And then the bus broke down....twice

So on Wednesday morning we woke up bright and early to begin our voyage out of the tundra that was the beautiful Cameroon Highlands (seriously, it was super cold there) to go to Pulau Pangkor, an island off the west coast of Malaysia. The island is beautiful, albeit slightly deserted (slightly is an understatement) and we are having a great time relaxing and resting up before Vietnam. However, as gorgeous as the island is and as much fun as we are having here, I think the voyage to the island is a much better story...

So here was our plan: wake up early, catch a bus from the Cameroon Highlands to Ipoh, catch a 2nd bus from Ipoh to Lumut, catch a ferry from Lumut to the islands.

Here is what happened:
1. Wake up early - We did this part successfully
2. Bus from Cameroon Highlands to Ipoh - Arriving at the bus stop 15 minutes prior to the departure of the bus we decide to go to the postoffice to get stamps to mail home post cards. The line at said post office is crazy long. At 10:58 (bus was leaving at 11) I turn to Colby and am like, we need to go - the bus is leaving in 2 minutes and our bags are already on the bus. Believing that nothing in this country ever happens on time (which is sooooo true) I go back to hold the bus while Colby (now next in line) gets the stamps. I get back to the bus as its about to pull away (a fellow backpacker we had met was holding it for us). I spent the next 5 minutes trying to convince the bus driver (who spoke NO english) to wait so as not to leave my friend behind. Said bus driver runs out of patience. I convince him to wait 2 more minutes, during which time I run back to the post office, grab Colby (who is licking stamps onto our post cards) and together we run back to the bus. Of course, the 1 bus driver in the entire country who likes to be on time is ours....oops!
3. Bus fom Ipoh to Lumut - Upon arriving in Ipoh we decide we need to find the first bus out to Lumut (not want, need - the place was gross). We found a bus scheduled to leave in 15 minutes. Awesome. 40 minutes later (see, I told you nothing here leaves on time!) we board the bus. After sitting on the bus for 2 minutes we unboard the bus. Turns out, the bus was broken and would't start. Ok. A new bus pulls up that we all load onto. Awesome. Said new bus (with us aboard) pulls out of gross Ipoh. Five minutes later, the air conditioning on the bus breaks and the bus itself seems like it is on its last legs. Said bus dies. We all pile out of bus #2 and wait on the side of the road (this is Malaysia, its hot) for 30 minutes until a new bus can arrive. Mind you, we had no idea what was going on during these 30 minutes nor were we sure if a new bus was coming. Since no one spoke any English (and we no Malay) there was definitely a lack of communication going on here. For those of your who have heard the stories about when Colby and I were stranded on the island in Greece because the ferry wouldn't run and we subsequently almost missed our flights home, you can imagine the flashbacks we were having! Anyways, eventually a new bus arrives and we board - luckily, this time the bus does not die :) I guess what they say is true...three times a charm!
4. Ferry from Lumut to Pulau Pangkor - Success!!