John and Elizabeth Travels

11.6.10 Driving into Bangkok, we realise we have lost 2 trucks! Kym & Michael have been “apprehended” at a toll bridge. We are about 3 kms ahead, and wait for 1/2hr till they catch us up. The Inspector fined them for going thru the ‘wrong’ lanes!! The “fine” started at 2000 bhat for 2 trucks, but Kym eventually negotiated the bribe which went into the Inspector’s top pocket, to 250bh each!!. 15.6.10 Border Crossing CAMBODIA – arrive 10:00 and join the queue at Poi Pet. Every manner of transportation imaginable! Hilarious! Many many handpushed carts, loaded incredibly high, and it is swelteringly hot again. Three checkpoints leaving Thailand – We are in & out of our trucks, struggling with the language - emigration; trucks papers cancelled; passports & Customs; then through the gates, and start all over again for entering Cambodia. 4 different offices – immigration separately for us, and our trucks; Customs, Passport control, and after a 2.5hrs struggle, we are on our way! W

MALAYSIA We can’t leave without a drama! We find that the Singapore to KL sector of our flight has been cancelled. (Apparently our agent cancelled it for ONE, as Gaylene was unable to fly, but the airline cancelled all of us). We pay up, and secure seats. Then, John is thoroughly frisked as he is wearing a back brace; Bill is hauled aside for the explosives check; and Kym has an Torx Key in his kit! Concerned that he might unscrew the entire plane with it, he has to return and check it thru as “luggage”!! Mile upon mile of palm trees – the first impression of Kuala Lumpur! They just go forever, and palm oil is now Malaysia’s biggest export. Most of the virgin forest has gone, and rubber exporting is now 2nd. The palm trees grow for 25 years, cropping every 2 weeks! KL – a typical busy dirty city, but we stay in a beautiful old world style hotel, and our room has views of the Petronas Towers at night. They, of course, are “Closed Mondays”, so we head to the KL tower which actually gives