We’ve got a bit of catching up to do on the journals me thinks!!!! Last time we wrote we were in Langkawi, Malaysia and now we’re in Oz?!!! We’re having an absolutely ball. This journal is going to be our last tales from Asia, and we’ll do a separate one for Oz as we’ve done so much since we wrote last. So here goes….

We flew down to Kuala Lumpur from Langkawi and did a bit of shopping, last few bits and bobs to buy for souvenirs and things. Then the next day we were up bright an early to get the bus to the Cameron Highlands. It took about 4 hours to get there, up really steep hills. As you got closer to the top the roads got narrower and narrow and the steep drops at the side of the road got bigger and bigger, it didn’t help that the bus driver was going quite fast and taking practically all the corners blind, it was quite hairy! It was really cool in temperature up there and made a nice change from all the humidity. Also because the Cameron Highlands is well known for its tea plantations so we had our first cup of tea in about 11 weeks…mmmm… scones and jam too, it was just like being home in the new forest or something!

We stayed at a place called Fathers Guest House (formerly owned by a deaf monk!!!!). The dorms and rooms were old army barracks with dome roofs - bizarre! We booked up a trek for the next day through the forests. It was a great day, we did some boring stuff like butterfly fly farms, whoop whoop, tea plantations but it was a package tour and the end walk was great! We visited an Orang Asli village and used a blow pipe, and looked at how they live in their basic huts and then we headed off with the locals for our trek. They took us uphill over bamboo bridges, across felled trees and up and down extremely steep slopes, which u needed help from other people or the use of our traditional bamboo walking stick??? After 3km we arrive at a waterfall for lunch (we didn’t know u had to bring your own so some Chinese lady offered us her Oreo’s!) and then we saw the largest flower in the world - no joke! On the way back the heavens opened, as it does every afternoon in the Highlands, and we got drenched and absolutely caked in mud - it was great fun. To finished off we went to a hot spring which we gladly dipped our freezing feet into. The journey home was a bit uncomfortable cold and soaking wet in a jeep with metal seats and air blowing through the broken windows, but a day to remember none the less!

We leave the Cameron highlands on the 21st November about 20 stone heavier from all the tea and cakes we’ve been eating, and head off to Singapore by bus. We catch the bus at 8.30 am and after a stop in Kuala Lumpur to change bus we arrive in our hostel at 9pm! It was an incredibly long day, but made a bit more interesting when we nearly got off at the wrong stop because we thought it was immigration? We should of known there wouldn’t have been a McDonalds at immigration but at least we realised before the bus went without us! The bus driver thought we were absolute plonkers with our bags on and everything saying ‘Is this immigration?‘ at a Malaysian bus stop!! We also got stopped at customs and had to unwrap some of our souvenirs, apparently we look like junkies trying to smuggle drugs into Singapore in our Thailand mask and chopsticks!

We spent a full day in Singapore, looking at the sights we missed the first time round. We’re a dab hand now!!!!!! Last time we missed so much. On the way home Gem spots a happy hour deal so we decide to spend our last 20 dollars on a drink, a farewell drink to Asia before we flew the next day! Well, next thing we knew the debit card comes out, the tab is opened and it’s a farewell sesh to Asia, whoops! It would have been a great night, if when we got back to the hostel we hadn’t received an email to say the hotel for the next night in Brisbane had been double booked so we had no booking. At around 11pm the night before your about to fly to a new country all u need is to be told u have no where to stay, and as the Ashes were on that late in time there was nothing to book, it also didn’t help that the computer screen was slightly blurry!!!! It all worked out in the end but that’s a whole other story!!!

To be continued…….