(Daniel) This morning I woke up very early, I couldn’t sleep much, and was unsure of the area, and therefore whether the Wolf was safe here at night. I was relieved to find that everything was fine and after a cold shower, spotted that the swelling on my legs had gone down a little.  I resigned myself to staying inside for a few days to recover, and started to type up some of the diary entries which I had neglected in Kuantan.  I noticed that some of the soap had been eaten during the night, and realised that this must have been the rodents which I could hear banging and clattering away.  I spent most of the morning typing away, every time I got tired of writing, I would go and unload some more stuff from the Wolf.  Trying not to spend too much time in the sun, as I needed to let the burns on my legs go down before I could get on with any more outdoor activities!  I noticed that each time I went outside, a load of lizards that had been hunting for insects or basking in the sun suddenly ran into various holes in the garden, they looked like monitors but smaller, I spotted one improving his hole at one point, a comical but effective style of digging.  I love lizards, and find them really interesting, I might try and catch one, but they are so timid, and very fast.  I will put some thought to it!

I drove out for lunch, spotting a couple of resorts further down the road, on inspection not suitable for eating, and populated by Malay Muslim tourists.  Eventually I found a roadside restaurant, and stopped for some Nasi Goreng. The owner came and sat with me while I ate, his name was Sunny.  We talked about my travels, and religion.  When I went to leave he told me that I didn’t have to pay, but I insisted, in the end he gave me a free drink to take with me, a can of 100-plus, an isotonic energy drink that I seem to be getting addicted to!

I returned to the house, and typed up some more diary before going for a walk along the beach.  As I walked there were a few guys fishing on the beach, I tried to talk to them, but they waved in my face and said, “no speak!”   I found it very frustrating and embarrassing, that here I was having driven half way around the world, and met countless people that didn’t speak a word of English, or any other language that I knew, and yet still we had managed to communicate.  But here people didn’t want to listen, I am not sure if they are too proud or shy, but they were putting up a barrier before they gave me a chance.  I walked back to the house, fed up, trying to tell myself that this was a minor thing, and that these were simple people who needed a little more time.  I couldn’t help but feel a little peeved though.  After another shower, and a couple of beers, of which I had a fridge full, having brought them with me on Aleyna’s advice.  While I sat, I made some small traps to try and catch on of the timid lizards, but they were too slick, walking through them, or pushing them aside from the hole entrance where I put them.  I noticed that some locals were watching me, and wondered what they thought of this strange person who had turned up with his 4 tons of Land Rover and kit, then hardly left the room, only appearing to try and catch lizards!

Later on I drove back to the same restaurant, and sat down to eat  some more Nasi Goreng.  It turned out that Sayid’s wife was form Thailand, and so I could talk with her, I explained my issues from the day, and she told me that people here were very shy, and were afraid to try and talk to me.  I understood this, but still it didn’t do anything to stop my frustration.  Sayid's daughter was also there, and she spoke to me in English.  I showed them my newspaper articles, and they were very impressed.  Especially when I told them about Iran and Pakistan.  As we spoke, the power cut, and I finished my meal to candlelight. I think that Sayid's daughter was quite taken with me, as she said some things when I left that made me think this.  Just how pleased she was to have met me, it was more the way which it was said.  She also said that she was sad, because she was going to University that night, and wouldn’t be back for several weeks, I thanked them for a lovely meal, and headed home.

My laptop was charged, so I sat in darkness and watched a DVD, while I drank some of my beers, and then after going outside for a while to watch the moon rising over the sea, through the palm trees, I went to bed again.  It already feels like I have been here for a long time.

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