Last, last day

For the sake of completeness: last full day here spent on Sentosa Island.  We took the MRT to Harbour Front and walked through -guess what?- another giant mall to a tower.  The cablecar station is on the 14th floor and is scarily high above the ground.  However, there are no stomach-churning jerks as your cabin tips over the edge into the void nor when it passes the gantry halfway over.  The views are pretty amazing- even on a dull day, as this was.
Sentosa is dedicated to entertaining the Singaporians and tourists and there are huge building projects on going even here.  We did the 2 attractions we'd prepayed for:a 3D film with interactive seats +waterand air squirted on your feet and neck etc at points in the action.  I disliked the bats flying at me which were accompanied by the said puffs of air-just like the beating of bat wings!  So, good fun in a weird way.  We were the audience- no queues anywhere.
Next was a 3D film in which the spectator is on a log of wood which swoops around etc like a roller coaster but you are safely in your seat.  We've done these before and always like them: thrills but absolutely no danger, just our kind of ride.
We then searched out the only natural entertainments on offer and walked through the remains of rain forest on the island.  The trails are sign posted with emergency call buttons and info re the plants and (non appearing) wildlife so not exactly a genuine trek.
We hit the aquarium area at the same time as several groups of very young school kids so probably didn't do the underwater tunnel full justice in our rush to escape the horrendous noise but we thought it not so impressive as the Sydney one.  We ended our time here with a walk along the back of the man-made beaches which are all immaculate and well served with cafes, clubs etc and a place making artificial waves (eat your heart out Boscombe!)  The sands were virtually empty but are apparently heaving on weekends and public holidays. 
The island and beaches are a further eg of the spirit of Sing:the citizens need beaches and somewhere to get away from the main island so...we'll reclaim land and import sand and- voila!
We took the cable car to the top of mount(?) Faber and looked at the views but there was little to detain us there as it's all restaurants and a shop so we descended to the Harbour Front and thence back to the hotel
Can't believe we did this but we had another steak meal for our last night.  I'd had satay the previous night and, although I was fine,we had had minor tummy problems earlier so decided we'd better be really sure we would be OK for the flights back home.  Anyway- it was a Hog's Breath place.  Is this the chain you mentioned, Olly?  Have to say the steak melted in the mouth though the waitress took a lot of convincing that I wanted mine rare.  Seems Aussie steaks are something special- yours included Oll.

Very, very last day:
Had a trip on the Singapore Flyer.  This is a larger, higher version of the London Eye which takes 30 mins to complete a rotation.  Cars may be hired to dine in.  In that case you get 2 rotations.  We walked back to the hotel via the underground link malls which do exactly that- they link various malls together with the MRT stations.  Naturally they are lined with more retail opportunities.  The whole system is perfect for days like today when it was raining very hard at times.

Now we're killing time at the airport.  Unfortunately Air France misinformed B on the phone this am by telling him we could drop off our baggage at any time.  We've arrived to find we have to wait 4 hrs before we can do so so we're stuck in the boring public side of Changi.  So, we've parked ourselves in a cafe and I'm doing my last posts.  Am hoping to take advantage of the famous free Wi Fi connection once we get airside.....

Yeah, the system works- why did I doubt Singapore?

A sunday in Singapore

Sunday.  Had a lazier day today.  Wandered round Bugis Street "market"  This was once the red light area and offended the government so it has been cleaned up and is now dedicated to hundreds of stalls crammed into a small space selling clothes, jewellery and food. 
Next we jumped on the hop-on hop-off bus and travelled  round parts of the city we had not seen before including Cinatown, Little India, the Malay kampon.  We saw that there are still some old buildings and I suspect they will be preserved for their heritage interest and -of course- for the tourists.  To their credit, the government has built thousands of blocks of flats and 86% of the pop live in them-somehow owning them as home ownership is the highest in the world.  There are almost no street people here.
We whizzed round the Singapore Art Gallery but there were few works that appealed to us.
In the evening we went in search of the Long Bar in The Raffles hotel to have a Singapore Sling.  The hotel is a beautiful, airy building with all the atmosphere of its colonial past but the Long Bar has become a tourist trap and was so noisy we decided not to stay and went off in search of supper.  This night we chose Chinese- cispy duck, ddelicious.
Monday. Heeding the advice fro Lonely Planet we took the metro (MRT) to the harbour area to find a harbour cruise.  It started so well.  The MRT is a marvel to anyone familiar with the LOndon Underground.  As you might expect it's clean, fast, frequent, easy to use cheap.  Where it all went pear-shaped was once we reached our destination: according to LP there are many companies offering cruises just "east of the station".  Unfortunately events have overtaken the book and the area between the station and the harbour is now a massive building site.  We walked for about 30 mins skirting these works (which include new public gardens) and when we finally reached the Marina South pier there is only 1 company doing harbour cruisesand we'd missed their only 1 of the morning by 20 minutes!!
Feeling hot and aggravated with LP we decided to take a taxi all the way up to the zoo-about a 30 min drive.  We had been intending to go there later in the day so we could go straight to the Night Safari next door which opens at 6pm.  It was just as well we were there earlier as the zoo is wonderful with lots to see.  Almost all the enclosures are  large, although we thought some of the big cats needed more room, and it's particularly good that the orang utangs are living unfettered in the tree tops.
Unfortunately I had forgotten to bring the 2nd battery for my camera and the backup camera stopped working so we have hardly any pictures.  I did get some of the elephants showing how they work with humans.

