Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

The Cameron Highlands of Central Malaysia is where most of the Tea is produced. It also has a much more temperate climate so a welcome relief from the heat of the lowlands. Having already looked at enough tea plantations in India, we were more interested in visiting the local cafe where you can get an English cream tea. Cor! What a treat, proper scone with Jam and cream. After tramping around the hills, what could be better :). The walking was fantastic; steep hills cloaked in deciduous forests, all kinds of flora and fauna to see. Watching monkeys clamber through the canopy and then breaking out into the sunshine on the hill tops . The weather was typically unpredictable but such a refreshing change. The old empire had left its mark with its Red telephone boxes and country cottages that would not have looked out of place in Devon (and it gave Diane very happy memories of visiting Malaysia with her mum and dad in 1991). At the end of each day returning to our Missen hut, very much like a tin clad hobbit hole I thought :)

After eating South East Asian food for 2 months I wasn't gonna come between Diane and her cream tea !! :)

Well earned !

Home sweet home :)

Mt Kinabalu

Diane checking all the gear before we attempt the 12,500 ft slog up Mt Kinabalu. We spent the night in a road side hostel listening to rats run around the roof but heck a cup of the local coffee and some beans on toast and we are raring to go. Anyways, we rent a couple of walking sticks from the local shop and stroll up the road for the check in and get our guide. A short 4x4 ride gets us to the start, we had chosen to do the alternative, longer route as it has fewer people. A winding path leads up and up through the forest. No one else on the track which is nice. Quite hot and a little humid some nice views open up as we get higher. It's a long old slog to the final stop and I can see Diane is totally spent. Her infected leg ulcer has sapped her energy and she's on the verge of tears. I spent about an hour plying her with sweet tea and chocolate and biscuits before I get a smile back on her face. We just sit there looking out of the resturant sipping tea, watching the cloud drift by, every so often it clears and the face of the mountain is revealed, a huge mass of dark gray rock. We shuffle off to our unheated bunk house at about 7pm for bed.

Pitcher plants by the side of the path






















The plan is breakfast at 2.30 in the morning and start for the summit at 3.00 to arrive in time for the sunrise!! So here I am looking the part and ready to go. It's nice to get clear of all the humid forest and get onto the exposed rock. Nice to feel cold but have the right gear for the job. In our usual style we set off at a pretty brisk pace and after a few traffic jams we on the open mountain. The viz is clear no cloud, perfect conditions. After out exploits in Nepal, we're a little blase about Kinabalu, it was however a hard slog to the top, last 1000 meters just went on and on and then all of a sudden you're there, on top smilin like a cheshire cat




Worth the effort we get the victory shot. The whole of Borneo opening up at our feet from one side to the other the view was breathtaking










Sunrise Mt Kinabalu

And then its off the top and away back to base camp for a big brekka. Its completely barren on top, the rock scarred and smoothed by glaciation. (Time for Diane to remember her geography lessons at MHS with Mr Allen!)

Sitting on an outcrop looking down what I believe is the start of Lows Gully. A ravine that plummets down the backside of the mountain into an area that until recently was completely unexplored.

2 hours later we get the honour of being the first climbers off the mountain, get in, and we bought the certificate

Borneo

Me next to a tree !! Stopped off in Sipilok to see the Orangutans. The jungle was hot, humid and full of leeches, think we prefer the mountains, couldn't put up with Diane screaming all the time, left my nerves in tatters :)




Out of the Jungle and on to Sipodan for some class diving. The town itself was a complete dump, rats everywhere and bloody great lizards crawling around. In complete contrast to the crystal clear waters and amazing diving.

Picture perfect little islands are sprinkled up and down the coast, all with their own reefs

Diane lookin trendy, I especially like the socks :) You can just make out the padding on her left leg. An insect bite that had become infected became a boil the size of a fried egg. Three days after this shot Di was laid out in the clinic and the Doctor took the scalpel to it as it had turned into a leg ulcer, Blimey talk about screaming, the other patients must have thought someone was about to have a baby. Nasty business but it had to be done, Fairplay they cleaned it right out and dressed it. We are 2 weeks on now and its almost healed. Di never complained once heh. Whilst I did the final dives on the last day, Diane was laid up in bed finally resting her leg up on pillows ready for our 2 day climb up Mt Kinabalu the next day.

