Hey people,
I'm in a very rainy Phuket at the moment so thought i'd take the opportunity to get my blog up to date before I hit Oz.

Thursday 14th May
A very long day - 9 hrs on the mini-bus travelling from Thailand into Malaysia. At the border we had to go through immigration and get a medical check from the nurses. After filling in several forms and having our temperatures taken we had passed the swine flu check and were ok to go!

Our first stop in Malaysia was the historical Georgetown, Penang. The hotel we stayed in, Cathay Hotel, had a colonial feel with its grand, high ceilinged rooms. It was apparant that it was once a beautiful hotel but is now in a state of decay and could definitely do with a coat of paint!

Friday 15th May
Got up early and went to the market. In the afternoon visited the white buildings of the Colonial District along the waterfront. We then went to Penang Hill. The packed train to the top took an age but the view of the island made it well worth it.

In the evening we went to a terrible Mexican restaurant where not only the food but the service was appalling! The waitress got the orders and the bills all mixed up. That will teach us for going to a Mexician restaurant in Asia!

Saturday 16th May
A 6 hour bus journey to the Cameron Highlands. The winding roads up the hills made for fantastic scenery and the cooler temperatures and fresh air made for a welcome change from the stifling heat we had become accustomed to. The great thing with travelling has been the contrast - in a few hours we had gone from a dusty old colonial town to blankets of green.

We were all really impressed with Hillview Inn, a really bright and spacious hotel with terraces overlooking the hills. Definitely the best hotel so far.

For dinner that night we had the local steamboat, where you throw all your ingredients (chicken, beef, variety of vegetables and noodles) into a simmering pot (a bit like a fondue). It was delicious and made a change from being served in a restaurant in the conventional way.

Saturday 17th May
In the morning we went to the tea plantation where we were given a tour of the factory to see the production process before enjoying tea and scones on a terrace overlooking the emerald green tea fields.

Then we went on a trek to see the world's largest flower. It was only suppose to be a mild trek but it developed into a full blown adventure in terrential rain. We were slipping and sliding all over the place, a few of the guys fell over, we had to cross fast flowing water and go up steep hills. We were totally not prepared for this and most of us didn't have on walking shoes as we were told we wouldn't need them! The rain made it so difficult and it took up over 4 hours of the day. To top it all, the flower was a complete let down. It just looked like a giant fungus and it hadn't grown to full size yet. We were like drowned rats at the end of it! In spite of all this, looking back, it was one of the funniest days we had with lots of comedy accidents but no one seriously hurt.

That evening we had a nice curry and went to the travellers bar (the only bar in the Cameron Highlands, I think)!

Monday 18th May
Off to the next stop, Kuala Lumpur. I really like this ulra modern city with its amazing architecture and huge shopping malls (not that I could afford or have the space in my jam packed bag to do much shopping)! We stayed in the Chinatown district which was fine but having visited a few they do become very samey.

Tuesday 19th May
Up at 6.30am and off to the Petronas Towers to wait in line for a ticket. We were in the queue for an hour but it went pretty quickly as I got talking to two Australian ladies. They were very friendly and one even gave me her business card and said if I was in Brisbane and wanted a good breakfast I could pop over. She was the second Australian person to invite me to their home for a meal, it's such as a nice gesture and it would never happen in the UK!

Anyway, I went up to the bridge between the two towers at 11.15am. It was a good view but as you can only go as high as the bridge (around halfway up) it's more about the structure than the view. The video that documents how the towers were built was very interesting and it is clear that Kuala Lumpur is very proud of this monument that symbolises its development; its amazing to think this was once only a small tin town!!

In the afternoon I took the hop on-hop off bus which was a good way to get an overview of the city in a short space of time.

Wednesday 20th May
Another bus! This time a 2hr journey to Melaka. Didn't see much of this town as we were only there the one night. We spend the afternoon on an island off the mainland. It was nice to relax on the beach and swim in the calm sea after being in a big city. Vicky and I took a stroll around the island and what we found was very weird! There wasn't a single person in sight and all the holiday chalets on the island were completely desserted and the swimming pool water was green! The doors to the chalets were open and all the furniture was left untouched, almost as if everyone had left in a hurry. We guessed that they must have run out of money but never did find out the reason for sure. It felt really creepy like we were in a horror movie!

Thursday 21st May
Crossed the border into Singapore. Checked into the Royal Peacock Hotel and took a stroll through Chinatown. In the evening we went to the Night Safari. It was good to see the animals that come alive at night!

Friday 22nd May
Last day of the GAP tour. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways on our different travel routes. Jade, Vicky, Chris, our guide Lek and I had time to kill in Singapore so we went on the Singapore Flyer - the giant observation wheel that is taller than the London Eye.

That brings my time with both GAP Adventures and Malaysia/Singapore to a close. I can't believe how much i've wrote! Well done if you've managed to make it to the end!