The night safari was also very enjoyable.  We saw many animals from our tram, apparently roaming free (I guess we just couldn't see the barriers in the dark)  Too tired to walk any of the trails we headded back to the hotel.

Singapore

Singapore
Arrived Friday evening to find hotel here charging S$20 for 1/2 hr internet so this will be my farewell posting....
 Immediately some of the differences between Singapore and Malaysia were apparent: drivers on the road from the airport were using their indicators to change lanes. ( Several times we were told in KL and Penang that drivers never signal their intentions because no-one will let them in!  The driving there is manicwith thousands of scooters and mopeds making the mix even more dangerous) The vegetation on the roadside was lush but clipped and so it has continued. with control seeming to be the dominant factor here...this is a sanitized version of Asia where life is obviously very pleasant for the majority so long as they toe the line. 

The great majority of cars are taxis as the government makes it very expensive to own a car: every 2 weeks there is an auction of licences to own a car for 10 yrs.  Highest bidders get the licence.  Then they often go and buy a very expensive car.  We've seen lots BMW convertibles and the odd Ferrari.
As in Malaysia huge projects are underway everywhere.  There are hundreds of ships at anchor outside the harbour -the busiest in the world.  All this in a country the size of the Isle of Wight
As for shopping, well it's unbelievable.  God knows how many malls there are- all thronged with shoppers.  Orchard Rd- the main shopping street- is 6 kilometers of shops and eating places with many huge malls.  But for us the shopping is disappointing as clothes shops are designer stores (and prices are higher than UK) with the same names appearing all over the city.. 
Our hotel is right next door to the Raffles where we intend to have a Singapore Sling tomorrow evening. There's a converted convent across the road with lots of restaurants where we ate last night.  This centre could stand as the essence of Singapore: commerce not spirituality is definitely the driving force here...with no hypocrisy about it. 
Tonight we were going to a food court/hawker centre in the mall next door but it was so busy and noisy we opted for a cafe instead. Then we found another area of eating places in the basement where we indulged at a stall just selling desserts.  There must have been well over 100 stalls/eateries and that is just 1 shopping mall.


Had a very busy day using the hop-on hop-off buses.  We went to the top (57th floor) of the huge new Marina Bay Sands hotel from where the whole island is visible.  The swimming pool on the roof is now famous as being 1 of the highest in the world and the  vast complex includes a casino, arts and science museum and -naturally-high end retail mall.  It's all very stylish but overwhelming and impersonal-as is the whole city.  It reminded us of Las Vegas but with a solid feeling to the buildings and, of course, with many buildings dedicated to business.  Which reminds me: a new CBD is being built which will be twice the size of the present one and will be completed by 2021.

                                                                                     

Marina Bay Sands hotel



From there we went to the Museum of S,E. Asia- very impressively presented and with marvellous collections.  In covering the whole region it also somewhat overwhelmed us.   Then a short river/harbour cruise gave us diferent views of the city and finally a walk through the Botanical Gardens where we loved the fabulous orchid garden showcasing hybrids developed here.

The place is mindboggling.  Huge skyscrapers, many of futuristic design, statues and public works of art, stadia, theatres....we have 4 more days to explore and intend to do touristy things like taking the cable car to Sentosa Island to sample some of the attractions there and we're planning a trip to the zoo because it's supposed to be 1 of the best in the world.

Floating soccer pitch/multi use arena with seats for 24,000

I hope this doesn't sound a negative posting.  Singapore is an amazing city and it's a lovely place to spend a few days.  The streets are super-clean and there is absolutely no graffiti or litter. The only jay-walkers  are visitors.  The traffic flows easily.  There is very little crime and the people we've come into contact with are unfailingly delightful.  (Just remembered:  we were most impressed by the behaviour of young Malays also.  On buses they always offer their seat to elders.  Here they do the same but are nagged into it by notices at the bus stops.....another difference)

Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on our travel blog.  Hasta la vista

Georgetown, Penang

 We hired a taxi for the day and this proved a wise move as he took us all over the city and then to several places on the outskirts which would have been impossible for us to do on our own.  Even so we got very hot and sweaty.

