Christmas Eve Day 97 24/12/2014

After breakfast on the terrace we went to Haberfield to get bread and mince pies for Christmas and popped into the local coffee shop for our first Australian cup of coffee.  We headed back to Wendy's to help to get things prepared for tomorrow before meeting Sue and Paul in their local, the Bald Rock, for a pre dinner drink.  Whilst it was good to have a drink outside the air was a bit nippy; quite unlike Sydney should be in the middle of summer. Luckily Sue was prepared and had spare cardigans in the car (for the girls!). Simon and Paul found they have a common interest in local ales and soon they were enjoying a pint of Balmain. We went back to their house and had another delicious meal.  It's such a treat to have home cooked food after months of eating out.  Belle was very excited with her early Christmas present of a rubber chicken and seemed to take a shine to Simon who was the only one willing to play with it!

Father Christmas snow scene!

Haberfield

Dinner with Sue, Paul and Wendy

Bell with her rubber chicken 

Sydney Day 96 23/12/2014

We arrived into Sydney just after 11.30am to glorious sunshine.  Wendy and Sue, Simon's cousins, who both live in Sydney, were there to meet us which was lovely.  We headed south to Sue's house in Balmain for lunch (cheese on toast with worcester sauce washed down with tea - delicious!) and met Bell and Rosie (Sue's dogs) and Will (Sue's son).  We then went over to Wendy's in Abbotsford where we staying for the next week.  It's wonderful to be staying in a home especially over Christmas and it's a lovely apartment in a very picturesque area.  We had a short walk down to the bay to stretch our legs and then spent the remainder of the afternoon chilling out.  In the evening Sue and Paul (Sue's husband) came round for dinner and we had a lovely meal out on the terrace under a clear sky.

With Wendy at Abbotsford Cove

Dinner on the terrace with Wendy, Paul and Sue

Highlights - Part One

It's hard to believe that we've come to the end of the first part of our adventure, travelling across Europe and Mongolia to China and around Asia.  We've had an amazing time, visiting some great places but there is so much more to see and hopefully will come back soon to do more exploring.  The following are our combined top ten highlights in the order we experienced them.  It's been a very difficult list to collate!

1. Travelling 4735 miles from Moscow to Beijing on the Trans Mongolian Express
   
2. Walking along a section of the Great Wall of China and marvelling at the amazing engineering
   
3. Climbing Mount Fuji and summiting above the inversion
   
4. Visiting the awe inspiring Terracotta Warriors
   
5. Dodging the crazy traffic in Hanoi
   
6. Kayaking around the stunning landscape off Cat Ba Island
   
7. Squeezing through the waterways from Battambang to Siem Reap
   
8. Watching the spectacular sunrise over Angkor Wat
   
9. Swimming in the waterpools at Kuang Si waterfall in Laos
   
10. Spending a day with the wonderful elephants in Chiang Mai
    

Reflections of Singapore

• A very modern, clean and successful city
• Very easy to get around, either by MTR (subway), bus or foot
• Apart from the MTR it's a very expensive city, with beer at £5 a go and an average meal in a restaurant at £35 to £40 each.  However the street food was both tasty and good value
• It felt very safe even on a night when it was well light up with lots of people around
• Very busy especially in the tourist area (although it was the Xmas holidays)
• A fantastic mix of cultures which meant there was lots to see (temples, districts, attractions)
• Fantastic range of cuisine and all of what we had was very tasty
• Tiger beer tastes its best here (we suppose like most beers do in their home place!)
• Simon really liked it here and put it just ahead of Hong Kong.  For Diane it surpassed her expectations but HK just nosed ahead for her
• We really saw a lot of the city both the main attractions as well as some sense of everyday life. That was thanks in the main to our generous hosts and 'tour guides' Georgiana and her family on one day and Ollie on the other 

Reflections of Malaysia

We will caveat this by stating that we didn't really see and experience Malaysia at 'its best'.  We only stayed at two places and didn't get to do the train journey we'd planned.  Plus the weather wasn't great with rain most days and noting most of the activities we planned were outdoor, this did impact on what we did.  However here goes:

• We really enjoyed the Asian curries and they sated our 3 month's craving for them!
• The landscape was very hilly, green and lush
• The people were a little indifferent and not as friendly as the other SE Asian countries we visited
• The three main cultures (Malay, Asia and Chinese) all lived peaceably side by side and whilst each had its own districts, the young people in particular really intermingled
• Georgetown, whilst a UNESCO heritage site, was a bit run down and we really covered most of the town in one day
• The roads in Penang were wide and congested thereby making it difficult and dangerous to hire a bike
• Due to the rain we got the funicular to the top of Penang Hill (rather than our usual preferred mode of on foot) and it was very crowded, with lots of school kids
• Whilst we didn't get a view on top of the hill, the postcards showed it is very extensive, therefore would recommend going there in fine weather
• Similarly with Cameron Highlands, little to do in the rain and again we did everything from a tourist perspective (tea plantations, trip to the high point etc) in a day.  Again the views on a clear day would have been worthwhile 
• The trails in Cameron Highlands were poorly marked and the maps weren't of much use.  Apart from the natural hazards of the jungle (mainly snakes and spiders), there were reports of incidents of walkers being assaulted/mugged
• Prices were reasonable for food, beer and accommodation; western food (i.e. pasta) and wine was more expensive (about the same as home)

Day 95 22/12/2014

We decided to go to the Botanic Gardens today so after packing up and leaving our bags at the hotel we headed off north west on the MRT.  The gardens are beautiful and very tranquil, reminding us of the Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh although it felt like we were in the palm house!  The gardens actually had a cool house where they grow plans and trees from the mountain areas, which was very refreshing! We spent a few hours wandering around before getting the MRT back and heading to the Muslim area and Arab Street where we had lunch at a Turkish restaurant followed by Turkish coffee which we thought would help to keep us awake for our late night flight to Sydney.  The late afternoon rain started to fall so we went back to the hotel for a couple of hours before getting the MRT out to the airport. We took advantage of the free food and drink in the Quantas lounge and eventually boarded our flight just after midnight - delayed by c30 minutes apparently due to problems with the cleaning staff in Singapore.  It's hard to believe that our time in Asia has come to an end although we're both really looking forward to the next phase of our adventure in Australia and New Zealand.

Botanic Gardens... and below

Sultan Mosque 

Arab Street 

Day 94 21/12/2014

We met up with Ollie today, Simon's friend from home.  Ollie and Simon were both Explorer Scout Leaders back in Edinburgh.  Ollie recently finished his studies and returned home to Singapore, starting his new job in the new year.  We headed over the road from our hotel to Killiney Kopitiam so we could grab some breakfast before getting the MRT to Chinatown.  After wandering through the various shop stalls we visited Sri Mariamman Temple, Chinatown's most recognised icon.  It's very colourful and is the oldest Hindu house of worship in Singapore.  From here we went to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, a huge five storey Chinese style Buddhist temple.  The main attraction is what is believed to be a sacred tooth of Buddha.  The roof terrace includes a pray wheel and the fourth floor museum includes an array of related artifacts from around south east asia.  It was interesting to see that a lot of the places referenced are where we've visited in SE Asia over the last 3 months.  We had planned to go to the Singapore Museum which includes a model of the island but unfortunately it's closed on Sunday's.  We headed to Maxwell's food market for a great lunch all selected by Ollie including 100 day old eggs (Simon tried but Diane couldn't bring herself to eat them).  This time washed down with cane juice and soya bean curd for desert which was all another great eating experience.  On the way back to the MRT we stopped off in a shopping arcade and all had a foot massage.  Diane thoroughly enjoyed it but Simon wasn't too sure, finding it a bit painful and wasn't keen on all the "faff" of somebody touching his feet!  We then headed to Little India and wandered along the main shopping area which sprawls onto the pavement with everything from spices to cloth to trinkets on sale.  Back on the MRT we headed north to one of the more suburban areas that's a community housing area.  Ollie was keen to show us what living in Singapore was like for a significant proportion of the population.  The housing is only available to married couples or single people if they are over 35, with the districts including shops, schools, doctors etc.  What struck is most was how quiet it was.  The Singapore Scouts HQ is also based in the area and Simon and Ollie had their photo taken outside.  The sky had started to darken by now and it was just starting to rain so we jumped in a taxi and headed to Ollie's family home where we met his Mum (who very kindly gave us a lift back into the city), Dad and younger brother.   We walked along Orchard Road back to our hotel. In the evening we went to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel to sink a Singapore Sling, apparently a compulsory (and costly @ $68.25 ie £35) cliche.  But I suppose "When in Rome!"  From here we walked down to the Marina area and had a bite to eat along the dockside before heading back to the hotel.  Another great day and we certainly felt that we'd learnt a little bit of what it's like to live in Singapore and see some things off the usual tourist track. Many thanks again to Ollie.

