We have now settled into our hotel - the Star Lodge, I got to inspect the room first before we took it. My checklist includes a/c, wifi, cleanliness, a western toilet and somewhere to plug my hairdryer next to a mirror. I asked the dour Chinese hotel owner if any of the rooms had a mirror and he wearily said "No, this is a budget hotel". Well...what do I want for £9 a night? As Chris said on the message board, we could turn this into a book - if we did...

Here we are in Georgetown, (or Pulau Pinang) on Penang island! Enjoy the photos, most from our walk this evening in Litle India and Chinatown. It was so vibrant and alive as July is the month Georgetown celebrates its UNESCO heritage. The place has a great, friendly multi-cultural feel unlike any other. We slept last night in Malaysia Hotel, but swithed today to spend a week in the Star Guesthouse - at around £9 a night - with aircon and wifi. It is clean and ba...

The next stage of our journey was by sleeper-train from Bangkok to Butterworth, then a super cheap ferry (24p each) from Butterworth to Georgetown, Penang (an island off the west coast of Malaysia). When I say 'sleeper' train, I use the term loosely. What an adventure. We arrived to find our seats well and truly taken over by a couple of girls who had obviously done this trip before. They had packed enough food (a lot of it very smelly) for a week on the train, t...

Happy Father's Day to the Dads!Today we went to Bukit Nanas rainforest, which is a rainforest at the foot of the KL Menara tower in the centre of KL. 11 hectares of rainforest preserved for you to trek about for free. Paul's photo featured is one of a Durian tree with a squirrel type creature feeding on it. The durian fruit has a terrible reputation in asia for its pungent smell. There are often signs on buses and in lifts saying "No Durians". It was pa...

Hi again - thanks to Val & Joh,Val, Rachel, Jan, Antonia and Ange for your messages - great to know you are keeping in touch! Please keep up with our blog AND the new photos!!! Last night we ate at a local Brickfields (Little India) 'restoran' - cheap and cheerful - Chapati, 3 curries, drinks for £2..... all vegetarian and soooooo tasty! I (Paul) am quite an expert at eating with right hand only. Will return tonight as I am paying!We didn't sleep until 1am ...