KUALA LUMPUR

 KUALA LUMPUR

We left on Monday 6th Dec to KL before heading off to Australia on Saturday. We had been informed that the trip would take 6 hrs, which seemed to be about right as the trip to Melaka had taken four hours. Well, four and a half hours later we were told this is the end of the line, you are in KL. Turns out the bus station in central KL is being renovated so the buses terminate well outside. We had a lot of luggage (because we were flying back to Oz) so we took a taxi into town. There were four of us as the crew off Ajax, Heather and Mark, were spending the week in KL with us. Taxis are cheap here and the 30 min trip cost us 50 ringgit or $ 18.00. We had booked our hotel online and while we weren’t expecting luxury, not at $23.00 a night, we did expect to get a room with a view. Any view, not necessarily a pretty view, but at the very least a view of some sort. Apparently windows need to be specially requested and paid for accordingly. Yes, you guessed it, no window! The rest was clean and tidy, not flash but reasonable for what we were paying, just no window.

CELL NO 805

The first evening was spent settling in, sorting out where we wanted to go and finding the local supermarket and food court. As everywhere else in Malaysia the local food is cheap and good, typically a meal will cost you $2-3.00. If you want western food then you are looking at about $4-5.00.

The next morning we were all up bright and early and off to the tourist information centre to make sure we wouldn’t miss anything. Seems there is plenty to see in KL starting with the Petronus Towers. They were very impressive indeed, with lots of stainless steel everywhere.

PETRONUS TOWERS

The twin towers stand 452 meters high, and are the highest twin towers in the world. They became the highest building in the world when they were completed in 1997 and continued that way until 2003. The towers were constructed simultaneously, and incorporate a skybridge at level 41 and 42. There are 88 floors, thew lower 6 levels given over to upmarket shops and a full size concert theatre. Huge cranes were used to lift and place the bridge into position and such was the engineering that it slotted in perfectly. 

Public transport is fantastic in KL, there are GO cards which you can use and refill as day cards. This cost us 10.00 RM per day ($3.30) which allowed us to travel on the LRT (light rail transit) the RRT (rapid rail transport) the monorail and the buses.

HERE COMES THE TRAIN

The monorail and the buses have drivers, but the LRT and RRT are all automatic. It is good fun as you can stand and look out the front window.

VIEW FROM THE LRT

It gets a bit scary when another train comes along on the other rail. We rode from one end of the line to the other just sightseeing. We did the same on the monorail, stopping at various stations for coffee and lunch.

END OF THE LINE

While the system is good it is not perfect, it was always wait and see if we all got through, but usually one of us got stranded either coming in or going out. It all added to the fun of traipsing around the city. Everyone in KL speaks very good English, which makes life very easy but does not further my knowledge of Malaysian. Indonesian and Malaysian are very similar, just some words are pronounced differently.

CULTURAL CENTRE

We spent the afternoon at various museums and turned into our cells for an early night.

KL MUSEUM

Thursday we were all up early to go to the Batu Caves, it is 13 km out of KL, and the new Kommuter train stops there. Our GO card did not cover the trip so we were forced to buy a ticket. Well, we had to ask twice to make sure we heard correctly as she charged us a whole 2.00 RM each!! Boy, Australia could certainly learn a thing or two about public transport from the Malaysians.

BATU CAVES

The Batu Caves were carved out of limestone 400 million years ago. There are 272 steps to climb to reach the entrance, and a further 64 inside. The ceilings are over 300 ft high and further inside the cave there is a large hole that lets in light and rain creating a mini garden on the cliff sides. The caves were discovered over 100 years ago and the largest was made into a Hindu temple. This temple plays a very important role in Hindu religious ceremonies in Malaysia.

GOLDEN HINDU GOD

Monkeys abound at the caves, and you can buy food for them if you wish. They can get quite aggressive, but they are used to being chased away, so as long as you stay assertive they will scamper off.

MONKEY BUSINESS

After climbing up and down all those stairs it was time for coffee and some food. We decided to try the vegetarian Indian restaurant, and sampled various dishes and drank two cups of delicious coffee.

MUM AND BABE

After lunch it was back onto the train and off to the Selangor Pewter Factory. Established in 1885 by a Chinese immigrant to Malaysia they export hand made pewter items to more than twenty countries around the world. Tours are free and personalised; we were just with the four of us.

