Sunday, 19 September 2010
Photographic Memories from Singapore, Melaca and KL!
Well this is it for a while at least, the last post. The last set of photos are up.
Back in the UK - The end of a story
Well we're back, home and safe and have been for around 10 days now.
Our last day, we had a true slice of Asia on the way to the airport. A mad taxi ride. He was literally falling asleep at the wheel. It was pretty scary at stages, but it was a true Asia experience. Something that would never happen in the UK.
The time at the airport was OK but by the time we were there and on the flight, we just wanted to be home. It's all over now, can't believe it.
Now it's up to me and Laura to plan our next great adventure - and after something as EPIC as this, it's really going to need to be special to better it.
Photos will be up soon. I'll also be jazzing the blog up a little bit, I've had lots of compliments about how good it was so I'm sure to keep it going for all of our other trips!
Our last day, we had a true slice of Asia on the way to the airport. A mad taxi ride. He was literally falling asleep at the wheel. It was pretty scary at stages, but it was a true Asia experience. Something that would never happen in the UK.
The time at the airport was OK but by the time we were there and on the flight, we just wanted to be home. It's all over now, can't believe it.
Now it's up to me and Laura to plan our next great adventure - and after something as EPIC as this, it's really going to need to be special to better it.
Photos will be up soon. I'll also be jazzing the blog up a little bit, I've had lots of compliments about how good it was so I'm sure to keep it going for all of our other trips!
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
The end of a truly epic journey
Day 105 - 07/09/2010 - 23:32 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Well this is it really. A cab is picking us up tomorrow at 9am and taking us to the airport. Today we've seen the KL tower and Petronas towers, all on foot, truly in the style we've been doing this holiday. We didn't leave until gone noon, chilled out in the morning, had a roti and beef rendang for breakfast, which was epic.
The KL tower was awesome and the views from the top were spectacular, particularly of the Petronas towers. We could see our hotel from the tower too which was pretty cool. We spent a long time up there before coming down to have something to eat - roti with dahl (lentil) gravy and a tarik tea for a massive 70p. Bargain! Before that we saw this animal park in the centre, filled with snakes, spiders and monkeys. It was OK, we weren't overly fussed about going but for some reason it was included in the ticket, along with this F1 simulator which sounded good, but in fact was a rubbish video game. Never mind, the tower was good, this was the important thing.
We then walked from there to the Petronas towers, we didn't get tickets as we would have to have been there at 7:15am and this wasn't ideal! We did see the mall on the ground though and also saw the towers in their full glory which was awesome. The heat this afternoon was unbearable though and we soon made our way back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool.
We went to the club lounge again at around 6pm and had free drinks, I had a beer followed by a Chivas regal malt. Beautiful although I think Ali poured me too big a measure, was feeling slightly light headed afterwards. Daryl and Ali have not been feeling well today which was a massive shame as they were unable to join us for dinner on our last night. We went to the shopping centre food court, although ate in one of the restaurants there rather than the stalls at a Malay restaurant called Madam Kwan's which served awesome Malay food.
I've been sitting on the balcony a lot this evening, staring at the Petronas towers at night, they are beautiful. I'm going to miss this so much, the Independence and the travelling, the new sights every day. Tomorrow night, I'll be in bed in Bromsgrove, my home town. It shall be strange but I have to go back to reality soon and when I'm filled with such inspiration to work hard to get back out on the road again, now is a good, if a sad time to do so.
Well this is it really. A cab is picking us up tomorrow at 9am and taking us to the airport. Today we've seen the KL tower and Petronas towers, all on foot, truly in the style we've been doing this holiday. We didn't leave until gone noon, chilled out in the morning, had a roti and beef rendang for breakfast, which was epic.
The KL tower was awesome and the views from the top were spectacular, particularly of the Petronas towers. We could see our hotel from the tower too which was pretty cool. We spent a long time up there before coming down to have something to eat - roti with dahl (lentil) gravy and a tarik tea for a massive 70p. Bargain! Before that we saw this animal park in the centre, filled with snakes, spiders and monkeys. It was OK, we weren't overly fussed about going but for some reason it was included in the ticket, along with this F1 simulator which sounded good, but in fact was a rubbish video game. Never mind, the tower was good, this was the important thing.
We then walked from there to the Petronas towers, we didn't get tickets as we would have to have been there at 7:15am and this wasn't ideal! We did see the mall on the ground though and also saw the towers in their full glory which was awesome. The heat this afternoon was unbearable though and we soon made our way back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool.
