Well we arrived at the end of this travel and on the way back we avoided the consequences of a crazy war by travelling with Cathays via Hong Kong as planned. Of course this is a minor thing compared to hundreds dying or thousands displaced by this new war. Back to the trip. Singapore is a half sterilised edition of South East Asia. It is clean as Austria used to be on the 80s and it doesn't feel as strict as portrayed. The classic sites are beautiful but the Hawker centre foo

Few hours left in Langkawi so a drive to the top of Gunung Raya the 891 meter highest peak of the island seemed a good way to pass some time. From the top of the windy road the view of the surrounding small islands was spectacular. The ferry trip back was again 2 hours, and although the slow speeds of getting cars on and off the ferry would have driven any Greek ferry crew to commit suicide on the spot, was pleasant and efficient. And what you do if you don't want your last t

This is not an excursion to a hidden gem. It is a well known spot where you can walk to a small waterfall, then some levels of running water, end at the the blue hole to cool down. Or if you fancy carry on for another 2.5 hours to a demanding hike to the mountain's top. The first part is a series of steps with constant reminders of how many are left. This makes it harder than it really is. The second stop is an area of water inhabited by rather scoundrel monkeys. When we arri

Looking to go away from the crowds we found this area beyond the cable car that offered a hike to a waterfall and a little pool by steps and then through the woods to the Blue Hole a little refreshing hole amongst the rocks. To be updated

After contemplating yesterday even leaving the island we looked at options. The mangrove tour from Tanjung Rhu Beach seemed a good option but we thought instead of booking we ll just go there. The morning shared tours had left and the afternoon ones included lunch we were not bothered about so we took a private boat after bargaining a bit and ended paying just over what would have been online the shared option. We sailed to the Andaman sea where there is a complex of small is

The trip to Kuala Perlis where the car ferries set off for Langkawi started just before 7 am and took just sort of 3 hours. Nice green hills on the way broke the highway scenery and rural areas when we moved off the AH2 highway. The Jetty is simple with multiple operators who leave different times. Langkawi Auto Express goes to a Jeti between Kuah and Centah beach and takes just over 2 hours. The it all turned slightly sour. The house we booked was not what it looked in the p

Today we decided to go to the NW of Penang to the Pantai Pasir Panjang a beach near an army base. The setting was nice, the sea cooler than yesterday but warm, but jelly fish made it's appearance. Admittedly it was not from the very painful ones but still irritating for 40 mins or so. This did not stop us from staying couple hours as it did not stop the patient fisherman We stopped in a small fish restaurant Jiang Sang, next to the fish market and had fried pomfret. This was

The jewel of Penang is a contrast of worlds. High rises and malls on the one side, temples, mosques and shopfront stalls on the other. Colonialism nostalgia and modern Malaysia success. The city is hot but slightly less humid than Kuala Lumpur. We started around 10 by taking a bus (cash only) but by 1 pm the heat was brutal and taking its toll. Victoria's clock and the old town hall were firm representatives of colonial architecture extending to the esplanade in front of the

Time to head to the coast after two nice days at Cameron Highlands. Few days ago looking the weather we decided to head to Penang and Langkawi rather than out choice the Perhentian islands. We 'll add some pictures of the mountain trip and the amazing Penang main bridge later on. We stayed at one of the suburbs of Georgetown, Guerney. An area with high rises. The afternoon we headed north and after bypassing the more touristic Baru Farringi we stopped to the quieter Teluk Bah

Equipped with the information that a nice lady from Father's Guesthouse (we could not stay there as the one of the days was fully booked) we decided to do the 'moderate' path trek 10 this morning. Contrary to the info in rough guide feels safe. You can extend it with a walk towards the plantation we stopped yesterday (path 6) but we did not do that. The very start looked harder than we bargained for but OK. But then the ropes came into view. And the trek formed mainly by the

Around 9:30 we set off for our trip. Or we tried too. The car had no proper Android auto so the way we were shown ggogle maps refused to work. Back in the rental office where they showed an alternative way. We St off again and they both started working to get her with 2 voices giving directions together. Nightmare that caused a bit of upsetting, and a couple circles trying to get out of Kuala Lumpur, including paying a bit more tolls that we ought to. Better with an old paper

Sorry for the delayed writing a few things to organise and some travelling takes priority. Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur means Taman Connaught Night Market where we went. A bit of lough to get there particularly if you try like I'd to change from the light train to bus at the TBS station. Finally we arrived by taxi. The long road that is Taman Connaught Night Market (about 2 KMS) is lined with food stalls and the occasional phone accessory. All tastes are cared for. We were not p

Today we set off for Batu Caves. Or rather Google Maps decided to play a practical joke when we checked saying there is a train in 15 minutes and then none for 3 hours. It did not feel right but we ran to the nearby Sentral station and boarded the Kommuter train with 1 minute to spare. Of course then Google decided that there were trains every half an hour as it made more sense... Hmmm Batu Caves proved to be a commercial exercise. A lesser cave had a small entrance fee and t

Last night finally we skipped the Portuguese Settlement for some small but tasty satee nearby. And now after a short Grab ride we got to Melaka Sentral for our bus by Mellor interline to TBS just outside Kuala Lumpur where we ll move to a train to our destination near Kuala Lumpur. We had to exchange our booking for a ticket with a bar code to enter a waiting area and then wait door bus to aarive to be allowed out. Quite a bit more formal Our bus arrived a bit later perhaps a

The evening improved the impression of Melaka as we walked towards the centre from an alternative road that was crossing the now illuminated canal. The Peranakan Mansion, not to be confused with similar sounding establishments nearby, serves Nyonan cooking (an original fusion before the word was invented) in a mansion decorated nicely inside like a preserved aristocrat house. We had half duck and a lovely redang chicken served by a lovely and genuinely polite lady who origina

After a jet lagged? Age? less than ideal sleep we gathered our stuff and walked just around the corner from the hotel to the Queen Street Bus which is an open air station for both in city and international buses. The company we chose was 707inc. We arrived early so nobody else was waiting but soon enough people started gathering. And the bus arrived around 8:20. We loaded our luggage and sat behind the driver. Each space was huge and the seats were very comfortable suitable f

A place does not look quite the same day and nite so a more extensive visit to Little India was on the cards. In spite of being well after 10 it was quiet with a lot of the shops still shut. We wondered in verious streets as they started slowly waking up. Then we went back to the Tekka Market where fish mongers and butchers were in full swing. A lot of very fresh fish and meat but nothing out of the ordinary and more sanitised than our usual experience to either Asia or Lati

A wander to the colonial district where the work of prisoners from India created some architectural wonders under variable styles should be in the visit list . What is saved today is some times drowned by the skyscrapers around. The Raffles hotel was apparently a much more modest affair before it was bought and evolved to the grandiose building you see only to end being part of an international chain. The Singapore sling is not for us so we walk towards St Andrews a protestan

As the heat and the humidity rises we took the great metro blue line to Chinatown. Vibrant, busy, fool of food places, unashamingly touristic. Perhaps site of one of the few streets in the world where an Hindu temple, a mosque, and a Buddhist temple coexist harmoniously. Sri Marianam temple created by the first Indian who set foot in Singapore celebrating the ability of Draupathi to walk over coals. Similar traditions exist all over the world and fortunately we did not have t

And then we landed. 12 and a half hours from Heathrow. The superefficiency of Singapore starts in the beautiful Changi airport. The quickest immigration ever. A short sky train and the MRT train to downtown. We are staying in the Little India area near Jalan Besar. All this from touching down to our hotel in less than 50 minutes and few SGD. A quick rest and then out. We ll get to the most touristy bit tonight. Gardens at the Bay which because of the New Year celebrations are