Cambodia - Siem Reap

We arrived into Siem Reap airport, filled out our forms for our Cambodian visas and caught a taxi into town. We soon found ourselves a little hotel away from the main road and first on the agenda was sunset at Phnom Bakheng. Unfortunately rain clouds decided to gather on the horizon ruining any chances of spectacular colours. The crowds became unbearable so we escaped on our tuk-tuk with our driver Channa. A man of few words and no idea how to use a camera but he did have a very big smile and very high voice.

The next morning we were up at sparrow's fart to enjoy Angkor Wat at sunrise. The main benefits being cooler temperatures and less people. As well as our driver we also hired a guide for the next few days who proved to be invaluable.

As we travelled around the local countryside he gave us a running commentary on the sights, sounds and smells. He was very informative and gave us a great insight into the community.

Our few days in Siem Reap were filled with temples, temples and more temples, as you can see from this selection of photos.


When we visited Angkor Wat for the second time it was full of Cambodians celebrating a Buddhist festival, they pay nothing to enter the temple complex which we think is a great idea. We became a tourist attraction ourselves as many of the Cambodians visiting from rural areas rarely see a white face and they weren't shy in expressing their interest in our pasty complexions.

Our guide was not only a fountain of knowledge but he was also quite handy with a camera. For the first time in our trip we had so many photos of the both of us together.

Our last temple of the tour, Bantai Sre was perhaps the most beautiful. Built from a red stone and adourned with remarkably well preserved and intricate carvings. We had to travel for about an hour in our tuk tuk to get to this temple, but this was one of the most enjoyable things we did, travelling through small communities and seeing something of rural Cambodian life.

On our way back to our hotel we spotted this vehicle and were suddenly overcome with flashbacks to some of our modes of transport in Nicaragua. Think that the Cambodians win the challenge for 'how many people can we fit into a small yellow van'!

On our second to last night we booked a table at an Apsara dance show. With an all you eat buffet and a seat right at the front we had a great evening. Well I did, Kate had a few stomach complications that required frequent visits to the toilets which meant she was unable to make full use of the buffet and missed a couple of acts.

The first town we visited in Cambodia, Siem Reap, really endeared itself to us. The people are so friendly and when they smile you cannot help but smile back. Its incredible to think that the horrors many of the older generation endured happened such a short time ago, but more on that later.

Malaysia - Langkawi

Not with content with 2 Malaysian islands we decided to try one more. We caught a ferry from Penang to Langkawi and then a taxi to the main beach area of Pantai Cenang. We found a lovely little guesthouse called Sweet Inn (Sweat Inn would have been more accurate) set back from the road and the beach.

We spent our few days on the island enjoying the beach, beers and sunshine. Our main concern was where we were going to watch the last Premiership game of the season and spent an embarrassingly large proportion of our time checking which bars would be showing it. We were particularly interested in an elusive bar called 1812 run by an eccentric northerner who sold Bolton Wanderers Pies. We eventually found it but it wasn't open, so no chance to compare them to Holland's.

One evening we decided to take a sunset cruise throughout the smaller islands. It was wonderful, made even better by free booze and great company! We also got a chance to have another go at boom netting. Our experience in NZ was quite a frantic affair and hardly relaxing but the Malaysians had got it right. It was so relaxing that we were thrown beers to enjoy whilst having our salt water jacuzzi. The next morning I woke up with a ferocious hangover and spent the morning in bed with the AC as Kate sunbathed on the beach.

Over the past few weeks we had been keeping a close eye and ear to happenings in Thailand. Considering our government had warned against all but essential travel to all parts of Thailand, which meant that if we stepped foot in the country our insurance would be invalid, we decided to fly to Cambodia and reevaluate our plans for Thailand later in our trip.

We flew from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur, then the next morning caught a plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was perhaps the emptiest flight we had ever been on with an added bonus of Ferrero Roche complimentary chocolates!

Malaysia - Penang

After a refreshing few days up in the Highlands it was time to head back down to sea level and the heat of another Malaysian island, this time Penang. We caught a bus to the west coast and then a very short ferry journey as this island is Malaysia's equivalent to the Isle of Wight.