PEWTER WORKER

The workers are all highly skilled; one lady had been there over 40 years hammering those little dents in pewter mugs. She does about 8 to 10 per day. Can you imagine doing that for forty years! We all had a go at it and needless to say we did not do very well. It takes more than a year to learn how to put dents in pewter mugs.

CARE FOR A BEER?

Friday it was off to Petaling Street to the Chinese market to do our Christmas shopping before heading home to Australia. Great bargains are to be had if you are prepared to join in the national pastime of haggling over the price. I enjoy the challenge and the bargain, and got some good deals. I did pay too much for one item, but still paid a lot less than I would have in Australia so I’m still ahead. The rest of the afternoon was spent packing and then the four of us went out for dinner.

KL BY NIGHT

Saturday morning it was off to the airport for our Air Asia flight direct to Melbourne. We had a wonderful time in KL and look forward to returning to Malaysia in January to continue our adventures.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE

 

 FANCY BUS RIDE

We intend to “do” Singapore over a couple of day trips, as hotels there are very expensive so this blog will be about our experiences on the other side of the Causeway. This is the same causeway that was partially demolished during the 2^nd world war to prevent the Japanese from invading. As we all know that didn’t work, and the Japanese rebuilt it after they captured Singapore.

Singapore covers 710 sq. km with a population of 5 million. Surprisingly about 23% of Singapore consists of forest and nature reserves. They are committed to greening Singapore and have introduced several novel ways of doing this, including gardens linking high rise apartments at various floors. These incorporate playgrounds for the kids.

 MARINA BAY HOTEL

The big deterrent to visiting Singapore is running the gauntlet of immigration. First we take a bus to immigration then we line up to check out of Malaysia and hopefully this won’t take too long, then back on the bus and we are off to the Singaporean side where we have to check in. Now obviously they are not real keen on visitors from Malaysia as this process can take anything up to and longer than 2 hrs. A trip that takes perhaps 30 mins without immigration takes at least an hour and a half, so I guess we just got lucky when we went over. We got on the bus at 07.30 am and finally got to our destination, the Marina bay Hotel in Singapore at 11.30 am. That’s right, it took us nearly four hours to get through of which 2hrs were spent standing in line for Singapore!

 LUNCH WITH FRIENDS

We did some shopping, met up with friends for lunch, did a bit more shopping, more window than shopping as Singapore is very expensive compared to Malaysia. After an early dinner it was off to the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo.

 TOUR GUIDE

 What a wonderful evening! It cost 32.00 SGD (about $26.00) each. For this you got a tram ride right around the zoo, which you could get on and off to do the walks, a night creature show, and a fire show.

 FIRE SHOW

The animals are fed at this time so that they are up and around for us to see. A lot of the animals on the night safari are normally nocturnal and those that aren’t are up for their feed. Being dark with a full moon gives off its own aura as you wander through the jungle listening to the roar of the lions; very different atmosphere to day time.

 A BIG CAT

The Creatures of the Night show was fantastic. They have trained certain animals to do various things, and they are not behind fences or on leashes or anything, just there right in front of us. The Indian girl who does the show is very personable and knows how to work a crowd, which certainly adds to the enjoyment.

 LITTLE OTTERS

  First there is an old wolf that comes out and tries to do a full howl but doesn’t quite make it, also a hyena picks up a very heavy branch to demonstrate the strength of his jaws, and a python wrapping itself around one of the audience. The Binturongs or bearcats walk along a vine strung above our heads. They have long, strong tails so they can hang upside down. They also secrete a musk that smells like buttered popcorn. Unfortunately I don’t have photos as there was no flash photography allowed.

 ZEBRAS ANYONE?

Suffice to say that if you are ever in Singapore then try and make it to the Night Safari. It is certainly well worth the effort.

 HOW ABOUT A PYTHON?

The night finished on a high note as we took the 11.30 pm bus back and arrived home at 12.45 am. Just an hour and thirty minutes to get through customs and immigration on both sides. Methinks we should always travel in the middle of the night!

