Monkeys on the hill Monkeys cluster around us. We feed them plant stems that they love. They take the food right out of my hand. No biting. These silver-leaf monkeys clamber all over the old cannons and on the road at Malawati Hill. The young, energetic ones jump from tree to tree. A baby wanders too far from its mother. She swipes it back from the monkey that is playing with it. Its hair is a lighter colour than the older monkeys. Young Rohan wanders over towards a group of tourists. Mum grabs him and leads him away from the passing [View Full Entry]

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Night market Cool caps and t-shirts. Aussie surf brand names at cheap prices. Dad reminds us that these goods are fakes. But who cares? They look and feel real to me. So, we buy some. There are also truckloads of cheap DVDs and computer games. Mum checks out the handbags and fashion stalls. Rohan scores a nodding toy giraffe. We also eat at the Long Bay night food area at Batu Ferringhi. There are lots of tiny food stalls hawking everything from spicy Indian food to "Western" hamburgers. Somehow, I end up with spicy noodles again. Bon Odori Festival Are my [View Full Entry]

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Penang is not a flat island. It has "hills" that are high and steep. We visit five attractions that are all "high points". 1. Beach rides I am at the front so I get the wettest. We start off beach sports on a banana boat. We bump past the shore of Batu Ferringhi. We ride one-handed then hands-free. It is bouncy and fun. But there is something else we want more. Soon, we are flying high. There is nothing below me but the open sea... twenty metres down. I am high above the Indian Ocean. This is parasailing! I have a [View Full Entry]

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Cat city Cats everywhere. This city is full of them. On street corners. In the gardens, At restaurant doors. Plaster, stone, wood and china cats. Furry ones wander the streets. There is even a museum about cats here. Young Rohan loves cats. So he points out every cat he sees. He never tires of them. He chases cats down alleyways. He runs away from cats that growl at him. But he comes back for more! I'm not a cat person. Nor a dog lover. Nor an elephant boy. I would like to get a pet hermit crab. Along the river The [View Full Entry]

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Kampung boys Chickens wander everywhere. Blotchy cats strut as if they own the place. Pigs snort loudly demanding food. A lady squats peeling tapioca roots for their dinner. Kampung boys and girls peep out from doorways. They are frightened of young Rohan - the blonde-haired toddler with bright yellow shoes. They retreat into the safety of their homes. An older man stops to chat with us. Other villagers greet us warmly. Many of the local men wear boardshorts without shirts. Mr Edward is our host. He greets Mum and Dad with a glass of rice wine. Us kids get soft drinks. [View Full Entry]

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River ride We are better prepared this time. We have shoes for the walk and thongs for the beaches. We have sunscreen and bug repellent ready. It's an easy boat ride along the river to the national park. We wave as we pass a couple of local motor boats. A fisherman waves back. There are lots of fishing nets hanging up and cane fish traps in the water. Locals are washing dishes in the river and moving goods to market. Islands loom up from the mist in the distance. After a half-hour on the water we dock at the pier. On [View Full Entry]

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Getting to Kuching Sarawak's annual music festival is massive. The three-day festival is so popular that all of the airline schedules get rearranged to allow more people to fly into Kuching. Indeed, our mid-afternoon flight has been altered to fly at the crack-of-dawn. Miss out on breakfast? No way! The airline kindly agrees to switch us to an early evening flight. That is OK. But it means that we don't get to a hotel and finish dinner until 9pm. We are the last customers at a Chinese Malay restaurant. But the staff don't seem to mind. They also ignore us climbing [View Full Entry]

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Splashing across the South China Sea Dad is getting soaked. Young Rohan looks like a stunned fish. He clings onto Dad like a limpet. Mum is getting scared. The boatman hands her a life jacket. Benji and I are grinning from ear to ear. We are definitely NOT scared. Not one bit! We love the shear speed and seaspray. It's the best ride of our trip so far. Speedboats are always fun. And this one is really zipping along. Of course, there are a few waves to crash through - or knock us sideways. But the boatmen can handle that. Sometimes [View Full Entry]

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Question 1: Borneo is the world’s third largest island. Why does it have a relatively small population? Arrange the following answers in order of importance. (A) It is so wet that large areas are flooded for much of the year. (B) Much of the island is covered by dense rainforests. (C) There is a greater concentration of poisonous snakes per square kilometre than anywhere else in the world. (D) Rugged terrain has limited road construction. (E) Fear of headhunters kept many people from settling there early on. Scroll down to find the answer [/qu [View Full Entry]

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Kota Kinabalu We fly two hours east from KL, touch down in Kota Kinabalu (KK) and head straight into town. You can't miss Mount Kinabalu. On a clear morning, the mountain dominates the skyline. In the afternoon, it is usually covered in clouds. Mount Kinabalu is the highest peak in the whole of Malaysia. The Crocker mountain range is an ever-changing background to the bustling city of Kota Kinabalu. The clouds are always changing position and hiding different mountains. So, it looks different every day. I don't think they get clear days with bright blue skies like in Austra [View Full Entry]

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