Found ourselves a decent hotel for the next few days and then went out to sample some of Penang's famous cuisine. We were not disappointed with our first meal, amazing tandoori chicken, curry and freshly made naan bread.

Our first task the next morning was to find the Indian visa centre and start the ball rolling with regards to our visas for our August destination. Unfortunately we were informed that it would take us 10 days to get our visa here and although we were prepared for a 5 day stay in Penang 10 days was pushing it a bit. We knocked that on the head and set off to explore Georgetown, our base on Penang.

There's a big cultural mix here on the island and we found ourselves looking around old British forts, taking pictures of a clock tower donated by Queen Victoria,

choking on the smoke from the gigantic incense sticks at the Kuan Yin Teng temple,

appreciating the beauty of the Sri Mariamman Tamil temple,

learning about Islam from the Imam at the Kapitan Keling Mosque, (as well as cooling down in the lovely air-conditioned room and some ice cold water!)

and marvelling at the intricate decorations of the Chinese clan houses.

Dave got very excited that we were in Downing street during the same week as the British general election and had to take a photo.

The next day we ventured out of Georgetown and made our way to Air Itam to visit the Kek Lok Si Temple , the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia don't you know! All very impressive and spectacular, especially the 30metre high Buddha statue, although the pictures were spoiled by the scaffolding surrounding it.

Got caught in an almighty rain storm on the way back down to the town which literally made the streets steam; by the time we returned to Georgetown the rain had stopped and it was as hot as ever.

We went off in search of the second hand book stalls which Penang is famed for and after some poking around a smelly market someone pointed us in the right direction and we were soon surrounded by piles and piles of reading material. Absolutely no chance of finding a specific book and tough luck if you do happen to spot it and it is right at the back!

We enjoyed our stay in Penang, especially the amazing food, cheap beer and the time spent laughing at tourists dressed like they thought they were blending in with the locals, oh dear!

Malaysia - Cameron Highlands

After an overnight bus to Ipoh and a dash across town we managed to find ourselves a bus bound for the Cameron Highlands. The scenery was stunning and we could feel the humidity dropping as we climbed higher, joy!

We arrived in Tanah Rata, the main town of the highlands, found our hostel for the next couple of days and continued to marvel at the lack of sweat we were both producing. We wandered around town, ate a bowl of very spicy noodles and then sniggered at amusingly named chocolates.

The next day we piled ourselves into a good old Land Rover, accompanied by our guide Ravi and set off in search of the Rafflesia flower, a type of parasitic plant named after the same bloke the hotel was. Once we left the road things got interesting as there had been a lot of rain in the previous days, leaving the road up to the jungle rather muddy. We slid and slipped our way onwards, until an emergency evacuation was needed indicated by Ravi shouting 'Shit' from the driver's seat and the Land Rover tilting to a precarious degree.

We eventually made it to the beginning of the jungle trail and set off on foot to find the flower. An hour later, after wading through rivers, slipping down muddy banks and climbing over tree roots we found our first flower.

It was huge and we were so lucky to see it as they only flower for around 5 days at a time. We saw a second flower slightly further into the jungle and then made our way back to the trusty Land Rover.

Our next stop was at a traditional Malaysian village where we got to try our hand at the blow pipe which they use for hunting. We were surprisingly accurate, although I think my dart was nearest the bullseye!

Tea plantations, strawberry farms and butterfly/reptile farms were all on the agenda for the afternoon; broken up by some kamikaze driving from Ravi to get us through the ridiculous Malaysian Labour day traffic jams.

The highest point of the tea plantation

Our guide found this Pope's Pit Viper (highly venomous) during our jungle walk, kept him in a water bottle during the day and then donated him to the Reptile farm. It was that or death at the hands of the locals

Strawberry icecream, strawberry milkshake, strawberries - yum!

Malaysia - Redang

After inner city life it was time to head back to my island. It was 13 years ago since I stepped foot on Redang's white sand and it felt great to be back. The resort had changed somewhat and now has AC in all rooms but they have managed to develop it without ruining the beach front. My wooden shack was no where to be seen but some old faces were there which brought back great memories.

