The centre of the highlands is Tanah Rata, the base for all the enthusiastic walkers and trekkers that fill up the guesthouses in the Cameron Highlands. Stepping off of the coach, I was collared by a shifty Malay guy in a leather jacket, saying things like, "what's up pardner?" and "need a place to stay?" in a cruel skeleton of hollywood/malay english. I've learnt to accept these offers without a blink of an eye (there were no Hostel/Saw/Wolfcreek vibes off of this guy). It keeps me interested and to be honest, these chances have repeatedly been the better choices on my [View Full Entry]

---

---

Edit: pictures have been added! Singapore was clean, efficient and altogether too nice. Kuala Lumpur is dirty, noisy and a city a little more to my liking. Rather than chewing gum patrols, there seems to be a citywide league of litter kings, smoking marathons and hacking tributes. Thick with smog and sneering locals, this is the kind of city you can imagine yourself going back to (and little did I know it, but I’d be back. Oh yes). Aunja Backpackers is conveniently located across from the international bus station, a keen spot for all you coach lovers out there who fancy [View Full Entry]

---

---

I haven't been counting how long it's been since Singapore (82 days). I also haven't been worrying about how this blog has lapsed (I have been worrying). But now I'm back and ready to put all that has happened to the page. A lot has happened. There is a lot to be written and a wad of photos to flick through. Jungles have been swung through, rivers waded, monkeys snarled at, prostitutes blockaded against, many sunrises blearily viewed, friends slapped, monkey juice has often been chased by polska vodka, silvered barracuda swam with, deadly laws flaunted and both fake and real [View Full Entry]

---

---

So, I'm currently sat in Jerantut, in Central Malaysia, after a hectic few weeks in Asia. This is just the first few steps of the Oriental Sprint, but it has been awesome. Much to tell, many pictures to show and food to get really excited about. I've just emerged from Taman Negara national park, which is what lonely planet describes as "...a mass of primary jungle over 130 million years old and sprawling across 4343 sq km." But hey, lets save that for later. Singapore. I'm sort of kicking myself that I didn't get a chance to write this earlier because [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well, that's Europe done. I'm writing this from steaming hot Kuala Lumpur, about a week after stepping off of the plane from Istanbul. With the Butterfly Effect shrugged off (despite my reservation having been cancelled somewhere along the re-scheduling line, but rebooked on the spot), I have made it to Asia. However, I wanted to write a final post on Europe because it's neat enough to say now that a chapter has finished, a page turned and all those other cliches. Sigh, I love them. And that's why on this blog, I'm gonna hit two birds with one stone. The End [View Full Entry]

---

---

My Path of Destruction Thomas Hughes I planned to stay here, in Bucharest, for two days. When I leave, it will have been twenty. On the days of my arrival, I had an urge for a little rest before I shifted gears towards Sofia, then Istanbul and Beyond. The landscape into Romania was idyllic fields and pastures, with horse carts and scythes being the weapons of choice. As Bucharest drew closer, there was a sudden and very distinct change as a blot of power stations claimed the beginning of the big city. It's a common cliche he [View Full Entry]

---

---

I shook my head in barely hidden frustration as another bulging Ukrainian oaf barged in front of me and slapped his wad of Hryvnia on the bus ticket counter. I'm a well tempered professional Englishman, proud of my queue skills and patience, but this was barbarism! I had arrived at the train station without a shred of Lviv knowledge, just the way I like it. I must have looked a little flustered because a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said she spoke English. Behind her, a gaggle of old Ukrainian women glowered at me, wondering why on earth their [View Full Entry]

---

---

Budapest began in a rather awkward fashion - me and my travel buddy had been accosted by hostel-tourist-board-pimps on the train, but the prices were a little more expensive than imaginable, so it was perhaps fortunate that the rosy smile of a i-help-you-find-bed guy welcomed my departure from the train. I could feel the tourist board types scowling as I dodged their cut and found a decent enough hostel offer not too far from the centre. The guide was nice enough to pay for underground and tram fares too. Something was up, but I can honestly say that my fears [View Full Entry]

---

---

Vienna was something of a down-tempo jump after the insanity of Prague. I struggled to find a bar with live music, let alone a CD track. Vienna is a city of culture, music and beautiful beautiful buildings. Leaving Prague was a tough one. It had been the best time of my travels so far - many friends, many beers and many nights out. I had been itching for a back-to-back nights out since Amsterdam, and Prague sated my appetite. But Vienna. Stepping from the train and being hopelessly lost (despite being within two hundred metres of the chosen hostel), did [View Full Entry]

---

---

After a desolate search for USB internet, Budapest seems to have sprung an electronic fountain and I can finally sit, in relative quiet, to update the blog. I intended to stay in Prague for a healthy 2 nights. This was simply not to be. After blaspheming at my bag through the station and into the heavy sun of the Czech Republic, I managed to spy two English guys in the exact situation as me. No hostel, no map and not a clue as to which direction the centre of the city was. So, after a quick chat about Leeds versus Liverpool [View Full Entry]

---

---