Sri Lanka 2006

A cup of tea ‘reveals’ you – a quote from a close friend of mine who laid great store in a cup of Ceylon tea. For the record he was aware that it should have been ‘revives’, not ‘reveals’.

I took the group at their word when the asked what was happen next year and started planning a trip to Sri Lanka. It was in the 60’s that I first visited Ceylon, as it was called then, and I had always promised my wife that one day I would take her there and show her the dewdrop at the end of India.

A number of airlines went to Colombo in Sri Lanka, via their home ports of Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and of course our old favourite Kuala Lumpur.

From an airline point of view from Australia, Sri Lanka is a terminus, a place to arrive and leave at very unsocial hours, unless one breaks the journey so as to arrive at a civilised time.

Flying from Sydney to Colombo passengers had to transit an Asian port, which meant that we would have a very long day, regardless of the airline.

Taking in to account the cost of the ticket, plus an over night stop mixed with the best flight time the following day, I decided on Malaysian Airlines again. The problem was that flying from Sydney we would arrive in KL around 9.00 pm, and the connection to Colombo was schedule to leave after 11.00 pm, arriving Colombo after midnight local time, after a three hour flight. Our bodies would be around 5.00 am Sydney time, so this was not an attractive schedule. So a stop over was the answer.

I booked MH to Kuala Lumpur and also four nights at the Renaissance Hotel in the city.

Renaissance Hotel foyer

In 2004 my wife & I stayed here for a couple of nights on our way home from the UK (see my 2004 blog), we stayed again in 2005 with our six friends (see Malaysia blog 2005) and we thoroughly enjoyed out stay on both occasions. This time we were disappointed when we were shown to our room on the 16^th floor, which was a smoking room instead of a non-smoking room that we booked. Plus our bedding configuration was two single beds instead of the double / king bed which I had ordered. A phone call soon had us changed to the 14^th floor, which was exactly what we had booked. The room also overlooked the Petronas Towers.

Taken at the start of a thunderstorm from our bedroom window

The following day we hired two taxis to take us to the Menara Kuala Lumpur tower, which stands on the top of Pineapple Hill. The tower at 421 meters, with an observation platform and revolving restaurant gives the visitor a 360-degree view of the city of Kuala Lumpur. The tower its self is used as a telecommunication tower.

Views from the observation level

The 421 meter tower appears higher than the Petronas Towers, but it isn’t, because it stands on Pineapple Hill or Bukit Nanas in Malay. This hill contains the last remaining virgin tropical rain forest in Kuala Lumpur. Bukit Nanas is also the name of the local Monorail station. To get to the base of the tower I would suggest a taxi rather than attempting to walk in the heat and humidity. At the base of the tower we bought tickets to use the high-speed lift to the observation level. There are also shops at ground level, toilets and a theatre where we watched a short film of the history of the tower.

The surrounding tropical forest was gazetted as a reserve in 1906 and is considered to be the ‘lung’of KL.

The afternoon or evening is the best time to visit Patling Street – a street to fill any female’s heart with joy.

There are hundreds of stalls and small shops, where haggling is the name of the game.

Of course after shopping we have happy hour around the hotel pool – buy one get one free time.

The Renaissance pool was very good. It was large enough for people to swim for exercise, and areas are shallow enough for young children to play in safety. The red roofed arc is the Happy Hour bar and café. In the evening we had drinks and a meal around the pool. It was pleasant to sit at our table and watch the tropical downpour in the evening. Talking was out of the question due to the noise of the rain.

I’d arranged for a guide and a minibus to take us site seeing to Putrajaya, 25 km south of KL. It is a planned city, and serves as the Federal administration centre of Malaysia. The capital is still Kuala Lumpur, which is where the King resides, and is the seat of Parliament, the financial and commercial centre.

I have always been very impressed with the road system of Malaysia. They are large, high speed and well planned. The 25 km from Kl to Putrajaya didn’t take long as we sped there via new freeways. On our arrival the one thing that sticks in my mind is the HEAT. It hit us as we left the air-conditioned vehicle.

Putrajaya has a network of interconnecting open spaces and the whole place reminded me of a futuristic film set with wide open spaces and large boulevards. In parts it was still be built, and the public servants had only moved in the previous year, so the comfort feel of a small town had not yet been created by the people. It was too new. To help with keeping the place cool they had built a 650-hectare man made lake. It was impressive.

Putrajaya Lake and the building on the right with the flag flying is Royal residence of the Sultan of Selangor

Office of the Prime Minister                                                       One of the boulevards

Mid afternoon we returned to KL because we had booked an evening meal at the Bijan Bar and Restaurant. It had been recommended to us by expat -Aussies who used to live in KL. The restaurant specialised in traditional Malaysian food. Our son in law, who was working in KL on a short contract, managed to join us for the evening to celebrate his birthday.

The following day was a day of shopping, which brought to an end our shirt break in KL.

It was an early start – alarm at 4.30 am, to be at the airport (45 minute drive) for the 09.25 am flight to Colombo in Sri Lanka. We flew Sri Lanka Airlines and due to time differences we arrived at 10.25 am after a three-hour flight.

I’d researched Sri Lanka (still Ceylon in my mind) and contacted a few local travel agents for prices and to discuss an itinerary. In the end I decided on Don Voyage Pvt Ltd, because I found the chap I was dealing with, via e-mails, extremely helpful in many different areas, from hotels to places of interest. His name was (still is I suppose) Donovan, but he had nothing to do with the name of the company. Our planned visit would be 15 months after the tsunami, (26^th Dec 2004), and I was concerned that holidaying in Sri Lanka might be ‘unacceptable’ to the locals after losing so much. When I voiced my concern to Donovan he was adamant that we should come and see the damage, and how the people have coped. Plus he said that the local tourist industry was hanging on by its fingertips, and that they needed tourists to get people back to work.

After immigration & customs we entered a colourful mad house of people shouting and gesturing in the arrival halls. The air conditioning system was losing the battle against the humidity of the outside world. I was back in Ceylon – now Sri Lanka – after nearly forty years, it had the same smells, the same heat, the same friendly faces – I loved being back, and only hoped that I hadn’t over sold the holiday to my wife and our friends.

A quick glance around and I was able to spot a sign being held high over the heads of the crowd with my name in large letters welcoming me to Colombo, it was Donovan!

Along with Donovan was our driver, who helped the ladies with their bags, as we made our way outside. We were asked to wait on the pavement as the driver ran to get the transport.

It was quite a large bus for the eight of us – from memory I think it would seat around 20 people. Donovan is in the middle, between the driver and the guard. The permanent security guard looked after the bus, and our belongings, while we went sight seeing. Each time we left the bus to see a site the driver would tidy the inside and clean the windows, he was very proud of his bus. They were three great guys who added to the overall enjoyment of our visit to Sri Lanka.

The trip from the airport to our hotel, Mount Lavinia Hotel was ‘only’ 43 kms (about 25 miles), but it took us over an hour and a half due to heavy traffic. I’d picked the hotel because as a cadet during my time at sea I’d visited the Mount Lavinia Hotel for a genuine Sunday curry lunch, and I wanted everyone to experience the location, and the local food.

This hotel used to be the Governor’s home in 1805 and remained so for many years.

Entrance to Mount Lavinia Hotel

It is located on a small promontory jutting out in to the sea, and overlooking a magnificent beach lapped by the Indian Ocean. The feel and design of the hotel was old colonial, but it had all of the 21^st century requirements.

View from our room,                                                                                                             with Colombo in the distance.

In consultation with Donovan he and I had come up with an itinerary that maximised our time without wearing us out. We factored in ‘down time’ so that people could do there own thing.

During the afternoon of the day of our arrival we had a short tour of the surrounding areas and parts of Colombo. When the Portuguese controlled Ceylon the locals called the port Kolamba, which the Portuguese thought was a Singhalese word meaning ‘mango tree’. An alternative thought is that Kolamba is an old Singhalese word for port or ferry – take your pick.

During our tour of Colombo we came across this chap for the cost was a few cents to take his picture of him and his pet snake.

It was an interesting two and a half hour tour, and brought back heaps of memories for me.

Erected to commemorate independence from the British in 1948.

That evening we ate in the hotel overlooking the ocean.