MELAKA

 BUS TRIP

The Sail Malaysia Rally had scheduled its next stop in Melaka, which according to everything we heard about the place was well worth a visit, but not a place to leave the boat. The marina, although only 18mths old is breaking up due to the surge that rolls through there constantly, and the anchorage is exposed and rolly and on a lee shore so definitely not a nice place for a boat. Because of this many sailors were considering bypassing this wonderfully historic town. A few of us decided to take the bus up instead, and once the idea got out many more decided that it was a good option. As many as 30 people travelled up by bus, which cost a whopping 19.00 RM ($6.50) for a three hour bus trip. Travel in Malaysia is very cheap, and accommodation comes in all shapes and prices depending on the amount of luxury one is looking for.

OUR APPARTMENT

We found a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment for $70.00 a night. It was fairly basic, with a jug, 4 plates, 4 bowls, 2 cups and 2 spoons being the sum total of crockery available for 6 people! The gas cooker was not hooked up to gas, but we did have aircon and TV so not too bad. It was clean and once we sprayed and killed the cockroaches all was well. Come on; what more do you want for $23.00 per night per person?

GET THOSE BUGS!

Melaka is full of history and museums, and all within walking distance from our apartment and the centre of town. Melaka has been occupied by the Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and English as well as periods of self rule by the Malays. This makes for a rich and varied culture and the Melakans are justifiably proud of their heritage and the museums that reflect this.

First off we hit the Maritime Museum, which costs 3.00 RM ($1.00) this gets us into the replica of the Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of Malacca, the maritime museum, the naval museum and the customs museum. Talk about value for money.

PORTUGUESE REPLICA

Then it’s off to the Stadhuys, built by the Dutch and now a historical and cultural museum and the Christ Church built in 1753 with exquisite timberwork inside.

OLD DUTCH CHURCH

Everywhere we go we see these floral decorated bikes for hire, just incredible the work they must put into them.

BLOOMING BICYCLES

There is also the Portuguese fort and the Dutch fort plus St John’s church and the Dutch cemetery to see so we save that for the next day. On our way home Mark from Ajax and I take the ride up in “Menara Taming Sari” a revolving platform that rises eighty metres as it turns.

HIGH RIDE TO THE TOP

The views are spectacular over the city and out to sea. We can even see our apartment from here. Tony (the skipper) and Heather from Ajax don’t like heights and opted to sit this one out. Back to our rooms for a bite to eat and an early night ready to do it all again the following day.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

We are up early as we are all meeting at the marina for the organised bus tour. We are taken to a new resort to showcase tourism in Malaysia and then back to town to see the Sultan’s Palace and break for lunch.

SULTAN’S PALACE

The Portuguese and Dutch forts and St. John’s Church and Dutch cemetery were next; we spent quite a bit of time at the church as there were a lot of old Dutch headstones inside, and trying to decipher the old Dutch was difficult. One such headstone recorded the death of a 24 year old married woman who died of cholera and was followed within 5 days by her 5, 3, 2 and1 year old. Such tragic times. 

ST JOHN'S CHURCH

The next morning it was off to the Cheng Ho Museum. Cheng Ho was a remarkable man for his time (1412) who made 7 incredible sea voyages long before any of the well known seafarers were even born. It is said that he sailed to America long before Columbus. The museum is well set up we could easily have spent the day there, but unfortunately it was time to head back to Danga Bay and our boats. On the way back to our apartment it started to rain so we made a short stop at the Customs museum until the rain stopped and then it really was time to board our bus back. Melaka is a wonderful place and 3 days was really far too short to do it justice. If you find yourself in this part of the world then Melaka is one place not to be missed.

A TOUCH OF HOLLAND

MALAYSIA

DANGA BAY

DANGA BAY MARINA

We arrived at Danga Bay Marina after coming through the Singapore Straits where hundreds of very large ships pass through every day. We needed to cross this “road” in our very small boat, but despite all the worry, it proved to be very easy. The huge thunderstorm and torrential rain we encountered just after that was a different story altogether.

THE BOATS

The marina is situated in the province of Johore, right next door to Singapore, and is where the West Malaysian rally will start. While we have registered to join, we will probably stay here until after the New Year. The price of the marina is very good, as it is FREE, well protected from the weather and close to everything we need.

To get the rally of to a good start the organisers staged a kayak race. Open to one and all, Nancy off Amulet and myself entered the women’s doubles and singles. Since neither of us had done any kayaking before and we had to use double kayaks in the singles race this was going to be exciting. I would be happy if I could stay upright, let alone finish the race competitively.