We booked 4 nights and five days on the island along with a dive package. Due to me being an "Old Boy" we were given a few free dives which was greatly appreciated. The water was a lot warmer than last time which has contributed to the death of a lot of the coral and the exodus of many of the larger fish. We did still managed to spot several sharks, large rays and turtles.

Robert (the guy in the pink shirt) treated us to a meal at the resort's disco Summer Mambo. I chose the butter prawns on recommendation from Dive Master Maison, not to be confused with Open Water Mason.

We spent most of our evenings enjoying ice cold Tigers on the beach and watching the moon rise above the water. Our days were full of diving, enjoying the sun and swimming in the beautiful clear water. Snorkelling from the beach we could watch black tip reef sharks circling us but no sign of any turtles. One afternoon I left Kate cooking in the sun and climbed the northern headland. I had the rock to myself and took some great pictures of the bay. Unfortunately I forgot to put any suncream on and ended up baking myself - sorry Mother!

On alternate nights the BBQs were lit for the guests to cook their own dinner. The food was delicious although the heat from the coals was a little extreme. We cooked chicken satay, squid balls, sweetcorn and big chunks of lamb; luckily we didn't need wet-suits when diving as after the all the food we ate they might not have fitted.

This little fella lived outside our window eating all the mosquitoes. I might introduce a couple to Wareham bog, a very handy pet to have although they can be extremely loud.

We had a great few days on Redang but inevitably we had to leave. Back on the mainland and in Kuala Terengganu I eventually got round to contacting Murad, my Dive Master buddy from 1998. He was delighted to see me although you might not be able to tell from the photo. It was fantastic to see him after all those years and he treated us to a tour of KT, his new dive shop and his house and children. After all that he then took us out for a meal at his favourite restaurant where we were the owners first English guests.

After the heat and humidity of Malaysia's east coast our next adventure took us to the welcome cool of the Cameron Highlands.

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

After an easy journey to Kuala Lumpur we were unfortunately dumped somewhere in China Town. I think the bus driver was a bit lazy and wanted to finish early. Luckily we bumped into a Scottish lass called Mary who showed us the way to the monorail. From there we found our hostel for the next few days.

Our building was directly opposite Times Square Mall an absolutely massive complex housing a mind boggling array of shops and even its own theme park.


We managed to resist any urge to have a go on the rides but instead sampled the delights Kuala Lumpur had to offer. The main attraction was the Petronas Towers. To prove chivalry was not dead I woke up at 6am one morning (leaving Kate in her pit) to book our tickets to the bridge. I queued for 2 hours but secured a decent time - if any of you decide to do this in the future - ask for 5 tickets (the limit) then flog the remainder that you don't need. The tickets are free so I reckon it could be a good little earner.

One of the other main sights is the KL Tower. This attraction required payment so we didn't bother and took a photo of it instead - The views from the top would have been more spectacular than the bridge but...well there is no "but". The view from the bridge was so poor I haven't even bothered uploading a photo!


Apologies for not sounding overly enthralled with KL but it is just another big city. The heat and humidity also made it rather oppressive and our only respite came from the malls.

I shall end this entry on a very positive note. We managed to meet up with a chap called Larry Lam (no, not the Larry Lam). He was my boss when I worked on Redang 13 years ago. We met him for lunch the day before we left and he treated us to a variety of local noodle dishes, some containing intestine and other delights. He hadn't changed a bit but it took him a while to recognise me. That might have been something to do with having no hair, not wearing glasses, having stubble and carrying a few more pounds.

Malaysia - Melaka and Port Dickson

We boarded our Malaysia bound bus in Singapore and enjoyed a swift journey over the border and to our first Malaysian destination of Melaka. After leaving the comfort of our air conditioned coach we experienced our first local bus in Asia, hot and bumpy but we arrived into the centre of town all in one piece. Resisting the many offers of a tuk tuk ride we set off in search of a place to stay for the night.

