Our last day in Halong Bay we went in search of what looked like a viewpoint over the bay when viewed on google maps but when we got there after a long uphill walk there was no viewpoint to be seen. We walked back to the hotel using google maps on my phone to direct us back. In other words we got completely lost in tiny back streets where the local people seemed shocked to see a young European guy and his ageing mother walking past their homes. That’s a joke by the way, Lynne will probably kill me when she reads it, she never did come to terms with the fact that she’s so much older than me! Another joke, yes, I’m just digging a deeper hole for myself!😬. Back at the hotel we had a drink and a sandwich in the bar and then went back to the room. The sandwiches were meant to be a snack but when they came they were huge. After a couple of hours enjoying the air conditioning in the room we ventured out again. This time we made our way to the cable car which would take us to the other side of the bridge that you might have seen in the photos taken from the balcony of our hotel room. The cable car turned out to be quite big, carrying probably at least 30 people and also it’s a double decker so there could be as many again upstairs. I have no idea how high it is at it’s highest but it was pretty scary looking down. Once we were on the other side we wandered around admiring the views over the bay and the city. It was rapidly getting dark so there wasn’t much time for photography before we took our place on the large wheel which was included in the ticket price for the cable car. Up close the wheel is much bigger than you would have imagined seeing it from our hotel and to do a full revolution took at least 15 minutes, during which time you’re treated to the most amazing views over the bay and the city. Unfortunately it’s not really conducive to photography as the only openings have a wire mesh over them presumably to stop parents throwing noisy children out!

Darkness descended while we were on the wheel so afterwards we made our way immediately back to the cable car for the return journey. Back at the hotel we didn’t bother eating as the lunch time sandwiches were still sitting heavy. We did however, go to the Blue Bay Restaurant for ice cream and a couple of cocktails. This is a very short instalment for our last day in Halong Bay. We had a really nice relaxed day but with rides on the cable car and then the big wheel there’s not much more to say of any note, and besides, I’m itching to talk about Hanoi which was our next destination. More of that next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived at the Wyndham Legend Hotel in Halong bay, one of the first things we did was to book a short cruise for the following day. We were happy to accept the recommendation of the young tour representative at the hotel reception. The cruise was to be a four hour trip around the bay with a visit to some caves and a bit of kayaking thrown in. I was a bit wary of the whole cruise idea simply because I didn’t want to be one of a hundred people following a guide around. A lot of the cruises are on large cruise boats but in spite of my reservations we signed up for the recommended tour without really knowing too much about how big or small the boat would be or how many other passengers we would be travelling with. It was only when we went down to the hotel lobby that Lynne told me there were a lot of Japanese names along with ours on the list. This didn’t bode well but as the open topped electric car came to take us to the port, Lynne and I were the only ones to leave the hotel so thankfully the potential for an international incident between British and Japanese seemed to have been averted! On arrival at the cruise terminal we checked in at the desk and were given lanyards with the name Nang Tien on them and asked to wait amongst a couple of hundred other people all with lanyards and different boat names. Looking around, you soon realise what big business the cruises are in Halong Bay. After waiting roughly 15 minutes we were approached by a young Vietnamese guy who introduced himself as our tour guide. His name was Bag or at least that was how he pronounced it. As we followed him along the jetty towards the boat it became clear that there were only going to be 7 passengers on the cruise including Lynne and me. There were two young women possibly in their early 30s who I’m quite sure were Italian and an older Vietnamese couple who had what I think was their grandson with them. We walked quite a long way on the jetty past lots of big boats that would probably have carried 50 or more passengers. As we passed the last of the big boats and saw the only boat remaining my reaction was, “you’ve got to be kidding” or something similar but not quite as polite. Bag, who was right behind me immediately said, “don’t worry, this is just to get us to the cruise boat”.

That was a huge relief as I couldn’t imagine even as few as 7 of us being comfortable for long on a boat that small especially as they were meant to give us lunch too at some point. Once we got to the cruise boat, Bag (can’t get used to calling him that) explained that the boat was built by an Italian man who had met a Vietnamese woman and settled in Halong Bay around about 1997. Having had a family he eventually moved to Hanoi and sold the boat to the cruise company. It was quite an impressive piece of work and could easily have catered for three or four times as many passengers as were on board this day.

As we started to approach the numerous sea stacks and islands that seem to be the main attraction in Halong bay I started taking photos of them but the light wasn’t  great and I was quite sure that with a grey and overcast sky and no light hitting the sea stacks I was wasting my time! It turned out I was absolutely right. Most of the photos taken on the outward part of the cruise were disappointing to say the least but things got better on the way back. After an hour or so on board, lunch was served. I can’t really remember too many details about the food except to say it was all delicious and we were certainly not left wanting. I must say at this point that prior to coming to Vietnam we hadn’t really known what to expect from the people here but Lynne and I are both agreed  we can’t speak highly enough of them. Everyone we’ve had any kind of dealings with have been so nice! Having eaten, it wasn’t long before we reached a small rocky island and disembarked via the smaller boat which had been towed alongside the main boat/ship. We landed on a small sandy beach and set off walking to find the caves which were a major part of this cruise. Once inside, Bagh (I’ve added the ‘h’ so that it looks more like a name) explained that the caves were formed over 500 million years and that there were stalagmites and stalactites most of which were destroyed in ancient times by local fishermen because they proved inconvenient when they were sheltering from storms. Surely a sign of less enlightened times when people obviously weren’t aware and didn’t even consider that those stalagmites and stalactites had taken hundreds of thousands if not millions of years to form. As we had arrived in the caves there weren’t many people there but as we were attempting to leave there was a seemingly endless flow of (noisy) American tourists entering the cave. Eventually Bagh had to shout for them to wait outside so that we could exit, otherwise we might have been there all day as there didn’t seem any end to the flow of incoming people. Outside the cave we made our way back to the beach where we were helped into a kayak. Lynne sat in the front after Bagh had splashed the seat with water to cool it down for her. I was glad he didn’t do that with mine as I didn’t want a wet bum but then when I actually sat in my seat it almost burnt my little buttocks off! The sun was shining by then but I hadn’t realised until that moment just how hot it was. We set off to paddle around one of the other small islands with me doing most of the work. The paddles (oars?) were scooped on one side so it should have been obvious which way round they were meant to be but predictably, Lynne decided against all logic to use her’s the wrong way. Once we managed to get that sorted it was just a matter of co-ordinating our paddling (oaring?).

We thoroughly enjoyed our kayaking experience but alas it was over all too quickly and it was time to head back to the boat for the trip back to the harbour. As I’ve already said, the sun was shining by now and even though the light was a little harsh it made for much better photos on the way back.

 

We had a great afternoon sailing around Halong Bay and continue to be amazed by the magical and fantastical other worldly land/seascape of the region. The captain of the Nang Tien insisted on making a little speech before we all departed even though he didn’t speak any English. Bagh very kindly translated for us and it was the standard thank you for choosing our service, etc etc. Well, we considered ourselves lucky to have come across them. The whole crew and especially Bagh were very attentive throughout the trip. In fact Bagh might have been a little over the top with his obvious concern for our welfare. As we were making our way up the 70 or so steps into the caves he kept asking if we were alright and at one point he asked if we were tired. Obviously he was concerned about our ages which is nice but slightly irritating at the same time, neither Lynne nor I are in our dotage just yet. However we forgave him because he was such a nice guy. So nice in fact, that Lynne spent a good half hour talking to him alone at the front (pointy end) of the boat. I thought it was a bit like Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio in Titanic but it turned out she was just giving him a lecture on British politics! How boring is that?

