This time the newsletter is written from Luang Prabang in Laos. I needed a little holiday from Pulau Pangkor. However, life on the internet goes on and some news reached me I didn't want to keep from you.

I felt I needed to get back on my bicycle. As you maybe know, I am very much into bicycle traveling, even devoted a website on cycling: www.bicycle-adventures.com.

You can read some additional adventures here on my bike blog:

http://bicycle-adventures.blogspot.com/

However, being on the road doesn't mean I don't continue working on updating and adding more information to the Pulau Pangkor website. On the contrary, with the internet nowadays almost everywhere available, I can be anywhere to write new pages and newsletters!

Therefore, this time in the :

• Mount Kinabalu Climbathon
• Lumut - Dindingh River - a cruise in the swamps
• The Bus to Pangkor
• Kellies Castle, Ipoh
• ChooseIt - find your subject to write a website
• Students want to make money during the school holiday, SBI helps
• David's travels www.bicycletouringmalaysia.com
• 123 Greetings.com
• Malaysian food: free e-book

You can read latest updates in my Blog:
http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/Pulau-Pangkor-blog-1.html

Or, socialize it with:

Automatic Social Bookmarking

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You may have read it already but here it is again. At Sabah, east Malaysia the annual Mount Kinabalu Climbathon is going to happen at September 30. Read more about the Climbathon in this article Ruhaizad Daud from http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com wrote forn the Pulau Pangkor website:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/mount-kinabalu.html

In Ruhaizad last newsletter he wrote he has set up a photo gallery with pictures of the last years. Obviously he will add pictures of this years event:

http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/gallery/index.php

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Lumut - Dindingh River - A cruise in the swamps

I have something with areas away from the beaten path, But I am also quite lazy. When Mr. Syed from the Era Bed and Breakfast Hotel in Lumut told me he does cruises in the Dindingh river swamps, I was immediately interested.

Everybody who comes to Lumut sees the Dindingh river. Few realise it's good way to escape from the "civilized world". The river contains a few arms in which there is a lot of wild life and birds to see. Mr. Syed took me in two of those arms and let me enjoy the peace and quietness of the swamps and mangrove forest, just a few kilometers away from Lumut and the modern world.

Read more about the mangrove swamps in the Dindingh river:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/lumut-dinding-cruise.html

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The Bus to Pangkor (Lumut)

It doesn't happen often. Usually I get my bicycle and cycle to wherever I want to go. Penang is a good two days bike ride. Kuala Lumpur too. However, most people are not so enthusiastic about cycling as I am. The locals here in Malaysia think usually I am crazy to cycle in the heat. "Why not take the bus?", I hear sometimes. Nice, comfortable and air-conditioned. They are, of course, right from their point of view.

This time I had to use the bus to Penang. My bicycle went in the cargo and I sat comfortably inside and in 2 and a half hours I was in Butterworth. In Malaysia people love the air-condition. Therefore a warning for you who is going to use the bus: bring a sweater and long trousers in the bus as the temperature inside can be as low as 16 °C. Not all busses are that cold. However, be prepared.

There are many busses to and from Pangkor. Actually, the busses do not go to Pangkor as it is an island. All busses start and finish in Lumut, just opposite of the ferry terminal. More about busses and the departure/arrival times you can read here:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/bus-to-Pangkor.html

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Kellies Castle near Ipoh

A good day out from Pangkor can be a visit to Ipoh. Ipoh has a nice little old city center, great Chinese temples in the nearby Karst mountains and a large shopping center just outside the city center. However, there are more things to visit in Ipoh. For example: Kellies Castle, a few kilometers southwest of the city. There's a long story to tell about the castle which I won't do right here. You can read the whole (tragic) story here. The castle itself is nicely restored. It's definitely worth a visit

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/Kellies-Castle.html

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ChooseIt - find your subject to write a website

In need for some additional cash, thinking about writing a website but no idea what subject you want to write about? Then ChooseIt is your solution. Choose It! is decision making software that lets you take tough questions and make decisions quickly and easily. Just on that basis, it's amazing software. Add in the fact that it's free, and it's truly one of the Web's jewels.

http://chooseit.sitesell.com/webselling64290.html

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Students want to make money during the school holiday

How many students need some additional money for the next school year? When I was a student I could always use some extra money. During the school holiday I worked in different jobs, from a flowershop to a meatfactory, even a ammunition factory. I know, I know, everybody makes mistakes:)

Nowadays it's a lot easier with the internet. Site Build It has started at schools in Montreal teaching students to use the internet in an effective way to make money. It's in fact quite simple. How to start your own business while you are still at school? Read more here:

http://students.sitesell.com/webselling64290.html

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David's travels

David is a good friend of mine. He's one of the few Malaysians who is, like me, a cyclist. David lives with his family in Parit Buntar, 40 km south of Penang (Butterworth). Apart of being a great friend he is also very well known in the are in and around Parit Buntar. Many locals will frown and wonder what is so special about Parit Buntar or Kuala Kurau. Once you have joined David on one of his many trips in the area you will know.

The fishermen town of Kuala Kurau never stops to amaze me. The Bird Sanctuary in Kuala Gula is nearby. Of course Penang is close by but also Taiping with it's lush Lake gardens, Maxwell Hill and the great Zoo (check my pages about Taiping:

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/Taiping.html

David has a little homestay, with a double room with bathroom available. Although David gets in general more cyclist around then other travelers, he welcomes everybody who wants to experience a typical Malaysian lifestyle for a few days. David and his family will welcome you. Check his website (which is partly still under construction) or simply give him a call. He can pick you up in Butterworth too if you have no transport to Parit Buntar. David's telephone: 019-4754622

http://www.bicycletouringmalaysia.com/

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123Greetings.com

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Or, if you want a weekly dose of fun and joy, you simply subscribe to the online email newsletters at 123Greetings.com ! This free weekly newsletter service is your one-stop fill for interesting updates on coming events, free ecards and exciting offers from our partners and sponsors. Just go get it and make your loved ones smile.

http://www.123greetings.com/newsletter/

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Malaysian food: Free e-book

The had last year in every issue some recipes of dishes you can find in and around Pangkor and in other areas in Malaysia. I have collected those recipes and put them together in a free e-book which, until now, was only available for the readers of the You may have missed the e-book last year. Here's your new chance. Have fun with the preparation of the recipes and enjoy your Malaysian meal.

http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/ebookrecipes

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