(Daniel) After last nights long journey back from the Kenyir Dam, I was looking forward to a lie in.  But at 8am the door to the cabin erupted in a loud knocking, with shouts of “It’s the Police!”  Now don’t be afraid, I wasn’t!  As I am sure that the Police never do that, unless they think that someone deaf or dead is inside!  I got up and wrapped a sarong around myself before opening the door.  Lawrence burst in laughing, and looked around at all my stuff in piles around the room.  “I had better give you time to wake up.” He smiled.  I explained the events of yesterday, and what I had been up to since last seeing him at the Land Rover Club anniversary.  He was suitably impressed by the tale of repairs and adventures in the Jungle.

I got dressed then and walked over to the Café next door where Lawrence was waiting.  He knew the owner,  with whom I had formed a non speaking friendship of sorts.  It was amusing to hear the locals tales of my mishaps here, the boat and engine, winching off the beach and the Chinese film crew that were still kicking around the area.  This last subject was a particularly sore point, as apparently the smart production manager was playing everyone off against each other, and promising everyone payment for use of their land, but never coming up with any cash! I was pleased to be able to explain my part in their using the land in front of the house to park before I went to Cameron.

The Café owner and his wife seemed to warm to me then, and started to fuss with extra helpings of breakfast and coffee.  The coffee was the sort that you see in cowboy movies, not realizing this, I took a mouthful of grounds fram about half way down and had to subtly find a home for them!

Lawrence told me that he had been speaking to a friend on the phone, Tong Sen Lip, a local Chinese tycoon who owned a resort in Redang.  He had mentioned me, and Tong Sen had insisted on coming to meet me.  “Sure!” I said.  “Does he want to come down tomorrow?”  “Oh no.” Lawrence replied, “He should be here any minute!”  I panicked and paid the bill before going inside and changing into some cleaner clothes.

Just as I walked back  outside, a shiny Range Rover pulled up outside the house, this was Tong Sen Lip and his wife arriving.    I was tired and dirty despite having had a shower already.  Tong Sen and his wife were immaculately turned out.  Rather than get too involved in small talk, Tong Sen suggested that we accompany them back to Terrenganu, and take coffee with them. Apparently Tong Sen and Lawrence had some papers to look through. 

About one hour later I found myself in a café on the Chinese section of Terrenganu.  We were drinking coffee, and eating a local delicacy that looked remarkably like miniature buns with butter on.  I nearly embarrassed myself by eating four at once, but Tong Sen’s wife began to explain what they were and I separated the bite size breads just in time, saving myself from looking like a barbarous pig.  Afterwards we drove back in the Range Rover to Tong Sens hous.  A luxurious place with a picturesque river crossing the bottom of the garden.  His outside seating area looked like a page from Conte Naste and the interior was as European in decoration as any house in England. 

I sat down rather uncomfortably in the front room, while Tong Sen and Lawrence sat down in the other room and started to read through papers.  In the end a frustrated Lawrence looked through to me and said, “You should get Daniel to read through these, this really requires a native English speaker.”

I picked up the papers and instantly recognized a tenancy agreement.  It seems that Tong Sen was trying his hand at the rental market, and didn’t like the terms in the stanrard contract which he purchased.  I spoke with him, and explained the meanings of the various passages.   Then followed a two or three hour session of rewriting the terms to suit him.  I won’t  go into the details, but suffice to say that the chips will always fall on Tong Sens side if the tenant does anything other than the agreed term and conditions.  

With the contract rewritten and typed up on a laptop, Tong Sen announced that we would have to join him at his club for lunch.  So once again we piled back into the Range Rover, and drove to the Clubhouse of a very smart looking Golf and Country Club.  I was treated treated to a meal of steak, and ate this with probably a little bit too much zea;.  Afterwards our hists drove us back to Batu Rackit and said fond goodbyes.  Tong Sens wife even gave me a crate of beer that they had obviously put in the boot as payment for my time.  When they left Lawrence and I were left alone on the porch.  He asked about my seeing my laptop, which I brought out.  Suddenly he produced an external harddrive from somewhere, and strated to open up my machine.  “Your lucky.!  He said.  “I know a bit about computers.”

After a host of different ideas, we finally had the contents of my hard drive on the screen of his laptop, he started to copy them across, but stopped the operation.  The operation would take a long time at this speed, and he had to get back to Terrenganu to a friends house where he had been staying.  I agreed to go with him.  We also discussed my next move, which had originally been to drive up to Thaialand, and collect Rowan and Gabby from Bangkok Airport.  I now needed a new Hard Drive.

Lawrence suggested that tomorrow I come back here and pack my stuff before driving with him back to his place in KL.  There we could buy and reload a new Hard Drive.  Collect the old data from this one, and I would be able to take the much safer road to Thailand, avoiding the troubled areas of Yala and Pattani.  In truth I had wanted to drive through these areas to see first hand what the fighting between Thais and Muslims was about.  But this may have been a little dangerous.

We agreed on this plan, and I headed with him to Terrenganu, via thye market to pick up some dinner.

When we arrived, we stayed up with his friends at a beautiful house on the beach.  I camped in the Garden, and slept well with the sea breeze to keep me cool. Another long day!

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