Later that evening we ventured out again to take another look at a restaurant called Avocado Restaurant. We’d passed by the previous day but it was late afternoon and the place looked empty which as I had already mentioned, puts me off. This time it was later in the evening and the place still looked empty! However, having read such good reviews we decided to give it a go anyway. On entering we were taken upstairs to the main restaurant which explained why it always looked empty from outside. That being said, it was still fairly empty with only two tables occupied which seemed a shame as it was a lovely place and as we walked in the owner came to us and asked if we liked her restaurant. This was pretty typical of the kind of friendly approach we’ve encountered from the Vietnamese people. Even on the street if you catch their eye and smile they’ll invariably give you a smile back and say hello. Imagine that in the UK? Anyway, the food was fantastic as seems to be the case everywhere we’ve been and we had a wonderful evening. The perfect end to a perfect day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve arrived in Halong Bay! After an early start, as in climbing into a taxi at 2.00am, we were at the airport by 3.00am. First priority was to go to the Roaming Man counter to pick up our mobile wifi device. This is a brilliant service which we’d used previously for a trip to Singapore. Keeping that in mind, you’d think I’d know how to use it wouldn’t you? More of that later! Anyway, I was happy to find that they do open 24 hours a day as I’d had my doubts. Next was check in, which also was painless enough. By 3.30 am we found ourselves with over two and a half hours to kill and had to resort to coffee in McDonalds, an establishment that the snob in me prefers never to patronise. However, on this occasion it fulfilled a purpose if only to give us somewhere to sit for an hour. This was more pertinent than you might think as the terminal appeared to be swamped with whole families sleeping anywhere that they could, including bench seats and booths in all the other eateries which happened to be closed for the night. The impression I got was that people with such early morning flights have arrived at the airport probably using the last train from KL to avoid hefty taxi fares. Our taxi cost us 208 Ringets which is about £41. I imagine if you’re travelling with a large family it could get to be a pretty costly business!    Boarding the plane we got to our seats only to find a woman sitting by the window, which, me being a big child, was meant to be mine. Thankfully one of the cabin crew (stewardess, can you still say that these days or is it sexist to make a distinction of that sort?) noticed our hesitation and quickly realised the problem and without ceremony demanded that the woman sit in her own seat. Problem solved you might think. Not for Lynne it wasn’t. This woman whose nationality I have no idea of except to say she was obviously of an oriental persuasion, turned out to be a bit of a nut job, and she was sat right next to Lynne. First of all she demanded that I take a photo out of the window for her with her phone. Then she decided that the photo wasn’t good enough for her, didn’t she know I’m an internationally renowned (average) photographer? The second photo actually met with her approval, we still hadn’t moved from the loading area yet remember, so having taken her phone back she then decided she needed a selfie with Lynne and me in it too. We both smiled dutifully by way of humouring her and hoped she might settle down at that point. From my point of view I thought she had settled down but Lynne told me later that initially she refused to put her seatbelt on for take off and then wanted to raise the armrest so that she could rest her head on Lynne’s shoulder and presumably go to sleep!

I remember wondering why Lynne had suddenly cosied up to me, turns out it was just to get away from the mad woman on the other side! She also apparently told Lynne she had a nice nose. Yeah right, as long as your names W.C. Fields!🤥 All this time I had been sat looking out of the window, fascinated by the fantastic cloud formations and the flashes of lightning  coming from within them. I did something I’ve never done before and took photos out of the window with my phone. I have to say, as a self confessed photography snob the camera on the Samsung Note 9 is brilliant but the photos taken from the aircraft window still turned out crap in spite of this, so I won’t be sharing them any time soon.

Coming back to Lynne’s mad friend. Thankfully halfway through the flight she found someone else to pester a few seats forward of where we were sitting so Lynne was spared the stress of a sorrowful goodbye to her new found soul mate! We landed at Hanoi airport at about 8.15 am which was 10 minutes earlier than scheduled. As soon as the seat belt signs were switched off, everyone leapt to their feet as they always do, I could see the mad woman pushing her way to the front much to the obvious annoyance of other passengers who were trying quite calmly to get their bags down from the overhead lockers. It’s difficult to comprehend such rudeness but it has to be said, this woman was obviously not quite right in the head.

Immigration didn’t take long and within 5 minutes of finding the baggage carousel our bags came trundling through. After seeing recent news reports of people waiting two hours for their bags at Birmingham we never cease to be amazed at how efficient other airports can be.

Lynne had pre booked a car to take us the 90 miles to our hotel in Halong Bay. The instruction was, that on exiting the terminal we should head for column 12 and there will be a driver displaying Lynne’s name. Well, we found column 12 easily. Oddly enough it was right there between columns 11 and 13. Unfortunately there was no sign of anyone displaying Lynne’s name. No problem really, the flight landed slightly early so give it a few minutes and they’ll probably be along. That brings me to the wifi device. After waiting for ten minutes we decided to ring the car company. So I turned on the wifi device and tried to get internet on my phone. The password is written on the casing of the unit and should have been simple. PWD62906279. You can probably see my mistake already but at the time I was having a major senior moment. So we had no driver and no internet. Consequently we couldn’t make a call without costing Dan a small fortune as our KL SIM cards are both on his account. At this point I went back into the airport and bought a new SIM card. The girl at the counter inserted it for me (ooer missus) and it cost about £8 for unlimited calls and internet for a week. Back at column 12 we were about to call the car company when a young guy came up with Lynne’s name on a piece of card. He didn’t apologise for being late but we soon realised the reason for this was that he didn’t speak a single word of English! We were soon on our way and only an hour late at this point. As soon as we were on the road I emailed Roaming Man to complain about my non working wifi device. They came back to me really quickly and said I could now put the password 62906279 in and it should work. This was an obvious light bulb moment as I realised PWD wasn’t part of the password, it just denotes that the following 8 numbers ARE the PassWorD, Duh!  It worked immediately and I was left to reflect on what an idiot I can be at times, far too frequently if I’m absolutely honest.

On with the Journey. We soon realised that drivers in Vietnam seem to have scant regard for the rules of the road assuming there are any. Our driver who as I’d said previously didn’t speak a word of English seemed to be intent on communicating with the rest of the world by blowing the car horn every 5 seconds. In fact every manoeuvre whether it be overtaking or undertaking was accompanied by blasts of the horn. This made for a slightly nerve wracking ride where he seemed to have no fear of overtaking on the wrong side of the road whilst approaching a lorry or something equally big and heavy coming the other way. During our three and a half hour journey we realised anything goes on the streets in Vietnam. Motorbikes come at you on the wrong side of the road and everyone just blows their horn. It’s like, I’m driving this car, you’re in my way, blast of the horn, you better get outta the way! Lynne asked me about half way if I was liking it so far and I would have to say, so far, no not much. The small towns and the countryside we were passing through looked grubby and run down almost as if nothing had been repaired after what the locals actually call the American war! Our driver asked by showing me a pre written message on his phone if we would like to stop for a rest which we politely declined. Lets just get there and get this white knuckle ride over please. Five minutes later he stopped anyway to get himself a drink so I was left wondering why he even bothered to ask.

As we approached Halong Bay the surroundings began to look a bit more organised and we were relieved to finally reach the safety of the hotel. On arrival we then had to pay the driver the pre arranged fee for the trip. The cost for the aforementioned white knuckle ride was 1.6 million Vietnamese Dong. It sounds like a lot but actually equates to about £56. The currency is a bit crazy really, everything sounds expensive because it’s all in millions but one million is approximately £35.50 so even though we’re Dong millionaires, sadly it’s nothing to get excited about. As the driver drove off (?) most likely to honk his way back to Hanoi, we entered the hotel and checked in. The young lady who checked us in was extremely friendly and helpful. The room we had booked through booking.com turned out to be at the back of the hotel so I asked how much extra it would be to have a room with a view over the bay. It was roughly an extra £8 a night so we chose to upgrade. This gave us a great view from our balcony of the bay and the bridge to our left.

In the afternoon we walked the length of the town past lots of eateries looking for a restaurant which I’d read about on Trip Advisor but when after a long walk we found it, it looked empty which I always find off putting. Along the way we passed dozens of restaurants most of which had plastic bowls spread around the pavement full of various live fish, crabs, lobsters and octopus just waiting for the pot. It’s a bit like looking at a living menu thats looking back at you!

So after a long walk during which the heat and humidity really hit us hard, we walked as far again back to the hotel. As soon as we got back we both took showers to cool off. It certainly doesn’t take long to get a good sweat on whilst walking in the heat of the mid afternoon.

