Click here to see the hotel



























The following morning we walked around Singapore Harbour, where Trev did a bit of snake handling..........

Then we caught the underground to Chinatown. The underground system is clean and well organised. No graffiti or litter here, or anywhere in Singapore, come to that. There are notices everywhere forbidding spitting, smoking, littering,even forgetting to flush the toilet. Any offence incurs a $S1000 fine. There is a glass wall all along the edge of the platform, with slding doors. The train comes to a halt with its doors exactly in line with those on the platfrom and then both sets open.

So anyway, we got off in Chinatown and it was the Chinese New Year. There were lanterns and decorations everywhere, it was all so pretty.

We walked amongst the stalls and I did a VERY SILLY THING. I had my purse, with all of my credit and debit cards and my money, in my pocket. Well, it was in my pocket, but only for only a very short time, before someone kindly relieved me of the bother of looking after it. I realised it had gone and I knew exactly where I had had it stolen and who had taken it. We had been at a stall choosing a belt for Trev, and some people had jostled me, rather unnecessarily, as there was plenty of room. Oh I was SOOOOOOO cross with myself, and really annoyed that someone had had their hand in my pocket. A woman standing near me said she had just had hers stolen too.

So, our first thought was to get to a phone and inform the card protection scheme in the UK. We asked a tailor where there was a public 'phone. He asked what the problem was and when we explained, he gave us his mobile phone to use. He came and put his arm round me and told me it was only money and cards, and they were replaceable. As long as we were safe, that was all that mattered. Thank you Bobby Tan, you were very kind to us.

We reported the theft of the cards to Sentinel and then we found a police station and reported the theft, really so that we could get a police incident number for the insurance company rather than in the expectation of getting the purse back.

Click here to see more pictures of Singapore

MALAYSIA January 31st--February 6th
This rather put a damper on the Singapore part of the holiday, but the next day we were picked up at our hotel at 7.45 a.m. and it all began to improve. We were off on our trip to Malaysia. We travelled north across the island of Singapore, across the manmade causeway and into the southernmost tip of Malaysia. Our guide for the whole trip was Chan and he was great fun and well informed. Everywhere we travelled he had a story, an interesting fact or some historical information, and by the end of the trip I felt he had brought Malysia to life for me.

The first day we travelled north on a freeway for about 260km. The verges were all kept strimmed, there was no rubbish and the service areas offered fresh fruit, nuts, drinks and all sorts of Asian food. The downside were the toilets. They were disgusting. They smelt and most of them were the squatter type. Even worse, the squatter was up one or two steps! So it was rather like mounting the throne, except everywhere was so wet. One had to roll one's trousers up first.....The reason the floors were so wet is that there is a tap and a hosepipe in each toilet which one uses to spray one's anatomy. Too much information as my friend Sheridan would say! Oh, and the other thing--don't forget to tear off your toilet paper from the roll for general use before going in! The route was wooded all the way, mostly palm oil tress, which have taken the place of rubber trees in the Malaysian economy. We also saw teak trees. I thought they would be tall strong trees like a horse chestnut tree, but they're thin and spindly. The terrain became hillier as we travelled north, and the vegetation went right up to the top of the hills, unlike the UK where there is a treeline.

We stayed the night in Malacca--what a magical sounding name--at the Equatorial Hotel. Not as good as The Orchard, but acceptable. We arrived here in time for lunch, which, along with breakfast, was provided each day as part of the tour. Then in the afternoon we were taken into the city by bus and Chan gave us a conducted tour on foot. I think this was almost the hottest day of the whole trip, but we persevered, and enjoyed the visit.

It's an old colonial city and many of the buildings are Portuguese in appearance. Chan took us to the local shops and explained about some of the things on sale, which we'd never seen before, food, Chinese and religious artefacts. One shop had on show the shoes which the Chinese women wore when their feet were bound. They were miniscule. I had heard of this barbaric practice, but never realised quite what it entailed. At around the age of four, little girls of wealthy families had all of the bones in their toes broken and ground down by constant hand motion. When the bones became powdery, the toes were bent double underneath the foot and bound up for the child's whole life. It was thought that this was a sign of wealth, as the woman would have to be carried everywhere she went. She would be in constant pain all her life.