We went to the club lounge again at around 6pm and had free drinks, I had a beer followed by a Chivas regal malt. Beautiful although I think Ali poured me too big a measure, was feeling slightly light headed afterwards. Daryl and Ali have not been feeling well today which was a massive shame as they were unable to join us for dinner on our last night. We went to the shopping centre food court, although ate in one of the restaurants there rather than the stalls at a Malay restaurant called Madam Kwan's which served awesome Malay food.
I've been sitting on the balcony a lot this evening, staring at the Petronas towers at night, they are beautiful. I'm going to miss this so much, the Independence and the travelling, the new sights every day. Tomorrow night, I'll be in bed in Bromsgrove, my home town. It shall be strange but I have to go back to reality soon and when I'm filled with such inspiration to work hard to get back out on the road again, now is a good, if a sad time to do so.
Monday, 6 September 2010
Melaca and KL
Day 104 - 06/09/2010 - 23:17 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Well we're finally here, the end of our trip and only 1 day left in Kuala Lumpur as well as the whole trip. In 2 days time I'll be on a flight home, with Laura and we'll be heading back to Europe and the UK for the first time in 3 months. Looking forward to it now, I'll be taking home memories I'll cherish forever. We've both had such an epic time!
We left early from Singapore yesterday - at around 8:30am, saying goodbye to 5 amazing days in the country, not forgetting Toby, Ali and Daryl's awesome cat who I've lovingly nicknamed Chairman Meow. We had crossed the border within the first hour and were stopping pretty soon after in Malaysia for a cup of tea. Tarik tea to be precise, beautiful, Malaysian tea.
We got to Melaka, our stopping off point a couple of hours later where we had a very nice lunch in a restaurant where Ail and Daryl always go to when they are in Melaka. It was absolutely lovely as always, and we had this really tasty chicken curry with these huge black nuts in it, the inside of which was like a paste. Strange but lovely. We didn't spend too much time in Melaka to be honest, but it seemed like a really nice place! The Dutch windmill in the middle of the town by the river was a particular highlight - I could have all of a sudden been in Amsterdam - awesome.
We then arrived into KL another couple of hours later, at around 5pm. The hotel - which is a 5 star (I've mentioned this already, I'm sure!) is beautiful inside - massive palace like lobby. It's got nice swimming pools and beautiful rooms. We've had our problems though including a couple of problems with our room - blood on sheets and hot tap in the bath not working and when Ali had a problem this morning with hers, she went and complained. The cumulative effect of all three = upgrade! Yay! We've been upgraded to the club rooms. These are essentially the same class of room but with free Internet (bonus as it was a rip off £3 an hour before, which I refused to pay) as well as access to the club house which offers free soft drinks as well as free food and alcoholic drinks (but the latter 2 only at certain times). This is also good though - beer is a rip off here and for 1.5 hours a day I can get it for free! Our balcony now also has a view of the Petronas towers too! Happy days. Just shows that complaining when something is not right pays off, even if it does take a while and is stressful!
Yesterday we didn't do too much - went swimming and then went to the shopping centre down the road food court. Very cheap but nice meal.
Today we had the moving room saga this morning. Before that we had the most epic sized buffet breakfast I've ever seen, there was so much choice it was unbelievable. We then, after those went to the old district of the city - city square, mosques, old colonial buildings and the central market, where we spent 3 hours shopping and hiding from the thunderstorm, Tonight we had a beautiful meal in the hotel's Malay restaurant and also chilled in the free bar before that. I'm now writing this up in our room - free of charge. Looking forward to tomorrow - the last day of this trip as we know it.
Well we're finally here, the end of our trip and only 1 day left in Kuala Lumpur as well as the whole trip. In 2 days time I'll be on a flight home, with Laura and we'll be heading back to Europe and the UK for the first time in 3 months. Looking forward to it now, I'll be taking home memories I'll cherish forever. We've both had such an epic time!
We left early from Singapore yesterday - at around 8:30am, saying goodbye to 5 amazing days in the country, not forgetting Toby, Ali and Daryl's awesome cat who I've lovingly nicknamed Chairman Meow. We had crossed the border within the first hour and were stopping pretty soon after in Malaysia for a cup of tea. Tarik tea to be precise, beautiful, Malaysian tea.