Later that evening having recovered slightly from the sweaty walk and our extremely early morning wake up call we decided to eat at one of the hotel restaurants. We opted for the Sakura Japanese Restaurant. I’m not a lover of the Japanese as you’ll probably know but their food is to die for! Cutting a very long story short I had a huge plate of Sashimi and Lynne had Salmon Teriyaki Bento whatever the hell that is. The problem was that Lynnes meal arrived slightly after mine so she had the audacity to steal a piece of my raw Octopus. Octopus is always my favourite part of Sashimi and I wasn’t best pleased to be sharing it (I always was a selfish git). It has to be said that the food and the service in this restaurant was fantastic and I’m hoping Lynne and I didn’t embarrass ourselves with our limited grasp of Japanese etiquette. One moment where I might have embarrassed myself was when I took a pinch of the mysterious green paste off the side of my plate not knowing what it was. I put it delicately in my mouth showing consumate mastery of my chopsticks and instantly recoiled and had to dig it out of my mouth with my fingers! I now know it to be Wasabi. Well, it almost blew my frigging head off to the point where it was actually quite painful to a measure of 11 out of 10. Why serve you all that wonderful food and then booby trap the plate with something that damn near kills you? All joking aside, I’m sure there must be a way to eat Wasabi without it melting your insides and the food generally was incredible. We went to bed that night well and truly knackered after a long day of travelling and looking forward to the short cruise which we had booked for the following day.

It’s our last full day in Langkawi. We’ve spent much more time on the beach than I had anticipated. After a less than successful trip on the cable car on the first day which I’ve already talked about, we then thought for the second day it would be good to get a taxi and go to Kuah. Whilst looking online for accommodation I had come across a lot of seemingly nice hotels in Kuah. The main reason for choosing the Frangipani Resort was it’s location on the beach and fairly close proximity to lots of restaurants. However, having noticed lots of hotels in Kuah, I naturally assumed there must be plenty for tourists to see and do in the area. Wrong! When we arrived and started walking around we soon realised that it’s not at all a very nice place. One mediocre mall and then a 15 minute walk to the jetty where there is a huge statue of an eagle, the significance of which I have no clue. Generally, everything seemed a bit on the grubby side and even the jetty which I’m assuming is the towns biggest tourist draw was a bit grotty although that didn’t seem to deter the usual hordes of selfie takers, and yes, you guessed it, most of them were Japanese. Speaking to a group of Dan”s friends since getting back to KL, they confirmed what we were thinking, that yes, Kuah is a shithole! I’ve included this photo because the eagle was pretty much the only thing worth looking at there. There’s even a fat selfie taker to give some sense of scale!

As we walked away from the jetty and the huge eagle we came across a Monitor Lizard who looked as though he was in the process of emptying a rubbish skip looking for food. He didn’t seem to appreciate us stopping to watch and in the second photo which I managed to pull from a video, he looks none too friendly to me. It was at that point we thought it might be wise to back off a little!

Lynne then decided we should walk back the way we came in the taxi because there was a shop she wanted to visit in the hope they might sell swim suits. She had looked at various ones already but they only seem to cater for tiny women or alternatively the coverall types which are obviously meant for Muslim women. On the way there we came across a food market and spent 15 minutes or so wandering around taking in the various sights and smells. Some of the food looks and smells delicious but I find there’s still that little voice telling you it might not be all that clean because it’s cooked in the open air. One stall in particular was selling donuts and other assorted cakes but I only have to see one fly on the food and that’s enough to put me off! After the market we found the shop, which had taken a half hour to walk to (in the heat) and it turned out to be a total waste of time. Once again there were only Muslim cover all swimsuits so we went out to get a taxi. We’ve used Grab a lot while we’ve been in Langkawi and the service is just as efficient as in KL but some of the cars leave a lot to be desired. This one was particularly rickety and the driver was about the most unfriendly we’ve come across. I always make a point of saying thank you very much at the end of a trip but this guy gave absolutely no reaction. Most of them are quite cheerful and will wish you a nice day or something like that but this last one was just a big fat misery! Ah well, not everybody can be happy go lucky like me, can they?

So, since the first two days where our chosen activities were slightly less than 100% successful we’ve spent our time mostly on the beach or in the water frolicking like water babes! Trouble is I’m pretty sure a water babe (whatever that actually is) wouldn’t be as knackered as me after spending time in the water. It’s easy getting in, but when you try to get out, the waves keep pulling you back in and if you let them knock you off your feet you end up getting scraped all over the sand and it’s the very devils job to get back up again. Today, Lynne and I returned to our room carrying half the beach with us. Me with it in the pockets of my shorts and one or two other unmentionable places and Lynne’s hair was full of sand. I can’t speak for Lynne’s unmentionable places as they’ve long since been declared a no go zone for me! Anyway it took us both 15 minutes in the shower to dislodge it all.

On Sunday Lynne decided that we should walk back to the Cba restaurant which we had liked so much on our first night just to book a table for later that evening. This involved passing all the shops of Pantai Cenang so, as you might expect, progress was slow as there are certain types of shops which Lynne finds it impossible to pass by without looking at and reading the labels of every item on sale. As we walked up the short lane from the hotel to the main road we saw this guy flying among the branches overhead. I’ve only ever seen Hornbills in zoos previously so it was a rare treat to see one in the wild, although it’s a pity he didn’t pick a better perch to sit on while I photographed him. A day or so later we saw two in the trees on the main street so they’re obviously not  exactly a rarity!

Having walked all the way to the Cba restaurant which I’ve since worked out is a total of 5.8  kilometres there and back we were both knackered thanks mainly to the heat, so we decided to have an hour in the cool of our room before spending the rest of the day getting bashed about in the sea again. Later we went back to Cba again but we took a cab this time and walked back again but in the relative cool of the late evening. Before going out to eat on our last night I popped down to the beach to see if we might at last, get a sunset. The resulting image which I was quite happy with was as close as we ever got. Moments after this shot the sun disappeared behind another bank of low cloud.

All in all we had a wonderful time in Langkawi in spite of our less than successful couple of days exploring. Everywhere we ate the food was wonderful, the weather was great after the initial downpour the day we arrived and enjoying spending lots of time on the beach and in the sea came as a huge surprise to me. We both left for the airport wishing we could have stayed longer!

At the airport we sat in the departure lounge and watched passengers getting off an Air Asia flight. We were quite surprised to be invited to board the same plane almost immediately the last passenger came off. It seemed just like getting a bus. Obviously no cleanup time or any of that. Just, bish bash bosh off you go! Also, we were less than pleased that in spite of the fact that we had checked in online the day previously and chosen our seats, the girl at the desk had put us in different seats in separate rows. Thankfully, the flight only lasted 55 minutes so not really a big deal but irritating nonetheless!

So, now we’re back in KL and waiting for our next trip which will take us to Vietnam. The plan is for three nights in Halong Bay and then onto Hanoi for four nights! That’s definitely gonna get us out of our comfort zone! Watch this space!

 

Up at 6.00 this morning ready to set off for the airport for our flight to Langkawi. The taxi (Grab) to the airport cost 52.5 Ringet which is about £10.50. For a 45 minute ride I don’t think that’s bad really. If you were in a cab in the UK for 45 minutes I dread to think what it would cost! Check in was all pretty painless and we soon found ourselves waiting in the departure lounge seated not far from an Indian family whose kids, two boys primarily, seemed to be having a contest to see who could whinge the loudest. Before entering the departure lounge we had eaten breakfast in a cafe and sitting there looking around I was struck by the notion of how far we’ve fallen behind in the UK. Here we are in a small regional Malaysian airport and while it’s nothing spectacular, it’s just nice! The ceiling in the area we were in was covered in small lights which, had it been dark would have looked like the sky at night! If you look upwards at Birmingham airport all you’ll see are missing panels and grimey pipes and ducting that you’re really not meant to see. I’ve often wondered what a foreign visitors first impression must be when they arrive in Birmingham and the first thing they see is our dump of an airport!

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, todays flight will be delayed by 15 minutes due to technical difficulties.” That’s just what you want to hear when you’re sat on the runway with a huge propellor just outside your window. We were actually delayed by 40 minutes in the end and took off at about 11.10 am. Whatever the technical difficulty was it obviously didn’t amount to anything serious but I have to say I found it slightly disconcerting having that large propellor whizzing around right outside my window.

