Singapore-Macau Day Two to Day Seven

Sunday 8th February: Day Two: Malacca to Kuala Lumpur (145km/90mi)

We seem to have overcome jet-lag now – it has taken four days. Another short driving day took us on the expressway to Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. I remember it as a scruffy, noisy, dirty & unpleasant city. What a difference 30 years makes. In fact in 150 years it has gone from a hovel in the jungle to a modern metropolis of 1.8m people with pleasant parks, gardens & fountains amongst numerous skyscrapers. Its most famous landmark is the twin shiny Petronas Towers, an engineering and architectural masterpiece. Opened in 1998, the 88-storey steel-clad twin towers rise up some 452m and are the HQ of the national oil & gas company Petronas. The highest you can go is the 41st floor Skybridge which connect the twin towers.

During the afternoon we took a taxi to Merdeka Square which is the heart of the colonial district. The buildings here are truly magnificent. It was here in 1957 that Malaysia’s independence was proclaimed. The Union Jack was lowered and the Malaysian flag raised on a 100m free-standing flagpole, claimed to be the world’s tallest. We then walked through Little India with its colourful, tightly packed market stalls, cracked pavements and shops blasting out loud music. In the sweltering heat of 37 degrees C, we were glad to get a taxi back to our hotel, the Mandarin Oriental where we had all been allocated rooms on the 27th floor. We relaxed by the pool which was on the 3rd floor of an adjacent building, overlooking the city skyscrapers. That evening we were transported by coach to the KL Tower, a spectacular spike 421m (1,380 ft high) for a meal in their revolving restaurant (much like the old Post Office Tower in London). During our meal we had magnificent views of the Twin Towers and the city below, which was even more spectacular at night. Surely this will turn out to be one of the highlights of the trip.

Monday 9th February: Day Three: Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands (217km/135mi)

This was another short and easy day which initially took us northwards along an expressway then, at last, into the countryside, along a very twisty road leading to the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands. This is a vast area of rolling green hills where the temperature, between 10C and 21C, is much more acceptable. Apart from tea, this fertile area is full of vegetable, flower & strawberry farmers. We took a detour along a very narrow & steep road to the highest summit of the Highlands at 2000m (6000+ ft). We had to engage 4-wheel drive and low ratio to reach the top. That evening we dined in the hotel’s restaurant – I think the chef must have been English because the buffet menu included roast beef/Yorkshire pudding with Queens Pudding as a sweet.

Tuesday 10th February: Day Four: Cameron Highlands to Penang (306km/190mi)

We were given a number of optional visits today, the most important part being to arrive at our hotel in Penang early enough to enjoy the pool/beach facilities. As we left our hotel and continued through a number of small towns we were interested to see several Land Rovers being used as local transport – most had seen better days. There wasn’t any poverty as such, although locals do live quite a basic existence.

Choosing to visit Kellie’s Castle, an unfinished mansion built by a Scotsman in the 1920’s, Paul chatted to the guide who, when prompted, told us how proud the Malaysians are. He pointed out that, unlike certain other countries, Malaysians have never been at war with each other. Chinese, Indians, Muslims and Malaysian people all co-exist side-by-side harmoniously, each respecting the other’s culture and religion. He said that, as the country is rich in natural resources (particularly oil, hence the cheap fuel), the Government can afford to plough income back into the community, building, for example, a good network of roads. There is no un-employment benefit so people have to work, which they do with a smile on their faces. Next we visited the Perau Tong cave temple, a Buddhist meditation grotto created within limestone caves. It was a bit over-done, one of our group likening it to something between the real thing and Disneyland. As we approached Penang we were amazed at the number of skyscraper apartment blocks, wondering where all the people came from. The island of Penang is, of course, the most visited corner of Malaysia and is joined to the mainland by an impressive 9km bridge. Now that we were back on the coastal plain, the temperature was back up to 30+C, just the weather to relax by the pool side of our hotel.

Dinner proved to be yet another new dining experience – a fantastic buffet and barbeque had been laid out in the hotel gardens adjacent to the beach, complete with white tablecloths, romantic lighting and lively music. A truly perfect setting to round off the day. The only disappointment was news that the Fakhr family of three (two brothers and a son) had broken the gearbox on their Chevy Tahoe SUV and would have to fly back to the USA.