We got to Melaka, our stopping off point a couple of hours later where we had a very nice lunch in a restaurant where Ail and Daryl always go to when they are in Melaka. It was absolutely lovely as always, and we had this really tasty chicken curry with these huge black nuts in it, the inside of which was like a paste. Strange but lovely. We didn't spend too much time in Melaka to be honest, but it seemed like a really nice place! The Dutch windmill in the middle of the town by the river was a particular highlight - I could have all of a sudden been in Amsterdam - awesome.
We then arrived into KL another couple of hours later, at around 5pm. The hotel - which is a 5 star (I've mentioned this already, I'm sure!) is beautiful inside - massive palace like lobby. It's got nice swimming pools and beautiful rooms. We've had our problems though including a couple of problems with our room - blood on sheets and hot tap in the bath not working and when Ali had a problem this morning with hers, she went and complained. The cumulative effect of all three = upgrade! Yay! We've been upgraded to the club rooms. These are essentially the same class of room but with free Internet (bonus as it was a rip off £3 an hour before, which I refused to pay) as well as access to the club house which offers free soft drinks as well as free food and alcoholic drinks (but the latter 2 only at certain times). This is also good though - beer is a rip off here and for 1.5 hours a day I can get it for free! Our balcony now also has a view of the Petronas towers too! Happy days. Just shows that complaining when something is not right pays off, even if it does take a while and is stressful!
Yesterday we didn't do too much - went swimming and then went to the shopping centre down the road food court. Very cheap but nice meal.
Today we had the moving room saga this morning. Before that we had the most epic sized buffet breakfast I've ever seen, there was so much choice it was unbelievable. We then, after those went to the old district of the city - city square, mosques, old colonial buildings and the central market, where we spent 3 hours shopping and hiding from the thunderstorm, Tonight we had a beautiful meal in the hotel's Malay restaurant and also chilled in the free bar before that. I'm now writing this up in our room - free of charge. Looking forward to tomorrow - the last day of this trip as we know it.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Another 2 days in SG!
Day 102 - 04/09/2010 - 22:35 - Singapore
Another 2 days in Singapore and these were our last two. Yesterday was mad, but one of the best days of the holiday - a definite stand out and today has been rather relaxing and a chill out day in comparison.
Yesterday morning we were up and out at a decent time (for once!) and went to Chinatown as the first stop. Daryl had the day off so we drove rather than getting the MRT into town. Chinatown was nice, we mainly went there to shop and bought some stuff, but not as much as we would like to have done - we've lots of things to buy to take home!
We had some snacks as lunch before heading to the Raffles Marina for a quick drink. After that me and Daryl got dropped off at the Tiger Brewery for our tour at 4pm. We got shown around, it was really good and it's quite geeky how much I knew about beer making before I went there! Never mind! The smells of the brewery were amazing and I was very impressed with the production line and how much they pumped out in an hour. Incredible! The highlight of the tour though was the tavern they had. The factory was incredible but very industrial and function. It's strange because through some double doors and you were in a beautiful tavern with an amazing, traditional English feel to it. Beautiful. We only had 50 minutes but we both tried all the beers on offer and suffice to say, were fairly light headed by the time Ali and Laura picked us up. They thought it was hilarious.
After that we were straight to a hawker centre to meet Daryl's parents. Laura had met them both on her last visit but they wanted to meet me and see her again. They were absolutely lovely and so hospitable. They splashed out on loads of food for us all and even gave us both a gift which symbolises good luck. I tried Singapore chill crabs as well as Sting Ray and Whelks for the very first time! Absolutely delicious. Washed back with another Tiger beer of course! They were both really nice people and both found it surprising that I liked chili so much. Daryl's father asked me, "Are you sure your English?" I found it very funny - I do have to ask myself that sometimes!
It was an excellent day, and lots to remember. Even playing on the Xbox 360 when we got back was good fun - I was absolutely awful at it though haha (probably for all the beer I'd had!)
Today then was complete relaxation in comparison - we drove to the Civil Service club again where Ali and Daryl dropped us off at the port just around the corner. Laura and I got a bum boat to Pulau Ubin, an unspoilt island off the main island of Singapore. We only spent around an hour on the island but in that time we rented bikes and went to the other side of Pulau Ubin. It was very beautiful but absolutely knackering owing to the humidity and all the hills on the island!
When we got back we walked back to the Civil Service centre to find Ali and Daryl relaxing in the pool! We joined them which was absolute bliss after all the sweating from Pulau Ubin! Happy days!
This evening we've been spoilt again by Daryl's cooking. We had a traditional English bangers and mash tonight - beautiful as always!
I can't believe we're done in Singapore now - we're leaving for KL early tomorrow. We've been very spoilt once again by Ali, Daryl and the old folks back home for booking us a 5* hotel! Wow, another pool after all it seems! It sounds amazing (although they won't actually tell us where it is - all I know is that it's in KL!) Looking forward to that, the final leg of the trip. Wow.
Another 2 days in Singapore and these were our last two. Yesterday was mad, but one of the best days of the holiday - a definite stand out and today has been rather relaxing and a chill out day in comparison.
Yesterday morning we were up and out at a decent time (for once!) and went to Chinatown as the first stop. Daryl had the day off so we drove rather than getting the MRT into town. Chinatown was nice, we mainly went there to shop and bought some stuff, but not as much as we would like to have done - we've lots of things to buy to take home!
We had some snacks as lunch before heading to the Raffles Marina for a quick drink. After that me and Daryl got dropped off at the Tiger Brewery for our tour at 4pm. We got shown around, it was really good and it's quite geeky how much I knew about beer making before I went there! Never mind! The smells of the brewery were amazing and I was very impressed with the production line and how much they pumped out in an hour. Incredible! The highlight of the tour though was the tavern they had. The factory was incredible but very industrial and function. It's strange because through some double doors and you were in a beautiful tavern with an amazing, traditional English feel to it. Beautiful. We only had 50 minutes but we both tried all the beers on offer and suffice to say, were fairly light headed by the time Ali and Laura picked us up. They thought it was hilarious.
After that we were straight to a hawker centre to meet Daryl's parents. Laura had met them both on her last visit but they wanted to meet me and see her again. They were absolutely lovely and so hospitable. They splashed out on loads of food for us all and even gave us both a gift which symbolises good luck. I tried Singapore chill crabs as well as Sting Ray and Whelks for the very first time! Absolutely delicious. Washed back with another Tiger beer of course! They were both really nice people and both found it surprising that I liked chili so much. Daryl's father asked me, "Are you sure your English?" I found it very funny - I do have to ask myself that sometimes!
It was an excellent day, and lots to remember. Even playing on the Xbox 360 when we got back was good fun - I was absolutely awful at it though haha (probably for all the beer I'd had!)
Today then was complete relaxation in comparison - we drove to the Civil Service club again where Ali and Daryl dropped us off at the port just around the corner. Laura and I got a bum boat to Pulau Ubin, an unspoilt island off the main island of Singapore. We only spent around an hour on the island but in that time we rented bikes and went to the other side of Pulau Ubin. It was very beautiful but absolutely knackering owing to the humidity and all the hills on the island!
When we got back we walked back to the Civil Service centre to find Ali and Daryl relaxing in the pool! We joined them which was absolute bliss after all the sweating from Pulau Ubin! Happy days!
This evening we've been spoilt again by Daryl's cooking. We had a traditional English bangers and mash tonight - beautiful as always!
I can't believe we're done in Singapore now - we're leaving for KL early tomorrow. We've been very spoilt once again by Ali, Daryl and the old folks back home for booking us a 5* hotel! Wow, another pool after all it seems! It sounds amazing (although they won't actually tell us where it is - all I know is that it's in KL!) Looking forward to that, the final leg of the trip. Wow.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Singapore!
Day 100 - 02/09/2010 - 22:59 - Singapore
Another 2 days in Singapore and we've really settled in and seen many of the sights, with the help of the Hippo Open top tours and buses they have here. We were a bit reluctant at first, but for £25 each we've had 2 days access to the open top buses (of which there are 2 routes), a river cruise by the same company and also access to the Singapore flyer, Singapores version of the London Eye which we went on this afternoon. The flyer ticket alone was worth £15 separately so we were quite pleased with our bargain purchase.
On the first day we got up at a reasonable time but didn't actually leave for town until the early afternoon. We spent a lot of time on the "city" bus route, going round 1 and a bit times (we got maybe 3/4 of the way through and stayed on for a full cycle). Most of the route wasn't amazing and a lot of it was down Orchard Road, which we saw yesterday. After that we got on AGAIN but stopped off at the riverside to get on the cruise, which was actually really nice. You had a lot better view of the buildings and skylines, as the boat was a lot slower (and sturdier!) than the bus.