It’s been a good few years since I flew in a plane with propellors but it got us there safely and without incident of any kind, landing at about 12.15. We walked down the steps of the plane and across the tarmac into the terminal building where we immediately found the luggage carousel. Imagine our surprise when, literally within a minute our two bags appeared! I could hardly believe it. Langkawi, score 1, Birmingham score 0! We grabbed the bags and headed for the exit. Already waiting for us outside was our pre arranged driver ready to take us to the hotel. Once again I was dumbfounded by the efficiency of this place. I know it’s quite a small airport  but I would never have expected to be able to say, that within five minutes of the plane landing we were in a car on the way to the hotel. Unbelievable but good!😃

The hotel was roughly a 15 minute drive away and the driver used the time to tell us all about Langkawi. He was very nice and also very knowledgeable but unfortunately we both found it quite difficult to understand a lot of what he was saying. He pointed out one place which he strongly recommended that we should go to eat and it actually consisted of about 3 or 4 tables set out at the side of the road and someone cooking in a parked van! This all seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and I would estimate it to be  at least a half  hour walk from the hotel. I somehow couldn’t imagine us going out of our way to try and find it. I should add that the entire journey was accompanied by pouring rain!

Arriving at the hotel we walked into the reception to find a nice seating area and a very charming and helpful young lady on reception who checked us in and then informed us that the room wouldn’t be ready for 20 minutes or so. We were invited to have a refreshing cold drink while we waited. The drink was in a small glass urn (tea urn?) and I couldn’t help noticing the small framed information sheet alongside informing us of the drink’s health benefits. It seems the drink is brewed from a fusion of Organic Frangipani Flowers. Frangipani is the name of the hotel and they place small Frangipani flowers on the bed in your room by way of a greeting. All very lovely but looking at the urn I couldn’t help it reminding me of a huge urine sample. The taste was a bit nondescript really but thanks to the accompanying sign, we now know we don’t have to worry about Swollen feet, boils or better yet, Gonorrhea! Now that’s definitely an unexpected bonus.

Having checked in we went to the room. Nice room, air conditioning, telly with a crap picture which most likely won’t get switched on again and a big fan directly over the bed which always makes me wonder what would happen if it fell off whilst spinning at full tilt? Better not to dwell too much on thoughts like that. So the hotel has a slightly rundown feel to it like it’s all seen better days but it’s situated right on a glorious beach which is about a minutes walk out of the room and we both agreed it’s very nice thanks to it’s location and decided we preferred to think of it as rustic rather than run down. Unfortunately as we settled into the room and unpacked, it continued to absolutely chuck it down with rain. The fact that there is an umbrella provided in the room made me wonder if this downpour was more of a regular thing than they let on? Happily it stopped raining in plenty of time for us to go and explore the local area. We walked up the road looking for somewhere to eat and ended up walking about two kilometres to a place that we had seen online called Cba Restaurant which had excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. We were there at about 6.15 and they didn’t start serving food until 7.00 so we booked a table on the beach for 7.00 and had a stroll on the beach to kill the time before we could eat. Cutting a long story short we had a magical evening at a table at the very edge of the beach, watching what should have been the sunset except for the bank of cloud which snuffed out the colour in the sky. Nevertheless still a beautiful location, wonderful food and lovely service!

Afterwards we walked back to the hotel mooching around the shops along the way. It’s a lot like any seaside place in as much as, a lot of the shops are full of cheap junk! Happy to say our first night in Langkawi was a great success and looking forward to seeing more of the island in the coming days.

On our first full day in Langkawi we decided to go to the cable car which takes you up the mountain for supposedly breathtaking views of the island. The cable car apparently takes you a total distance of 2.1 very steep Kilometres and an altitude of 708 meters which doesn’t sound like a lot to me but felt like we were up in the heavens. I had been looking forward to this trip for days since we had booked to come to Langkawi so I couldn’t help but be slightly let down when it turned out that, while the rest of the island appeared to be bathed in glorious sunshine the mountain was shrouded in cloud which precluded any kind of successful photography. Also I hadn’t anticipated there being quite as many people (with their legions of kids). There were the usual hordes of people taking selfies with a thick fog as a backdrop, very impressive! Anyone who’s read any of my previous blogs will know all about my love of the Japanese. While we had waited in the queue for  tickets for the cable car we were behind a Japanese couple. Now I know a lot of the Japanese like to wear face masks presumably to protect themselves against pollution but this girl had what looked like a baseball cap but with press studs around the edge to which was attached what I can only describe as a kind of pelmet which covered her entire head and shoulders. On top of all that she had on, a pair of large round sunglasses with a pink chrome look so you couldn’t even see her eyes! As we stood in line we eventually reach a point where you are obliged to have your photo taken against a green background so that they then impose you against a backdrop of the cable car and the mountain. Who wants a photo taken against a false background? The Japanese girl had her photo taken with the full head covering which looked bloody ridiculous to me. I know you could say, maybe she has some kind of medical condition to justify the cover up but I suspect it’s just to maintain that milky white complexion that the Japanese seem to value so much! Anyway, I found the whole thing extraordinarily irritating beyond all reason and had to fight the impulse to snatch the thing off and give her a good slap! There you go, yet another Victor Meldrew moment!

After the disappointment of the cloudy mountain and the views that never were, we got a taxi back to the hotel and spent the rest of the day on the beach. Lynne and I had a good laugh while swimming in the sea with me showing off all my swimming skills (nonexistant ). I can honestly say I’ve never experienced sea as warm as this. It’s almost warm enough to compare with bath water. The only problem was that after half an hour of being beat up by the occasional big waves you inexplicably find your shorts pockets full of sand as if some subliminal force is preparing to dispose of your body by attaching weights wherever possible! As someone who for years has shied away from beach holidays because I thought them totally boring I have to confess I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent in the water messing about like a couple of kids at play.

The above image was taken at the far end of the beach simply because I like the run off of water on the rocks immediately after a wave has hit. I took quite a few photos at this spot and this was the only one I liked enough to share. Most of the others had distractions like people paragliding in the background and as I was using something like a one second exposure they were just weird blurs in the sky. It would have taken a lot of work in photoshop to make them worth sharing but I couldn’t be bothered!

Later in the evening we walked out to eat and got about 300 yards before deciding on a restaurant closer to the hotel. This was a place called The Red Sky Restaurant. It was a bit quiet and I had my doubts, needlessly as it turned out as the food was delicious and the service excellent, which to be fair, seems to be the case everywhere we go in Malaysia! The red sky reference is I imagine because Langkawi is renowned for it’s colourful sunsets. Typically, there hasn’t been anything approaching a sunset since we arrived. I’d like nothing better than to set up and photograph a red sunset but there always seems to be a bank of cloud which blots out any colour in the sky. Even when we sat in the restaurant on the beach having a romantic candle lit dinner on the first night, there was no colour, just cloud blocking the sun on the horizon! Never mind, as always the weather is the one thing we can never dictate and probably just as well really or someone like Donald Trump would most likely want to find a way to weaponise it! On that cheery note I think I’ll call this a blog and put an end to the waffle for now.

 

 

This could be the shortest blog ever! We’ve been back in Kuala Lumpur exactly a week now since returning from Singapore and not much has happened in that time. The first couple of days we lazed around and never really went anywhere. I think we were both so knackered from all the walking we did in Singapore it was just nice to completely chill out for a couple of days. Dan didn’t get back from Perth until late Sunday night so we had the place all to ourselves for the weekend. Since Monday we’ve been in the gym and pool every day. The gym sessions seem to be getting more intense. I think we’re both spending more time on each machine and getting more work done. I’m hitting 5 kilometres in 13 minutes on the bike now, and now the rowing machine is fixed I’ve added it back into my routine too. It must be working because I’ve lost half a stone since being here. That could also be to do with not eating as much crap as I do at home but either way I’m happy about it!