Having found a place to rest our heads we launched ourselves into China town and soon found lunch and a cold drink to set us up for an afternoon of sightseeing. Melaka has been inhabited by the Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and the British over the centuries so there is a real mish mash of buildings, cultures and best of all, foods.

For once we had managed to time our visit just right as the renowned night market was setting up as we made our way back to our accommodation. So, after a quick turn around we wandered in and out of the stalls and sampled as many different types of delicious food as possible.

After a few bottles of Tiger beer and a quick peek at the football we staggered back to bed.

We changed hostels the following morning then enjoyed breakfast by the riverside and another hot walk to see the disappointingly dreary Melaka straits and the obligatory shopping mall.

The highlight of the day was our visit to Capitol Satay, a restaurant which specialises in the local speciality of Satay celup. In the middle of our table sat a vat of bubbling satay sauce and we helped ourselves to the array of foods on a stick which we then cooked in the sauce, what a treat!

Fearing for our waistlines we left Melaka the next day in search of jungle hikes and forest reserves full of magnificent migrating birds in Port Dickson. What we found was a town full of resort hotels and stranded Europeans.

Begrudgingly we checked ourselves into the Avillion Admiral's Cove and then revelled in the luxury of a 4 star hotel for a couple of nights.

We didn't spend all our time enjoying the pool, we found our way to the Cape Rachado forest reserve and hiked up and down the hills for a few of hours in search of any sign of the 300,000 migratory birds we had heard so much about. Not a feather to be found, definitely the wrong time of year to visit if birds are your goal. We did find some wildlife in this low lying jungle, thousands of feasting mosquitos and a troupe of monkeys raiding the grounds of the nearest hotel to the forest reserve. Dripping with sweat we made our way back to the hotel where the extremely polite members of staff stared at us in wonder when we crossed the threshold and threw ourselves into the cools waters of the pool. Tempting to stay and get into real 'holiday' mode but KL and the east coast beckons.

Singapore

We touched down in Singapore several kilos heavier having tried to eat and drink Quantas out of business during the flight. After a seamless passage through immigration we left the very crowded airport behind, something about an exploding volcano, whatever will they come up with next to explain away delays eh? The tail end of the Australian summer had done nothing to prepare us for the heat and humidity of Asia and by the time we reached our hostel at Mount Emily we were shadows of our former selves.

After a much needed lie in we left our hostel to do what has to be done in Singapore and that is shop! Orchard road is where the action is and shoppers are spoilt for choice will mall after mall to pick from.

With a recommendation from Alex (little bruv Mason) under our belts that evening we set off for the night safari on the outskirts of the city. We waited for 50 minutes in the craziness of Little India for the bus to arrive but arrive it eventually did and we were soon transported to a nocturnal wonderland. If you've ever visited a zoo and felt short changed by the fact that all the animals are asleep then this is the place for you. All the creatures are up and about due to the fact that it is the natural time for them to be on the move, we saw tigers prowling, leopards leaping, flying squirrels, well flying and a whole array of other critters too.

The next day we explored the non shopping side of the city and first on the list was Singapore's most famous landmark Raffles. We shuffled up to the doorman in our shorts and flip flops to enquire about a dress code for an appointment with a Singapore sling later in the day and he informed us that we would be fine in our scruffs as 'they're really not fussed, they just want your money!'; blunt but honest.

We had a wander around the famous grounds, visited the museum, but decided that we would return later to quaff our Singapore slings.

Spent the rest of the day exploring the city; we walked to the harbour side and found the Merlion, disappointingly no legend around the existence of this creature, it was created during the 1960's as a ruse to attract tourists to Singapore! We took a Bumboat up the river and joined the locals for lunch in one of hawker markets, who said Singapore was expensive? Less than £4 for lunch and drinks and we were stuffed to the gills!

After a couple of hours recovering from the heat we reemerged in our gladdest of rags and made our way back to Raffles to sup our Slings in style

Dave tried to make up for the horrendously expensive drinks by eating his own body weight in peanuts, they were lovely though! We toasted the start of a new chapter in our travels and headed back to our hostel in readiness for our journey to Malaysia the following day.