Kuala Terengganu-Cherating

Total Distance:162.92km
Total Time:9h04m06s
Average Speed:17.9km/h
Maximum Speed:35.5km/h
Total Distance So Far:10,708.68km

Since being back in Malaysia I've had great experiences with the people here. However, I must confess, I find myself slightly disappointed. There really is not much to see or do here, and everything is rather expensive. I spent two nights in Kuala Terengganu. While there is a couple of islands off the coast, it has become quite apparent that visiting all these islands is a little out of my price range, so I stayed on the mainland. There were the usual sights there, a Mosque, a Palace, but nothing that really made me stop in my tracks.
After a couple of days I decided to head off to Chatering. The ride there was generally nice, except for one 20km stretch of road. Everything was going pretty smooth until, all of a sudden, I found myself among a big bustling highway. It was loud and windy, and everywhere I turned were power plants and oil refineries. It was really unpleasant. Like I said, it only lasted about 20km, and other than that the ride was pretty nice.
One definitely doesn't have to worry about finding a place to stay in this part of Malaysia. You could actually walk down the east coast and, given the amount of beach resorts which seem to pop up about every few kilometers, have no problem with accommodations.
I arrived in Cherating the night before last. I think it may just be my favorite place in eastern Malaysia so far. It's a quiet little beach town. There are a reasonable amount of tourists here, but they don't flood the beach like in the Perehntian Islands. The guesthouse I'm staying at, for once, is not too expensive and the owners are extremely friendly. However, all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow I'm taking off again. I think I'm pretty much just going to work my way to Singapore where I'll catch a flight to Indonesia.
I'm thinking I might have to leave Fred behind on my Indonesia adventure, although nothing has really been decided for sure. First of all, if I fly I'll have to pack him up and reassemble him once in Indonesia. Secondly, getting from island to island may be a huge pain with a bike. Finally, it's so damn hot! I think it might be nice to just take a bus for a while instead of baking in the hot Asian heat all day every day. If I get any more tanned I'll be hardly recognizable to my family when I get home.