Our hotel - with "festive" spray snow in the window!

  

Chinatown

Sri Mariamman Temple 

Diane & Ollie

Lunch at Maxwell's 

Diane enjoying her foot massage 

Simon's foot being pummelled 

Little India 

Simon & Ollie outside the Singapore Scouts Association HQ

With Ollie and his Mum 

Raffles Hotel 

Singapore Sling 

Singapore Day 93 20/12/2014

Yesterday we got the bus from Cameron Highlands to Singapore.  We were a bit concerned when a small minibus turned up at the station to collect us but luckily it was just taking us up the road to meet our 'VIP coach' destined for Singapore.  The initial part of the journey was quite slow as the bus lumbered up and down the steep roads however as soon as we reached the main road that joins Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur it speeded up.  The roads were very good with dual carriageways and motorways for a lot of the journey - in fact we could have been back at home if it wasn't for the continuous jungle that covered the hillsides.  We stopped for regular breaks at service stations and swapped drivers (quite unlike our travel in other parts of south east asia where we had one driver for the whole journey with limited and short stops).  By late afternoon we reached Kuala Lumpur and saw the Petronas Towers from the coach window.  After another 5 hours we finally reached the border with Singapore and quickly went through Malaysian immigration.  Singapore immigration took a bit longer, we'd picked the slowest queue and then when we reached the front were told we had to complete arrivals cards.  The other passengers were all through and gone and we both hoped that the bus would still be waiting for us.  Luckily it was and we continued for another 45 minutes to reached the centre of Singapore.  A short walk and we were at our hotel just before 10.30pm - 13 hours after leaving Tanah Rata!  We're staying at the Adonis Hotel on Purvis Street in the Colonial District.  It's a small boutique hotel and although expensive compared to other places we've stayed recently it's reasonable by Singapore standards.  After a good breakfast we were picked up by Georgiana and her son Melvin.  Georgiana and family are friends with Gillian & Mark, our friends from home, and had very kindly invited us to join them for the day on a family outing to the aquarium.  The aquarium is over on Sentosa, an island just south of the city joined to the mainland by a bridge. We met Lionel (Georgiana's husband) and daughter Michelle at the resort and then headed into the massive aquarium.  It's a great place to visit with a vast array of creatures from the seas and oceans surrounding Asia.  Despite the variety Diane's favourite was the clown fish (of Finding Nemo fame).  After a few hours gazing through the vast number of tanks we headed north to go for lunch at Newton's street food market.  Unlike other countries that we've visited all the hawker stalls are located together in a market area.   It was great to go with locals who selected the dishes for us to try which were all excellent including murtabak (pancakes), hainanese chicken rice and stingray washed down with sour sop juice.   We got back to the hotel and decided to go for a stroll down to the river and quay area.  The sky had already turned black and it wasn't long before the heavens opened.  In an attempt not to get too wet we got the MRT (underground) back to our hotel.  We had planned to go for a walk down Orchard Road in the evening but were both feeling quite tired and decided to have dinner at an Italian opposite the hotel and an early night.

