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Published: October 31st 2008
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So here we go. The first stop on my list was Singapore. I spent 3 nights there which was a good amount of time to get a feel for the city and see some of the sites. It was my first stop so I was up early and was enthusiastic about seeing as much as I possibly could: that soon changed. Singapore was very expensive when compared to the rest of South East Asia and had the same big city feel as Sydney. Except that the roads were clean and the transport system was fast and on time. It was really a lesson in efficiency that other cities should take notice of.
My hostel was close to Arab St and the Sultan Mosque surrounded by rug traders and lots of great Muslim restaurants. Little India was only a stones throw away and it was right next to the tube so it was easy to get around. I took the Cable Car to the highest mountian in Singapore which was just really a hill but it was a sight to see the high rises and the sign of even more development that would grace the skies in the next few years.
I walked along the riverfront around Clarke Quay and visited the Asian Civilisations Museum which was well worth a look.
Visited Orchard Rd and the outrageous shopping that was available. The group of Canadian girls that were with us were salivating at the amount of shopping they had lined up. I found a few good restaurants so that kept me occupied for a while.
Had a few good nights on the town but it was just too hard on the wallet, especially at the start of my trip. It was ladies night in this 007 themed bar where they had free drinks all night for the girls whilst the men really had to pay the difference....although not too many people were complaining. And I also had my most expensive beer in the world at a bar in Clarke Quay: $14 AUD for a half pint. Savoured every drop.
The Singapore Zoo and the night safari was well worth the visit. We walked around the majority of the park and then we did the tour in the open truck which took us on a different route and we encountered quite a few animals that you would expect to
see on an African safari. Probably the best thing about Singapore was the amount of good advice I picked up. Most people had come the other way and had embarked on the journey that I was about to follow so it was great for picking up a few tips about the impending 3 months.
The luxurious coach ride to Kuala Lumpur was definitely false advertisement for the remaining 50 bus trips I had in front of me. It was my first on this trip and nothing would even come close to this first class atmosphere. Was following the same route as some Canadians I had met in the hostel so we stayed at the same backpackers in Kuala Lumpur which was right next to the Chinatown markets.
The contrast between the shopping mall suburbs and the suburban streets was quite stark. It was a great city in that it had everything that you were looking for: World Class Shopping, great street food and markets, and some cheap accomodation. I ventured up to the famous bridge of the Petronas Towers to get a fantastic view of the city and also visited the much beloved Hindu sacred site the Batu
Caves.
I stayed a couple of nights in KL before heading onto Penang which had an interesting British Colonial history. Many of the buildings still represented the architecture for the period and it is gave the town a great atmosphere. I randomly bumped into an old work colleague who had just spent the last 2 months in the Malaysian jungle doing a joint exercise with the army. He was in town for a bit a R&R so the rest of the evening was spent in the bar at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel (where he was staying: very plush) and at a local market where we ate some great street food and downed a fair few beers. It was good to see a familiar face again.
My short stay in Malaysia was due to the fact that I was meeting my cousin on the islands of Thailand so I had to wrap things up quickly. I am looking forward to coming back and visiting the Cameron Highlands and onto Malaysian Borneo where all the fun will be had.
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