During a very packed day we  popped in on the Botanic Gardens, a spice garden and the mansion of a very wealthy Baba-Nonya (Straights born Chinese) merchant



Opium bed in elaborate home of wealthy Straights born Chinese family

Penang was settled by the British and so there are lots of reminders of their role:  many churches of all denominations, schools and hospitals.  In fact the Christians in general have a large presence.  However, Penang is the only State where the Chinese are the majority and it seems there is growing resentment at the measures being taken by the moslem national government which is becoming increasingly fundamentalist.  E.g. to marry a Moslem woman the man must convert.  If he already has children who do not convert he cannot leave them his property.  A Moslem may not abjure his religion.

We saw many Buddhist temples, each more elaborate than the last until the grand finale; a complex (or komlex as it's spelt here) which starts at the bottom of the hill and is so vast that to see the giant statue at the top you travel up in a funicular train.  Here there were monks chanting with a vast congregation.

To our western eyes it all seem so bright, even garish and, although we were required to remove our shoes, there is little outward show of reverence with shops even right inside the temples.

In stark contrast we took tea in Malaysia's only Georgian mansion- strictly Palladian in style.  The cucumber sandwiches, tiny cakes and scones with cream and home-made jam seemed incongruous in the heat with exotic flowers all round.

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We drove along the north coast which is densly built up with high -rise holiday flats, expensive hotels and local businesses all hugger mugger so the sea is hardly visible until the ribbon development runs out.  New blocks are under construction and we saw 1 block where the 2 storey condos-each with private pool - are selling at £2.5m each!  Some of the buyers in Penang are Australians who see that their pensions will go further here but it would not appeal to us- too humid and the stability of the government and society might not be as assured as it appears.  The guide book says the sea is polluted and there were hardly any swimmers so quite why this coast has developed like this we couldn't fathom.

On the other hand, Penang has a very succesful electronic sector- it is the largest exporter of chips in the world and Intel etc have large plants here.  So that would indicate a secure future and there is certainly a confidence in the future visible in the vast constructions underway.  E.g a 2nd bridge is being built to the mainland to supplement the 13k+ one they already have.

One of the many, many buddhas we saw

Malacca/Melaka

...is a historic town with lots of traces of its colonial past; churches and forts built by the Portuguese, churches and admin buildings by the Dutch and schools by the Brits.

We had a short river trip past old houses, a "model" town built by the Brits for Malay pilots at the turn of the last century, some monitor lizards and a rare kingfisher.

Buddhist temple

St Francis Xavier (for Chris A)



View from the 33rd floor



There are many museums.  After lunch in a Chinese eating place we visited 4 before the heat finished us,   Perhaps the most intersting part of the day was a quick scoot through Chinatown where workmen were working on their haunches making pots and baskets etc alongside bike repair shops and very expensive antique shops.  We popped in to the oldest buddhist temple in Malaysia

Once again we were trapped in traffic as we got back to KL. This time due to a tropical thunder storm which broke out just as rush hour started.  Still, we were back just in time to take up our reserved cushioned lounging area in the pool bar on the 33rd floor with stunning views of the Petronas Towers.  The cocktails were very overpriced and "under- alcoholled"- though this was probably just as well as we had to walk along a narrow wooden deck over the edge of the pool to leave our alcove.

Q.I facts

KL has no poo in the main streets neither dog (unlike Paris) nor human (like Delhi)

KL has very very few beggars and none who importune passersby (unlike London etc etc)

KL has a totally inadequate road system...gridlock happens every Friday rush hour and whenever there is a downpour- which seems to be every evening

Despite all the progress the average life expectancy is falling.  This is possibly due to western junk food becoming evermore popular

Malaysia has no breakfast as such and nasi goreng doesn't appeal first thing (though it's delicious as lunch or supper)

It is a religiously tolerant society:  in Malacca in 1 street are a church, a mosque, a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple.  Islam is less strict than in Arabia:  everywhere there are girls with their hair covered with pretty scarves but wearing skinny jeans!  They are out with their boyfriends and in mixed groups.

It calls itself a democracy but the army has a role and is headed by the king.  The latter changes every 5 years as 1 of the 7 sultans who head 7 of the States has a turn.  Demonstrations are illegal.  We saw the hundreds of police on the streets on Sunday as a demo over rising prices had been announced.  Nothing happened as the leaders were arrested in their homes the night before!

