White Guy on a Bicycle

There must be something seriously awesome about a white guy on a bicycle because the Malaysians seem to love it. The little kids are absolutely adorable when they yell "HELLO!" at the top of their lungs then giggle and squeal when I yell back with a big wave. School kids get a similar thrill although something makes me suspect the laughs may be at my expense (not a whole lot of spandex in Muslim Malaysia). Older folks seem eager to practice English but I've learned the extent is usually "Hello, Where are you going?". If I stop to answer their question they usually end up not being able to say much more. Sometimes they know much more and I've had some interesting conversations over the last few nights (but its admittedly very hard to keep focus when the mosquitoes are eating me alive).
So tonight I'm in Kota Bahru which is the capitol of the state of Kelantan. I opted to pass on going out to the Perhentian Islands even though they are supposedly some of the best in Malaysia. A mix of not wanting to spend 2 days' worth of budget on the ferry and being apprehensive about putting the ol' bike through another saltwater ordeal. I figure there will be plenty more island opportunities down the road and any diving would probably be more enjoyable if I can do it with a friend.
That leaves me wondering what to do next. I basically have two options. I can ride the 35km over the border tomorrow and enter Thailand. Or I can do a pretty grueling 200+km jungle mountain road to arrive on the western Malaysian coast and then ride a bit north and enter Thailand there. An incredibly difficult decision for a number of factors:

• Going into Thailand tomorrow means that I start whittling away on my 60-day tourist visa. I have a 90-day Malaysian visa, of which I've used roughly 2 weeks.
• Going into Thailand tomorrow also means I arrive in an area that travel books and advisory warnings say is unstable. Every traveller or local I've spoken to say this is all hype and the area is fine.
• Going across Malaysia means I subject myself to punishing heat, humidity and all-day climbs. Stack on lack of services, loads of mosquitoes and the possibilty of an elephant or tiger trumbling through my camp at night. Compare this to the nice flat, green fields of Thailand.

I have roughly 20 days until I'm supposed to meet Dan around Phuket. The Thai route takes about 9 and the Malaysian route about 11. Also, if I go the Thai way, I have a chance at making one of the infamous "Full Moon" parties on Ko Phi Phi. Decisions, decisions.
I guess I will go mull this over while I peruse the tasty treats on offer at the night market. Once I decide I'll drop another post. Meanwhile I added a few photos, so you can check those out!