Update from The Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Sorry we haven’t written for a while, we haven’t had much to report as we’ve spent much of the last three weeks on the move. After completing our arc around Northern Laos, we took overnight trains first from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and then from Bangkok to Butterworth (Malaysia).

We’ve now made it down to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. As we’re in a former colony, there are reminders of home all over the place; more churches than temples, workers stopping for cups of tea, and (up here) green rolling hills. We’re still loving travelling, but its nice to stop for a cuppa.

Since we last wrote, we’ve stayed in the cheapest accomodation yet. Our room cost 10,000 Laos Kip (about 60p!), and for this we got a mattress on the floor, mosquito nets, a hammock outside, electricity from 6.30pm to 10.30pm and a friendly welcome every time we returned. Plus FREE wake-up alarm call!! The alarm is permanently set to 4.30am, and it goes “COCK A-DOODLE DOO!!!!”, but beggars can’t be choosers, can they?

Seriously though, for the best part of 10 days every place we stayed had cockerels outside our window. We’ve only just caught up on our much-needed sleep. Revenge, it turns out, is a dish best served warm with noodles and chilli sauce…

Since last time we’ve been sucked on by leeches, had our rucksacks infested with ants, and chased rats off the veranda (Emily’s Roland Rat impression is coming on a storm). Emily proudly tells people she’s gotten over her fear of snakes, but that didn’t stop her jumping behind Phil today when we saw one, pushing him towards the offending creature in the process…

We’re nearly at the end of our South East Asia leg, and we fly from Singapore to Cairns on Monday. From there we make our way down the East Coast.

PS We’ve bought a digital camera, so photos will accompany the next circular. Watch this space! Here’s the make and model for Phil’s tecchie friends: Canon Ixus II - Mmm, so silky!

(2023 update: photos from Malaysia and Singapore can be seen on Flickr here)