Singapore or bust....

From Melaka we took a bus, not as swanky as before but loads of room, five hours south down the national highway to Singapore, as far south as we would be going in Asia. Originally we had planned to get here just before we flew to Australia but had managed, crazily, to get here around two weeks ahead of schedule. With this time in hand we had a hundred different options of where to go to but in the end decided to spend a couple of nights in Singapore and then fly on to Borneo.

Getting off the bus we were instantly introduced to Singapore's tropical weather, it was hammering it down as if someone had let off a hose pipe. We took cover under a tin shelter and tried to wait it out but this particular bus station was in such a ridiculous position that taxis were nowhere to be seen. After waiting for an hour for the rain to stop only to watch it get heavier a local man, who claimed to be a fisherman (really?-at a bus stop?) said that it wouldn't stop for three hours and that we needed to go. With this he miraculously spied a taxi and ran up to it so we could get in, such a nice bloke.

Anyway, as the hostel was in the thick of chinatown our taxi driver told us about all the great things to eat in the vicinity, items that, 'you can't really say you've been to Singapore until you've tried', which included, chilli crab, haikkanese chicken and fish porridge, mmmm.

Anyway the hostel was fine, nice and clean but the dormitories were ridiculously small, barely big enough for me and shell, never mind six! We were in there with some decent guys though, a couple of Austrian guys and an American couple. It doesn't matter who you are with though, in that small space you would learn every smell of the five other people!

Back out in Chinatown we headed for some of the hawker stalls selling various delicious things but even here, amongst Singapore's cheapest eating places, it was still way out of our league. And here in lies the problem. Singapore is expensive, in some ways more expensive than London. So for two budget travellers struggling by on £40 for two, it would be impossible. Even so, we found a place selling great dim sum and pork claypots so at least ate fairly well.

The next morning and our only full day in Singapore, we got up early, helped ourselves to the mediocre offerings for breakfast and headed out towards the botanical gardens, apparently one of the worlds best. It was fantastic, incredibly big and modelled on an English landscape (it was built by the second English governor). We walked for ages through the different sections in the rising heat until we hit the other side of the park and made our way down Orchard Road, Singapore's Oxford street. What Bangkok has in intensity Singapore definitely makes up for in volume. Every outlet you can think of, all in sanitised, air conditioned goodness. We walked as far as we conceivably could in flip flops and in the suffocating humidity before stopping for well earnr refreshments in one of the food courts. This time we peered way too much food. We ate roti murtabek, a roti stuffed with shredded chicken and spices all served with a tonne of vegetables and daal. In terms of Singapore it was cheap but still took up a food chunk of our budget. Bloody Singapore, it's all the bankers fault, they've made everything too expensive!!

From there we took the MRT down to Raffles Hotel, arguably it's most revered sight and a national institution. It was as grand and majestic as you would imagine. It even had a yellow Ferrari parked outside and a rather large Roller drove in to pick someone up. With rooms starting at £350 a night we could maybe afford to sit on someone's bed for ten minutes? We did think about going for one of the legendary Singapore slings but I think they took one look at us and decided the gin would be kept safely out of sight from these nutters.

Back at the hostel quite possibly the worlds smelliest guy had taken over one of the beds in our dorm. To be fair to him we think it was his towel or his feet, or maybe both but he smelt like a combination of rotting flesh and aged vomit. The prospect of spending a night with this smell actually turned shells stomach, I've never seen anyone with that amount of dread.

To compensate we went out to enjoy Singapore's light show, something I'd not even heard of until shell told me (she is a walking guidebook). We experienced a lightshow in HK which was huge but this was much more impressive. It was smaller but featured water in direct coordination with the music. Not only that but from the top of the huge Marina plaza building behind us, a laser was then projecting images onto the water spray, creating moving images to coincide with the dramatic music effect. A real assault on the senses.

After eating a sandwich for dinner, best we could do I'm afraid, we retreated back to the hostel and our smelly pit of a dorm!

It was a bit of a whistle stop tour of Singapore having only been there for one full day but it is just so expensive! We knew what to expect before we came but nothing can prepare you for things costing quadruple what they would over the border.

I suppose the similarities with Hong Kong are quite numerous in the sense that the British influence is still very much around in the road signs, architecture and fussiness but the city itself is the epitome of sleek. I guess what it lacks in character it makes up for in cleanliness.

Anyway, our next chapter awaits and an exciting and unplanned couple of weeks over in Borneo, can't wait!!

