Small problems don't faze us!

Having returned our hire car, which turned into an epic tour of Kuala Lumpur as we tried to negotiate their tortuous road system, we are now travelling by public transport and have reached Melaka which is a UNESCO world heritage site.


The bus journey here was uneventful and quick. However on our first evening we had a telephone call from the ever helpful Anwar, the Concierge at the Furama Hotel in Kuala Lumpar. We then found out that Annie had left her handbag, which contained her passport, in the taxi we had taken to the bus station. Thankfully the taxi driver had taken it straight back to the hotel and Anwar remembered that we were going to Melaka. He phoned several hotels before he found the one we were in.

On the following day I took the bus back to Kuala Lumpar, collected Annie's handbag, and more importantly her passport, thanked Anwar profusely and got the bus straight back to Melaka.

For some reason the hotel we are now in has decided that we are executive customers, they brought a basket of fruit and chocolates to the room and invited us to the executive club for evening cocktails. When we went in I was greeted as Sir James, perhaps they know something I don't! We now use the club for breakfast, away from the run of the mill guests, nibbles and drinks around lunchtime and cocktails in the evening before venturing out. I have decided that I like being Sir James and the advantages it brings, I think Annie concurs although she refuses to call me Sir!

All the states in Malaysia have a royal family and Melaka's likes riding round on a motorbike with his entourage. The other morning we were on our way out and several people in motorcycle gear got into the lift. It was only when we exited the hotel with them and saw the police escorts, that we realised we were with local royalty.

Melaka itself is a small walkable town and has a laid back atmosphere. It attracts many visitors and coach parties and has many places worth a visit.
It is also the home of trishaws that are heavily adorned with artificial flowers and coloured lights and come equipped with speakers that play music as loud as possible. What a cacophony of noise, light and colour, a real assault on the senses.


The Chinatown area is one of small narrow streets of "shophouses" and has many bars and restaurants. On weekend evenings cars are banned and the main street, Jonker Walk, is lined with market stalls. During the evening it becomes an heaving mass of different nationalities and ethnicities. It positively buzzes and is a good place to be.








After a pleasant meal it was good to stroll round and be part of the "buzz" before sitting outside a bar with a couple of beers listening to live music and watching the world go past. Definitely a place I would recommend.








We have another couple of days in the town before then we move onto Singapore before (hopefully) flying to Australia. We have just seen on TV that Quantas has grounded all it's flights due to industrial action, and yes we are due to fly with them. It's fingers crossed and hope they sort it out quickly.

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Location:Melaka, Malaysia

Important announcement

Forgive me for hijacking our blog but I need to wish my great mate Sue Horner happy birthday.

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY SUE

Can't believe I'm not there to celebrate with you but have a great time. You look fantastic darling. Bit worried though, think I'm heading the same way!


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Location:Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia

Whistle stop tour of Langkawi (and Ipoh)

We have stayed in some pretty basic hostels but as long as the bed linen and bathrooms were clean we were happy but the Seaview Hotel, I know, it sounds a bit Blackpool guesthouse and we should have known, takes the biscuit. It was obviously undergoing refurbishment, but that refurbishment has probably been going on for years and nothing is finished. Lovely new bathroom but grout everywhere which has turned an attractive shade of grey, a massive hole in the ceiling added to the luxurious ambience of the room. However, there was a balcony and the view was pretty spectacular.


I am pleased to inform you that the ferry crossing, complete with flying and, I jest not, running fish, was vomit free! We found a little cafe to eat in on the first evening, chicken fried rice x 2 and lemon tea all for 8.40RM or £1.90. Bargain!

After a rubbish nights sleep, we could hear the lovely couple in the next room arguing into the early hours, we returned to the ferry port and promptly hired a little Kia and drove to the cable car. Whoa, it is steep, the longest span is 950m and it shakes and wobbles but the views, oh man, just fantastic. There is a suspension bridge right at the top across a gorge. Again, just a bit scary!