We got picked up by Daryl on the way home from his workplace. We got picked up from a metro station and whilst we were waiting I saw a pretty nasty car crash in the middle of a huge junction, luckily no-one was hurt. That evening we sat in and had home cooked mexican which was really really nice. Unfortunately however, I had a migraine and was in bed by half 9, that was the end of my night!
Today we actually were up even earlier yet still didn't leave until the afternoon. Today we did the Heritage route on the bus which was much more interesting as we passed through the Chinese, Malay/Muslim, Indian and old colonial parts of the city. We got off at little India for a nice lunch (cheap and VERY tasty) and then headed to the Arab street, which wasn't that great in my opinion (unless you wanted to buy silk or a cheap rug my friend!) This afternoon/evening, as stated, we went on the Flyer which was actually really really good. The views were awesome and you could see Malaysia and Indonesia from the top. We could also see the F1 Grand Prix circuit taking shape for the end of the month, including the Start/finish line right beneath us, very cool!
For tea tonight we went to the Changi Civil Service Club which was right on the coast, overlooking Pulau Ubin. We had reserved a BBQ pit and therefore had a BBQ, which was absolutely amazing. Sausages, kebabs, peppers, sweet potato and... bananas! The best BBQ food! Ali and Daryl have really spoilt us so far, I feel myself putting weight back on very quickly! Haha. There was a pool at the club as well and we all went for a dip, which was very welcome!
Tomorrow, I'm very lucky. Ali has booked me and Daryl in for a Tiger beer brewery tour at 4pm. It only costs S$10 (£5) which is great, especially considering it's free drinks!! Oh my! That should be an interesting afternoon!
Another 2 days in Singapore and we've really settled in and seen many of the sights, with the help of the Hippo Open top tours and buses they have here. We were a bit reluctant at first, but for £25 each we've had 2 days access to the open top buses (of which there are 2 routes), a river cruise by the same company and also access to the Singapore flyer, Singapores version of the London Eye which we went on this afternoon. The flyer ticket alone was worth £15 separately so we were quite pleased with our bargain purchase.
On the first day we got up at a reasonable time but didn't actually leave for town until the early afternoon. We spent a lot of time on the "city" bus route, going round 1 and a bit times (we got maybe 3/4 of the way through and stayed on for a full cycle). Most of the route wasn't amazing and a lot of it was down Orchard Road, which we saw yesterday. After that we got on AGAIN but stopped off at the riverside to get on the cruise, which was actually really nice. You had a lot better view of the buildings and skylines, as the boat was a lot slower (and sturdier!) than the bus.
We got picked up by Daryl on the way home from his workplace. We got picked up from a metro station and whilst we were waiting I saw a pretty nasty car crash in the middle of a huge junction, luckily no-one was hurt. That evening we sat in and had home cooked mexican which was really really nice. Unfortunately however, I had a migraine and was in bed by half 9, that was the end of my night!
Today we actually were up even earlier yet still didn't leave until the afternoon. Today we did the Heritage route on the bus which was much more interesting as we passed through the Chinese, Malay/Muslim, Indian and old colonial parts of the city. We got off at little India for a nice lunch (cheap and VERY tasty) and then headed to the Arab street, which wasn't that great in my opinion (unless you wanted to buy silk or a cheap rug my friend!) This afternoon/evening, as stated, we went on the Flyer which was actually really really good. The views were awesome and you could see Malaysia and Indonesia from the top. We could also see the F1 Grand Prix circuit taking shape for the end of the month, including the Start/finish line right beneath us, very cool!
For tea tonight we went to the Changi Civil Service Club which was right on the coast, overlooking Pulau Ubin. We had reserved a BBQ pit and therefore had a BBQ, which was absolutely amazing. Sausages, kebabs, peppers, sweet potato and... bananas! The best BBQ food! Ali and Daryl have really spoilt us so far, I feel myself putting weight back on very quickly! Haha. There was a pool at the club as well and we all went for a dip, which was very welcome!
Tomorrow, I'm very lucky. Ali has booked me and Daryl in for a Tiger beer brewery tour at 4pm. It only costs S$10 (£5) which is great, especially considering it's free drinks!! Oh my! That should be an interesting afternoon!
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Photographic Memories from Thailand and Penang (Malaysia)
Photos from Bangkok, Koh Samui and Penang are now on the photos page! Enjoy!