Much love, Tommo and shellface xx

Melaka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka....

Leaving Kuala Lumpur behind we hopped on the bus in the main bus terminal. As we got on all memories of grotty, cramped busses of the other parts of Asia seemed to disappear, it was the height of bus luxury. It was one of those journeys you just didn't want to end because you knew deep down that this kind of bus was pretty rare to find!

As we got off in Melaka we were befriended by a guy who wanted to share a taxi with us. Turns out he was half Argentinian and half Chinese and his name was Juan Pablo Poon, what a name! He had just finished a six month stint in New Zealand and was now off to travel through Asia, lovely stuff and a good guy.

The taxi into Melaka was good fun. We had a taxi that when the driver lifted the boot, a huge canister was strapped in leaving no space for bags. I asked him if it was nuclear, he said it was to power his car, is this guy from back to the future??

At the hotel in Melaka's old town the taxi drover dropped us off with our bags and we strolled up the stairs to be met by quite possibly the most informal (and cheap) place to date. The two owners had a couple of very young children who's toys and books were strewn across the floor, it was actually pretty cute, very homely. The rooms were basic but excellent and even had our own rocking chair!

After relaxing for a few minutes we were off once more into the evening to check out this historic city, not realising quite how busy a place such as this can get on the weekend, it was ridiculous. You kind of forget I suppose, especially after being in Vietnam, Laos etc, that the local population are tourists too. You forget sometimes that malaysia is a developed country with an aspiring middle class, all looking to take their new SUV's to the countryside or the seaside for the weekend.

Anyway, we braved the crowds to explore the famous Jonkers night
Market. The streets were filled with hundreds of people (and stalls hidden away somewhere!) We managed to taste some amazing nyonya pineapple tarts, portugese custard tarts and some chinese dim sum. Just goes to show you the diverse mix of cultures that they have here. Whilst wandering through the Market, we came across a huge stage where some brave souls were singing there hearts out to what only can be described as a Chinese mega mix of their greatest pop hits. Our favourite was an old guy in a yellow and black shellsuit - he looked like the Chinese version of Barry chuckle! His performance was by far the best of the night :)

After a good nights sleep, we set about exploring the city and the heritage sights that it had to offer. There were people everywhere and in the end we gave up and headed away from the crowds to follow a walking tour in the LP guide. It took us past Chinese temples, Hindu temples and a mosque - all along the same road! The Chinese temples were fantastic to wander around as they were filled with people praying and celebrating the new year. There was so much incense in the air it stung your eyes but it was a brilliant sight to see (even through our streaming eyes!)

Later that night, we took a walk along the river and discovered some amazing artwork on the sides of the buildings. Huge colourful designs depicting different aspects of malaysia and of Melaka in particular. They looked great at night but even better the following day when we took a leisurely boat ride along the river, straight through the heart of the city. Further up river we found a traditional Malay village (wooden houses on stilts). They seemed slightly out of place next to the more modern concrete buildings but it was nice to see that this community maintained it's authenticity.

Wandering back to our guesthouse, we came across an old shop with lots of wooden spinning tops hanging outside with a sign offering free lessons. We headed inside and found a friendly old guy who relished the opportunity to show off his 'spinning' skills! He was pretty good and before long Tom had mastered the art of spinning too. All pretty simple stuff, or so it seemed until the guy started wheeling his tricks out the bag. These were not so easy and 'would need some practice', so we walked out the shop the proud owners of our very own spinning top! No doubt hours upon hours of frustration lie ahead but a pretty good souvenir to bring back to the UK.

Now we couldn't write a blog about Melaka without mentioning the trishaws. They are without doubt the most fantastic mode of transport you could ever hope to take and like nothing we had seen during our time in Asia. Yes it still was a bicycle powered by one very fit man and seats for 2 passengers on the back. Yet these guys had taken it up a level and 'pimped' up there bikes with lights, flowers, stuffed toys and a HUGE soundsystem pumping out everything from chinese pop to Michael Jackson. Brilliant! Even better though was when groups of Chinese tourists hired lots of them at once (to accommodate their huge families) and they all set off in a long line, different music blaring out the speakers of each - a special moment to behold and only in Asia!!

All too soon (and just as we were starting to relax) it was time to think about moving on again. We booked super cheap express bus tickets to Singapore. A mere 5 hour journey with border crossings half way through. Fingers crossed for as nice a bus as we had on our journey here - somehow I doubt it!!

