...and then comes a day where everything goes wrong :p :D :D (Day 130 of the world trip)

12.01.2020

This morning at 7:00 am, the Wi-Fi wasn't working :O Wow! It's crazy, but it actually bothered me :D :D Not only because I was looking forward to possible news from home, but also because I wanted to check a few things for our plan today. But without internet, you're really helpless^^

During breakfast, we had one slice of bread left, so we had to divide it "unfairly" (I gave it to Jonas because I was somewhat full :p)

The internet was finally working - yay! And then we packed everything because today we wanted to go swimming! <33

Since the beach or the sea are not suitable for swimming because of the jellyfish, I googled a few cheap/free alternatives. One of them is the Forest Eco Park, which is only 2 km away from the national park.

There are some hiking trails there, but also a waterfall with several small pools where you can swim/splash around! It sounded very inviting because any cooling down is welcome in these temperatures :)

For the way, we brought toast and bread rolls again and then wanted to buy bananas at the fruit vendor on the corner. That was the plan.

Shortly after we started walking, I realized that I had to go to the bathroom (the bus ride takes an hour and you want to be sure :p :D :D). So, we turned around, I took care of it, and then we went out again.

This time we made it a few meters further, but then Jonas realized that he had forgotten his phone! :O Since he needs Maps.Me as a navigator for us, that was essential. So, he went back to the hostel for the second time while I wanted to buy the fruit.

Well. Today is Sunday, and for the first time in an Asian country, you can feel that because almost all the shops are closed :D :D That is, of course, their right, but we were really surprised and I was even a bit disappointed because fruit is more refreshing than just toast with butter :p

Anyway. So, we went to the bus stop with the snacks we had. Everything went smoothly there, and we got on our line 101 <3

We had already taken this route several times, so it wasn't that exciting^^ Just before we reach the national park, there is a roundabout. If you take the first exit from our perspective, you come to a water park. This is next to the Eco Forest, where we wanted to go today, so we also wanted to get off there.

The second exit leads just under a kilometer to the national park, the bus terminus.

Since there was only one other white person on the bus besides us, the bus driver called out "National Park?" before the roundabout. Jonas enthusiastically answered "yes!" and the girl also wanted to go there. I was momentarily confused by Jonas' response and then watched in horror as we ignored the first exit in the roundabout and simply drove towards the national park :O

When I asked Jonas about his incomprehensible statement, he explained that he had misunderstood the bus driver. He had understood the name of our actual stop and therefore affirmed it :D :D

I was a bit annoyed that we now had to walk the 2 km back in the sun, and I was already a bit whiny because I have muscle soreness in my calves, my right knee hurts, and I had actually hoped that we wouldn't do anything strenuous today :D :D

Well, sure, 2 km is a short distance, but in this climate, it was somehow more exhausting than taking a walk at home ;-)

But since we couldn't change the situation anyway, Jonas and I just took the path, and I was happy about every piece of shade^^

Once we arrived at the Eco Forest, we entered the beautifully designed entrance of the park and made our way towards the waterfall and pool. There were already stalls selling swimming toys like inner tubes or life vests, so the anticipation was high.

But when we arrived at the first pool, the mood changed, and I suddenly felt very foolish :D

Of course, there were many locals there (it's Sunday), but all the women were wearing long pants, long-sleeved tops, and a headscarf, even when they went into the water. It was absolutely not an option for me to join them in a bikini.

We are in a Muslim country, after all ;-) I was a bit annoyed that I didn't think about it better. I thought I could just swim in a bikini and a T-shirt, but it wouldn't have been right without long pants and a headscarf^^

Well. Jonas then became interested in one of the hiking trails, and although I protested (stairs again :D :D), we walked up the trail for a few minutes, past a few barriers. Some of the trails here are apparently closed, but in general, it looks like a great area for hiking!!! :)

Eventually, we turned around and decided to take a quick look at the water park. We had passed it anyway, and it has the longest tube slide in the world, with over 1 km in length and partly through the treetops (I only interpret the latter from the picture, but the length is apparently a fact^^) :O

But first, we checked if I would be allowed to go in there in a bikini, and at least we were lucky in that regard. This full-body clothing is explicitly prohibited in the park ;-)

So, we went to the ticket counter and then saw a price on the display that almost made our eyes pop out :D :D 167 Ringgit per person, which is about 40€ :O We would have done it for 20€, even though that is above our usual expenses, but 40€ was really, really expensive for us.

So, we left the entrance without a ticket and went back to the roundabout. We took the third exit there (we didn't know that one yet^^) and went towards the water, but when we arrived, we found a jetty and providers for water sports - so no possibility to bathe/relax there.

Well. On the way from George Town to the national park, there are a handful of really nice beaches that looked public, so we decided to drive to one of these beaches and try our luck there.

Something had to work today, right! :D :D

But before we went to the bus stop, we had to buy a drink to get change for our 10 Ringgit note. In the bus, you have to pay the exact fare. There is no change :O If we had paid our 4 Ringgit with the 10 Ringgit note, we would have "lost" 6 Ringgit for no reason.

Since most minimarts there were also closed, Jonas finally decided on a Pepsi with vanilla flavor at one of the nearby food stalls. Of course, he didn't like the taste^^

Then we went to the bus stop, where a bus had just left :( Do you recognize a pattern? :D :D

I gathered the appropriate money, and when we finally got on the next bus, I left my gym bag on the bench :O Luckily, Jonas reacted quickly, and I was able to pick it up before we drove off^^

It is already our last day on Penang tomorrow :O It will probably be another hike. It depends on who of us two prevails, as I actually want to relax :D :D

In any case, I hope there will be fewer "incidents" tomorrow. In retrospect, today was quite eventful, but as always, we take it with humor :)