We were all melting by the time we got to the hotel, and the ice cold bedroom was most welcome.

February 1st
Up and away by 8.30 the next morning for the drive to Kuala Lumpur. We arrived around lunchtime and the were taken on a tour of the city in the bus, which was a good job as it was so hot. We visited the palace of the King of Malaysia. This is the official title of the constitional head of state of Malaysia. The King is elected by the conference of rulers, and holds the position for five years. Must be quite a come down when he has to leave....
Click here for more info.




Then we went to the National Museum, which wasn't very exciting, except for a good film which showed how Malaya wrested its freedom from the UK. The people seem to be very proud of the fact that they gained their independence, and of their country.
Click here for more info.





Then on to the National Monument, which commemorates the dead of the first and second world wars and also the struggle for independence when the communists were trying to take over the country.
Click here for more info.

We went to a local restaurant for lunch, but that was pretty awful. Apparently it was the first time the company had used it, as there was a national holiday and the usual one was unavailable. We sat in groups of eight, and the meal came to the table, and first came a fish and cabbage soup. Bits of fish were floating about in it, with bones and cabbage. Then came the main meal. It looked OK, well apart from the fish which was whole and still had its eyes. Another dish looked just like sweet and sour chicken, but when I bit into it, it was all bones--ugh! Friends who know me will know I'm not much of a carnivore at the best of times, but I almost made up my mind there and then to become a vegetarian. There was also some beef, but it was very hot, with chilli. The prawns had their shells on. So I stuck to the fried rice, I could recognise that! And I managed to get a bit of omelette, too.

We checked in at the hotel, and had a few hours sleep. We were still jetlagged and trying to catch up. In the evening we went for a walk in the city centre. It was still very hot. We had a few drinks in a shopping mall, which was very much like a shopping mall in the UK, even down to the traders--Macdonalds, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, plus the designer names, Armani, Versace, etc.

Some Phrases Which Have Amused Me
"Super Nice" -- The name of a coach firm
"Fun Sensible Clothing" -- An Advert
"Special Two Day Brainstorming Conference" -- Being held at a hotel where we stayed.

Other Interesting Facts
amok=Malay word for 'crazy'

Children are checked by the discipline teacher each day as they go into school, to make sure their uniforms are clean and correct, their shoes and socks are white, and that they aren't wearing expensive items such as Rolex watches. Chan told us they are going to school to learn, not to show off to their friends. The teachers still use the cane.

The road tunnel in Kuala Lumpur is dual purpose: as well as being a multi lane underpass, it is used in the monsoon season to channel the water out of the city. They would need to be sure they had the right sign up, wouldn't they?!

When you travel on the toll roads, you get a ticket from the booth as you enter. Amongst other information, it has on it the time when you started your journey. When you come off, it checks the time again and calculates your speed for the journey. If it works out that you exceeded the speed limit, an orange light flashes on top of the toll booth and the police, who are lying in wait, arrest you!!!!!!!!

Betting is very popular in Malaysia. Malays will bet on anything, or so Chan said. One of their favourite things is British football. Because it lasts ninety minutes, they find that rather a long time to wait, so whilst they wait, they bet on how many red or yellow cards will be issued in each half, to pass the time away!

Another popular pastime is illegal motorbike races on the public roads......usually at night, but now even in the daytime in busy traffic, which apparently lends great excitement to an already extremely dangerous sport. The motorbikes are souped up and ridden by young men. Bets are placed. If the rider is caught by the police, his bike is confiscated and he is fined. However, they just get another bike and do it again. So the next time the bike is confiscated and the fine is doubled. If a rider is caught a third time, he is locked up overnight in the mortuary!!!!

February 2nd
We had another full day in Kuala Lumpur, and the bus came to take us on another tour.

First we passed the twin towers, the second highest buildings in the world.
Click here for more info.





Then off we went to some caves on the outside of the city--Batu Caves. At the bottom of the flight of steps to the cave, there was a huge statue of Buddha, I can't remember how high, but higher than a church tower. There were 272 steps up to the caves, which we all staggered dutifully up in considerable heat. There were lots of monkeys around the top who snatched food from your hand.
Click here for more info.