Love Tommo and shell xxxxx

(this blog was a joint effort and a labour of love as we left it so long to write - oooops!)

City trekking in Kuala Lumpur.....

Arriving in KL after escaping unharmed from pyschoville we wondered off the bus (as luxury as we have had so far we reckon) and into another chaotic bus terminal where groups of Indian men started eyeing us up suspiciously. What was instantly noticeable was the extreme difference in temperature, it felt almost as if you had been draped in a large, hot, wet blanket. It must have been fifteen degrees hotter. After some initial confusion and disorientation that comes with being in a new, large city we got our act together and found the metro system and the stop we would have to get off at, Masjid Jemak, right in the heart of Little India. According to the directions on the website our hotel was a matter of metres away from the metro station, should be a doddle we thought. Our first mistake was turning right when we should have turned left. Our second mistake was to keep walking in 35 degree heat with backpacks on in a huge circle, only to return once more to the same metro station where we had been 30 minutes previously. We then saw the hotel, next to the metro station. Idiots.

After our Cameron highlands lunatic asylum experience we were hopeful that the hotel room we had booked turned out to be as good as the increase in budget would suggest. Thankfully it was, it was beautiful. The bed was the biggest I have ever seen and the huge flat screen tv was a nice touch (not that we'd get to watch it!), we even got a selection of free biscuits, chocolate bourbons! We felt like royalty!

Anyway, after a much needed shower (we started to smell like soil), we were off into KL central to seek out cheap eats and to try to get some bearings. We found another cheap food court in another huge mall and gorged, despite the crowds, on two chicken claypot dishes. They are basically incredibly hot (as in ouch to touch) clay pots with various vegetables, rice and tender chicken. Really tasty.

The only problem, and we were pretty sick of it by that point, were the crowds, there were people everywhere. We were just fed up, Penang and the Cameron highlands were good but due to the national holidays it was just hard work. Fortunately today was the last day of the holidays so we were hoping that as we progressed through the next three days the crowds would start to ease a little, we hoped!

After an incredible nights sleep we both started the day with bundles of energy, so good! Nothing will beat the feeling you get in your first full day in a new and exciting city on a long trip. As we walked out of the hotel the sudden rush of heat, noise and aromas hit us, you've gotta love it. Our first call was a small southern Indian cafe where we munched on fresh roti and daal dip, apple juice and ginger tea. The guys in there were great and showed us an authentic Indian breakfast, we liked a lot and would be back.

From there we hit Merdeka square, a large cricket field flanked by impressive Tudor and Georgian colonial architecture. This was the site of Malaysian independence from Britian in 1957 but still maintains all the pomp and pageantry that you would expect from a city and a country with a big colonial past. We got some great photos from this area so you should take a look. Only thing at this point was the heat, it was just so hot!

From there we stopped at Masjid Jamek mosque, a huge and highly significant mosque in this conservatively Muslim country. We picked up some literature to try to understand this highly misunderstood religion before walking round to take in the surroundings. To do this though we both had to cover up so were thankful for the free hajib and headscarf (see photos-I look like a choirboy, Shell would make a good Muslim).

From there we joined the lonely planet guides walking tour of Chinatown, even though by this point, it was probably 1pm, we were beginning to melt. the tour was excellent. We stopped at a fantastic Taoist temple where a Chinese woman told us all about the Chinese new year, she literally popped out of nowhere bless her! This year is the year of the dragon and people born in a dragon year have to spend hours praying and generally work hard to appease the spirits compared to someone born in a rat or a pig year (mine and shells). She said the pig and the rat go well together, I'd agree, and if the last hotel is anything to go by then we also, much like our symbolic counterparts, like lying in filth. For lunch we stopped for delicious noodles and Chinese tea at a cafe that has apparently been open for 200 years. It was beautiful. It also occurred to me that Shell probably likes tea and coffee just as much as I do now, my mission is complete.

Back in the centre we headed towards the mammoth Petronas towers, KL's most famous landmark, and for good reason. As far as skyscrapers go it really is the dogs testicles. At one point they were the tallest buildings in the world, now they have the elevated default position of the worlds tallest twin towers, since 2001 of course. To look at they look as if they are going to be propelled skywards at any moment, they are magnificent and and a true feat of engineering. We got the obligatory photos before heading into the adjoining mall, KLCC, to check out yet more rampant Asian consumerism.

