Hi from Malaysia!

When Nick last wrote we were just about to leave "sunny" Oz for the wonders of South East Asia. We're now back in a completely foreign country where we look different, sound different and they eat different food - and we're loving it!!!

Our flight from Perth on 16th June was very uneventful and we arrived in Singapore just before 6pm to extreme heat and humidity! A real shock after Australia. So, after figuring out the metro system, we checked into the first hostel we found, got a room with air-con and lay on the bed for a couple of hours trying to cool down!! Eventually we ventured out to explore the night market in the streets outside our hostel and to sample our first SE Asian cuisine from one of the stalls there. I am pleased to report that the food here is lovely, Nick has even eaten some spicy stuff and we even had Roti Chani (Indian bread with a mild curry dip) for breakfast one day!! In fact, my only complaint about this place so far is the insects! I'm being eaten alive regardless of how much insect repellent I put on!!!

Anyway, back to the story. After, wandering the market looking at the weird and wonderful produce available we returned to our room and possibly the most comfy bed of the trip.

The next morning we started to explore the city, very slowly whilst consuming lots of water and taking lots of rests. We wandered through Little India, with some incredibly ornate buildings then up to Canning park where the map showed a reservoir. We had visions of a big lake where we could sit and relax in the shade but actually found a tall metal fence with "Keep Out" signs showing people being shot!! So with no respite from the heat we headed to the CBD, which is incredibly clean, then onto China Town where there were some beautiful temples and a big Chinese market. By that point we were both ready for a shower so headed back to the hostel to cool down before dinner.

So, that was us done with Singapore. The next morning we jumped on a bus across the border into Malaysia. Our plan was to travel to Mersing, on the East Coast, where we could get a boat to Pulau Tioman, a beautiful tropical island where we planned to relax for a few days before continuing our journey. On the bus we met a group of 3 Swiss, two of whom had done the trip before. We followed them through the border crossing and onto the bus to Mersing all the while being told that we should have booked in advance as they called 40 different places on Tioman before they found somewhere to stay!! So, slightly worried, but still optimistic, we turned up at Mersing bus station where we were met by someone who arranged our boat ticket and accommodation in a beach hut for a 3rd of what the Swiss had paid!!! Brilliant!

After a mad panic trying to find a cash machine that would accept my card we got some money and caught the boat. Then it started chucking it down! Proper torrential rain!! We really should hire ourselves out to drought ridden countries! Luckily it had stopped by the time we arrived, unluckily our bags had been stored outside and were soaking wet! We'd decided to stay at Air Batang (known as ABC to the locals) and as we carried our soaking wet bags towards our cabin we befriended two other English couples. Richard and Sian, who turned out to be our next door neighbours and Dean and Tracey who were staying at the next resort along. That evening we had happy hour drinks and dinner with them which was lovely and something we repeated every evening while on the Island!! Our bar of choice was the Mini-Bar at the Jetti. A one man outfit run by Dom, born and bred on the Island and loving the chilled out lifestyle.

The next day Nick and I planned to walk to Monkey Bay where we'd been told there was great snorkeling. We'd also been told that it was only the next bay round and wouldn't take that long to walk to - the liars!!! It took over an hour to walk there and it was ridiculously hot but that did mean that we were very ready for our snorkeling when we arrived. I went in first and saw 4 black tipped reef sharks!!!! It was amazing (and a little bit scary even though I knew they wouldn't hurt me) Anyway, I swam back to land ASAP to tell Nick, by the time he got out they'd gone but he saw a turtle!! Amazing - the best snorkeling ever. The rest of the day was spent snorkeling and shade-bathing (the suns too hot to sit in) with Richard and Sian who appeared at the beach about an hour after us. That is until about 3.30 when the monkeys decided to try and steal all our stuff!! Nick and Richard were snorkeling at the time which meant Sian and I were left fighting off the monkeys. Quite scary, they kept snarling at us!

Having wet our appetites with some snorkeling Nick and I decided to go diving the next day. That was great, so much better than on the Barrier Reef. On our first dive we saw a turtle, a trigger fish, a scorpion fish and loads of Nemo's (clown fish). Even the dive master said it was one of the best dives she's ever done. We didn't see as much on the second dive
but we did get to swim through some underground tunnels which we've never done before.

The next day, continuing with the relaxing!?!? theme we decided to walk to Juara a village on the other side of the Island. This meant going 7km across the island through tropical rainforest and over a very big hill. Really hard work but worth it. We saw more monkeys (friendly ones this time) and Juara beach was lovely. Unfortunately the snorkeling wasn't as good over there but it was still fun and we met another couple who walked back with us to join the usual suspects for Happy Hour and dinner!

And so to our final day on Tioman. We had planned to leave on the 2.30 boat but the beach was too nice and after a day of real relaxation we actually didn't leave until nearer 5! That evening, back in Mersing we had a lovely meal of satay from yet another street stall before an early night preparing for our bus to Melaka the next day.

So, 6.30 the next morning we were up and heading to the bus station. The journey was very uneventful (the buses here are really good!) and we arrived in Melaka around 11.30 to find that it was just as hot there! Melaka is the historic capital of Malaysia where the Portuguese, Dutch and the English all landed and tried to take over. Them combined with the native Malays, Chinese and Indian population makes a pretty interesting and diverse place! The afternoon was spent wandering the town seeing the sights including the Museum of Enduring Beauty which showed everything people do in the name of beauty from tribal piercings and tattoos to corsets and starvation diets. Very interesting and quite freaky!

We had planned to spend another day in Melaka but we felt that we'd seen everything we wanted to in one day so the next morning we jumped on a bus to Kuala Lumpur, managing to arrive in the heat of midday! Our hostel was in China Town which was very busy and full of market stalls selling genuine, fake, designer gear direct from China! We decided to escape the hustle and bustle for a few hours by walking to Lake Gardens where we visited the Orchid Garden, Mouse deer Park and National Monument. Then, true to form got caught in a torrential downpour and ended up sheltering under an imitation Stonehenge of all things!

The next morning we caught a bus out of town to the Batu Caves, a really impressive cave which contains a Hindu Temple. It was really interesting to walk around - and there were more monkeys! The afternoon was spent back in the city wandering the streets visiting various sights, including the KL Menora Communication Tower and tallest flag pole in the World!

This left only one thing to do on our last morning in KL. A trip up the Petronas Towers. This meant getting up at 7 and queueing for over an hour but it was worth it. You can only go as far as the bridge on the 41st floor but the view was great and the buildings are really impressive. That afternoon we were back on the move on a bus to Tanah Rata a village in the Cameron Highlands. We're there now and it's great! But Nick will write about that next time!

Hope you're all well and we'll see you soon.
xx