After returning to terra firma we visited the beautiful beaches, paddled and dozed in the sun. Perfect!


Next morning another, surprisingly vomit free, ferry trip back to the mainland and a 3 hour trip to a town called Ipoh. We stopped there en route to Kuala Lumpar to visit the hot springs, but when we arrived we discovered they have been commercialised and turned into an upmarket spa complex. No worries, we stayed at a pretty little boutique hotel and visited a place called Kellie's Castle built by a Scotsman in the style of a moorish palace/Scottish castle. We had a giggle with 4 young blokes, who took a shine to us, we are now in loads of photos in various poses - don't ask... They were Man Utd supporters, told them we thought City would beat them, they didn't believe us.





Finished off the day watching the Manchester derby, oh we did laugh! Noticed not many of the Malays did though.

Another 3 hour drive and back to Kuala Lumpar, our lovely car has now gone, rubbish electrics and all and we're now back on public transport. It is divali and a public holiday from 25th to 31st so everywhere is either very quiet or packed. We visited Brickfields today, or Little India, it was the morning after the night before and very quiet, there had been big parties last night and fireworks. Looked as if there were lots of sore heads today.



All packed up now, I've ironed all our laundry - again! We're ready to catch the bus to Melaka tomorrow, we're staying for 6 nights then onto another bus to Singapore.


I can't believe our extended stay in Malaysia is coming to an end, we have loved it.


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Location:Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia

Our holiday ends

We're getting ready to leave the lovely island of Penang, we extended our stay here and have had a fantastic relaxing 10 days. We've lazed by the pool, meandered around Georgetown and learned about the Chinese clan houses, mansions and shophouses - everyone's an entrepreneur in Chinese Malaysia!





It is almost divali and Little India is packed with stalls selling amazing saris, garlands and food. The smell is gorgeous! Treated ourselves to the best samosas we've ever eaten.

Yesterday we rode on the funicular railway up Penang Hill, it's very steep and was full of Australian backpackers convinced we were all going to die! At the top there is a temple, mosque, a couple of hotels and spectacular views of Penang. 100 people get off the railway every half an hour but I have no idea where they go! We found a footpath, one of many trails which wrapped around the hill, and set off for a walk, it was as if we were the only people in the world. As we walked we nonchalantly passed a snake climbing up a tree......! Then, we looked up and a massive black and ginger squirrel was running along a wire. We hadn't gone more than 50m further and we found ourselves in amongst a family of gorgeous black and white gibbons.


Amazing - and where was everyone else? After about an hour we got back to the top again and there they were, queueing to go back down! We felt very smug, didn't they know what they were missing?! Or probably they've seen it all before and it's just us who are like kids in a sweet shop.


We had a superb meal on Monday night, at a restaurant which brags, 'If it swims, we cook it.'

There is every sea creature you can imagine- you cringe, you look, you pick - they cook!









We picked giant prawns and a red snapper. We ate:
Baby pak choi stir fried with garlic
Battered garlic prawns with sweet chilli dip
Lemon rice
Red snapper in a lime, garlic and chilli sauce

It was sublime and we were stuffed, we're going back there tonight... In a place which generally costs us £5 tops for our dinner, it's an expensive meal, about £30 including beers but oh wow, it's certainly worth it. We had to keep ourselves to ourselves on Tuesday morning - all that garlic!

Forgive me if I have a moan now. Because our faces clearly stand out in this part of the world, 20 times a day we are asked, 'Where are you from?' After answering honestly, 'England,' then being engaged in a conversation about Manchester United or Liverpool we're now inventing places we come from. I know everyone is really friendly and just want to shake hands with the Englishman but it gets a bit wearing. Plus who wants to stand around discussing Man Utd, oh yes I remember, everyone who doesn't live in Manchester!!

Thanks again for all e-mails, it's great to hear from home. Some of you correspond much more regularly than our sons, we have to Skype them, they don't answer, then feel guilty and Skype us back, usually without any regard for the massive time difference! Thanks for that Alex, who needs sleep anyway?