Up at 5.30 am (some holiday) as we planned a long day’s drive to Galle, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Colombo. To drive straight through would take about an hour and a half, but we had plans for a few stops before reaching Galle.

Our first stop was to a turtle sanctuary where they rescued turtle eggs from fishermen and birds. The sanctuary hatches the eggs and releases them in to the ocean.

Eggs buried in the sand                                                                                              Day old turtles

One day old                                                                                                  Older and bolder

Turtle project virtually destroyed during the tsunami, this is the beach where the turtles are released back in to the ocean.

From the turtle sanctuary we moved on to a river safari where we saw water monitors and locals fishing techniques.

We arrived at a small village where we were shown how they produce cinnamon by stripping the bark from the branches of a cinnamon tree. Of course we bought some, and managed to get it through Australian quarantine – legally! The cinnamon we bought was curled bark, not the ground powder.

A gem mine was next, with the obligatory gem shop next door, but we found the shop to be quite expensive. It was interesting to see how they mined and polished the stones.

Mineshaft – health and safety eat your heart out.

Uncut, unpolished stones

Along the main road to Galle we couldn’t help but see the result of the tsunami.

Many people were still living in emergency accommodation

Finally we reached Galle

Galle fort is the best example of a Portuguese fort in Asia, and it is also the largest remaining Asian fortress, built by a European nation.

The local ladies produce beautiful lace work and my wife regretted not buying the offered tablecloth edged with a fine example of the lacework.

We had a very nice lunch in the restaurant within the white building in the second picture.

The one thing that stood out during our round trip to Galle was the amount of traffic on the road. Every kind of lorry / truck that had seen better days or should have been in a museum, plus innumerable tuk – tuks , and everyone using their horn. The use of the horn appeared to be compulsory, and perhaps part of the driving test to obtain licence, but nobody seemed to get too angry, just noisier.

A spot of shopping, for the ladies, was called for the next day and we were all bussed in to the centre of Colombo and left to our own devisees. The ladies hired a taxi that waited for them outside every shop that they visited, and the total bill for the morning came to $15 between the four of them. In the meantime the men wandered off towards the dock area, because I wanted to see if the area had changed since my last visit nearly forty years ago. As soon as I rounded a corner I recognised the place – it hadn’t changed, and the one thing I did remember best was the famous Khan clock.

The Khan Clock Tower marks the entrance to the Pettah market area of Colombo. The clock looked like it was showing its age since my last visit.

Had to take a picture of this  . . . .I never knew we had a shop in Colombo.

Pettah market area was interesting – we were looking for some super glue (one of the group had damaged his glasses) and bandaids (blisters on the feet from walking). A man offered to help us find the objects that we required, and of course we were very suspicious of his generosity. But, as there were three of us to his one, we followed him through the market area. He would dive in to shops and come out again quickly shaking his head. Super glue was hard to buy in this market.

Eventually he did find a shop that stocked super glue and next door was a shop that would sell us a single foot plaster for about ten cents. It was normal to sell them singularly rather than in a packet because the locals didn’t wish to buy a full box (too costly) and they only wished to use one at a time! We bought both items and offered our ‘guide’ payment for his help – which he refused! Our faith in human kindness was restored. So we offered to take him for a drink, which he accepted.

In a small bar (two tables and four chairs) we ordered beers and our guide asked if he could also have a cigarette. None of us smoke so we told him to order his cigarettes and to put them on our bill. He shouted to the waiter in Hindi, who nodded in the way of Indians (Hindi was the language on the ships in which I sailed – we had Indian crews). A few minutes later the beer arrived along with a single cigarette, which our new friend lit and sat enjoying. We asked him about the packet of cigarettes and he told us that many people sold cigarettes singularly, because they made more money, and the buyer was happy because he couldn’t afford a full packet.

Our guide was a seaman, who was waiting for a ship – the system was that after he had completed a voyage he went to the back of the queue and waited for his turn to come round again. His family lived in the hills, it being cheaper than living in the town. He spent his time hanging around the dock area hoping for a berth. We talked more about the sea and I mentioned that I’d sailed in to Colombo in the 60’s on BI ships (BI = British India Steam Nav Co) and it was very gratifying to hear that he knew quite a lot about BI before they merged with P&O in the late 70’s. At the end of our ‘rest’ period we parted, as he wanted to get back to the dock gate area on the off chance of being picked for a voyage (queue jumping, perhaps?). He was happy with his packet of cigarettes.

Nothing had changed as far as ‘pool’ seamen  – in 1966 as 3^rd Mate, the ship I was on docked in Singapore, and I was told by the Captain to visit the seaman’s ‘pool’ and find three sailors, because we were short handed for the next voyage to Borneo. I only hoped our new found friend had more luck than the forty two seamen I had to leave behind, after picking the three I wanted.

Tonight would be our last night in Mount Lavina, so we decided to have our evening meal on the beach. The hotel has a fish restaurant on the sand – a beautiful place where you could drink in the view as well as the cold beer, and watch the sun set as your meal is cooked just behind you.

The beach restaurant – daylight & sunset

After breakfast next morning we checked out of the Mount Lavinia and boarded our bus for the journey to the old capital Kandy, which is located in the hills. It is 465 mtrs (1526 ft) above sea level, which helped to make the climate far more pleasant for Europeans.

Kandy city and part of the lake

On the way we passed through a number of smaller towns and villages, which were a lot cleaner than many of the streets of Colombo. The surrounding countryside looked very fertile and well attended. We did have to slow down once for an elephant ambling along the road with its handler. Not a common site in Sydney. A short time later the bus pulled in to a spice farm where we bought curry powder and other spices, and I bought some spiced oil to alleviate muscle pain. I suffer from pains in the back and the oil does seem to help, but the oil does have a distinctive smell. I would never use it if we were expecting guests.

Just before we reached Kandy we stopped at a gem museum. Sri Lanka is well know for it gems; particularly sapphires. One Sri Lanka 400-carat sapphire is in the Imperial Crown of Great Britain.

It wasn’t long before we pulled up in front of our hotel on the outskirts of Kandy – the Amaya Hills Hotel, which is a beautiful hotel looking towards the Heerassagala Mountains.

Amaya Hills Hotel

A view of the mountains was available from each of our rooms. We were high enough that the early morning mist was below us, and as the sun climbed, the clouds of foggy white melted whirled about the valley in the heat, creating a dramatic backcloth while we had breakfast.

The hotel must have had a problem with my name. This was the sign on the table allocated to our group of eight.

After checking in, and a quick wash and brush up, we reboarded our bus to see a cultural show. The show consisted of dancers, tumblers, fire-eaters and firewalkers.

All the acts were very good, but I’ll let you guess which one was the most popular.

A Buddhist Temple followed the culture show before we were taken to a restaurant for our evening meal.

On entering the restaurant I noticed that only one table was in use, and the customers looked like locals on their way home from work.  We were shown to a long plastic cloth covered table, which was a little way from the local diners. We sat and waited for the waiter who came and presented us with cardboard menus listing fish and chips, chicken and chips, cups of tea etc – it was a seaside type menu from an English summer holiday establishment, and this is what the owner of the place thought Europeans would like to eat.

Donovan had been invited to join us, but he said he would feel easier if he ate with the driver, which we accepted. The guard was with the bus and his meal had been taken out to him. I called Donovan over to our tables and showed him the menu. He asked what we would like, and I told him that we would like the same type of food that the locals would eat.

It turned out that Europeans seldom asked for local food as they found it too spicy and were frightened that an upset stomach would ruin their holiday. Fortunately the group loved spice food and we just wanted local food, and we would leave it to the cook to determine the dishes and the spiciness, but it had to be local food produced as if it was for a local family, and in the mean time can we have some soft drinks and beer please.

A quick conversation between Donovan and the waiter followed along with shouts to the kitchen area. The drinks arrived very quickly.

Very cold, very nice, and it slipped down without a problem.

Shortly after, the food started to arrive – meat dishes, vegetable dishes, spicy condiments, plenty of rice and the taste was out if this world. The food was spicy, but not ‘chilli hot’, just the right amount to add the taste without having to cool the mouth with sugar or yoghurt. It was one of the best-curried meals that I have had anywhere.