KAYAK RACES

The women’s singles were first, with six of us competing. We had been instructed to round the buoy anti-clockwise but obviously one person didn’t listen to the instructions and went the other way pushing me way off in the process. She came 1st, Nancy was 2nd and I still managed to come in 3rd.

OOPS!

Time for revenge in the doubles; only problem was I had no idea how to steer the bl…y thing so we covered about twice as much water as the others and still came in third. Not a bad effort for a pair of oldies who had never been in a kayak before! Prizes were handed out at dinner that night (which was a grand affair) and we scored vouchers at the local supermarket.

GOVERNMENT HOUSE

The following day saw us boarding the bus at 8.00 am for the bus tour. First it was off to Puteri Harbour, where a new marina has been built and a whole new government seat is being built. Once all the government departments have moved, the old town will be renovated and given over to tourism. The concept is grand; it will be interesting to see how it develops.

ENTRANCE

SOUTHERNMOST TIP

From there we went to Tanjung Piai National Park. It is also the southern most tip of mainland Asia. The national park consists of mangroves and ocean. Long boardwalks crisscross them giving easy access to the different areas. We walked out to where the Johor Strait becomes the Malacca Strait. This is where we will be sailing when we eventually head north to Langkawi and beyond. Tanjung Piai is also home to very cheeky monkeys. One actually came up and stole a can of drink right out of someone’s hand!

MONKEY BUSINESS

After having worked up an appetite in the sea air we were off to a mock Malay wedding at a traditional house to have a late lunch. The food was fantastic, the bride all smiles and the groom obviously only there under duress.

“BRIDE AND GROOM”

From there we went to a pineapple research centre and treated to fresh pineapple and demonstrations of the use all parts of the plant can be put to. The leaves can be stripped in such a way as to leave only fibres which are then spun and woven into material. After browsing through the museum it was time to head home to our boats.

BELITUNG

BELITUNG

BELITUNG FORESHORE

Well, this is our last official stop in Indonesia. From here we clear out and then go to Danga Bay in Malaysia. We left Kalimunjawa early on the 5th Oct and arrived on the 8th at 1.30 in the morning, after a fairly uneventful trip. Just the usual fishing boats trying to pass their bad spirits on to us, the occasional thunderstorm and those BIG ships trying to run us down (or so it seems).

LOCAL FISHING BOAT

While some of the places we have visited leave a bit to be desired, and others have been wonderful, Belitung tops the list. It is very clean, the people are warm and friendly and oh so polite. They ask permission to speak English with you and if it is ok to have their photo taken with you. All Indonesians are crazy about having their photo taken with us. Complete strangers walk up to you in the street and ask to have their photo taken with you.

We are anchored off a beautiful white sandy beach, lined with eating places and other miscellaneous shops, some set up for us and also for the local festivities that are held every year around this time.

LOCAL DANCERS

Once again we are entertained by the locals and we are also “encouraged” to participate to the great hilarity of all. The entertainment not only consists of the usual cultural dancing, but here they indulge in glass eating. Yes you read that correctly, they are put in a trance and then eat light bulbs with no apparent side effects. They believe that when they are in a trance the spirits take over and they are the ones who eat the glass, so therefore no harm can come to the person.

NANCY JOINING IN WITH THE LOCALS

We were introduced to a wonderful local family by our guide. They are an affluent and influential family on the island, but are so very warm and generous, inviting us into their home, feeding us lunch, and showering us with gifts.

MR. DEVAN’S PLACE

We invited them back to our boat, but were not sure that the authorities would allow it. The next day they called and said they would be honoured to come out to our boat. Mrs Devan speaks excellent English, while Mr Devan’s English is very limited. It was very rolly that day and Unara (Mrs. Devan) started looking decidedly green! We presented them with a photo of our boat and a Dutch clog in the form of a boat. Mr. Devan collects model boats and was already planning to build a glass case for it. They have 60 god children and are putting 15 of them through university and have 8 children of their own. What an amazing couple!

AT THE DEVAN’S

And so ends our three month journey through Indonesia. A place of many faces, incredible poverty, hot chilli peppers, rice, strange customs, Muslims, Christians, spectacular scenery, pristine water, polluted water, and above all the warmest most generous people one could possible meet.

There remains just one more milestone to report, and that is that on the 16th of October at 0206am we crossed the equator into the northern hemisphere.