We're catching a ferry tomorrow to an island called Langkawi, it's meant to be very beautiful, about 2 hours on the ferry. Oh dear, makes me gip just thinking about it! Speak soon.

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Location:Jalan Lim Chin Guan,George Town,Malaysia

The heat of Penang

The time to leave the curries of Tanah Rata behind arrived, I can still taste them and the bottles of Tiger. So off we went in our trusty Proton flying machine, it reminds me of a Ferrari - it's red !


The Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Asia, sped us across to Penang island then it was on to the old capital, Georgetown. The sat nav took us to the area of our hotel then wanted us to drive down roads that didn't exist. After driving round in ever decreasing circles for nearly 20 minutes and seeing the same landmarks and people we decided that the old ways may be best and got the map out. It was simple, we realised we had driven past the back of the hotel several times.

The hotel is a modern gem. We are on the 35th floor in a suite and, as I sit at the desk in front of the full width window typing this, my sight is drawn to the sea eagle soaring around the tree lined sea front boulevard. (you didn't know my husband could be so poetic did you!)





Georgetown is a town of contrasts, from streets of colonial type two storey buildings to modern high rises. We toured the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, a boutique hotel in a renovated Chinese mansion that was built by the last Chinese Mandarin. The tour was led by an elderly Chinese lady, with an excellent grasp of English and innuendo. She was very entertaining, especially when she spoke of the builders seventh concubine, who he wed when he was 74 and she 17. Still managed to produce a son, despite the age difference.


The Eastern and Oriental hotel, a very select establishment, was highlighted as a place worth a visit. Looking very smart in shorts and t shirts, me with my trusty back pack, we decided that we should just walk in with an air of confidence as though we belonged there. We nearly came unstuck when the doormen, dressed in white shirts, white shorts, long white socks and wearing white Pith helmets open the doors. How the other half live!

A trip to the Penang National Park gave us an eventful day, especially when, due to lack of a car park, I went to park the car on a grass verge. I went for the nearest spot that others had avoided due to a rather prominent raised ground. I felt sure that I could safely park the car on it. I was rather surprised to hear the crunch of the front end grounding. When I reversed off there was more clattering and the front nearside of the car was hanging off.
I managed to effect a temporary repair using Elastoplast, and it worked. It kept it in place until I found a small garage later in the day where a smiling young man managed to screw it all back in place.


The park is on the Muka headland and a coastal footpath along the forest edge took us to several idyllic beaches though, after sitting on one and watching something similar to the Loch Ness monster swim ashore to the footpath we were about to walk along, we nearly turned back, but being seasoned forest hikers we carried on and were rewarded with an hour on a perfect tropical beach beach followed by an exhilarating boat ride back.






By James

Location:Jalan Lim Chin Guan,George Town,Malaysia

A step back in time

Hello again,

I need to tell you about a couple of the great people we have met on our travels. On our last day in Kuala Lumpar we met a guy on a train who is an Iranian student studying in Malaysia. He is called Bahador Keshvari and is so interesting. He loves Malaysia and has been at different universities over the past two years completing a masters degree. We are staying in touch through e-mail and he keeps giving us suggestions of where to go and what to see.
The second is a real character, his name is Shah and we met him in a small town called Benta where we had stopped looking for coffee. He came across to talk to us and we arranged to meet in a coffee shop when he had picked his son up from school. Such a genuine man, so interested in us and so proud of his country. He was very funny too and we soon had the whole coffee shop in uproar! The elderly lady who was serving, who had very little English, was desperate to talk to us so Shah translated. She was a real delight! He treated us to iced coffees and we swapped e-mails. We left, an hour and a half later than planned, with everyone's best wishes and lots of waving!

The very pleasant interlude set us up for the next part of our journey. We had decided to forget Kuala Lipis and to head for the hills instead. It took an hour of climbing uphill on a one-way road, one vertiginous bend after another to eventually reach Fraser's Hill, an idyllic little town reminiscent of the perfect English village out of an Enid Blyton book. We just needed wedges of fruit cake and ginger beer - which we got that night but that tale is for later!