  

Service station - Malaya style

Our 'VIP coach' to Singapore

Georgiana, Michelle, Lionel and Melvin 

 

Sentosa Resort 

Finding Nemo... 

Singapore River 

Clarke Quay 

Day 91 18/12/2014

Breakfast at the hostel was pretty basic so Simon popped out to purchase yogurts and fruit juice before we set off for our morning tour.  We had torrential rain in the night but luckily it had eased off a little by the time we got picked up by our land rover.  We joined a Latvian couple and then went to pick up a young English guy before heading off to see one of the area's tea plantations.  It was interesting to hear how the process for collecting the leaves has changed over the years, from hand picked to now machine picked, and how it's detrimentally impacted the quality of the tea.  Our guides' mother actually used to work on the plantation hand picking leaves when they first came to Malaysia from India in the 1930's.  The plantation is owned by the Russell family who originated from Scotland.  From here we drove to the top of Gunung Brinchang which at 6,666 ft is the highest peak on the peninsular (Simon's expectations of walking to the top were a bit extreme!).   The weather was drizzly and misty and we couldn't really see anything.  On the way back down we stopped at the Mossy Forest, apparently the oldest forest in Malaysia, at 2300 years old.  It gets it's name from everything being covered in moss!  We had a short wander through the trees and saw several pitcher plants which lure insects with a sweet sap and then drown their prey.  The largest can apparently hold between 2 to 3 litres of fluid in their pitcher.  The locals like to compare the forest to those in Lord of the Rings.  We weren't too sure but kept our views to ourselves and it was interesting to see.  The area is also home to the Rafflesia, the world's biggest flower but it's not in season at the moment.   We then headed down to the tea factory to see how the tea is dried and sorted before being sent off to Kuala Lumpur for packing and shipping.  Despite being in use today you did feel like you were walking through a museum. There's a cafe attached to the factory providing the opportunity to sample the local produce which we did (but were disappointed that it was tea bags) and Simon treated himself to a scone which Diane kindly helped to consume.  From here we then went to a nearby butterfly farm but none of us were keen on spending 5 ringets to get in so we went to a strawberry farm before heading back to town.  All in all a good morning and it was nice to get out into the fresh air despite the weather.  After lunch we went out in search of one of the walking trails and this time were a bit more successful although did back track at one point after heading up hill to join another trail and then not being too sure of where it would come out. The maps were poor and there were infrequent, confusing signposts, which was our excuse anyway! We had the 'pleasure' of a snake on the way back.  We actually ended up with it between us as Simon had stepped over it before realising what it was leaving Diane the other side who duly freaked out!  After a bit of hysteria she managed to get passed by going round off the path and was consoled with a big hug.  Maybe we're not really jungle people.  In the evening we went to a local Chinese restaurant for our last meal in Malaysia.  Tomorrow we head south on the bus to Singapore.  We're both feeling a little bit travel weary and looking forward to a few days seeing some friends before we fly to Sydney for Christmas and New Year with family.