When I was at sea; at lunchtime we had a choice of Indian food or British food, the choice being curries or standard British food, I always picked the Indian dishes. The cook for the officers was from Goa, (now part of India) so the officers’ curries were genuine. The crew had their own galley and their own cook. The separation of food preparation was not based on officers and other ranks, but on religion. The officers’ cook, being from Goa, would have been a Christian (mainly Catholic, due to Portuguese influence) and the crew might have been Hindu or Muslim, so the Company made sure everyone was looked after correctly. This was well before the PC brigade had thought of becoming a nuisance.

Finally we finished our meal and we all sat back with smiles of contentment on our faces – we couldn’t believe the standard of the food. All good things come to an end and I called for the bill. When I worked it out (it being in rupees) it came out to about $8 per person, for everything, food and drinks. I called Donovan over and asked him to ask the waiter if the bill was correct perhaps they had missed off the drinks or some of the food etc. Donovan took the bill and went to see the owner and on his return he told us that if we pay the price on the bill the owner would be very happy! At least the waiter & the cook received a decent tip.

Our second day in Kandy was also our final day. A bush walk through a rain forest on the outskirts of Kandy – the monkeys were not afraid of us.

It didn’t matter how careful we placed our feet when walking along the path, those with open sandals managed to pick up leeches, which were awkward to get off as none of us smoked. Touch a leech with a lit cigarette, and it falls off the skin. Fortunately they were not as large as those portrayed in the film ‘African Queen.’

During our walk we came a cross a number of couples sitting quietly and talking or just holding hands, and this was 9.00 am. Donovan told us that meeting the opposite sex can be very fraught due to custom and parents, so a few minutes together, before going to work, puts a glow on the day, and nobody (parents) bothered to visit the Forest Reserve so early in the morning except perhaps tourists.

Back to our bus and we set off for Hunas Falls about 22 km (13 miles) outside Kandy. It was a long drive due to the winding narrow roads. The scenery was spectacular as we climbed the mountain roads. The time that we visited the falls was the dry season, and the amount of water was not what we expected, although there was enough to give us an idea of what it must be like in the wet season. The area around the falls is beautiful, and the local hotel is famous as a honeymoon hotel. The hotel is very modern and had all that a visitor would require. A short tea break at the hotel and we were off again for a spot of gem shopping in Kandy.

While the ladies went silk clothing shopping, and checking the gemstones, three of us (males) went for a Sri Lanka steam massage. This was the most unusual ‘cleansing’ that I have ever had.

We stripped and were offered a small piece of soap and a towel and asked to shower. After the shower and wrapped in our towel we were given a massage and a ‘pummelling’ to get the blood flowing. After about thirty minutes we were taken in to a steam room, which wasn’t a traditional steam room, but a coffin like structure made from bamboo. The ‘coffin’ rested on supports at each end. Each of us was placed in our own ‘coffin’ with just our heads showing, and the lid was closed. Heat was generated (by fires??) under the coffin and we started to ‘cook’. An attendant moved quietly between the three ‘coffins’ in case one of us became distressed at which point he would release us from our confines. I think we were cooked for about twenty minutes or more after which we were taken back to the showers for a clean-up. After using the remaining soap it didn’t matter how long I stood under the cold shower I could not stop sweating.

We paid our torture fee and left feeling completely washed out, plus I couldn’t stop sweating. Fortunately there was a restaurant next door to the massage place, so we knocked and were shown to a table. The restaurant was closed (mid-afternoon), but they were happy to sell us cold drinks. I don’t know how many 600 ml bottles of Lion beer it took to stop me sweating, during which I stood under a large fast turning ceiling fan for at least forty-five minutes.

Soon after I started to cool down Donovan arrived with the ladies and we returned to our hotel for a wash and brush up before dinner.

The restaurant that evening was at the back of an amusement park – with a go-cart track – the track was closed. It was on the banks of the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka.

We were seated at a long table so that we could over look the river and watch the sun set. The colours changed all the time.

The meal was pleasant, but not as good as the previous evening.

The following day it was goodbye to Kandy as we headed for Colombo, but this time to stay in the city. Before we left the Kandy area we visited the local Peradenyia Botanical gardens. It is a large well-kept garden with some very interesting trees, must see for any visitor.

Initially founded in the 14^th century during the reign of Vikrama Bahu III and later developed as a botanical garden by the British in the early 19^th century. It houses over 4000 labelled species of flora.

Of course we couldn’t leave the area without visiting a tea plantation. We had a conducted tour of the plantation from the picking to the processing and of course we tried various teas.

Our final stop before Colombo was at the elephant orphanage. The orphanage was created in 1975, with five orphans, to house and feed baby elephants that had been abandoned by their parents. There are now over seventy elephants.

We arrived in time to see them playing in the river

They all seemed to know when to come of the water when the March of the Elephants (from the Walt Disney films) comes to life.

As you see from the advert about paper – nothing is wasted.

To be so close to them was wonderful, and later if you wished you could ‘stroke’ them, not sure if they felt our gentle stroking considering the whacks they had from their handler when he wanted their attention. The baby one had just been fed cow’s milk and wanted more so he was after the ‘feeder’.

We arrived at the Hilton hotel in the centre of Colombo at 4.30 pm. Lovely hotel and from our rooms we had great views across the town to the ocean.

This day was a full moon and on the full moon every month it is a public holiday in Sri Lanka – Full Moon Poya Day. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to buy a beer outside the hotel because on this day every month the selling of alcohol is illegal. So we decided to eat in and went down to the bar for a pre-dinner drink – they only served soft drinks! Before I made the booking I knew of this holiday and I asked if the ban extended to hotels where foreigners were staying. When I asked I knew that I could buy beer in hotels in the Middle East, if I was staying in a hotel because I was a foreigner. I was told that the same system was in force in Sri Lanka – well it isn’t – or wasn’t during our stay in 2006. So it was back to our room and a raid on the mini-bar before eating in the Curry Leaf in the gardens of the Hilton Hotel.

It was a buffet style of dinner – very nice indeed, especially having the opportunity to sample different dishes from all over Sri Lanka.

The following day it was present shopping for the ladies while the males sampled the views from the Galle Hotel (which isn’t in Galle, but Colombo), built in 1864.

The doorman of the hotel is Mr K. Chattu Kuttan, and at 86 he is still working. He joined the hotel in 1942 as a waiter, and fifty years later he was the doorman, and is one of the most recognised doormen in the World. (He was still at work in 2010 when he was 90, and as far as I can make out in February 2013, he is still on duty at 93).

Later we visited the Pettah market again and we were approached by a number of people offering us super glue and foot plasters! Word must have got around that these two products are the next big ‘thing’.

The next day was our last in Sri Lanka, and we managed to get an extended check-out until 5.00 pm. During the morning we walked to Laksala, the Government run store, which was very reasonably priced. We bought souvenirs and ended up dealing with four people. One person is always ‘hovering’ while you check out the goods – don’t know if they expect you to do a runner – as soon as we picked the item the ‘hoverer’ showed us to the counter where another lady took the item and began writing up an invoice. A second lady behind the counter wrapped the goods in fancy paper and placed it in a large carrier bag. We were then escorted to another lady who accepted our cash (she was behind a grill) and wished us ‘Good Day’ as we left. I suppose it helps with unemployment. All the ladies were very pleasant, but it did seem a little OTT after doing every thing your self in the Sydney shops.

Our flight left Colombo at forty minutes passed mid-night – a really unsociable time because we were flying in to the future, our destination being Kuala Lumpur, but the flight was going via Singapore. It was a long flight, although only three hours to Singapore with forty minutes on the ground and then an hour to KL. We arrived in KL at 8.40 am local time. Our next stop was Penang.

By the time we arrived at our favourite hotel – The Eastern and Oriental (commonly known as the E & O) it was mid-day. We had a quiet afternoon and met in the bar for Happy Hour and decided to eat in the hotel at Sarkies Corner – it was a buffet style, and we booked our table outside over-looking the Melaka Straits. I never get tired of the view as cruise ships and cargo ships arrive or leave Penang harbour, and sail past the E & O.

Doorman and foyer

We were fortunate to see a wedding taking place in the hotel that evening. I asked permission to take photos.

The following morning we visited Komtar the tallest building in Georgetown, the capital of Penang State. The views across the Melaka Straits and the town were well worth the effort, if a little hazy due to the heat.

We booked two nights at the E & O and two nights at the Holiday Inn at Batu Ferringhi, which is about thirty minutes drive outside Georgetown. The reason we did this is because for the price of one night at the E & O we would receive two nights at the Holiday Inn. It seemed a good idea when we made the arrangements, and this was the first time that we had stayed at the E & O. After the holiday was over we all thought that we would have enjoyed it more if we had stayed three nights at the E & O and skipped the Holiday Inn completely – there wasn’t any comparison between the two establishments. One was five stars and the other three stars, and it showed.

While at the Holiday Inn we took a day trip to the Spice Gardens and the Fruit farm. Both were interesting places, even though I found the Spice Garden , which was enclosed with over hanging tropical plants extremely humid. The Fruit Farm, were we received a lecture on all the different fruit that they were growing, was also interesting. This location is high up on a hill with views across Malak Straits so it was much less humid.

Plants in the Spice Garden

Fruit garden   

I think this is a soursop, which as a drink is a great thirst quencher.  The pink fruit is a Dragon fruit.

The last night of the holiday was spent at the markets of Ferringhi beach area for those last few souvenirs.

The following day we flew to KL and stayed in the transit lounge until our departure time at 11.00 pm for Sydney – the holiday was over.

]]> http://www.geoffwoodland.com/2013/02/2006/feed/ 0 http://www.geoffwoodland.com/2013/01/hms-conway-1859-1974/ http://www.geoffwoodland.com/2013/01/hms-conway-1859-1974/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:28:52 +0000 Geoff http://www.geoffwoodland.com/?p=694 HMS CONWAY

1859 – 1974

Television and the cinema industry are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the release of the first James Bond film (Dr. No) in 1962. I can remember seeing Dr No at the pictures in Falmouth, which was playing to packed houses. The reason that I was in Falmouth was to join my first ship after leaving HMS Conway nautical training college. I’d been on the Conway for two years, and after graduating in the summer of 1962 I went to sea.

For many of us who left the Conway in ’62, we would not see again, or would we? Most of us went to sea, but with different companies, and only very occasionally would we ever cross the paths of another Conway. The group that left in ‘61 decided to have a reunion near the town of Conwy (note the spelling) in North Wales. It was such a success that a few of the 1962 leavers, who live in the UK, started to contact other ’62 leavers around the world, to see if there was any interest for a 50^th anniversary reunion for the ’62 leavers. I am happy to say that quite a few were positive, including myself, so my wife and I started to plan a UK / European holiday created around the anticipated dates of the ’62 Conway reunion to maximise the use of the airfare.

I did a rough outline of what we might see & visit in the UK before and after the reunion. Fortunately the voluntary committee in the UK decided to hold the reunion from the 11^th to the 14^th of September. As much as I like and admire the Queen I wanted to avoid any large celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee because of the higher cost of airline tickets and hotel charges. Not being interested in sport, I also wanted to avoid the Olympic period, again because of the huge increases in London hotel rates.

My wife suggested that we visit the grave of my uncle, who was killed at the age of nineteen in World War One, and is buried in Belgium. My uncle was my father’s brother, and growing up in the UK in the 40’s & 50’s I knew that my parents were not wealthy enough to take a trip to Belgium. I thought that this was a great idea. All of my father’s generation are now dead, which made me, as an only child, the obvious link to visit my uncle’s grave.

Both my wife and I are in our late 60’s so the long flight to the UK was daunting. We have travelled this route a few times before, but then we were younger  . . . so perhaps this time we could do economy in to Asia, and business for the long flight from Asia to Europe. This seemed a good idea so I started to research August departures for combi-tickets and found that they were all over $4,000 and many closer to $5,000, and premium economy were over $3,400. So it was back to the drawing board.

Then it dawn on me that according to Robert Louis Stevenson – ‘I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.’ This changed my thoughts.

Shortly after we had decided to attend the reunion a friend of ours asked me for some ideas for getting to the UK for him and his wife, because his wife’s mother was not very well. I told him that my wife & I would be doing the same trip, but we had to be in England for the 11^th September and I was considering leaving around the 28^th August. I suggested that they join us, and when in England we separate and do our own thing, and meet later and perhaps share time together in England, and on the way home. This was agreed, so now I was planning for four.

Over the past few years we have flown mainly with Malaysian Airlines to the UK and around Asia. So the first point of call was the price of four tickets to Kuala Lumpur on the afternoon of the 28^th August. None of us like nighttime flying so it had to be the afternoon flight from Sydney. I did look at the cost of using MH (MH is the code for Malaysian Airlines) all the way to Colombo, in Sri Lanka. Why Colombo you may ask – well I took Robert Louis Stevenson’s advice and decided to treat the journey as part of the holiday.

The connecting flight out of Kuala Lumpur to Colombo on Malaysian Airlines was just before midnight KL time, and because we would have arrived in KL after an eight hour flight, plus the time change and a four hour flight from KL to Colombo we would be required to be on the go for around 24 to 28 hours – not really a holiday trip for ‘seniors’. We decided to break the journey and overnight in Kuala Lumpur and fly the following day to Colombo.

We stayed the night in Kuala Lumpur, in a local bed and breakfast home called Rumah Putih. It had all the trimmings that we wanted, and we had stayed there on a previous occasion. The B&B is owned and operated by an Englishman and his Malaysian wife. We arrived at the accommodation around 10.00 pm local time (midnight Sydney time) and this gave us a good night’s sleep, and we were back at the airport feeling refreshed for the 9.00 am Sri Lanka Airlines flight to Colombo.

Rumah Putih

Pool & patio area

After take-off we were served breakfast, which helped pass the time, because the entertainment system left a lot to be desired.

We’d flown on Sri Lanka Airlines before and the configuration of the aircraft seating (2x4x2) is a little more pleasurable than the Malaysian Airlines (3x4x3), but then they are different aircraft. Malaysian’s aircraft being a B747 for long haul, and Sri Lanka being AB320 mainly short haul. The AB320 seating is, I think, a little more comfortable than the seating on a B747, although we did pay MH a little bit extra, which allowed us to pick four seats in the widest part of the aircraft.

The time difference between Kuala Lumpur and Colombo is two and a half hours, which means that a 9.00 am take off from Kuala Lumpur, followed by a three and a half hour flight, had us in Colombo by 10.00 am local time. A great time to arrive anywhere, because we had been refreshed with a night in bed, the day was ours.

I had arranged for our hotel (Paradise Beach) to meet us at the airport, because with four of us the actual cost per person is the same as a taxi. We were able to check in to the hotel on arrival, so by 11.30 am we had cleared customs and immigration, been transported to the hotel (about a 15 minute ride), checked – in and unpacked what we required for an overnight stay, and I’d even had a shower. A stroll around the hotel gardens and along the beach, just to get the feel of the place and all of a sudden it was lunchtime. Pool area with the beach in the background.

In the afternoon we hired two motorised trishaws (tuk tuks) (the green vehicle) to visit the local town. The town is not a tourist town, but it was interesting as most new places are for a visitor. We’d been to Sri Lanka in 2006, and we loved the people and their food, but we’d only transited the area around the airport, because we’d stayed in Colombo city, and Mount Lavinia area, so this day allowed us to check out the local area.

In the evening we decided to visit a local restaurant that had been recommended by Trip Advisor. I’ll not name the restaurant, but they had 240 items on their menu. I just wondered how much fresh food they could store, on the off chance of being asked for a particular meal. They served Sri Lankan food, as well as British, Italian, plus a mixture of various Asian dishes. I doubt we will return.

Later that evening we were fortunate to see the reception and hear the music for a local wedding – it was a shame that the bride and groom had to contend with very heavy rain, but the hotel staff coped and all the guests were dry. It was early to bed as we would be up early for the next leg of our journey. Even though we overlooked the gardens, and the reception, the music was not loud enough to cause us any problem.

We checked-out of the hotel at 6.20 am and again used the hotel’s transport to the airport to check-in for our 9.30 am departure on Qatar Airways. This would be our first flight with Qatar Airways as we normally favoured Malaysian or Thai Airways. I think that Qatar is the new flavour of the month. The service was impeccable, the food was very good and the AVOD (entertainment system) had plenty of choices.