The hill station was cleared and built in the early 1900's for ex-pats as a summer retreat from the heat in Kuala Lumpur. It clearly has a forces feel to it, there was an RAF jungle training school nearby and several locals have a posh English accent, using words like, chaps, high tea and sah (sir)! Our hotel overlooked the immaculate golf course which was manicured perfectly.

That first evening we went out to eat at Ye Olde Smokehouse restaurant, a pseudo Tudor house just out of the town centre. It was like walking into a film set. The tall, slim, grey haired Indian 'man servant' came to take our order in his perfect Etonian accent. The menu included beef Wellington, roast chicken, pavlova and bread and butter pudding. We drank..... ginger beer!








Unfortunately the meal, although beautifully presented, and served in the most refined dining room, didn't come up to expectations. Raw chicken - not to be recommended. We've eaten street food from dodgy stalls and unidentified food from small cafes, all of which have been beautifully cooked and delicious. Good old British stodge let us down! We went back to our hotel and had fried rice instead!

We are now on day 3 of the Cameron Highlands, in a place called Tahan Rata. We are high in the hills, in cooler temperatures, surrounded by tea plantations, vegetable and strawberry farms. Its green and lush and very beautiful. Yesterday we visited Sungai Palas Boh Tea Estate, a tea plantation where tea, camellia sinensis, is grown on terraced hillsides. We had a tour of the factory, tasted tea and had a wander through the terraces, we were warned not to go more than 100m into the bushes from the road because there are lots of cobras living among the tea plants!! We didn't stray more than 5m from the road!





It is bliss up here, the weather is like an English June summer's day, if you can remember what one of those used to be like. For the first time in over 4 weeks there is little humidity - lovely. The food is great too, big Indian influence so it's curries all the way, yumm. The call to prayer does wake you up at 5 am though, must have got used to it cos we go straight back to sleep!

Sorry if I've gone on a bit but we didn't have wi-fi in Fraser's Hill so I've waffled. Thanks for the news from home - well done Leeds Rhinos. Next stop Penang, hope to see you there.

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Location:Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands

Once in a lifetime!

After the textbook 5 hour drive in our 'new' battered Proton hire car we arrived at Rainforest Resort, Kuala Tahan. Kuala Tahan is a small village where the road ends, on the edge of the rainforest. We are staying in a hostel, there are no other type of accommodation, it is simply somewhere to sleep whilst you take part in all the activities on offer. The whole rainforest, which we discovered is the oldest in the world, is a national park called Taman Negara. The setting is quite spectacular.


We got up early on Tuesday morning and were taken in a truck down to the river. A boat took us across to the park, then we obtained a permit to be able to enter the rainforest and another to allow us to take photos. Then we were off, there are several trails laid out but they are very difficult to negotiate, over tree roots and under vines and branches. We walked for about an hour and had only covered 1.5 km. But the sights and sounds are unbelievable.









Eventually we arrived at the canopy walk suspended 50 m above the forest floor and 540 m long. What an experience, the canopy walk is made of ladders and ropes, sometimes it goes uphill, sometimes downhill and sometimes it leans one way or the other! Amazing views though, it was so exciting!








Whilst we have been travelling we have got used to the humidity but here it was like nothing we have ever experienced, imagine washing your clothes on a very hot wash then removing them from the washer before they have finished spinning and putting them on! And I mean all your clothes... We were literally dripping, sweat just poured off you and it was the most uncomfortable sensation ever. As soon as we began to climb uphill, after our canopy walk we decided to walk a further kilometre to a viewpoint, our hearts were racing with the exertion in the heat.

However, nothing beats standing still and listening to the sound of birds, insects and monkeys. We spent hours in the forest, then reversed the route back to the hostel where there was an amazing storm and no electricity.

