Miserable in Mersing Malaysia

Miserable in Mersing Malaysia

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Mersing Malaysia is the gateway to Tioman Island, a very popular destination for travellers. We had a pleasant coach ride down to Mersing from Cherating, on a very comfortable Adik Beradik coach. The 240km trip took around 4 hours, including a 20-minute stop along the way where we could eat and use the washroom. Of course, the toilet was basic but adequate.

Mersing Malaysia from Cherating: Coach stop – “Tandas” (toilet) in the background

Hotel Embassy Mersing Malaysia

Mersing is not a very large town (see map of mersing), so it was not difficult to find the Embassy Hotel, which we had booked online three weeks earlier (€16 for a double room, excluding breakfast).

The Embassy was easily the worst hotel we stayed in during our trip through Malaysia. Admittedly, it was also the cheapest, but there’s not a lot of choice in Mersing. We were a little uncomfortable with the state of the bed and bathroom, and decided not to undress or wash there.

The bed was just a mattress with an old  sheet on it and a very used-looking blanket (no undersheet). When I asked for another sheet, I was told that this was not possible since housekeeping was “closed”. Both the room and bathroom were grubby, and the state of the lock on the door made it feel very insecure.

The ground floor of the Embassy “hotel” also doubles as a drinking hole for the local men, so could be a little daunting for females travelling alone.

Mersing Malaysia: Chinese Temple in the center of of town

Around town in Mersing

There is a pervading stench from the open sewers throughout Mersing that really makes this a place to avoid spending too much time in. If like most folks you’re in transit to Tioman, better to go directly to the afternoon ferry – there are few if any morning ferries.

Mersing Malaysia: Indian Temple off the Main Road

We wandered around the town in the evening to find a place to eat. On Jalan Ismail we found a decent Indian restaurant with some very friendly staff. There are also a few bakeries in town, which are handy for breakfast before heading to the ferry terminal.

When we got back to our hotel, we switched on the TV. It was March 8th: All channels were reporting the sudden disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. We also were booked to fly Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur in 6 days time.

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