TRANG – KUALA KEDAH (MALAYSIA)

Not even the crap lying all around can spoil awesome scenery: an empty beach, the sea and lonesome fishermen boats. Soon we approach the border of Malaysia and most of all it feels in the outfit of the locals: now women are wearing long skirts and scarves on their heads and men all wear beards and white tuckers. These are Muslim lands where also few Buddhists live; besides, it looks like both religions are getting along peacefully. There is no more beer available at the gas stations and cafes. This problem, however, is easy solvable: we just get our own big foam box full of ice and bottles. At 3PM we are at the Wang Kelian border control point. The carnet is closed at our request and we get out of Thailand. In Malaysia, even the border control workers are interested in our equipment and route, plus, they all speak good English. The attitude is very friendly, Latvian citizens don’t need a visa, yet, we definitely need ATA carnet. Luckily, we have the necessary document and very soon we are about to drive in Malaysia. However, not all of us are so lucky: since Ringold’s “pigsty” has Thai numbers and the certificate of registration filled in Thai, they need a translation. This question gets solved in the nearest town, 40 kilometers away from here. Already in the dark we cross the border of the battered harbor town to get up early and visit the Lankavi Island.