We weren't 100% sure what the time the ferry for Lankawi departed so we were on our bicycles and on the road soon after seven o'clock this this morning.   Satun is stretched out along the main road and holds many mosques, including a lovely large modern one, wats and even an Assembly of God church.  What really caught my eye was a lovely Chinese temple with this lovely pillar outside.

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While stopped at some traffic lights we noticed some interesting fried dumplings at a stall on the side of the road.  We bought a collection of various ones made from shrimp, corn and bananas and had a good natter with the young lady vendor.  We stopped at a bench on the side of the road to eat them and were joined by an older man on a motorcycle who had seen us buying breakfast.  He just wanted to chat and nattered away in pretty good English while we ate.  I am sure Malaysia being so close by must have an influence on the English language skills of Thais on this part of the peninsular because in rural areas further north you won't hear a word of English being spoken.

I guess the plan was to buy some breakfast at the ferry port but it is probably just as well we bought the little fried dumplings when we did because what was on offer when we got to the ferry port wasn't very appealing. 

The ferry was delayed for half an hour because the tide was out and the journey was pretty boring because we were seated on airline type seats with zero view of what was happening outside.  There was a movie showing but who in their right mind wants to watch Aquaman ?

The ferry port at Kuah looks like an international airport.  Large, clean, modern and packed with shops of all kinds.  Passing through passport control was swift and easy and before we knew it we were back on our bicycles cycling off to the Greenish Hotel.   

Malaysia is just so strikingly different to Thailand and Kuah particularly so because it is a very modern and affluent looking little city.  Even the streets and parking bays are laid out differently and of course it is overwhelmingly Muslim as opposed the the mix that exists just an hour's ferry ride away.

The list price at the Greenish Hotel is apparently 400 Malaysian Ringits but somehow we got a room for 117 via Booking.com although why anyone would want to pay 400 MYR for the room we have is beyond me.  The hotel itself is pretty good and the room is excellent value at the price we paid.  There's a lovely swimming pool - which we used as soon as we could - and it is close by to some traditional Malay food halls and various shops. 

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After our swim we headed off to look for an ATM because in our rush through the ferry port I forgot to draw money.  Luckily there were a number of ATMs close by to the food halls near the hotel so straight after drawing some cash we sat down do our first Malaysian curries (one fish and the other calamari) in more than a year a half.  After a few weeks in Thailand it was good to be faced with different flavours again.