Today we decided to go back again and stake out in one of the hides which we had spotted on Tuesday. I made my way up the steps with Jim following. He can take-up the story now...

Having followed Annie along the trail and noticed how observant she was I was surprised, to say the least, to see her walk straight past a two foot long snake that was laid across the step. She never even noticed it. What followed surprised me even more, I shouted there's a snake, I then stepped over it and ran after Annie.
When we got up into the hide we ( well Annie ) checked every five minutes to see where the snake had gone. The only thing was it moved out of sight without her seeing where it went.
When we decided to risk it and leave the hide I was the gentleman to the last and let ladies go first. When Annie successfully made it to the bottom I exited like an Olympic sprinter.

Anyone who knows Jim well will know the truth in this incident. I was gobsmacked that he followed me, given that he won't even look at snakes on the telly, I thought that we were going to be there all day and he only followed me after I had explored every step in detail to ensure the snake had gone.

Because of the heavy rain the night before the forest was even more steamy and there were leeches poking out of the ground. We stepped around and over them pretty damn quickly. This afternoon we explored another trail which is obviously used far less frequently than the others we had been on. We felt as if we were all alone, the rainforest is eerie but enchanting. We found great big animal tracks but only saw wild boar, birds and butterflies. We have had a fantastic couple of days here but tomorrow is another day and we are getting back into our trusty steed (Edna as she is known) and heading north-west towards Kuala Lipis en route to the Cameron Highlands.



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Location:Jerantut,Malaysia

Saturday night in a Muslim country

Question: What do you do on a Saturday night when most restaurants don't serve booze and those which do are exorbitant prices?

Answer: Find an ex-pat community of Aussies and Glaswegians in a pub called the Green Man. Eat fish and chips and sink several pints of Tiger beer! Sorted! And the cost - who cares!






Enjoy your evening.

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Location:Changkat, Bukit Bintang

High rise experience

Day 3 in Kuala Lumpur - it is bold, bright, brazen and beautiful! And so hot - as hot as Cambodia but without the floods! We are really slumming it here, got a great deal on a pretty plush hotel, swimming pool on roof, fancy restaurant, etc.


The city is a consumers heaven, with American style shopping malls everywhere and the Malays like to shop. Getting around is a nightmare though, no planning gone into the road system and it is gridlocked at every hour of the day and night. Public transport is very limited, the various companies don't join up but you cannot walk as, because of the torturous road system, you just can't find your way through.

We're having a great time though, went to Perdana Botanical Gardens on Thursday which is huge, we admired the National Monument, awwed at the mouse and fallow deer, were awestruck by the butterflies and drooled over the orchids!









Yesterday we lazed in and by the pool, I couldn't help thinking it beats working! We then meandered up to KL Tower where an international base jumping event is taking place. Basically loads of Aussies throwing themselves off the tower and trying not to bottle it and open their parachutes too soon. Are they mad? One guy offered to harness us to the top of the tower so we could lean out and watch their descent from the top, we politely declined his offer and swiftly moved away from the nutter!










It has got extremely busy today, obviously Saturday is the day to bring all the family, including grandma, auntie betty, all the kids and a double buggy into town!

We went to the colonial quarter, fantastic buildings and gorgeous moorish architecture. On the cricket pitch in front of the Royal Selangor Club there was a Police open day. Jim was in his element, looking round the various tents. However, there is a questionable line between policing and military here as in many south-eastern Asia countries.









We've just been to pick up our laundry -housework never ends you know!


So far on our travels we have relied on pubIic transport - tuk-tuks, buses, trains, mono-rails, etc which has been an experience, if a bit limited. Throughout this part of the world organised tours on mini-buses and luxury coaches are the norm, we have declined these so far. And.... Big news today, we have got a hire car from Monday, freedom at last!

Tomorrow we are going to the Batu caves then the open road beckons. We have some loose plans so let's see how it goes. Enjoy the good weather at home and remember 31 degrees has been the average temp for us since 8th Sept ........



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Location:Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpar