Malaysia and Singapore

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My flight into Kuala Lumpur brought me into a different world. a huge city with skyscrapers, fancy cafes and busy people wearing western clothing - so different from the poverty and laid back pajama clad people i have become so used to seeing. a strange mix of natives, Indians and Chinese make the cuisine here fantastic - i seem to have spent all my time tasting all the street food on offer. i had to restrain my shopping urge in the enormous 'times square' - one of KLs many shopping malls - 10 huge floors of designer shops, 2 cinemas and even a roller coaster! after spending so much time in remote areas, i felt totally alien in this city - and must have looked it, given my scruffy appearance and completely worn out clothes. i visited the civil engineering masterpiece that is the Petronas twin towers - a beautiful mess of metal and glass, which, at 452m, dominates the skyline.

i rented a moto and cruised the rolling green hills of the Cameroon Highlands, visiting the huge tea plantations, and tasting the local brew on the way. i also climbed a steep forested mountain by myself, just for the challenge.

taking local busses and visiting local towns on the way, i made it to the Perhintian islands - my newly found paradise. i have totally fallen in love with this tropical island, and ended up staying for 3 weeks. i got a job as a waiter/barman at a chilled out restaurant overlooking the quiet beach and clear turquoise water. the staff are really friendly and treat me like family - always making sure i am well fed and letting me join them in their Hari Raya feast (end of Ramadan festival)

diving here is totally awsome! i have made 12 dives here, making it 24 in total. great visibility and few divers (being low season) made the wreck dives amazing. there is so much to see here underwater - including giant turtles and sharks (bamboo and black tips). although i missed seeing he 4m whale shark, i saw a rare blue ringed octopus on my drift dive at 24metres. not knowing what the 5cm creature was, i put my curious head in real close - to the absolute horror of my dive master who later informed me it was one of the most venomous creatures on the planet and can kill you within a second!

unfortunatly i had my camera stolen (and my sandals on a seperate incident) hense the lack of photos.

i left the beautiful island as everything was closing for the monsoon. i took the jungle railway through Malaysias interior to singapore. unfortuantly there was only one train running which was at night, so instead of seeing spectacular views as i had imagined, i spent my time trying not to sleep to protect my luggage from some suspicious looking lady boys who had seated themselves right next to me on the empty carriage.

Singapore is a truly fascinating city and country. in a place where chewing gum and spitting is illegal, the streets appear unnaturally clean, as if something was missing. the huge modern city is littered with sky scrapers and architecturally amazing buildings. although i bought a new camera here, unfortunately i didn't have the time to take photos of this spectacular city.

went to a funky bar with Ruo and Derek who i met up with in Vietnam and Cambodia. the beer in Singapore (as in Malaysia) is extremely expensive, costing as much as in central London. for a pre 19th birthday celebration i was made me sit on the piano on stage whilst 2 singers/comedians made up embarrassing songs about me.

it was a real shame to leave Singapore (after only a day), and i feel compelled to visit again. i flew off to Malaysian Borneo in search for my new challenge...

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