I just love diving, here we are 2 happy skylarks heading for another dive site. We hadn,t seen a turtle till we got to Sipidan but we must have seen about 10 on the first dive !! On my final dive the guide pointed one out in the sand, it was some way off. As we got closer it was clear the thing was massive. Never seen a turtle so huge. The size of a small family car, head the size of a large dog. I sat not more that 3 or 4 feet from this gentle giant and watched it gob smacked, I could only wonder how long this beautiful creature had roamed the ocean. Definitely one of my top dives.

little baby Orang with the keeper

You cannot imagine the extent of the palm oil production in Borneo. They used to say that an Orangutang could swing from tree to tree crossing the whole of Borneo and never touch the ground! Sadly those days are gone forever. There are still areas of pristine forest but they are being ever more hemmed in and encroached by the logging and plantation owners

yuk leeches are gross

At least they must eat the rats thats gotta be a good thing

couple of vids for the kids the urangs are great

Penang, Malaysia

I wasn't really looking forward to Penang, not sure why, it was always the place people went to on a visa run from Thailand. I couldn't have been more wrong. Really vibrant China town and Little India.





Lots of reminders from the old colonial times. The Island was administered by the British East India Company. A short hop on the funicular to the top of the mountain gave us a great view of the city below. Some magnificent villas were built in the hills back in the day as a cool retreat from the heat of the city.

The famous Sarkies brothers from Armenia built a hotel smack on the top. they were the chaps who built the Raffles hotel in Singapore and also the plush Eastern Oriental in Penang. Certainly seemed like the guys to hangout with if you were well healed and flush. If your interested, here's a good right up on the lads www.amassia.com.au/Raffles.htm. although it doesn,t seem to mention the propensity of one of the brothers for dancing the night away whilst trying to balance a glass of whiskey on his head.

Hot dog is it lads? :)

Don't ask we didn't try one :)

Its Mr Myagi again and now he's cookin noodles and gettin right hot under the collar. They love their noodles in Penang.

It's a strange thing food, in all its myriad of shapes and sizes, tastes and textures but stop for a moment....who the hell though of making chicken floss? and then stickin it on a bread bun for consumption by the masses.

Is it just me?

Answers on a postcard :)

Couple of street scenes, we really love the fast food action in SE Asia, fresh as a daisy :)

Ko Lanta and Ko Mook

Not your average road side warning from back home, like "grit on the road" or "mind out, cattle crossing" still a sobering reminder of the devestation caused not so many years back by the Tsunami.

Little bar on Ko Lanta perched on the edge of a cliff. We hired a moped and headed off for a bit of exploring but with the heat of the day it wasn't long befor we hit the hammock and chilled :)

Speeding past Railley Beach, the setting for the film, The Beach. It's been killed off by the publicity but still beautiful from the boat.

Always nice to be back on a dive boat heading towards a dive site. This time near the Pih Pih islands. Breakfast on the boat - bacon baguettes and fresh fruit set us up for a nice day under the water. Lovely corals and plenty of fish but no underwater camera to capture it all :(

I'm looking slighty bemused at the longtail boat heading off to the right of the picture. It's 5pm in the afternoon and Diane and myself have literally been dropped off in the water on the island of Ko Mook. We don't have anywhere to stay and i'ts a case of "whatever" ....hitch the pack and start walking :)

I know sweetheart... it's late we're hot, sweaty, knackered, nowhere to stay and you're stood in seawater with wet trousers 100 yards from shore in the mud :)

Always look on the bright side of life de da de da de da de da :)

The thing is a twenty minute walk takes you from a muddy jetty to a gorgeous empty beach with a lovely breeze and cool drink. Ko Mook is a really chilled place without the rat race which is taking hold of many of the popular islands in Thailand

Daniel Craig eat your heart out .... 00Pople returns from another snorkelling mission :)

Just a short longtail boatride from our beach bungalow we find ourselves outside this cave in an overhanging cliff face. Used in years gone past by pirates to store their booty.

It's pitch black inside and we swim through... headtorches reveal bats in the low hanging cave and the echos from the sea are really eerie. Upon swimming through you come out on a surreal sight. In millenia past the roof on the cave collapsed and formed a perfectly round and protected beach.

Looking up you see a patch of round blue sky and the sun shining down.

Diane clambering on board for the last train home. Its off to Penang Malaysia !!