Security at Colombo Airport appeared to be chaotic. We joined a very long queue; in fact there were two queues that funnelled people in to one small area. In this area the passengers themselves loaded suitcases and large cardboard cartons on to a single scanner conveyor belt from the baggage trolley that they were using. The passenger then passed through a scanner (often pushing their trolley, which set off the alarms) and on the other side collected their belongings and restacked them on the trolleys. They then joined another queue to check-in for their flight. Eventually some bright spark decided to open a second security counter, which caused a sudden rush from the rear of the queue that we were in, because the second counter was not near the first, but behind us. We now joined this second ‘rush’ only to find that three lines of people where focused on pushing through this second security area. After about forty minuets we found ourselves on the inside looking for the Qatar Airways check-in. We bought business class Qatar Airways tickets because they were not too expensive, so we thought we’d treat ourselves. After all 50 years is a long time between drinks and don’t forget Robert Louise. Although our final destination was the UK I also checked the cost of the tickets for various European capitals, as I knew that the British Government had increased the airport taxes for intercontinental flights. The cheapest ticket was to Paris, so I booked us to Paris and also booked us in to a hotel for a three night Paris stopover. The cost saving on the ticket, by using Paris, was enough to pay for the hotel. The British loss in airport taxes was the French gain in tourism, because the saving only paid for the hotel, but we had to eat and see the sites of Paris, which was extra. Perhaps a French politician suggested that the British should increase their airport taxes, I don’t know.

The check-in for economy was a rugby scrum, (four counters open), which did overflow to the business class check-in area. We queued at the business class check-in (one counter open) while one passenger was being checked-in. When he had finished and started to move away, others moved in to take his place from the economy line. Before I could say anything the check-in lady waved for our group and shouted at the press of people to get back in line. Overall it was fortunate that we left the hotel as early as we did, because by the time we had completed check-in it was well after eight o’clock. Further security checks for hand baggage (checked bags had been processed) and a short walk later and we were in the Business Class lounge – a haven of peace and quiet.

Araliya Lounge, Colombo

We were called about twenty minutes before take-off and boarded after all the other passengers. The AB 320 does not have a first class section, and the business class area is limited to twelve seats, configured two by two, with three rows of two seats on each side of the aircraft.

We were greeted by name and shown to our seats and offered a glass of Champaign – the only way to travel.

The AVOD had plenty of choices, the food was very good in taste and eye appeal, and the wine was different than the wine I can afford at home. The cabin crew were very friendly and attentive without being ‘in your face’ all of the time. Nothing was too much trouble. My wife and I had an interesting chat with one of the stewardess (am I allowed to call a cabin crew member a stewardess in today’s pc world??) – anyway during our chat I asked how many languages did she speak – she reached seven before she was interrupted. She wasn’t bragging, to her it was just a fact that she had such a skill. She spoke her native tongue and was married to an Armenian so she could speak her husband’s language and so it went on. She was a very interesting person, who loved her job.

Our first stop would be Doha in Qatar, which is Qatar Airways hub. The flight was four and a half hours and we landed in Doha, on time, at 11.30 am local time Doha. Doha Airport is huge and flat due to being on reclaimed land from the Persian Gulf. We were ‘bussed’ from the aircraft to the business class transit lounge in the Premium Terminal. It was all very efficient. We were shown to the business class lounge where we found a beautiful setting. On one side was a complete restaurant area, and on the other nooks and alcoves where the four of us sat and made ourselves at home for the two-hour transit. After about an hour I checked the departure board and noticed that the Paris bound aircraft had been delayed. As I returned to my seat a Qatar Airways staff member approached my wife and friends and told us that the departure to Paris would be delayed for two or more hours. If you have to be delayed at an airport then being in the Premium Terminal Business Class lounge in Doha is the only place to be . . . . .

Buffet & Bar area

Restaurant area.

The delay was not as long as we anticipated before we were shown to the bus to take us out to the aircraft.

As you see, even the airport shuttle bus was ‘different’. This layout is the business class bus. No one stands.

We were welcomed on board again, but this time on to a different aircraft, a B777, and shown to the left as one goes through the door. At first I thought we had been upgraded (due to the delay), but this B777 didn’t have a first class section, just business class in a 2 x 2 x 2 configuration. It might well have been first class because we had heaps of space and the large TV screen in the back of the seat in front was operated with a mouse like device rather than pushing buttons, and jumping from field to field as per the economy system. The mouse system allowed one to scroll across the screen in the same way as one does with a desktop computer.

Space was not a problem; even the toilets were larger than the normal aircraft toilet. The second picture shows the sleep suit and socks. As our flight was a daylight flight we were not offered the sleep suits.

This picture shows the distance between one seat and the one in front.

If I felt tired the seat converted to a 180-degree flat bed and I still couldn’t touch the seat in front and I am 6 ft 2 inches tall (188 cm).

During my working life, and now in retirement, I have flown with many airlines in all three classes. This sector on Qatar Airways was just fabulous, no wonder they have been voted as the best airline in the world by the public. I was offered a glass of port at the end of a beautiful presented and tasting lunch. I thought why not, and as it was poured I noticed that is was bottled in 1976, the year my son was born. The port slipped down without a problem.

Our scheduled time of arrival in Paris was 7.00 pm, but due to the delay in Doha we arrived just before 9.00 pm. Customs and immigration was not a problem and by 10.00 pm we were in a long queue for a taxi. I had considered booking a meet and greet service or an airport shuttle service, but I’d read reports that some of the shuttle services were unreliable and that passengers had waited over an hour or more for the prepaid shuttle. Although the queue for a taxi was quite long, it moved quickly as the stream of arriving taxis seemed endless.

I was bothered that we might have to take two taxis due to the amount of luggage we had; four large suitcases and each of us had a hand luggage. Some of the taxis looked small and I thought we’d have to wait for a larger vehicle. Eventually we were at the front of the queue and the attendant, who was guiding taxis and passengers, looked at me and asked how many (I must look English or Australian as he spoke in English), I said four and mentioned our luggage. He glanced at the bags and said ‘Don’t worry, they’ll fit,’ and waved over a medium size vehicle. The four suitcases did fit (only just) in the back, and we all sat with our hand luggage on our knees. I had warned our friends that after the first suitcase we would pay extra for each additional bag placed in the luggage area, but anything on our knee was not charged. As it happened, we needn’t have worried, as our smaller bags wouldn’t have fitted in the back anyway. The drive to the hotel was quiet fast, and lasted about 30 minutes. The cost was Euro 50.00, which was cheaper than the shuttle service, and the meet and greet service for four. The driver was pleasant and a safe driver. It was about 1030. pm that we arrived at our hotel.

Hotel France Albion  

Checking in was a dream as we had already paid for our three nights stay to secure the lowest possible rate. In addition to the room charges, breakfast was extra, which was charged daily at Euo 13.00 per person. The dining room was in the cellar, note the curved ceiling, but we never felt claustrophobic. Breakfast was pleasant with plenty of hot, as well as cold, food.

We did try a local café as we had been told that the cafes were cheaper than this particular hotel. What we found was that the café was a little cheaper (not much), but you didn’t have any where near the choice nor could or help yourself to another glass of juice if you wished. So the following day we returned to the hotel.

Our room, (we booked a superior double) on the sixth floor, was small (14 sq mtrs) but not too small considering that this was Paris, and we had to fit the hotel to our budget. Compared to Asian rooms it was small, but it was adequate for the three nights, and the shower was good and strong. The hotel supplied various soaps and shampoo as well as tea and coffee making facilities in the room.

Our superior room, bathroom was behind the photographer, the door shown is the entrance door.

After breakfast on the first day we had booked a walking tour of Montmartre. We walked the short distance from the hotel to the meeting place at the Moulin Rouge. There we met Virginia in the foyer, where she gave us a brief history of the Moulin Rouge and of the area of Montmarte.

The walk was for three hours, during which we covered the main parts (and few hidden parts) of Montmartre. As you would expect Virginia was a fund of knowledge of the places, the people who lived in various house, particularly if they were famous. She showed us how to move from street to street, without walking the full length of one street only to walk down a parallel street. What looked like private garage doors or back entrances to gardens where in fact links from street to street to save the long walk.

An example of one of the short cuts alleyways.

Areas of Montmartre were just as I imagined; cobbled streets and steep steps. The only sound that was missing was the sound of the accordion. Maybe I’ll take up smoking Gauloises again.

All though the day was cool, it didn’t take us long to get warm because Montmartre, being a hill, demanded that we maximise the time with Virginia.