Well, that half hearted attempt at writing was also a week ago so now two weeks have gone by since our return from Singapore. As before, not a lot has happened in that time other than more sweaty visits to the gym, longer swims in the pool and a lot more time spent relaxing. It’s been wonderful! Some days go by without us even leaving the apartment. Lynne spends long hours reading the newspapers online. She gets more political every day, by which I mean she’s more right wing than ever (fascist). She can barely conceal her delight at seeing Boris socking it to them in Parliament. I quite enjoy it myself but reserve judgement on how many of his aims will hit the target! We have had various nights out to eat including two trips to The Barn which is fast becoming a favourite of ours. For a start they have German beer which is slightly expensive but oh so good! Lynne always reminds me that her pint of Tiger is less than half the price but I always cling to the hope that German beer doesn’t give me a headache like most others. It sometimes does actually but if you’re gonna give yourself a headache it might as well be with a drink you actually enjoy! Another favourite at The Barn is Salted Egg crispy Fish Skins as an appetiser. I know, it sounds awful but they are absolutely delicious!

We also ate out with Dan one night at a nice Vietnamese restaurant. I was dubious at first because I had visions of being persuaded (never!) to eat insects or something like that, but I needn’t have worried as it was all very civilised and the food was beautifully presented and very tasty. I should probably mention that because I chose to practice my new found skill with chop sticks half of my food ended up down the front of my shirt!

Very little else has happened of note which might sound boring but we have been having the best time just relaxing. We have paid another visit to the zoo though as I wanted to go and use a longer lens to see if I could get better pictures of the tigers and lions. This time we walked anti clockwise around the zoo so as to see the all the animals we missed last time. Initially I wasn’t too impressed as all we seemed to see were lots of various monkeys who all looked pretty bored if I’m honest. It got better though and we still enjoyed the visit. I’m not sure how successful my photography was though as it was a very dull and overcast day with frequent rumbles of thunder and sporadic outbursts of rain. This meant it was quite dark and consequently I had to increase my iso settings to 5000 to get a decent shutter speed. This resulted in quite a bit of noise in the photos which has taken a lot of post processing to try to eliminate. I’m still not convinced it’s been completely successful.

This image is a big crop from the original and it’s a shot I’ve always wanted to take. I just wish I could have had my big 500 mm lens to do it with. It would have been so much better. I think I’ll have to find somewhere in the UK where I can do a similar thing but with the much bigger lens. Anyway, enough of the boring photography stuff, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one even remotely interested in any of that! Nevertheless, here are a couple of other photos from the Zoo which I was quite happy with. We even managed to catch one of the Giant Pandas awake.

Earlier this week we went to the Cinema in KLCC to see Yesterday. Most people will know the story, the Beatles cease to exist and a failed singer songwriter decides to take the credit for their songs. It’s actually very good and we thoroughly enjoyed it although it started with the soundtrack and no picture. Someone else went to let them know and after about five or six minutes they started it again, only with the picture this time. It has to be said that the Cinema loses a considerable amount of it’s appeal with no picture!

I’ve just come back to this blog with the intention of finishing it off and it looks as if I might have already published it without knowing how. I’m completely baffled by that as it looks as if I published an untitled and unfinished blog although I’m not at all sure. If indeed I have, then I have to offer sincere apologies for my mistake.

Yes I’ve worked it out now, and I have somehow hit the publish button on an unfinished blog which I’d have to say will probably take the prize for my most boring yet! Sorry!!

On a more upbeat note, Lynne and I are flying to Langkawi tomorrow (Thursday) for five days. Hopefully that will give me something more interesting to write about than what we had for dinner last night. Watch this space!😎

 

We’ve been back in Kuala Lumpur for a couple of days now and there’s been plenty of time to reflect on the time we spent in Singapore. After the first exhausting day we tried to cut back a little on the amount of walking but it’s difficult because I always think walking is the only way to really get to see a city. The second day was spent much the same as the first but with about 60% of the walking. We went back to the Gardens by the Bay to see some of the indoor exhibits. Whilst paying for the tickets, Lynne’s credit card was declined again. This led to us trying to ring the credit card provider with very little success. For some reason we tried all kinds of variations on how to dial the UK from abroad none of which worked so we decided to wait until we were back at the hotel.

The exhibits  include the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome. They are both huge domed buildings housing plant and tree life. The Cloud Forest replicates the cool conditions found in tropical mountain regions of south-east Asia. It’s all very impressive and cleverly done but I found myself strangely indifferent to the whole thing. That’s not to say it’s not worth a visit, it very definitely is. Maybe it was the endless crowds of people taking selfies that put me off. It seems to be a thing in Singapore, especially amongst the Japanese. Well we already know all about the Japanese passion for taking photographs. In KL, Lynne and I have seen them lining up in front of advertising hoardings for photographs. Only the Japanese could turn an advert into a tourist attraction. To be fair they seem happy to photograph just about anything. Back to Singapore though, I have never seen such frantic determination from huge crowds of people to be taking selfies at every other step. Young women are easily the worst. More than once we’ve watched young women adopt all manner of poses whilst photographing themselves ten times over. It seems modern day mobile phone technology has helped take narcissism to heights previously unheard of. Don’t get me wrong, I like a selfie as much as the next man, but just the one, every now and then, in an interesting location. Not dozens on the same spot.

Lynne thinks this blog is starting to sound a bit like the Victor Meldrew Chronicles, I apologise but I do enjoy a good opportunity to vent my spleen! So, back to the Cloud Forest. On entering, the first thing you see is a huge waterfall with dozens of selfie takers obscuring the view. There I go again, sorry! Ah, what the hell, we came, we saw, we left and while it was interesting if you were there, it was nothing to write home about! Lots of preachy eco awareness stuff, which I’m totally in favour of, but I don’t think me trying to describe lots of different plants and stuff is gonna make for very interesting reading. One of the most notable things was the total absence of insects in the Flower Dome. Surely a living flower display needs bees etc to pollinate? We did see a bird however, I don’t know whether he was meant to be there or how he got in but he would have to be the smallest bird I have ever seen.

On the way back to the hotel I stopped among all the selfie takers and took the following picture of the Downtown Business Sector. If you look closely you’ll see in the left of the frame the Merlion projectile vomiting into the bay. The Merlion is the official mascot of Singapore, presented as the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The fish body relates to Singapore’s origin as a fishing village and the lion head represents Singapore’s original name, Singapura which means “lion city” or “Kota Singapore”. God bless Wikipedia!

Back at the hotel we tried calling the credit card provider again using numerous different codes, once more with no success. As a last resort I dialled 0044 which I had always understood to be the code to use from abroad and hey presto, it worked! Reading that last paragraph back to myself, I hear how dumb it sounds and I have no idea why we didn’t try it first. It truly was a Forest Gump moment. Stupid is as stupid does! So, the whole problem with the card was caused by the restaurant. Without knowing exactly how, it seems they somehow damaged the strip on the card whilst trying to take the payment and the credit card company (Post Office) instantly put a security block on it. Ordinarily they would then call you to check the transaction but we are both using different numbers while we’re in KL so consequently they couldn’t contact us. Having eventually got through to them and answered a lot of security questions the block was taken off. Problem solved!

Now that we could spend money again we headed for Chinatown. There’s a food street which is actually called Smith Street which I’d seen online that we wanted to try. The streets around Chinatown were vibrant and very colourful and we spent a while mooching round the shops. We came across a Tintin Shop on our way to Smith Street. I’d never seen one before, in fact I didn’t know there was such a thing. We had a good look round and for me it bought back a flood of childhood memories. More like feelings really. Funny how certain things from the past have the power to bring back such strong feelings. Is that the definition of nostalgia? The shop seemed to be selling mostly figurines of various Tintin dioramas along with books and magazines. I found the whole place quite fascinating and against all reason I was tempted to start spending money. I resisted the urge though as I’m only too familiar with my own tendency to act on a whim and then six months later you’re left looking at this thing you bought and wondering what the hell was I thinking?

Once we found Smith Street (classic Chinese name) we soon found a place to eat. It was called Chinatown BBQ Seafood. We sat at a table thinking it belonged to this particular restaurant and a guy came with a menu as soon as we sat down. The strange thing was a woman came and took an order for drinks and then disappeared for ten minutes. It soon became clear that the tables are communal and people from any one of the restaurants in the street are walking up and down touting for customers. The food came from the restaurant we were sat next to but I’ve no idea where on earth the drinks came from. I’d heard about Singapore’s hawker centres and the realisation dawned that this was one of them. Looking online later it transpired that this is regarded as one of the best. We both had variations on Squid and a beer each. Thankfully the credit card wasn’t declined this time so there was no need to worry about harvesting organs again!

For our last day in Singapore we were a little bit stumped for ideas what to do. It’s not that there aren’t lots of things to do, just that you’re so spoiled for choice it’s difficult to know where to start. In the end after spending an hour in the gym and pool we plumped for the open top bus ride. The Idea is that you can hop on and off wherever you please, which we didn’t! All we achieved from this was to realise how huge the city is and that to do it any real justice we should have  maybe stayed three or four days more. Later that evening we walked out to Clarke Quay to find somewhere to eat. The last time we had been there was Monday and the atmosphere was quite lively and we both enjoyed it. This time however, it was absolutely heaving with people and I mean lively times ten! Having walked around we decided it was a bit too frantic for us and headed for one of the quieter areas not too far away. We walked into what we thought was an Italian restaurant which turned out to be Mexican with awful music blaring out from a speaker just above our heads. To add insult to injury, the food was mediocre too so our last evening in Singapore was not what you could call a great success!

The following morning we packed to leave before going down for breakfast. While we were sitting having breakfast a man came in with what I took to be his son. The man himself was fat with greased back hair and his son looked as if in the fullness of time he had every intention of being just as fat as his daddy. I watched with interest as fat daddy walked around the buffet on one side of the room and filled a plate high with food. Placing that plate on his table he then went to the buffet on the other side of the room and filled another plate high with even more food. Lynne, always the one to see the best in people thought that maybe he was getting food for his wife who may or may not even exist. In the meantime his son had already started eating. You’ve probably guessed what comes next, yes, having polished off the first plate old fatso started tucking into the second one. So, if there is a wife it looks like she’ll definitely go hungry. I was tempted to sit there for longer than we actually needed to just to see how much food this guy could get through. Just before we did leave the son got up to get himself a drink. He’d barely left the table for ten seconds before his dad decided to finish off the food left on his sons plate. Well, you could give him the benefit of the doubt by saying maybe he’s fat because of some kind of medical problem but in this case it was quite clear that he simply ate too many pies!

To sum up our experience of Singapore, I think Lynne would agree we both loved it. It’s a very organised city unlike KL where there is a touch of chaos about everything. In Singapore for instance there never seems to be excessive traffic, maybe because car ownership is strictly monitored. Singapore only issues 10,000 Certificates of entitlement per year for people to buy cars and that’s based on 10,000 other people relinquishing their’s. These certificates can cost around S$80,000 (£47,000) before even thinking of buying a car. Also cars have all kinds of taxes levied on them, as much as doubling the purchase price. I was surprised therefore to see lots of luxury cars on the roads including Rolls Royce Phantom and Bentley Mullsane. In fact we saw four or five Bentley’s in the time we were there. All in all, we had a very enjoyable stay in Singapore but very expensive too. 

The bus for the return journey to KL was not as comfy as the first. we were sat right at the front without quite as much leg room. I’d have to say it was slightly grubby too by comparison to the first. Nevertheless a great and cheap way to travel though. Arriving back in KL at rush hour slowed things down a bit but we were back by 6.00 pm. The Corus Hotel had kept my posh umbrella as promised and we soon got a grab back to the apartment. On the way there we saw a family of four crammed onto a small motorbike. They were weaving their way through heavy traffic seemingly without a care in the world. The parents both had crash helmets on but their two young children didn’t. Our taxi driver asked if that kind of thing would ever happen in the UK. We confirmed for him that if it did the authority’s would most likely take those children away. He just thought it was incredibly selfish of the parents that they had crash helmets on and the children didn’t!

All that was almost a week ago and I’m only just getting round to clicking on the publish button. I couldn’t convince myself it was interesting enough but it’s all I’ve got so here goes!

I’m writing as we are beginning our third and final full day in Singapore. We’ve walked miles, literally! It’s been hot, uncomfortably sweaty, and tiring at times but we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I only wish we had decided to stay longer. Starting Tuesday morning we used the hotel gym and pool thereby maintaining our mega fitness regime (yeah right). Sergeant Major Lynne insisted! Afterwards we went for breakfast. Don’t you just hate the first morning at a buffet breakfast? You walk in with no idea where everything is or how the system works. It drives me up the wall. I looked at the hot foods available and it all looked like dinner to me, really, who in their right mind has broccoli and cauliflower for breakfast? I ended up having cereal and an omelet. The next moan is about the tables. I can’t remember ever staying at a hotel before where you had to sit at long tables alongside other people. I ended up sat next to a Russian body builder type, one of those sort of guys who, whilst eating, lowers his head down almost to the plate giving whichever implement he happens to be using as little distance to travel between plate and mouth as possible! Lynne sat opposite a Japanese girl whose plate was piled as high with food when she left as it was when she sat down. That’s a great idea, spend ten minutes hunter gathering around the buffet and then barely touch any of it!

Feeling slightly less than satiated (I mean food you dirty beggars) we set off for our first proper walk around Singapore. First port of call was to be the Gardens by the Bay which is also close to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I’d wanted to stay at the Marina Bay Sands after seeing a TV programme about it and seeing how impressive it looked but for the four nights we are in Singapore it would have cost roughly £1500 so we decided to give it a miss. We found our way there fairly easily although it was a long way and we were already uncomfortably hot. Once inside the hotel the overriding feeling was one of disappointment. Being there in person, I wasn’t particularly impressed at all. It’s very big and imposing but I found  myself completely underwhelmed! Also, if had we stayed there, it seemed there would have been nowhere else to go to eat other than very expensive places in the nearby mall. The Park Regis where we are staying is surrounded by restaurants within a ten minute walk so actually turned out to be a much better choice. The mall is called The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. It’s all terribly upmarket, all very snooty and designery! This brings me to a pet peeve of mine. As someone interested in photography, I wonder if anyone else ever takes the time to look at some of the images designer clothes shops adorn there windows with? Well I do and I never cease to be gobsmacked by how awful some of them are. The following are just two examples, both found at the Gucci shop in this particular mall. See if you think either of these would make you want to emulate their look.

Seriously, the yellow coat, what young woman with any brain cells would choose to look like that? And besides that, look at the face on her! Also you’ve got two partial dogs in the frame. They are a major distraction from the main (awful) subject. What are they even there for? I imagine an advertising executive presenting these ideas to a room of utterly pretentious wankers and pissing his pants laughing when they get accepted. For anyone rash enough to consider entering the shop, the picture below is what you’re presented with in the doorway. I’m surprised anyone ever crosses the threshold. I know I’m not a young man but am I missing something here?

Leaving the Marina Bay Sands we made our way to the Gardens by the Bay to look around. This was more of a reccy for me by way of finding a suitable spot to photograph the Supertree Grove at night during the light show. I would say this is probably the biggest attraction in Singapore and rightly so. They are massive structures and even during day time they present a striking spectacle.

We walked the approximate three kilometres from our hotel not knowing at the time how far it was. I’d have to say though, in the heat it feels like more! Having walked around, the only spot I could find where I could get the Supertree Grove and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the frame was directly in front of where a group of workmen were laying a large lawn. I assumed at the time that by the time the light show started at 8.00 pm they would be long gone. Now I had my spot we decided to walk back to the hotel and have a rest. We grabbed a Subway sandwich on the way back and once back in the cool of the room we stuffed them down our necks washed down by half a gallon of Sprite. We really know how to live life on the edge! 

At 6.00 pm we set out to walk back to the gardens but this time I was carrying a heavy camera bag and a tripod and it was still as hot as ever. The walk seemed even further this time as we crossed the Helix Bridge which is a steel footbridge apparently inspired by the curved form of the structure of DNA.

Once back at the spot I’d chosen I was slightly miffed to find the workmen were still laying their lawn. They had a large area to cover and were going about it in a very orderly fashion. It’s actually a man in a tractor that lays the grass while 20 others all stand and watch. The tractor picks up huge rolls of perfect turf and the 20 other men line up the edge and then he just reverses away slowly leaving the turf in it’s place. This was fascinating to watch but as the sun set and darkness descended it became obvious they weren’t finishing any time soon. That’s all by way of explanation for the streaky lights in the bottom of the following image. We stood for at least an hour and a quarter waiting for the light show to start and I was set up with the camera on it’s tripod with everything set and by the time it was dark my exposure times were 30 seconds. Hence the moving lights from the tractor. I don’t think it detracts from the image too much though.

