my aunt, she must’ve done this for some time to be comfortable doing so and yet I found it disgusting and disturbing. It looked like a few people are taking my aunt’s generosity and hospitality for granted. I mentioned this to her and she said she liked it when guests dropped by. Yes, sure, but neighbours who drop by almost daily for free meals? Oh and guess what? The elderly neighbour stayed until lunch! Yes, come for one free meal and get another. What a great deal! And she came empty handed. No sense of shame at all!

I’d told my aunt that I needed to leave around noon so we had lunch at 12:30 before performing prayers. My cousin came to send me off despite my protests. Anyway, the rain that started in mid-morning showed no sign of petering off. We made good time despite the lunchtime traffic and rain and arrived in downtown just before 14:00. I then walked to my guesthouse about 25 minutes away. I didn’t let my cousin drop me at the guesthouse for specific reasons.

I arrived at Memory Guesthouse at 14:40 and checked in. After some brief information, I was shown to my room. I waited out the rain before venturing out. Dinner was had at a newly opened restaurant near Pasar Karat. I had mee bandung served in claypot and it was pretty good. I asked what the operating hours were and was told the restaurant opens at 09:00.  Not being in the mood to shop or browse, I turned and walked back to the guesthouse.

On Wednesday, I went out to have breakfast at Raden Cafe nearby. I checked out of the guesthouse at 11:45 and walked to downtown to meet a colleague. To my annoyance, the restaurant where I had dinner and asked twice if it would open today from breakfast was closed. So we had our lunch at another restaurant which to me cost higher than in KL

After lunch, we parted ways and I went to perform prayers at a nearby prayer room built by the city hall.  After prayers, I hurried to City Square to find shelter as it was starting to rain. And boy, did it rain! The mall was crowded by shoppers, travellers and those seeking shelter from the rain. I crossed over to JB Sentral and waited for my 17:00 bus to Senai Airport. My flight had been retimed from 18:40 to 19:20 and it was either kill time in the city or at the airport.

The bus took 55 minutes to reach Senai Airport. My retimed flight arrived only just before 19:00 so we only landed at KLIA at 20:20. And when it did, it took so dang long before the door was opened and we had to take the bus to the terminal. Which all meant that I missed the 20:52 train.

I reached home well after 23:00 in the rain.