Blogs from Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, Asia

First off, an apology for the nearly three-week delay in getting this blog out. The funny thing about writing for a living is, well...when you're done working for the day, the last thing you want to do is sit down at your computer (again) and edit photos (again) and write (again). Even for me, who LOVES to write, it's a little bit of overkill. But fear not! I had some free time tonight (and a smattering of creativity leftover somewhere in my brain), so I thought I'd fire off an update, assure you that we're still alive and well, and send some photos along from the past few weeks. These pictures are actually "Part Two" of my last blog about Malacca. On our drive home the next day, we hugged the coastline and ended up near ... read more

We had a shorter day of motor-sailing, running along between tankers in the shipping lane, and anchored ships off Melacca, and amongst busy barges and dredges. Passed through some mild squalls (nothing over 20 knots), some preceded by rainfall in dead calm which makes for an unusual sight as the droplets bounce on the water in bright sunshine. We dropped anchor in a cute little bay just off the tip of Cape Richardo, a dark sand beach with a little pagoda stuck out on the rocks, surrounded by steep wooded slopes topped off by the lighthouse. In the next bay along was a couple of large modern hotels, one that played music into the night and the other half built with units (or just empty concrete boxes at the moment) stilted over the water. After 4 ... read more

PORT DIXON, THE GOLD COAST & THE PALM OIL AND RUBBER PLANTATIONS, SEREMBAN, NEGERI SEMBILAN, MALAYSIA. Thursday 23 February, 2012. Having had a fitful night's sleep because our bodies are still on the English clock we arose fairly early at 7.30 am. We had a quick walk around the local suburb of Serembam called Kemayan Square where our hotel was located. We soon discovered that there was not much to it so decided to head for the coast to take a look at Port Dixon. We drove through hundreds of hectares of Palm Oil and Rubber Plantations and eventually hit the coast and some beautiful unspoiled beaches. We stopped at three of these and took some pictures and watched the fishermen up to their waists in the water catching whatever sort of fish they catch. The ... read more

After leaving Melaka we had a bit of time to kill before going back to our friends' house in KL. We decided to stop off at a place called Alor Gaja because the guidebook suggested it was quite nice for a short visit. We drove straight through the middle of town before we realised we had passed it by so we made a u-turn and parked up near the main square. In the middle of the square is a huge dagger but there was no plaque or anything to tell us more about it and we have failed to find anything online either! Stalls had been set up for some kind of trade fair so we didn't even see the green lawns that are supposed to be on the square somewhere. Nearby are some nice traditional ... read more

Decided to make a trip to Broga Hill. Packed with 2 bottles of mineral water, GPS and camera. Journey started at sharp 2:30 pm. Drove along the north south express way from Sungai Besi. Topup RM100 on my touch-n-go card. Not too many vechicles along the journey. Stopped at the gas station, just after the Toll to check and ensure my tyre pressure is ok. Exit the toll at Kajang. Head towards Semenyih. At this point we started to depend on the GPS waypoint. Pass thru the town and finally reaches the junction with sign board showing University of Nottingham, Malaysia. The university which is situated not far away from this place. ... read more