Making my way to the starting point
July 28, 2016 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
So in the attempt to get over my jet lag - i flew out to Asia a week ago - stopping at HK to stay with an old friend and then a trip to Boracay Island in the Philippines for some relaxation and it isRead more
The Flight to Sin
July 28, 2016 on the Philippines ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C
A relatively empty first leg of 35 mins to Cebu - disembark - loo stop - spend last few pesos and then back on the plane.
Arrival in Sin
July 28, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Nice meal on the plane and watched a few episodes of The Bridge and we were there - landed at 7:15pm and was through immigration and collected my bag in judt over 30 mins - Asian efficiency!! DecidedRead more
Day 1 Ministry of Education and school
July 29, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Our first visit was to the Ministry of Education's heritage centre - housed in a former primary school in Queenstown - a new town. He we received a guided tour from a former principal teacher throughRead more
HDB and Punggol New Town
July 29, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Our afternoon visit was to the Housing Department Board to see how 80% of Singaporean's are housed. The HDB was set up in 1960 to deal with the impending housing crisis and slum clearances. PlannedRead more
Day 2 Little India
July 30, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
First stop - Many Tamil immigrants live and work in this area - typical stalls selling garlands, food, Indian sweets, agressive stall holders selling clothes and gifts and henna tattoos - so i had oneRead more
Colonial District & Merlion Park
July 30, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
Now to see the symbol of Singapore
Thian Hock Keng Temple
July 30, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Hokkien temple located in the financial district - built in 1842 and dedicated to Ma Zu, the God of heaven. Includes an Altar of Judgement with two large statues one small and black and one large andRead more
Chinatown
July 30, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
A visit to Singapore City Gallery URB to look at models which show the growth of Singapore - followed by lunch at Maxwell Road Hawker Centre and a wander around Chinatown.
Marina Barrage and Singapore Flyer
July 30, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
A huge piece of civil engineering which has reclaimed land and constructed a barrage to construct a freshwater reservoir to provide 3 aims water, flood prevention and recreation. This was a guidedRead more
Hari Raya in Kampong Glam
July 30, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
So after a hectic day and a quick shower break I joined Ruth, Liz, Susan and David in the Malayan area of Singapore to sample the atmosphere and food - after taking photos of the Sultan Mosque weRead more
Day 3 Singapore Botanical Garden
July 31, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
Our first visit of the morning was to the Orchard Garden in the Singapore Botanical gardens. Founded in 1859 the gardens have become a centre for the breeding of new orchid hybrids. There is a VIPRead more
Gardens by The Bay
July 31, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
We moved on mid-morning to the Marina Bay area to visit what is supposed to be a second botanical gardens. Two huge doomed conservatories house a cloud forest with canopy walkway and a Flower domeRead more
Singapore by night
July 31, 2016 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
So our last night in Singapore we took a walk around the Marina Bay from Boat Quay to Marina Bay Sands Hotel to take a panoramic view from the 56th floor - called the Skypark. Arriving just beforeRead more
Singapore to Melaka
August 1, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Having out final breakfast in the garage we left he hotel at 9 to drive out towards the Tuas bridge crossing from Singapore to Malaysia - Singapore immigration taking much longer than anticipated weRead more
Melaka
August 2, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Some of the group departed early to visit an international school - i took the opportunity to rest and sleep off a headache.
Around 1:45 we were taken to get lunch in a Mall and then we started aRead more
Geographer Café for dinner
August 2, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
Kuala Gandha Elephant Sanctuary
August 3, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
An early check-out at 7:30 we left in a thunderstorm which has started around 5am, to make the long drive north-east by-passing KL to Taman Negara which means national.park via the Elephant SantuaryRead more
Mutiara Taman Negara
August 3, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
On arrival we checked into our chalets - the best accommodation so far - built from wood and bamboo. Surrounded by rainforests and a short walk to the boardwalk trails.
The rainforest is believed toRead more
Canopy Walk and Cataracts
August 4, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
After breakfast it was back into the forest to experience life in the canopy bywalking along a walkway suspended 40m above the ground - some sections we bring repaired but we managed to cover 300m.Read more
The Saw Mill
August 5, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
The drive from Taman Negara took us through a landscape of primary rainforest, areas which had been cleared and plantations - so it was enevitable that we would pass the Saw Mill - we had seen someRead more
Tekam - Oil Palm Plantation
August 5, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Enroute to the Cameron Highlands we had an organised visit to a plantation - a large company with housing and facilities for their workers - mainly from Bangladesh and Indonesia. We took a walk to seeRead more
Cameron Highlands
August 6, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Our arrival in the Cameron Highlands was a welcome relief from the heat and humidty we had experienced in previous days due to lying at more than 1000m above sea level. An area of hills which are nowRead more
Cameron Highlands to Ipoh
August 7, 2016 in Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Our route took us along a road that has been constructed through the forest which has 600 bends. A few photo stops to see Orang Asli settlements, HEP station. Our first major stop at a small waterfallRead more
















































































































