We're just leaving Langkawi in Malaysia.

Last time I wrote we'd stopped in at Darwin. Darwin hasn't changed much since our last visit except for more development on the waterfront. We did a Dukw tour around the town and on the water.

It was perfect weather - sunny and warm with a gentle cooling breeze. Just right for a leisurely stroll down the Mall and a beer on the verandah of one of the local pubs. Checked out Paspayley's, of course, but of course didn't buy anything. Why would I, when I have that good $2 string of pearls I bought in a park in China? Two of the pearls on that string almost match - they have almost identical ridges on them.

Before leaving town, we stopped in at Liquorland to top up our supply of alcohol. Unfortunately, every other passenger had had the same idea and the shelves were almost bare. We asked an attendant if there was any wine out the back. "Nah", she said, rolling her eyes. "There's a cruise ship in and they came in like a swarm of locusts and emptied the place. There's a truck coming in tomorrow, but."

We thanked her and gathered up the remaining stock - a 4 pack of Yellow, 2 casks of Cab Merlot, and 2 bottles of Hardy's Chardonnay.

When we got back to the ship there was a boarding queue of about 2kms in length. Apparently the amount of grog being carried on was upsetting and all excess amounts were being confiscated. Somehow we escaped detection, probably due to our honest faces, so we staggered on with our contraband and stowed it hurriedly in the cabin.

There was general unrest and mutterings of mutiny that night. Doubtless, the captain had such an uneasy night that the next day he announced that all confiscated grog would be returned but that if it happened again, the guilty would have to wait until the end of the cruise to recover it. In future, he said, no passenger would be allowed to bring on more than one bottle of wine OR one six pack of beer. This didn't quell the possibility of mutiny, however. As in the story of the junior collecting all the sets of false teeth in the nursing home in order to clean them, the collected grog hadn't been properly labelled with the owners' names, so there was terrible trouble over the next few days to discover who owned what. A few days at sea eventually soothed everyone, especially after they had sampled some of their restored possessions.

Two days ago, Sunday that is, we docked in Singapore. The heavens opened up and poured torrents down upon us. It didn't matter, though, as it kept the temperature pleasant.

A friendly taxi driver picked the 4 of us up at the dock. We were lucky, he told us, because his was a Government taxi so he would take us on a tour for 3 Singapore dollars each per hour, and he would take us to all the honest places, not like Lucky Plaza (where we had wanted to go!). A little later he told us the tour length was a minimum of 2 hours but that he would take us for a third hour for free.

How lucky we felt! An honest Government taxi driver!

He showed us Raffles Hotel and China Town. The first shop he took us to was a jewellery store. A safe government one, of course. The service was amazing - so friendly and encouraging. We didn't buy anything, though.

Our friendly Government taxi driver wasn't quite so friendly after that. He drove us straight to Orchard Road and seemed to have forgotten the nice tour he'd planned for us.

Not all that reluctantly, we left our safe Government haven for the bun rush of the street and eventually found a place to cross to get to the dangers of Lucky Plaza. The crossing was an underpass. Steps down, a passage across under the road and steps up again on the other side. The only problem was that the flooding rain had invaded the underpass and was rushing down the steps on both sides. Having waded through the rising water, silently thanking our lucky stars for our ability to swim should it be needed, we ascended into the lion's den, Lucky Plaza.

The shopkeepers on the street level are canny. They had the perfect solution to the flooding water - newspapers. Bundle them up, stack them across your doorway and presto! You stay dry. Pity the Queenslanders didn't know to do that.

We split up and went to do our own things. Richard went off for a hircut, Alan scouted around (unsuccessfully) for computer bargains, Patricia wanted to do some general shopping and I went to have a massage.

Later, we met up to find a place for lunch. Not so easy in Lucky Plaza. It had certainly changed since we were there last. Eventually, we left the Plaza for Orchard Rd and managed to find a place to cross as well as a place to eat.

Excellent!

Singapore's underground rail system is brilliant. After a few steamed dumplings and a Tiger bee or twor, we were aboard a train and on our way back to the dock. We'd seen the duty free shop as we arrived and had checked out the prices of our permitted bottle of wine and/or 6 pack, so we knew just what we were going to buy.

Duh! The duty free shop was only accessible to incoming tourists. No grog after all from Singapore.

We sailed away with a happy captain and quite a few disgruntles (new word) on board. Next port was Port Klang, an hour and a half's drive from Kuala Lumpur so we needed to catch a bus into town. We'd planned to go up the twin towers (no, not THE twin towers!) as the last time we were in KL it was a Sunday and the towers were closed. This day was Monday and our guide, Ang, was giving an excellent commentary as we drove in. Well, it might have been excellent. I hadn't being paying much attention as I'd been waiting for the English version but then someone told me it WAS the English version so I'm not really sure exactly what he said.

Anyhow, back to the twin towers. Ang ushered us off the bus and beckoned so we followed him, as you do, all excited to be going up the twin towers. Poor Ang. He got it wrong. We still haven't been up the twin towers. They're closed on Mondays.

We left Ang and mooched around for a bit in the scalding heat, wishing it was raining as it had been in Singapore the day before. There was a hop on, hop off bus stop nearby so we joined the queue. Almost immediately a bus came along but it was full. After a very very long time standing in the heat, the discomfort only relieved by the entertainment of an elderly woman fainting, another came along.

Our friends and I sent Alan into the fray as he has no qualms about knocking people aside and trampling them down if necessary. He was successful in being first on and saving four seats and we thankfully sank into them, resolving not to get out of them until we returned to the same stop.

We had planned to go to the Grand Markets and had our pockets full of ringets but travel plans are easily changed when the level of discomfort is high, and this bus was air conditioned, and we're not intrepid travellers, ready to face any challenge, as you know. so we stayed put and enjoyed the tour of KL.

Back at the dock there was the now accustomed anxiety of GETTING GROG. There was a duty free shop on the land side end of a very, very, very long jetty along which we had to walk to get to the ship. Obediently remembering the rule of one bottle of wine OR one six pack of beer each, we eagerly rushed in, ready to make our choice. Alas, no wine! Only spirits or beer. We're now quite well stocked up with beer.

The following day we docked in Langkawi, a pretty island reliant on tourism. Because of our reduced engine power, our stay was only from 8am to back on board by 1.30. It was hot, so we hit the beach. No trudging through the jungle to ride the cable car, which was just as well as we found out later that some had to queue for nearly an hour in the heat for their turn.

The beach isn't wonderful but it was relaxing and the water was warm, very warm. We swam amongst the Muslim holiday makers, feeling rather exposed in our swimmers but glad to be cooling off.

If you have a yen for a holiday in Langkawi look up the Delta Motel, Langkawi. It's a lovely beachfront resort in front of which we were swimming. We have the rates if you're interested. Very cheap during Ramadan and there is a prayer room for the use of guests. It's highly recommended and it has a 0.25 star rating.

After our swim, we returned to the shopping strip, making a beeline for guess where? Yep, the grog shop. This time we were in luck - plenty of everything and some excellent Australian wines at good prices. Again we chose a cask for its capacity value. Five litres of a Stanley Merlot which is quite palatable. Doesn't even make you wince when you swallow it. Good stuff.

Back on board we opted for a swim to wash off the salt and any other not-so-good things we might have picked up. Sailed that afternoon for exotic India, first stop Cochin.