MALAYSIA - Kota Bharu

Painting design on silk freehand.
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It was a strange way to spend my 43rd birthday. In the morning I got on a minibus with a bunch of Malaysians to cross the border.Conversation was non existent and during the day I became a little down as it wasn't the most exciting b'day i've ever had and  thoughts turned to home. Silly really,  cos it's only a day and the last 6 months have been one long celebration.

The guesthouse was only a 5 minute walk from the bus station although the taxi drivers would have charged me 7 ringet to get there. I'm developing a universal dislike of taxi drivers! Many people ( but not all) are genuine and helpful with no ulterior motive , but taxi drivers seem to be in a league of their own and will happily charge whatever they think they can get away with. As with all generalizations I'm sure there are are exceptions...I just haven't met them yet. Free tip.If you have to use one, ALWAYS negotiate the price before you get in!

Dinner at the nightmarket with Pavla and Jakub.
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I'd just finished phoning home that evening , feeling very sorry for myself ,  to find a couple i'd met earlier ( Pavla and Jakub)had bought me a cake and a card! Very sweet of them and we had a nice chat.I went to bed in a much better frame of mind.

The three of us went on a tour of the area the next day with Zeck the owner of the Guesthouse. He seemed to know everyone and even introduced us to the step-brother of the Sultan. That's what he told us anyway and certainly this guy seemed to command respect from everyone he saw. It was a busy morning, seeing , along with the customary temples , silversmiths at work , kite making and batik production - a long labour intensive process where designs are painted onto fabric with no template to follow before being dyed.

Kites at workshop.
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The local Cultural Centre gave us a chance to watch and take part in local activities .One was a game launching spinning tops at another on a mat with the object of knocking your opponents off. Harder than it looks but easier than trying to explain it!

We went for a meal at the night market, trying to pick dishes that were the least popular with the flies. Some sweet dishes were covered with a little black swarm...ugh. No sooner had we sat down than  the stalls started closing .The reason being Kota Bharu is a largely Muslim town and everything stops for the evening prayers. An hour later and it's business as usual.

Spinning tops.Toys for boys.
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As for most foreign visitors, Kota Bharu was really just a launch pad for me to Paula  Perhentian.The next day a group of us piled into the minibus to take us to Kuala Besut for the boat to the smaller of the Perhentian islands.