Remember ‘Amelie’, the film? This is the actual shop where Amelie buys three hazelnuts and an artichoke. It was filmed here,not in a studio.

We climbed higher and higher up the steep streets until we eventually reached the top, which is famous for its restaurants and artist type market.

Of course who doesn’t take photos from the steps of Sacre Coeur.

The place itself – Sacre Coeur

The walking tour ended and we made our way back towards the hotel. We must have walked for miles, but at least we enjoyed the exercise and found ourselves at the Galleries Lafayette. Which is a large shopping centre inside a famous landmark.

As you see only the best names  . . . .

The ceiling Galleries Lafayette

Shopping is not my favourite hobby, but at least once inside the Galleries Lafayette one could gain access to the roof for some spectacular views across Paris.

There are plenty of small bars in the area so my friend and I had a quiet sit down, while our wives sampled the shops in Galleries Lafayette – now this is what I call shopping!

The following day we had a choice of the metro to Arc de Triomphe or we could walk. It was Sunday, the roads were quiet, so we decided to walk. It took us about 40 minutes to reach the Arc de Triomphe, but it wasn’t a boring walk as it allowed us to take in Paris and see the locals starting their day. Eventually we saw the monument in the distance.

We used the tunnels to cross the road because of the traffic. I waited quite a long time to take this picture without road traffic. It was a quick grab between a bus and a car. As you see we had a beautiful day for sightseeing.

From the top of A de T you have Paris at your feet. The city unfolds before you and the hub and spoke system can be clearly seen.

To get in to the A de T one has two choices – climbing the 284 steps did not seem such a good idea due to old knees, but they do have a lift which takes you near the top and you only have 48 steps to the viewing area. I managed the 48 steps. Coming down was easier and of course at the end of the downward 48 steps is a souvenir shop. At least the books and various souvenirs didn’t look tacky. The staff in the shop was very friendly and polite.

From the A de T we walked down the Champs-Élysées and made our way to the river. One just has to walk along the Seine on a beautiful summer’s afternoon.

Eventually we reached Pont de la Concorde

Champs- Élysées

Taken from the Pont de la Concorde

one at the top while another had just reached the bottom.

Pont de la Concorde, a popular photo spot for brides –

We couldn’t have asked for a better day to walk around Paris, but even we started to get tired and began to check out likely spots for a tea break. Our original idea was to picnic on the bank of the Seine and enjoy the view. We thought that we would have been able to buy the makings for a pic-nic close to the river bank, but we were wrong.

We crossed Jardine des Tuileries, which was hot and dusty and didn’t have the feeling a garden at all. The restaurants in the gardens we found a little expensive so we gave them a miss and eventually found Chambol Café on Rue Cambon, where we stopped for a late lunch. Typical French café with rows of bottles behind the bar, beer on tap and good food. We asked the waiter to explain why the beer had two prices alongside the same volume of beer, and we were told that if we sat at the bar (about three feet away) the beer is cheaper, but as we chose to sit at a table the beer was more expensive . . . . . the fact that I went to the bar to buy the beer, and I carried it back to the table, didn’t get me a discount. As we finished our meal we noticed quite a few people entering the shop across the road so of course our wives wanted to see what the shop was called – we should have known – it was Chanel ! At least while the ladies visited Chanel the males had time for another beer or two.

Jardine des Tuileries

Unfortunately we were only in Paris for three nights (two days) so the following day we left for Lille on the TGV, (very fast train similar to Eurostar). I had booked first class tickets on the TGV to Lille. The train left from Gare du Nord (the same station as the Eurostar). Although the hotel was not too far from the station, because of our luggage we ordered a taxi. The station is imposing, but we soon found our way around and realised we had an hour to wait for departure time. We’d left the hotel early to allow for traffic problems, but as luck would have it we arrived with plenty of time.

Gare du Nord

The difference between 1^st and 2^nd class was not a lot of money, so we decided to treat ourselves and travel 1^st Class. As I’d never travelled 1^st Class on a train I was quite looking forward to the experience. The ticket stated that we were booked in coach 2 and gave our seat numbers. As we approached the train we could see the second coach from the engine and it had a large #2 on the side, in addition the a small neon sign by the coach door flashed # 1, so we assumed that this was the first class area of coach # 2. We found our seats, but they were not positioned as I expected after seeing the coach plans. Instead of the four of us being around a table our friends were across the aisle. The area had a limited number of seats and was split from the rest of the coach by an electronic door, so I assumed that this was the correct area. Later when the ticket inspector checked our tickets he never said anything other than ‘Good morning’. On reaching Lille (an hours fast ride from Paris, which is just over 200 km), we had to walk the length of the train to exit the station, and this is when I realised that we had been in the wrong coach, and we had travelled 2^nd class for a first class price, so I still haven’t experienced first class rail.

I’d allowed us 20-minute transit time at Lille station. Wrong, the station was so crowded and the queues so long to gain information about the best way of getting to Ypres in Belgium, that we missed the connection. We hadn’t bought our onward tickets as this next journey is classed as a ‘local’, and local tickets could not be bought via the web. Eventually we bought our tickets and we knew that we would have to change at Kortrijk, which is just inside Belgium. We had about fifteen minutes to change platforms / trains and from investigation the station only had eight platforms, so it didn’t look too daunting. My investigation on the internet about Kortrijk station gave me the impression that to get from one platform to another was via a subway system, which would not be too hard as there were ramps from the platform to the subway, so with wheeled suitcases this would be easy. Wrong again – we could not find ramps only steep steps down to the subway and more steps up to the required platform. With four suitcases and only two males to manhandle them down and up the stairways, we only just made the connection.

Ypres railways station is quaint, old world charm, large open spaced car park, empty taxi rank, and very quiet on Sunday afternoon. After checking around and realising that we would not be able to find a taxi without some help, we visited the railway ticket office. The ticket office employee was very helpful and ‘phoned for a taxi, a large one for four people with four large suitcases and cabin bags. The taxi arrived within a few minutes and we were soon at our accommodation close to Menin Gate.

Ypres Railway station

After checking in to our hotel – The Albion – no connection at all with our Paris hotel of a similar name  – we explored the town. The centre (Grote market) is not a large area, but it is a very interesting area. A large square dominated by the Cloth Hall, which we thought had been built some hundreds of years ago until we realised that Ypres had been destroyed in WW1, and rebuilt as it was before the start of the war. The Cloth Hall we so admired as being a piece of history was rebuilt in 1928! The people of Ypres used the original plans and as much of the old stones as they could to rebuild their buildings. All the ‘old’ houses of Ypres, along with many farms and villages in the surrounding areas, which were also destroyed, were rebuilt as close as possible to how they looked prior to 1914. The town has a very nice ‘feel’, and we found the people to be very friendly and pleasant.

The town of Ypres in 1918

This was the church in 1918                  and   2012

The Cloth Hall 1918   and

The Cloth Hall 2012

In the evening (Sunday) we joined many others at the Menin Gate for the 8.00 pm short remembrance ceremony, to honour the 56,000 allied troops who do not have a known grave after the battles around Ypres. Each name is carved on the walls of the Gate.

Names and more names and these are ‘only’ those without a grave.

Behind the crowd are columns & columns of names. It is a very moving ceremony, which is held every evening at 8.00 pm, having been started in 1928. The buglers who play the ‘Last Post’ are all volunteers.

The following morning we were picked up by our ‘Battlefield’ guide Jacques, for a four-hour guided tour of the Messines battlefield area. My uncle was killed in this battle in 1917, and buried in Croonaert Chapel Cemetery. When arranging the tour I mentioned that if it was possible I would like to see his grave. We were shown various military advantage points as Jacques explained how the battle was fought.

After some time (about an hour) we were shown the German trenches at Bayernwald

and how the British attacked up hill. It was then that Jacques took us to the small cemetery where my uncle is buried.

I was surprised to see how small it is with ‘only’ 66 graves. It is in the middle of a field, which is farmed for crops (wheat I think). It is not a church cemetery just a well-maintained area behind a small wall that remembers those who died. I found the grave of my uncle and this was when Jacques offered me a small white cross and a single poppy to place on the grave.

Albert Edward Woodland at 18, he is off to war.       Dead at 19.

