No durian here

The fabled fruit of SE Asia and it's durian season now. I'll try forego it!

It was a wet morning so there was no point in trailing round the town so I had a brief stroll round the attached mall. There appeared to be a blood drive going on in the foyer.

Once it cleared and I'd checked out I did have a walk, past the old market place, covered in scaffold that #1 tells me is being done up as a tourist attraction. This town is full of hawker courts, everywhere people are eating.

I sat by the lake for a while but it was very hot and humid. Then after tuna sandwich and honey iced lemon tea off to the station. The train was busy but I got my seat. And suddenly I am back in tourist land. It was an uphill schlepp from the terminus to the feri terminal and I did wish I still had two wheels on my case, but I made it.

The ferry, 10 minutes, 25p, was full and there were a lot of backpackers. In fact that's of of the changes I notice since I was here almost 12 years ago, far more European tourists.

Took a teksi (RM20!), no Grab to Hotel Penaga. Sadly it has aged since 2011 and the lap pool is now a koi pond.

Walked round for a bit and then, avoiding the tourists in Lebuh Chulah, found a Chinese family restaurant frequented by locals

Then back for an early night.