Wednesday 4th August 2004 - Day 325/365 - Singapore, Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia.

Happy Birthday Heidi!

Dad set the alarm for this morning. Unfortunately he takes his hearing aid out at night and can't hear it going off.

Got the hire car and started the 6 hour trip to KL. The drive out of Singapore wasn't too taxing. At the border you habe to pay for the toll roads. The Singapore tolls are paid by a prepaid cashcard that you purchase at the 7/11 stores. The Malaysian tolls are paid by cash.

The scenary in Malaysia is immediately different. The border city of Johor Bahru is obviously far less influenced by the west and far more influenced by islam. The buildings are much older and there is no English on the roadsigns. The landscape has far more vegetation.

We made a quick detour to visit another or Dads old haunts in Keluang, but his old memory didn't recall much and the old wooden hospital appears to be no more, and they call it progress, Huh!

We also stopped at a service station. I can confirm that there are worse services in the world than Hilton Park. This could be a long 6 weeks. I can see me fasting till I get home.

Man, the drivers here are crazy. In the outside lane the Mercs come flying along and if you don't pull over straight away then you will be undertaken. On the inside lane are the motorbikes, who chop and change all the time and never slow down.

When we eventually found the hotel, we had a mare trying to the return the car to the rental company. We had a few detours. 1 through a residential estate and another through a chinese cemetery. I was also caught in a bus lane, where I got some abuse off a police officer, but thankfully no more. We saw the signs, but after a while of following they just disappeared. In the end we chanced upon the place and it turned out to be a stones throw from the hotel. It cost us 3 ringets to get back in a taxi, thats 50p. We were that close.

I have a new favourite drink. Rusty Nail. Very good.

This is the first time I've been in a hotel where English isn't the first language and there are obviously so many other religions about. I don't feel overly out of place.