As I placed the small cross on my uncle’s grave, Jacques quoted the words of the poem ‘For the Fallen’ , which is also known as the ‘Ode of Remembrance’ by Laurence Binyon –

They went with songs to the battle; they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

It was a very moving moment for us all, which will be remembered by my wife & I, and our friends, for a very long time. The thoughtfulness of Flanders Battlefield Tours, and Jacques in particular, offering the cross and poppy, was something that I never expected. At the end of the tour I was presented with a folder, which contained all the known details of my uncle, a copy his service record and details of the part that his regiment (Cheshire Regiment) played in the Messines Battle.

On leaving Croonaert Chapel Cemetery we moved to ‘Hill 60’, you may have seen the film, which came out in 2010.

Poster from the film.

This is the memorial to the Australians involved in the tunnelling under Hill 60. The dark spots on the plaque are bullet holes from WW2. Hill 60 is 60 metres above sea level – hence the name. The hill is a man made hill from the spoil after creating a railway line cutting in 1850.

German pillbox on Hill 60.  After the tunnelers had finished their work and placed mines (about 53,000 pounds of explosives) in the tunnels under the German lines they waited for the offensive to begin in the early hours of 7^th June 1917. The Hill 60 mine was part of 23 mines placed below the enemy lines. The explosion of the mines was heard in London.

Today the remains of the blast at Hill 60 is now a large lake overgrown with vegetation. To illustrate how large the explosion was I took a photograph of our guide, who stood at one side of the crater, (the person inside the orange circle) and I stood at the other side. The experience of touring the battlefield and having detail aspects of the battle explained was well worth the long trip from Australia.

The following day was the Eurostar to London where we would separate as a group, because my wife & I would see a close friend in Liverpool, and attend the HMS Conway reunion in North Wales, and the other couple would visit relatives. We had planned to return to Lille, via the two train trips, but after experiencing the stairs at Kortrijk station we decide to find out how much a dedicated taxi would cost. When split four ways the cost was not too expensive, but the benefit was missing Kortrijk station and not having to climb up & down stairs with suitcases, particularly as we are ‘seniors.’ In addition we wouldn’t have to walk the 400 to 500 meters dragging our suitcases from Flanders Station to the Europe Station in Lille. The taxi (minibus) took about 45 minutes and it was an interesting ride as the route was new to all of us.

On arrival we entered the Europe Station over an hour before departure, which we thought wasn’t a bad thing as it allowed us to familiarise ourselves, and not having to rush like mad. We looked around for the departure platform for the Eurostar to London. We expected the signage to be ‘obvious’ in the extreme, but we were wrong. We did find an information booth, but the queue for assistance was quite large, and people seemed to be taking about six minutes to have their questions answered. The queue was about twenty people long, and we had less than an hour to go, for departure.

Leaving the ladies to ‘guard’ the suitcases, my friend and I wandered around the station until at the far end we noticed a small queue forming. As we drew near we realised that this was the Eurostar platform area – passport control etc. Although the UK is in the EEC it is not a member of the Schengen agreement, which allows free movement of citizens after they have entered one of the twenty-one member countries of the Schengen agreement.

After clearing French control we had to clear the British control. By doing this in Lille the British have a better chance of stopping illegal immigrants. In addition the passengers are free to leave St Pancras International railways station as soon as they alight from the train.

Lille Eurostar platform after immigration.  By the time we were on the platform we were technically in the UK.

St. Pancras Int’l railway station, London.

It was at St Pancras that we separated from our friends – they caught a train to Yorkshire from Kings Cross, and we legged it for about fifteen minutes to Euston Station to catch a train to Liverpool.

The Virgin train from Euston, London to Lime Street, Liverpool, left on time, arrived on time and was clean and efficient, and they gave me 48 frequent flyer points, because I am an Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer, which was a  nice touch.

We stayed with our Liverpool friend for five nights. Liverpool is always a memory town for my wife and I, because my wife was born in Liverpool, and I was born across the river in Birkenhead.

During our stay in Liverpool I visited Europcar, a car hire company, to arrange for a hire car for a week. I planned to leave Liverpool on a Sunday and drive to Hey on Wye for a couple of nights before driving back to North Wales for the reunion and then to Oxford where we would meet our travelling friends for the remainder of our holiday.

I’d used Europcar some years earlier, and found the to be efficient and not too expensive. I booked it on Tuesday and told them that I would collect the car on Friday afternoon around 4.00 pm. The car would not be used on Saturday, but I wanted to make sure that everything was in order.

I arrived at the Europcar depot at 4.00 pm on Friday, only to be told that there would be a delay as the car was being cleaned. While in the waiting room I couldn’t help but over hear some of the conversations. One man, who was obviously a regular customer, arrived to collect his car. For some reason he became quite ‘excited’ and began speaking loudly. Although I consider myself a Scouse, still with a Liverpool accent (born & bred on Merseyside) and was in my fifth day of re-tuning my ears to the Scouse accent, I could not understand a word this man said. He was a Liverpudlian with a very, very strong accent. It was so strong that I had no idea what he was saying, but the lady behind the counter nodded her head at the right time and seemed quite happy with the one-way conversation. Eventually the Scouse left and drove away in his hire car. By 5.00 pm I was getting a little concerned as they had hired out their complete fleet and I was still ‘car-less’. Just after 5.00 pm the lady came out of the back office and started to apologise to me that the car had taken so long, but that they didn’t have any models of the car that I’d booked, and for which I’d paid. Fortunately, before I could say anything, I was told that they had upgraded my booking to a higher standard of car, and the cleaning had just finished. It was outside and the manger wished to explain how to drive the vehicle. I thought this a little strange as I had experience of manual and automatic cars and I told Europcar this fact when booking. I thought perhaps it was a Continental car with the steering on the ‘wrong’ side for British roads, and went out to meet the manager. It was then that I realised the car was an electric car. The manager explained to me about the lack of key ignition, and that if I said below 30 mph (about 50 km per hour) it would not use any petrol – only battery power. The battery recharged itself as we motored along. I’d never driven a battery car and it took a little time to get used to the silence. The only sound was the tyres on the road, so it was different to say the least. It only had 2,800 miles on the clock.

Very fuel efficient, and cruised at a steady 70 mph on the freeways. Any travelling over 30 mph the petrol engine automatically took over. The on-board computer worked out the optimum fuel usage when on petrol. It was a pleasure to drive.We said goodbye to our friend and left Liverpool at 9.00 am on Sunday, 9^th September. I’d printed out a map from Google, and I also had an AA map, which showed all the main roads & freeways. Life was not meant to be easy – our first problem was leaving Liverpool! We followed the Google map, but because of the lack of signposts, and that many of the streets were not named, we became lost. We eventually did get out of the ‘Pool and headed for the Hay of Wye via the A49. We came off the A49 to the A44 to cut across country to our destination. It seemed a good idea at the time, but again due to lack of road signs in the small country lanes, we ended up going around in circles until we found a pub (don’t we always find pubs . . ) and as it was called the Kangaroo Inn and we are from Sydney, we had to stop and ask our way. The publican was very friendly and gave us correct directions. The pub was named after a ship called SS Kangaroo, because part of the vessel’s timber was used to build the pub. This is according the inn’s web site.

The problem is that the pub was built in 1840, yet the SS Kangaroo (shown in the inn sign) wasn’t built until 1853. Perhaps the timber for the pub came from one of the four HMS Kangaroo vessels built between 1795 & 1829.

Eventually we found our way to Whitney of Wye, where we came across a toll bridge that would shorten our drive to Hay on Wye for £0.80. We paid the toll and drove the short distance to Hay on Wye.

The first toll bridge was built in 1779, and was washed away. A further two replacements met the same fate. The current bridge, built in 1797, was refurbished in 1993. Because of an Act of Parliament in 1779, the current owners are not obliged to pay income tax on their profits, council rates, stamp duty, business rates or capital gains tax; what they do have to pay is the upkeep of the bridge and toll house, because it is a grade II UK listed property. It was worth the £0.80 to experience driving over such an old bridge.

We reached Hay on Wye and drove slowly through the town looking for the name of the main road leading to our accommodation, Oxford Street. Of course with my track record we didn’t find it and after driving through the town, we turned around and drove back through the town, hoping to spot the street name. The ability to park on this main road and ask a local was the obvious thing to do, except the place was full of ‘NO STOPPING’ signs – at least they had signs! The town was very quiet, with few people around, because it was Sunday afternoon.

