When I arrived in Singapore I didn't really have a plan and it was a bit too late to come up with one. So i just headed out of the airport on a train to the city. The trains were pristine. That's when i remembered what i'd been told about Singapore, it was meant to be one of the cleanest city's in the world. After changing trains a couple of times I arrived in the centre. I watched up the steps from the under grown feeling the humidity straight away. I looking for some where to stay for the night, because by this time it was about 9pm and I tired after the flight. After walking around for about 5 minutes, the heavens opened and bless me with soaking clothes, just what i needed whilst trying to find somewhere to stay for the night with a big backpack on. After asking a dozen people and getting on a few more trains I eventually arrived at the haiwian hostel! I'd found it in what was defiantly the seedy areas of chinatown. The place was like a prison, That's the only word i can use to describe it. The place obviously hadn't had any refurbishment for some 50 years. Parts of the floor were painted, the shower was a garden hose attached to a tap and the some of the people staying i imagine were paying by the hour, not the night.

After I had a shower and got changed into some comfortable clothes I headed out for a walk around the area I was staying it. I had this big grin on my face, this place was brilliant. I just loved how different it was from australia! I immediately knew that asia was going to be the best part of the trip. Unfortunately been by myself I didn't have anyone to speak to, and the place i was staying in didnt have any backpackers in. So for the 1st couple of days by myself I didn't hear my own voice, which was very strange. I spent a couple days in Singapore, I then got the bus up to Kuala Lumpur. I wanted to get up there early because I had three very important people coming out to see me soon and I wanted to find out what we could all get up to whilst they were here. I went up to Kuala Lumpur on 8th sept. Vanessa was arriving on the 13th and Mum and Martin 16th! I went to the Matahri Lodge in Chinatown. The place was brilliant, and the 3 guys that worked there were fantastic. Untill Vanessa arrived I spent most of my days walking around getting to know the city and in the evening drinking Tiger beers in Matahri lodge.

The day vanessa arrived I was really excited, I headed to the airport early so I wouldnt be late. I didnt actually get there very early. When I got to arrivals I went to a small stand next to the gate where whs ewas coming through to get a drink, id just ordered my drink and as i turned around I saw this massive smile and a crazed girl running towards me, it was vanessa. She ran full speed into me with 20kg of baggage on her back, nearly knocking me out in the process.

We headed back to the city to Matarhi lodge, for the next couple of days we walked around chinatown and to the park. where we saw lots of wild monkeys and giant leafs! On the 16th it was time to go to the airport and meet mum and martin, again I was really excited! We arrived at arrivals again, the same place i'd met Vanessa 3 days earlier. We waited and waited, eventally mum and martin appeared, for a little while we just watched them coming through looking lost and watcing martin move his head left to right like a meer cat! I eventually waved till they got sight of us. Within 2 minutes of seening them, it was like no time had past. we all headed back on the coach for matahri lodge.

I was so happy to have everyone out here with me, well i say everyone.. I did wish adam could of been there too. But i knew he had to be in Perth working at that time! Everyone was really up for getting out there and doing some fun things. So i booked us all to Go to an elephant sanctuary. The morning we set off, we were a bit delayed by the women, they ran off in the morning to the markets to buy jelly shoes, me and martin were just waiting back at the hostel, wondering if we were going to miss our trip! Luckily the bus was late. We had a great time, in fact on the way to see the elephants we went to the batu caves, which was a huge cave with about a million stairs leading up to it! Me and Vanessa had been a couple of days before, we all decided to save our energy and not walk all the way to the top. We all got to feed monkeys which were roaming around the stairs. After the batu caves we headed to the sanctuary. We had a great day out, we got to feed the elephants, ride the elephants and me and vanessa also got to go diving into the water with one!

Vanessa had been looking into island around malaysia we could all stay on, there was an island called Langkawi that looked great. So me and Vanessa booked a coach up to the island for the next day and mum and martin decided to fly up. Me and vanessa should have flown up really. it ended up costing about the same price in the end. because me and vanessa had to get a coach, taxi, ferry then another taxi to get to malibest, the resort we'd booked into. When me and vanessa pulled up in the car to malibest mum and martin were waiting. They'd arrived there some hours earlier and been relaxing whilst me and vanessa had been travelling rough and getting touched up by weird malaysia men. well i say we, i just mean me.

Langkawi was brilliant, everyone absolotly loved it! Welldone to Vanessa for choosing it! Mum and martin had 4 days on the island so we tired to do as much as could in those days. We went fishing, island hoping. which included feeding eagles, fish eating of your feet and snorkling. We also went to see some waterfalls on the other wide of the island, Parasailing and we went to water world. exhausting few days! Of an evening we would normally go out to a lovely seafood resurtant and choose fresh fish and then have it cooked the way we wanted.

On the 22nd mum and martin flew down from Langkawi airport to kuala lumpur. We'd had a really good time and it was great to see them! the goodbye wasn't like it was saying goodbye in january. Probaly because id be seeing them both in only 4 months. Me and Vanessa decided to stay in Langkawi for an extra 4 days. One of the days we did a fantastic day trip out to mangrove. which was a huge lake, where we did eagle feeding, we went to an actually bat cave and went to a fish farm. I managed to get us discount on the trip because a couple of days previous mum martin me and vanessa had done a fishing trip which turned out to be not what we asked for. we were meant to be trolling and catching big fish. instead we just had a line, hook and caught tinny fish. It wasnt easy getting discount on the mangrove trip. I litrally had to chase the guy that sold us the fishing trip lol

3 days before vanessa flew out of KL we arrived back at the Matahri. We arrived a few days early so we could do lots of shopping in chinatown market! We also went to Negra zoo which was brilliant. Vanessa got to see her precious Orang-utans! They were so human like, one of them was waving at us trying to get us to come join him. when we arrived back from the zoo that night i went on the internet, i had a message off adam saying he was in KL now and was just staying up the road. We got a little dressed up as it was vanessa's last night and went up to get adam. We all went out for a meal and had a few beers. Then sat on the balcony at matahri with some beers and vanessa had vodka. The next day I went to the bus station with vanessa, we said goodbye. again it wasn't like saying goodbye in January because we knew it wouldnt be long till I was back home! A couple of days later me and adam flew to Phuket for the start of our last 4 months travelling together!

See you all soon

Love, Rick

p.s thankyou too everyone who sent me cards for my birthday, it was great and very unexpected! so thankyou too mum & martin vanessa alex claire & mandrew tony & elaine mark & ann-marie paul & debbie uncle Harry & Hilary and margret & gerard!