There are still laws to "protect the rights "of Malays at the expense of other races no matter how long they have lived here.  In many cases this has been for many generations.

As in many other countries, Malaysian governments seem to be hoping that expanding education will lead to rising wages and the susbsequent aquisition of consumer goods will keep the population passive.   Watch this space.....

Relations with Singapore are still wary.  The latest quarrel is over water supply.  This has been sold to S by Malaysia for many yrs at a price agreed 30 odd yrs ago.  M wanted to raise the price so S is building its own desalinisation plant.

KL

Summing up our impressions of KL: some worthwhile sights/sites for the tourist and a gentle introduction for Asia virgins like us but a city that has grown so fast that any unified city centre has been sacrificed to the motor car.  Highways carve up the city and it's hard for pedestrians to find their way via under and overpasses walking on pavements which are frequently uneven or broken.  That said ,there is a very efficient and "human" hop-on, hop-off tourist bus (it even waited for us for several minutes when the driver saw us hurrying towards a stop) and taxis are plentiful and very cheap.

Apart from the famous Petronas towers  there are many skyscrapers, some of very striking design and all built in the past 20 years. There are pockets of "authentic" ethnic neighbourhoods which have been preserved:Chinatown, Little India and Kampung Baru (Malay) but they almost seem artificial tourist attractions as they are so small and sectioned off from the rest of the city by highways and new developments. 



Giant bamboo



Despite the impression I seem to have been giving of a modern city "work in progress" it is very green with luxuriant trees everywhere and lots of green spaces including a massive park right in the city and a hill covered with rain forest where we walked this morning.  So there is evidence of some town planning alongside the race for growth.

 

It is a wealthy place with countless shopping malls selling designer goods.  These are always thronged with people who are toting lots of bags.  This seemed a bit of a mystery to us as the prices are high relative to the weak £ and € and the average wage is about £7k pa.  Of course there is a huge gap between those at the top and those at the bottom of society.  These seem to be largely imported workers (1.8 million pa -and that's just the legal ones) as there is a chronic shortage of workers in every sector.

OK the details:  we loved the Craft and Cultural Centre where we saw many traditional and often beautiful objects and people making them.  The other standout for us was the Museum of Islamic Art.  This latter housed in a gorgeous building and displaying exquisite objects from all over the Moslem world from across the centuries.



A 14th century Q'ran



Petronas- sometimes has clouds at top

The other ingredient to making KL worth visiting is definitely the people who, almost without exception, are smiling and helpful- from the ubiquitous sweeping ladies to the waiters and hotel staff.  There is absolutely no problem asking anyone for directions and you are never made to feel you are a nuisance.

Later:  Back from dinner in the KLCC under the Towers...decided to go western for a change and had best steaks we've had for ages- Australian beef.  Sipped our holiday cocktails as the muezzen called the faithful to evening prayer.  A strange experience  .The PM of Malaysia is in our hotel tonight for dinner at a convemtion so the red carpet was out

KL sling





Cameron Highlands

We certainly packed lots of sights and experiences today and learned much about Malay life, attitudes, history and culture.  Our excellent guide and driver, Anwar, arrived promptly at 7.30 and we set off up the main highway north out of KL.  An excellent road so we made good time and turned off after about 1 1/4 hours to climb up to 1500m above sea level.

This road is incredibly windy and progress slowed down considerably giving us lots of chances to look at the miles of rain forest and the ranges of mountains stretching away.  We stopped to look at a waterfall before taking tea at a teahouse on a plantation- our first sight of teabushes and the amazing landscape they make, miles of short bushes snaking over the steep hillsides.

We dropped in on a rose "garden"- hundreds of flowers all grown in tiny beds packed into a small area of hillside.  This method of cultivation was also used at  butterfly  and strawberry "farms";ia very intensive use of land.  The flowers are exported to Hong Kong, Australia and even UK-there were lots that I had never seen before and all looked healthy.

Stingray fish plant



Green rose







 leaf insect



We toured one of the earliest tea gardens, established by the  son of an English civil servant -acres and acres of bushes carved out of the rainforest by manual labour.  The factory in use is the original one.  It only takes 2 days from bush to drinkable.  We bought some of the tea we liked most and then found it was the 1 left in our hotel room supplies!


Then it was lunch which we chose to eat like the locals with our hands (it wasn't rice!) and the long drive back. A street market was fascinating with fruit and vegetables unknown to us.  Everyone we came across was exceptionally friendly and this despite tipping being uncommon here.

The only low point was the traffic in KL on our return.  It took over an hour to reach our hotel from the outskirts.

Anwar and Bob bonding over-tea





BOH tea garden workers' village