T H A I L A N D

Wednesday 11th February: Day Five: Penang to Krabi (575km/360mi)

With an estimated travel time of 10½ hours we made a pre-dawn start, being on the road at 6.45 am. Thus we avoided the worse of the traffic back across the Penang Bridge. We also had to negotiate Customs from Malaysia into Thailand. Thank goodness we had been given all the necessary forms the previous evening, and with precise & clear instructions in our Road Book, the formalities took less than an hour. Once back on the road it was immediately apparent that Thailand is not as affluent as its neighbour, at least not in this part of the countryside. Over the years it has suffered from civil disruption, military coups, random attacks by anonymous Muslims, bomb attacks and, of course, the tsunami. Nevertheless tourism is still robust and Thais still keep smiling.

We headed generally northwards on good roads, taking in the Route of the Waterfalls to break up the long journey. By late afternoon our Road Book directed us to a secure car park at our hotel’s mainland base, from where we were transferred by coach then speed boat to our sumptuous resort hotel. This was in a truly idyllic setting. Although not an island, it is impossible to reach other than by boat due to the mountainous terrain and non-existent roads. There are no piers or jetties, so we had to disembark from the speed boat onto a platform with a very long A bar attached to a tractor which pulled us out of the water onto the beach immediately in front of our hotel. We were greeted by the management and staff, the ladies being handed small garlands made up of fragrant jasmine buds threaded thickly together with marigolds & orchids. Apparently these garlands play an important part in Thai social and religious life. The orchids are not in short supply, thriving in Thailand’s tropical forests. As with all our previous hotels, we were also given a mint-scented flannel to cool our faces and hands, together with a refreshing drink. We then enjoyed a traditional English tea with scones and canapies before being escorted to our individual two-storey lodge set within the hotel grounds. The staff, some of them Japanese, were extremely gracious, always smiling genuinely and greeting you with a prayer-like-palms-together gesture, a reminder that this country is 95% Buddhist.

Thursday 12th February: Day Six: Rest Day

We chilled out by the hotel pool which was adjacent to Railay beach, a hidden gem lying behind a layer of impenetrable cliffs. This would make a good honeymoon location. Despite being careful we managed to get sun-burnt. In the evening we opted for the ‘Grotto’ barbeque, set within the limestone cliffs right on the edge of the beach. Yet another new dining experience. We returned to Reception to settle our bill. Whilst Paul queued at the counter I waited in the outside foyer. Having waited a long time, I returned to Reception but Paul was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, and un-usually, I had my mobile with me. Paul had returned to the room, forgetting to collect me! It then took me 20 minutes to find my way back along the maze of footpaths to our individual chalet. Paul was most apologetic that he had forgotten to collect the most important person in his life!

Friday 13th February: Day Seven: Krabi to Phuket (185km/115mi)

It was quite a performance getting everyone back onto the speed-boats, which only took 14 people, together with luggage which the porters carried on their shoulders, knee deep in water (remember there is no jetty). After the coach transfer we were re-united with our vehicles by 8.30 am for a two-hour drive up the coast, before taking a longtail canoe trip through mangrove swamps and caverns to view the famous James Bond island. This was rather commercialised, with vendors trying to sell their wares. We then continued to a village built on stilts where a seafood lunch had been laid on. The heat was over-bearing so we were glad to eventually return to our Pick-up for the short drive to Phuket. Our nominated hotel, the Sheraton, was suffering from industrial action so the organisers had relocated us to the Marriott. We must have been allocated the best room in the hotel. It comprised a suite overlooking the sea at the front and the pool at the side. There was an outside balcony with a separate dining and lounging area. The floor space was probably more than the average starter-home in the U.K. Having cooled off in the pool, which consisted of a series of wide waterways zig-zagging around the gardens, we went for a walk along the beach. Wow, what a beach. It stretched for miles with barely a person in sight. No wonder Phuket is Thailand’s most popular island, being one of the world’s most famous dream destinations. Fortunately we didn’t actually drive through the town which is heavily developed.eH HHere