When the show started I think I can speak for both of us when I say we were well and truly blown away by it. An absolutely stunning display. Remembering back years ago to the visual feast of the fountains at the Bellagio in Las Vegas I think it’s safe to say that the lights at the Supertree Grove has it beat all hands down. I’d expected a lot of lasers shooting out from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel which is what I had seen previously on YouTube but this was nothing like that in fact it didn’t involve the hotel at all. Just fantastical lights choreographed with music which held the entire crowd, and by then it was a big crowd, utterly spellbound! What a magnificent show, and all for free. As it came to a climax and ended the crowd burst into appreciative applause. That whole time Lynne myself and the tripod had been surrounded by people and not one of them came too near or got in the way which I was extremely thankful for..

Getting away from the Gardens by the Bay after the light show was a bit like leaving a football match, a very slow shuffle following the crowds. It was only when we got to the other side of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel that things began to thin out and we made better progress toward returning to our hotel. We weren’t sure where to eat but within about a mile of the hotel we stopped to look at the menu at a riverside restaurant called Haven Lobster Seafood. Apart from Crunchy Baby Squid which we had as a starter (delicious tiny squid) I can’t even remember what we both had. What I do know is that it was expensive. It cost us £105 and Lynne had to go into the shop to pay. I hung about outside for a while till eventually I started to wonder what the hell was taking so long. I hoped for their sake they hadn’t decided to take her away and harvest her kidneys. God help the recipient! While I waited I noticed the days fish and lobster from the menu in tanks all morosely floating about waiting for certain death. Makes me glad I’m human, you’d have to be extremely unlucky to find yourself on anyones menu!

After waiting for what seemed like an age I walked through to the back of the shop to see what was going on. As soon as Lynne saw me she said “my card was declined” Her card had been declined and we didn’t have enough cash to pay for the meal. Cutting a long story short, it just so happened that as I was carrying my camera bag I actually had my bank card with me. This is highly unusual because using it abroad accrues fees and we try to avoid using it at all costs. On this occasion however it saved the day and having thankfully paid the bill we both returned to the hotel, both lots of kidneys intact!

I started this blog intending to cover two days but this one day has gone on long enough, I’m sure you’ll agree so I’m calling it quits at this point. Just for the record, my phone tells me that we walked 28659 steps today which according to the phone equates to 21.3 kilometres. No wonder we’re both knackered!😩

I’m writing this in a hotel room in Singapore. Lynne and I have just arrived after a long journey by bus. Yes, you heard correctly, bus! Dan flew out to Perth on Saturday morning to spend the week with his daughter Avari. So Lynne and I decided what better time to visit Singapore. Having looked at prices of flights which were coming out at more than 400 Malaysian Ringets each (about £78) not to mention more than 200 MYR for the journey to and from the airport we decided to look at the Aeroline bus service which runs from KL to Singapore direct. We found that it would cost the equivalent of £72 for both of us and that’s return! Of course there were the standard obligatory jokes about having chickens and goats on your lap for the duration of the journey but it was actually nothing like that as you’ll find out if you can manage to get to the end of this blog.

First of all we booked the trip a week ago after deciding that this week would be an ideal time to go as Dan was going to be away for the week too. One of our first considerations was that we would have no cost efficient way to use our phones. The SIM cards we both use in KL are on Dans tariff, so happily, don’t cost us a penny. However it seemed that using those SIM cards in Singapore would cost Dan a small fortune times two! Consequently he recommended we get whats called a Roaming Man device which we could both connect to. I know what you’re thinking, couldn’t you possibly do without phones for four days? Well yes, I suppose so but being in a huge new city without the benefit of Google Maps and being able to use the the Grab taxi system just didn’t bare thinking about. Unfortunately, the only place you can pick up the Roaming man device is at the airport. So we decided that as it would cost 220 MYR for us both to get there and back on the train that I would go on my own while Lynne went shopping. Yeah, some deal eh! On Saturday I placed the order for the device online and the cost was 60 MYR for 5 days wifi and the plan was for me to go and pick it up on Sunday. When we got to the station on Sunday and asked for a ticket to the airport the attendant informed us that there was a special deal and we could get to the airport by train and bus for 10 MYR. This seemed like too good a deal to pass up so we decided both of us would go whilst congratulating ourselves on how much money we’d saved. Off we went with tokens for the train and tickets for the bus.

Having left the apartment at 11.00 am we had expected to be back by about 1.30 pm. The cheaper option which we had gleefully taken without really thinking it through had us arriving back at Dan’s apartment at roughly 4.45pm. Yes, that’s right. What felt like a full day sat on trains and a rickety (new) bus just to save about £12. You wouldn’t have thought you could have such a thing as a rickety new bus would you? Well, they do in KL. That wasn’t the worst of it though as the train journey, which is the same train we use most days but to the very end of the line, seemed to last forever. In actual fact it was an hour and 20 minutes. The return journey on the train took the biscuit though. Three stops into the journey a young Malaysian couple got on with a young child roughly about four years old who had just found she could squeal and break glass with the noise. This went on for most of the journey which lasted for over an hour. The mother was intent on sitting sideways on the seat and trying to sleep while her husband never looked up from his phone. This guy could have had his own wifi transmitter his ears were that big. I’m sure he could have given Jodrell bank a run for its money. Things went from bad to worse as the child (bless) ran screeching up and down the carriage whilst being totally ignored by her seemingly indifferent parents. As we were getting closer to the city the train was beginning to fill up and when an Indian woman came and had the audacity to sit in the end one of the five seats this 2.4 man family had been taking up, the little girl pouted brattishly and ran to daddy who merely continued to ignore her.

I just couldn’t believe the arrogance (or ignorance?) of this couple. When the Indian lady sat down the mother decided it would be a good idea to sit cross legged on the seat so her knees protruded into the space of the seats either side of her in spite of the fact that there was now someone sitting in one of them. I sat there wondering what Malaysian prisons would be like as I was now considering strangling either the mother or the child. Old big ears might even have looked up from his phone had I taken either option! Thankfully they exited the train at KLCC so we had the last ten minutes of the journey in comparative peace. Once back at the apartment we set about packing for the trip to Singapore the following day at 9.00am.

Monday dawned and we were up at 6.00 to give Lynne plenty of fannying about time before leaving to get to the Corus Hotel in the city which is where the bus leaves from. Fanny about she did, but we still managed to call a Grab and get to the hotel and check in for our bus ride in plenty of time. As soon as we got on the bus we could see how luxurious it was. Our seats were upstairs and at the very back of the bus, so we had space behind the seats for hand luggage, ie, my camera bag which weighed in at half a ton. As soon as I sat down in the comfy leather reclining seat I knew we were going to enjoy this trip. There was so much leg room that I could barely reach the seat in front of me. (I know, I’m a short arse!) We set off at about 9.15 am. Progress was slow at first as the bus made it’s way though rush hour traffic. Rush hour in KL is slightly manic. The amount of traffic entering the city has to be seen to be believed. At every traffic light you would see the cars waiting patiently for the light to change with anything up to 30 or more motorbikes which have made their way to the front. Motorbikes are everywhere and the way they ride you feel it’s a miracle there aren’t hundreds of fatalities every day. As we left the city behind the urbanisation slowly gave way to forestation. I sat happily watching the world go by looking out for landscape photography locations which I knew I’d never have the chance to get to but enjoyed spotting them nevertheless! We travelled for hours, seeing nothing but trees all the way. I have no idea what type of trees, are there Oaks Birch or Beech in Malaysia? Not a clue but whatever they were they stretched as far as the eye could see. Every now and then there would be a couple of miles where there were nothing but Palm trees but during the entire journey I never saw anything remotely like a town or even a small village. Once in awhile there would be a parcel of land cleared and building works going on which would clearly be large housing developments. This raised the obvious question in my mind about where the rest of the infrastructure was. I mean, you run out of noodles or roti bread, where on earth do you go? There’s nothing else for miles around! Ah well, their problem, not mine. Sitting in the two seats in front of Lynne and myself were an old Japanese couple. Anyone who has read any of my blogs before will know exactly how much I love the Japanese. NOT! They’re not so bad when they’re not in a gang and these two weren’t hurting anyone but the old man had a strange habit of coughing every now and then which was quite loud and had me wondering for a moment whether someone had smuggled an asthmatic sea lion on board. However that all stopped as soon as he fell asleep and started snoring. Having worked with a few people who would put their heads back at lunch time and fall asleep, I’ve seen my share of top rate snorer’s (You know who you are, Martin Wren) but this bloke had them all beat. Unfortunately it was quite a snotty snore and as such was pretty unpleasant to listen to. Still, that’s the beauty of public transport and there’s only so many people you can strangle!