Our next stop was a batik factory, where there were some beautiful fabrics on sale,

and then onto the Royal Selengor Pewter Factory, where we saw how pewter items were made, and where we could buy if we wished. Trev auditioned for a job.........
Click here for more info.







Lunch was much better today, in a delightful airy restaurant, with a wonderful array of Malaysian food. After lunch we were free, and so we went back to the hotel for a short nap. Later in the evening we went for a walk in the city. It's wonderful to be able to go out for a walk in the evening without a jumper or jacket.

February 3rd
Before we left the hotel the next morning, I used the hotel computer to catch up on emails. And guess what! There was an email from someone in Singapore who had found my purse and handed it in to the police. He had found my email address on a card in the purse. It still had the cards in it, but the money was gone, so at least I knew that the thieves had only taken it for the money. It didn't help with my impecunious state; my cards were all cancelled, and I couldn't uncancel them. However, Chan, our guide, said he would sort out some way of my retrieving the purse.

Today we went into the Cameron Highlands. This was the part of the trip I was looking forward to the most. I had an image in my mind of what it would be like, and I wasn't disappointed. We went up and up through lush jungle and forest.

We stopped at a waterfall where children were playing and stalls were selling fruit and souvenirs. The people are all so nice, they smile and talk and don't push their goods. I would love to have bought sopme souvenirs, but my luggage is already on the borderline for weight!















Beautiful big colourful butterflies were flying around, the sort you see at a butterfly farm in the UK.

Then on up and up. Our driver, whose name I never could remember, though it was something like Balamory, was excellent. It was a steep , narrow and twisting road, and there was never an occasion when we felt worried about his driving.

Eventually, we stopped at the home of some aborigines. Neither Trev nor I were very comfortable about this, and when we talked to other people in the trip, some of them had similar reservations. We felt we were intruding on their privacy, though Chan assured us that they didn't mind at all, and I'm sure that was the case. We were shown how to blow darts, thankfully without the poison, and went into the longhouse, where the family slept. There was no furniture, just matting on the floor, and there was the grandmother, squatting by the fire. She seemed quite upset at us being there, and kept squirming around and trying to hide from us.








Outside, there was a young man, who answered our questions, through Chan, he seemed quite at ease. He had the most gorgeous body! Sorry, but he did! He was wearing a loin cloth and was a beautiful shade of brown and so lean and fit, and he had no body hair. I mentioned this to Chan, and he said that the aborigines do not have body hair.

They also had animals there. A bat, a lemur, a monkey, dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. Most of the family had gone off hunting into the valley below. The children of this family group lived further away and went to school, but they came back at the weekends, at the insistence of the grandmother, who wanted them to learn the ways of their ancestors.

Chan told us that there are still aborigines living in the jungle, though the numbers are decreasing, as they decide that they want to become "Westernised". So there is a 'transition stage' where the families move through various stages to help them to adapt to a new way of life. These stages are each in a different place, as they are moved slowly closer to the town.

There is no end to my man's talents--now he's an expert on the blowpipe.

We had lunch at a pretty hotel, just how I imagined a hill station should be--very British, but somehow not quite! It was a lovely old 'Tudor'style building, cool and welcoming. We had a lovely lunch--watercress soup, roast chicken, cream caramel--very British!

Click here for more info.

After lunch, we continued on up into the hills, and visited a tea plantation. This was really what I wanted to see most of all. There had been pictures in books at school of women in coolie hats on the hillsides in places like India, picking tea leaves and putting them into pointed baskets on their back. But it was not to be; the heavens opened, the rain came down in torrents nad we only had ten minutes there any way! Trev and I put up an umbrella and made a dash for the shop, and the lookout point over the valley where, on a good day, one could see the plantation in terraces going up and down the hillsides. I did get an impression of what it was like, but was very disappointed not to see it properly. We continued to the hotel, another Equatorial Hotel.

4th February
A chilly start! We were 5000' up and there was a thick mist, but as we were leaving the hotel, things improved. On the way down we went to a nursery garden, and saw the variety of flowers and fruit they had on sale. Beautiful flowers and lots of fresh fruit.











