A five hour journey out of Kuala Lumpur aboard an overcrowded bus with asthmatic air conditioning brought us to the Cameron Highlands area of Malaysia. Whilst the air quality inside the old rattler of a bus was no better than on the streets of KL, it was all forgotton when we stepped off and filled our lungs with the fresh mountain air in Tanah Rata, a small town at the heart of the Cameron Highlands. Not only was the air clean, but the days were cooler, around 15 - 20 deg C - a welcome relief after the heat of the last 3 months. We ditched the place we had booked in favour of a rather nice little hotel that, like many buildings in the area, looked like a big alpine chalet. Our accommodation continues to get cheaper (this one was 9 quid a night for an en-suite room with balcony overlooking the hills) and best of all the the staff were able to sort out cereal and scrambled eggs for breakfast - most welcome as all other meals at the moment seem to be noodles, rice and some form of curry. We came to the highlands to do some trekking on the extensive network of trails through the jungle that cover the region's mountains. The first (and what turned out to be our only) trek was fantastic. We hiked through a vast tea plantation before having a bite to eat with the Chief of a small Orang Asli tribal community on the steps of his hut, following which we entered the jungle. For much of the remainder of the day we followed our machete wielding guide through the dense vegetation. It was a very strenuous trek and pretty hairy at times, but enormous fun. After 15 kms (although it felt like 50) the heavens opened. Before getting too soaked, we managed to hitch a ride on the back of a truck and, unfortunately, called it a day. The following day I was eager to hire the guide for more of the same but as Lisa was in agony and could barely move from the previous days walk, we settled for more sedate activities. We checked out a couple of tea plantations, farms, temples and local markets. With Lisa still struggling to walk the following day, despite pills, lotions and massage, I opted for a round of golf. Having heard about the quality of Malaysian courses, I had high expectations and was not disaappointed. The course was incredibly picturesque, well maintained and best of all, almost deserted. The course was perhaps the most challenging I had ever played, which is another way of saying 'I took a lot of shots', but for once, it really didnt matter. With Lisa able to walk again, it was a shame to leave, but with plenty more trekking opportunites in Thailand and Vietnam, we moved on, catching another grotty bus to the island of Penang. Will add photos later. S