The service on the bus was excellent. A very nice young man (oooh er missus) attended to all our needs. We both had drinks, coffee for me and hot chocolate for Lynne. Each drink came with it’s own little stirrer which had what I can only describe as a tiny spoon on the end. I watched Lynne dip her tiny spoon in the chocolate drink, take it out and move it to her mouth to lick it. Why you would do that instead of just drinking from the cup I don’t know because inevitably a drop of dark brown chocolate dropped from the tiny spoon onto her light coloured top. Years ago when Lynne and I first met there was a woman who lived in Lynne’s street whose name was Carol Bradley. Whenever you saw her whether she was wearing a dress or a top of some sort, it didn’t really matter, there would always be gravy stains down the front of whatever garment she had on that particular day. I’m sure Lynne has spent the last 30 years desperately trying to emulate Carol Bradley! Thankfully she’s always fallen short but still definitely has her days!

The bus stopped for a break about half way and that was when I realised I’d left my posh umbrella at the Corus Hotel. A brief panic ensued (it’s an expensive umbrella and a gift from Dan) but I spoke to the attendant on the bus and he suggested I call the help desk which I think was at the hotel anyway. I didn’t hold out much hope but gave them a call anyway. I spoke to a young woman on the phone and it took a couple of minutes for her to understand what I was trying to say. I felt a bit like Michelle Dubois from Allo Allo when she would say “listen carefully I shall say this only once”. Probably not a good idea for me to feel like her, I’d never stop playing with myself! Anyway, I digress!! Eventually the young lady understood what I was saying and said she would find out if the umbrella had been found and would call me back. Ringing off I never really thought there was much chance that she would find it let alone call me back but within ten minutes she did call and said that the umbrella was there and I would be able to pick it up on Friday when we return. Brilliant, what a relief!

Moving on, we had two stops for immigration checks, the first was the Malaysian border authority. We all had to disembark and wait in line while they checked passports. When It came my turn the young lady looked at my passport. At this point I should explain that due to Lynne’s incompetence my passport had been through the washing machine the previous day as it was in the pocket of a pair of my shorts. Although it was now dry, most of the pages were slightly crinkly and the ink on some of the previous stamps had run. The young lady official who was inspecting the passport, looked at me and said “what’s wrong with this?” to which I replied “it got wet”. She gave me a small smile that just said “you stupid Engish wanker” and then asked her colleague something in Malay whilst showing her the passport. After another minute or so they decided amongst themselves that they would be quite happy for me to leave their illustrious country and on we went.

The next stop was at Singapore immigration where we had to put all our bags through a scanner with me seemingly the only person asked to open my bag. They seemed to think I would be carrying walkie talkies and a drone for some reason. I managed to convince them I wasn’t by practically emptying the bag. Once through there we stood in a long line of people waiting to go through yet another  passport check. As we waited in the zig zag queue an Australian woman asked Lynne where we were from and seemed to have the idea that we were Aussies ourselves. We soon put her straight on that notion. No convicts in our family, cobber! It was a man who checked my passport this time and he didn’t seem fazed by my crinkly passport at all so finally we were in Singapore. By now it was about 3.30 pm and the whole trip had taken near enough six and a quarter hours but in spite of the long time had been a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing experience even with old snotty snore in the seat in front. It took another half hour to reach our final destination and after leaving the bus it took us 15 minutes or so to find our bearings before ordering a Grab to take us to the hotel. Arriving at the hotel at around 4.45 pm we checked in to what was a fairly small but comfortable room at the Park Regis Singapore.  I had wondered fleetingly whether or not we might bump into the Australian couple around the city bearing in mind how big a city it is. Imagine our surprise when as we were checking in, there they were, checking in right next to us!

After quickly unpacking, we went out and within ten minutes walk we were in an area called Clarke Quay. Restaurants and bars galore with music blaring from most of the bars all added to a lively atmosphere and we walked round trying to decide where to eat. We settled on an Indonesian restaurant and both ordered Barbecued Squid which turned out to be delicious. I couldn’t resist showing my class whilst eating, much to Lynne’s embarrassment.

So, all in all a thoroughly enjoyable day of travelling which took probably three times as long as flying would have but was ultimately nowhere near as stressful as flying. Its something we would happily do again if travelling a similar distance from KL and the other bonus is the money we saved. Our first walk around the streets of Singapore was hugely enjoyable too so I’m looking forward to the next three days and with lots to go and photograph I’m hoping to make up for the lack of images in this blog over the next few days!

Lynne and I are well into our third week in Kuala Lumpur now and I have to say I’m feeling pretty relaxed. We have a nice routine going of getting up about 9.00 am. I could never do that at home where it would be unusual to be up later than 7.00 ish! We normally get to the gym around about 9.30 am. We seem to be spending progressively more time working out as the weeks have gone by. Everything is that bit easier, for instance, the first time I went on the cycle I think I did about 1.5 km (according to the machine) in 10 minutes. This morning I did 4.5 km in 12 minutes. At that time in the morning when we get to the gym we pretty much have it to ourselves. There was one morning last week when we were slightly later and there was an old Chinese guy on the bike that Lynne and I both like to use. In 40 minutes or more I never saw him do any excercise on it, just sat looking at his phone. I was properly wound up and felt like asking him if he had taken up residence whilst the machine had switched itself off due to inactivity. However, in the time honoured British way (maybe not so much these days but don’t forget I’m old school) I fumed silently and used a different machine instead. So, I’m quite sure that our fitness levels are going up and I’ve lost about 5 pounds since being here. Also I would never have professed to being a strong swimmer but I’ve slowly worked up to swimming three lengths in the pool which I’m certain must be as long as an olympic pool. So all in all, feeling good and healthy at the moment. Let’s hope that’s not tempting fate!

The problem comes when we get back to the apartment. It’s far too easy to just sit back and laze around for the rest of the day Before you know it it’s 3.00 pm. On Tuesday this week we forced ourselves into action and got the train to KL Sentral (not a spelling mistake) and walked through to Little India. I don’t know what I’d expected but it seemed like we walked down one side of the street and back down the other and that was it! I thought there might have been markets and street food but there were none. There didn’t even seem to be that many people on the street, in fact it was almost deserted. Judging by this guy it seems we might have got there during siesta if there is such a thing. He was out for the count and I was tempted to get the white chalk out but no one else seemed concerned so what the hey! What a state to get in.

It was all very colourful and also as noisy as hell. They seem to want to deter shoppers from entering their establishments by playing Indian music, which is somewhat of an acquired taste anyway, at ear bleeding volumes! We left after less than an hour sorely disappointed and begrudging the effort of getting there. Once more heading for the cool air-conditioning of the nearest mall we decided to find somewhere to eat. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant as the most memorable thing about it was the fact that when Lynne and I both decided to have the salmon it turned out to be the one thing on the menu that they didn’t have. Apparently there’d been a run on salmon that day, salmon run, get it? Ah please yerself! Here are a couple more photos from little India (he said, desperately trying to make it look interesting). This old bag with an old bag on her head seemed to have lost her way and all her marbles because all she appeared to do was walk repeatedly around the perimeter of this fountain with all the elephants spraying water from their trunks. She put me in mind of a goldfish in a bowl, “can’t quite put my finger on it but I’m sure I’ve been here before” yes missus, it’s call goldfish Deja Vu!

So, not too impressed with Little India. I can’t help thinking there must be something we must have missed but if so it’ll have to wait for another day.