Out in the park we were stunned when two friends, a man and a woman, who looked as though they had just met for the first time in years were reprimanded by not one but two policeman, all for a short embrace. Its hard to understand when touring a strictly Muslim country and even though you have to accept it, these two people simply hugged for a matter of seconds. Did they really deserve the whistles and subsequent embarrassment?

From there we ate once more in the cheap delight of another shopping mall before returning back to the hotel shattered and sweaty ready to hit the sack.

The next morning we visited our friends at the local Indian cafe once more before following the guidebooks walking tour once again, this time of Little India. The tour wasn't as impressive as the previous days and took us to some strange and irrelevant sights, like a solicitors and an Indian clothes shop. I think they wanted us to admire the arty deco architecture, it just looked like Fratton to me.

From there we went by foot once more in search of Menara tower, the sixth largest tower in the world, can't really miss it then can you. We paid the entrance fee and took a lift to the viewing deck, 220 metres above the ground. It was an awe-inspiring sight, the 360 views were simply staggering and the position of the tower, in the middle of KL, meant that the views of the Petronas and surrounding buildings were even better than we thought. We even had an audio tour via one of those headphone sets at the top though every set they gave me seemed to break on entering my orbit. They gave me five sets that seemed to explode on impact, they were perplexed and the look on their faces were ones of pure disgust.

Also, as part of the ticket, we were given the opportunity to take part in a formula 1 simulator. Turns out Shell, as it happens, seemed to be a bit of a natural (grrrrr) and I seem to have the ability to make the car face the opposite way, even if it seems impossible to do so. I even had the indignity of the two members of staff snigger at me as we left due to being lapped by my girlfriend....there was nothing I could say.

From there we again walked (walking would be a prominent feature here) through the city to a mall that promised an indoor theme park, an indoor theme park! Even saying those two things together conjures up disbelief. We arrived expecting a trampoline, maybe even one of those rides you get in gypsy fairs that seem to want to dismantle every time they pick up speed. Instead the three floors of this mall had been turned into a mini Alton Towers, complete with rollercoasters and gravity defying contraptions. Impressive stuff.

If KL looked impressive by day then by night it looked almost surreal. The Petronas towers took on an almost otherworldly glow and surrounding it were other less tall but nonetheless impressive buildings. I guess Hong Kong or Guangzhou would be it's immediate equal out of the megacities we have visited but KL, unlike it's heavyweight Asian counterparts, seemed to gleam with the freshness of a country with a a very prosperous future.

Our last day in KL will probably go down as the day in which we walked the most of anywhere we have been so far on this trip. I did a 100km trek before we left the UK and my legs had that knowing feeling that we'd at done least a quarter of that distance during the day. Our first port of call was Batu Caves, a huge cave system 13km out of the city. After numerous wrong turns and at one point actually walking down a motorway (seriously), we finally found the correct metro station to take us there. Already the temperature was hovering around 33 degrees and we still had to contend with the 272 steps to gain access to the caves. Apart from many more potential monkey attacks from the vicious macaques on the way up, we managed the ascent pretty well. I think we're both feeling pretty fit at the moment.

The caves were huge and were guarded at the entrance by a 120m golden statue of a Hindu god. Unfortunately I think we had missed the areas most famous annual celebration, Thaipusam, where Hindu men tie very heavy items to parts of their bodies, including the genitalia, in a sort of masochistic show of religious devoteeism. Damn.

We then, maybe foolishly, decided to walk for the rest of the day. First up were the KL lake gardens, a huge, British designed and built, area of lakes, gardens, deer parks and tea houses. The fact that this was in the middle of a city was quite simply astonishing. Maybe on a par with NYC's Central Park for grandeur. After deciding that we didn't want to spend any more money on entrance fees we then decided to work back to Bukit Bintang, the unofficial centre, to eat at one of the delicious Arab stalls. We had been walking, in the heat of the day, for around five hours non stop at this point so made the 'mirage esque' food court and collapsed in a sweaty mess onto some chairs. KL, over four days, had finished us. After chomping down the last pieces of amazing chicken Shwarma's, (a Lebanese wrap-truly amazing) we dropped into to a coffee house and didn't move for hours. We did manage to book our tickets to Borneo though, Orang-utans here we come!

KL has been fantastic. We weren't too sure what to expect from a city that we had been told was just too sterile, too modern. Don't listen to them. It is a fantastic place filled with a heady mix of cracking food, a hundred different cultural influences and bags to see. We had a blast. Next stop, a bus further south to the historic colonial city of Melaka. Onwards!

Much love, Tommo and Shellface xxxx