Then on down to a strange place called Kellie's Castle, the ruins of a castle built by a Scottish rubber tycoon.
This is the story that Chan told us about it:
William Kellie Smith constructed it to try to entice his young wife to come and live in Malaysia. though the plan didn't work. Sadly she died in childbirth in Scotland and never went to Malaysia. Her husband became a recluse for three years, but was eventually coaxed out by his Indian workers: they were very fond of him, as he was always very kind to them. They persuaded him he had a duty to his son, and so he went to Spain and Portugal to buy supplies for the castle building project. But he contracted pneumonia and died. His son died in the Second World War, and so there was no immediate heir. There was feuding within the family which was never resolved. Over the years the vast estate was taken over by various locals and split up.

But there is a strange twist to the ending of this sad story. Only three and a half years ago, William Kellie Smith's will was discovered in South Africa, of all places. It decreed that in the event of his death, everything should go to his wife. Failing that, it should pass to his son and, faling that, the estate should be shared between his Indian workers. Today there is just a handful of their descendents left, and the government is trying to solve the problem.

Here you can read a different version of the story:
















      Here he is again--this time he's showing us                             and here is the mosquito repeller
      his prowess as a latex collector!

Next we stopped at some rubber trees, and another picture from my school geography book came to life, how latex is collected from the rubber tree. I had seen pictures of a little cup tied to the tree trunk, but here it was for real! There were also some very busy mosquitoes here, and I got well and truly bitten. I am an excellent mosquito repellent for anyone near me--the mosquitoes all make a beeline for me.

Then we went to a cave temple at Ipoh, and after that we had lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we went through a town called Perak. This place is famous for at least two things--the Sultan's Palace and the fact that it has been crime free for eight years. The Sultan's Palace was huge and beautiful. Apparently, he keeps rooms free and ready for use by people who have lost their homes due to fire, flood, etc., and the gates are open all day long for anyone to go in:- a bit like Buckingham Palace, I suppose................

Chan attributed the fact that the city is crime free to the involvement of the young people in the community. Part of their education is to go out and work in the town, looking after flower borders, trees and bushes, picking up litter, etc.

Then we journeyed on to Penang, crossing the third longest brisge in the world--13.5 km long. Here we dropped members of the group off at vrious hotels, bidding farwell to some whom we would not see again. The traffic in the city was really bad, it took ages to get round to the hotels. Apparently everyone was going home for the Chinese New Year. Eventually we arrived at our hotel, The Holiday Inn, right on the edge of a palm fringed beach--just like the brochures show!

5th February


Our last day on this trip, I shall be sorry to leave Malaysia, I've really enjoyed all of it, beautiful scenery, charming people, a great trip and an excellent guide. We set off aorund 9.00 a.m. with a few of the group, for the others their trip ended yesterday. First we went to a Buddhist Temple, on two sides of the road. On the one side was the Burmese Temple, on the other,the Thai. Then we went to the Penang Snake Temple, where yet again the boy Trev did some amazing things with snakes! There were loads of snakes at this temple, though fortunately not within striking distance of visitors. As we came out, two little Bangladeshi girls were begging. Chan said it is illegal for them to do it, but unless someone reports them, they are left alone. They look so poor and thin.

By now we were pretty well templed out, but, stalwarts that we are, we kept going.! We went to a fascinating place called the Koo Kongsi "Dragon Mountain Hall" clan house.It is a complete gated settlement within the town, devoted to just one family-the Khoo family-who originated in China. As their family and their wealth grew, they built houses, a temple, shops, a bank, their own medical facilitiesand were completely independent of the outside world. Even today there is a worldwide family network, supporting each other. They lend money at 0% interest to start young family members in business. No one is ever in need. When a young baby Khoo is born, its name is recorded in the family tree and the dynasty keeps growing.

Click here to read more about Khoo Kongsi

After lunch we went to visit the Thai temple of Chayamangkalaram, where there is a thirty-three metre reclining Buddha, third longest in the world, I think. And that, sadly, was the end of our tour. On the right you can see a picture of Chan, our tour guide. I hope you get to see this, Chan--thank you for a wonderful week!

Click here to see the tour company, Jalan, Jalan, with which we travelled in Malaysia

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