Tea Plantation

Viewing tower at Gunung Brinchang

Our transport for the morning 

Pitcher plants 

Simon blending in, in Mossy Forest 

More tea plantations 

Cameron Highlands Day 90 17/12/2014

The minivan picked us up at our guest house just before 8am to head south east to Cameron Highlands.  We left Penang via the 13.5km road bridge - one of the longest bridges in the world.  Penang's rapid development has led to the construction of a second bridge linking the southwest tip of the island to the mainland.  Accordingly to Lonely Planet it was expected to be completed by mid 2012 but still remains unopen.  The journey south took us up and over a lovely pass before dropping down to Ipoh and then heading south west to Cameron Highlands.   The ironic image of jungle clad peaks and tea plantations was a bit lacking with the area clearly suffering badly from landslides and floods.  Unfortunately prevention measures have certainly taken their toll on the landscape along with agricultural development which has resulted in vast areas of plastic sheeting covering the hillsides, mainly to protect the abundant crops of strawberries. The Highlands stretch from Brinchang to Ringlet and we were staying in the middle in the main town of Tanah Rata.  The minivan service was door to door and after dropping off our fellow passengers we stopped opposite our accommodation for the next three nights, the Orchard Lodge.  The name conjures up images of a small residence set in an idyllic garden.  The image dispersed as soon as the van stopped outside a three story shopping complex and as we carried our bags up three flights of stairs we realised our imaginations had run away with us!  We entered the accommodation to find no one there and after waiting for about 20 minutes rang the owner.  He was actually on holiday and got the receptionist from one of his other hostels to come round to check us in.  One of the reasons we had chosen the place was the free cooking classes that apparently took place in the evening.  Realising that this wasn't going to happen and in fact we were the only people booked into the hostel we decided to move and went to see the other hostel, the CH Traveller.  It's nothing to write home about but there are other people here so we decided to stay.  After dropping off our bags we headed to find out how to get to Singapore.  We found one bus company who do direct journeys only to find the bus is full on Saturday when we planned to travel.  Not keen on the option of bus to Kuala Lumpar and then train to Singapore, or knowing whether we could get tickets and/or do the journey in the day (amd the memory of the very expensive flight we had to pay from Bangkok) we decided to leave a day earlier and head south on Friday.  After lunch we headed back to the hostel to extend the booking for our hotel in Singapore and then planned to do one of the short walks around Tanah Rata.  There are over a dozen walking trails in the hills around the town.  After reaching three dead ends we gave up!  Luckily we've booked a guided tour for tomorrow so hopefully we'll be a bit more successful, especially as it's planned for us to climb to the highest peak in Malaysia.  In the evening we went to go to a restaurant recommended in Trip Advisor only to find it empty so opted for a busy curry house on the main street.  Diane's veggie curry certainly had a few more vegetables than the previous one.  And there was the added benefit that it sold beer, which is lacking in these devout muslim establishments!  Thailand are playing Malaysia at football in the Asian super cup tonight so all eyes (well most) were on the TV which for the first time since leaving home we're now watching in our room with the sound of the torrential rain pouring down outside. (Thailand have just won the first leg 2-0 so all set up for the second leg on Saturday - Simon has plans to find a bar in Singapore to watch it!!)

Tanah Rata main street... before the rain 

Day 89 16/12/2014

Over breakfast we sat contemplating the saying 'never but off till tomorrow what you can do today' as we watched the rain pour down outside the guesthouse!  After about an hour it eased a little and we decided that we would head for Penang Hill anyway, after all we should be used to the rain and given we're leaving tomorrow and it would be a shame not to go to the top.  We got the local bus from just around the corner from the guest house and it took about 30 mins to get to the base of the hill and the funicular railway.  Our original plan had been to walk up but given the rain we opted for the more luxurious and lazy means of transport and squashed into one of the carriages on the funicular railway.  The ride to the top is steep and fast and we were soon disembarking (in the rain).  The hill was once a fashionable retreat for Georgetown's elite and at 821m it is cooler and provides great views on a clear day.  However it's all now a bit tacky with tourist stalls and souvenirs.  We wandered around in the rain to see the Hindu temple and Muslim mosque that are both at the top and then headed to David Brown's restaurant for afternoon tea.  It was good, if a little odd eating sandwiches and scones presented on a three tier cake stand and drinking English breakfast tea, but not as good as The Balmoral.  It was probably our most expensive meal we've had in south east asia!  Still you need a treat every now and again and we are both feeling a bit deflated and needed a pick me up.  On the way back to the funicular we spotted long tail monkeys in the trees.  They looked quite hilarious with their white ringed eyes.  Back down we had a long wait for the bus back to town.  With a bus journey to Cameron Highlands booked for tomorrow we decided to avoid a curry and went to a near by bar/cafe for pasta dodging the rain showers.

Penang Hill's lush jungle flora

How very English..... 

It's been four months since the last one! 

Looking down on Georgetown 

 

Long tail monkeys 

Inside the Old Penang Guesthouse - a restored pre WWII house