In the end I decide to drive through the town again and take the first main road on the left, which was Lion Street. Main road is a very loose word considering the left turn took me past the town clock in to labyrinth of narrow streets – some were ‘one way’ streets. After a few narrow tries at dodgem car racing we found a real road and exited the centre of town. The roadway opened up with fields and a few isolated homes, so I thought that the best thing to do would be to ring the accommodation and ask directions. We pulled in to a small deadend street, with a few houses on each side and parked. My phone call was promptly answered, and after I’d explained where I was parked, the owner of the accommodation asked me to stand at the corner of the street as he was going to find me. A few minutes later I saw someone waving at me across the main road and a little to our left. We had arrived at the correct road, and we were about one hundred yards short of our accommodation!

We received a very warm welcome from Jim & Margaret who own York House . York House from the bottom of their garden.

The nearest car is our car, and the other two cars belong to Jim & Margaret. We were the only guests for our two-night stay.

Picture taken from our bedroom window.

Hay on Wye is famous for its bookshops – second hand bookshops. After unpacking we strolled in to town, which took about ten minutes. Our accommodation is in England, and as we cross the small bridge over the River Monnow we enter Wales, and Hay on Wye.

River Mannow marks the border between England and Wales. The river flows through Hay on Wye to the Hay River.

At the gate of the first house we spotted a Welsh dragon as we entered Wales.

Hay on Wye, late on a Sunday afternoon in September, is a quiet town. We did find a couple of bookshops open and they whetted my appetite for a closer look the following day. Being the town of books it has about twenty-nine second-hand bookshops from large emporiums that are packed with every subject under the sun, to street stalls in the grounds of the old castle. The current trend of readers moving away from the printed book to electronic books is frowned upon in Hay on Wye.        

Of the twenty-nine bookshops in Hay on Wye my wife & I managed to get round twenty-six. There were many books that I would love to read and own, but due to the airline weight restrictions I had to forgo that pleasure, and rely on my Kindle.

Book stall inside the castle grounds.

Hay on Wye was a town that demanded that one should walk everywhere. The streets are friendly (unless you are a driver and lost), the people are friendly and the pubs are a joy. They are real pub, selling real ale as well as some national & international brands.

Old Black Lion just five minutes from our accommodation.   Bar at the Three Tuns

Tuesday morning came all too quickly as we packed the car again and headed to Deganwy on the Conwy River in North Wales for the Conway reunion.The weather was fine and the drive was a pleasure, and we didn’t get lost this time! From H on W to Deganwy took us four hours through the mountains of Wales, with spectacular views.

The reunion was being held in the Quay Hotel on the Conwy River.  

Our accommodation was just up the road from the hotel – bed & breakfast at a guesthouse – every penny counts when you come so far. I booked us in to the Tideways B&B and mentioned the fact to a friend in New Zealand, who was in my class at Conway. I knew he and his wife would be attending the reunion. He booked the Tideways and mentioned to another class mate about Tideways – the third room was sold. In fact old Conway’s, who were in the same class in 1960, and attending the 50th reunion anniversary, booked all five of the available rooms, at the Tideways.

The reunion went very well and outside ‘entertainment’ had been arranged.

Even though I spent many happy holidays in North Wales, as a child,  (my Mother came from Caernarvon, now known as Caernarfon) I’d never visited the peak of Snowdon. A trip on the Snowdon Railway had been organised, regardless of weather. Normally one would only pay to take the train to the top if it was a clear day and you had the chance of seeing the view as far as the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. This time it didn’t bother any of us that we might be fogged in, it was all part of the reunion fun.

A single carriage train will take us up Snowdon.                               Fog & mist has arrived

Nothing changes where the weather is concerned – light rain before getting on the train, and half way up we entered a fog bank with rain, so the view was limited to say the least. On reaching the top 1,085 metres (3,560 feet) we were given thirty minutes for a cup of coffee before the train would return to the base station. There is the facility to walk (some run) from the base of the mountain to the top, so we could have walked down, but none of us felt inclined to do so.

At the top where the train stops, is a café, but that it not the exact top of Snowdon. We had to pass through the coffee shop to scale the last few feet. It was raining, foggy and it was windy. I did climb to the top, but made sure my glasses were in my pocket as the wind was strong enough to blow them off ones face.

The top of Snowdon – no fun really                                                        Yours truly without glasses, but wet & cold

Thirty minutes at the top was long enough, and in fact we were all sitting in the railway coach well before the time required.

Of course all of us at the reunion had to visit where we spent our informative year – Plas Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey. Plas Newydd is Welsh for ‘New Home’ and it was in the grounds of Plas Newydd that HMS Conway was located, after the old wooden ship foundered in 1953.

HMS Conway (above) was a naval training ship for officers, based in the River Mersey. During the Liverpool blitz she was moved to a mooring off Bangor in North Wales, and later to a position off Plas Newydd.

In 1953 she was being towed back to Birkenhead for a refit when the tide and currents became too strong for the tugs. She ran aground, broke her back and was beyond repair.

HMS Conway was Britain’s last floating commissioned ship-of-the-line. HMS Victory is still in commission, but she is not afloat.

The cadets were moved to tents, and then in to huts, in the grounds of the Marquis of Anglesey’s estate at Plas Newydd. It is a beautiful setting with views across the Menai Straits to Snowdonia.

Plas Newydd from the landward side and & from the Menai Straits.

The camp, where we lived for two years.

Plas Newydd can be seen at the top of the picture.

Twenty cadets to a hut – windows always open, winter & summer.

I hadn’t seen most of the group since leaving HMS Conway in ‘62. I recognised some, but I was glad of the name tag, which showed what we looked like 50 years ago.

Yours truly 50 years ago.

We all had a great time and how many times did I hear ‘Remember when  . . .’ which was the whole point of the trip for me. It was well worth the effort to reactivate old friendships, and refresh memories of so long ago. I wonder if we will have as many at the 75^th anniversary  . . . .

The reunion went from Tuesday afternoon to Friday morning. The planning and organising had taken the UK committee months and months of hard work, and if they are reading this – thank you one and all for a great 50^th Reunion!It was a sad parting as we said goodbye to my old Conway chums on the Friday morning – all good times come to end, and perhaps there will be another gathering in the not to distant future. Perhaps in Asia next time, a half way reunion – hint – hint.

It didn’t take long for us to repack the car, make our farewells and head for the next part of our holiday – Oxford.

In Oxford we would meet up with our Australian friends, who would be driving to Oxford from Yorkshire. The drive from N. Wales was pleasurable and the car performed well. Including a short break, the whole journey took us four hours.

We checked in to our Oxford accommodation, Tilbury Lodge, around 1.30 pm only to meet our friends who had arrived a few minutes earlier. On arrival we were offered tea & coffee and Maureen had her own gluten free cakes & biscuits. Tilbury Lodge from the road.

When I booked the various accommodations I informed the person with whom I made the booking, that my wife is a coeliac, and if possible could they make available gluten free items for breakfast. All but the Paris accommodation made an effort to supply gluten free bread, muffins and Danishes for breakfast, and gluten free biscuits in the bedrooms as part of their service, couldn’t fault any of them.

After unpacking we had two cars to return to the care hire agents. Fortunately the agents were not too far apart, so we returned my car first, as our friend’s agent was closer to the town centre and the walk from the agent to the town was quite short.

I’d booked us in to the Tilbury Lodge for three nights. As in most English towns three nights is never long enough to do anything but ‘taste’ the sites with an idea that perhaps next time we will stay longer. We strolled around Oxford to get the feel of the place because it was our first visit for all of us. We used to live in the UK (for 35 years) and we never managed to see Oxford. We had to move to Australia before we made our first visit.

Walking around Oxford one soon becomes aware of the history of the town. The ambience of the place helped us to slow down and to enjoy our time of just wandering. It is a bustling town, without people being in a mad rush. Everywhere we looked we saw students, and the mix of nationalities added to the pleasure. The city of dreaming spires sums up Oxford.

When we left Tilbury Lodge, Stefan the owner, explained where the local bus stop was and where we should find a bus in Oxford, for the return journey. We were given maps of the town and literature of places of interest. As the afternoon wore on and we grew tired, it didn’t take much persuading to find a nice quiet pub to sort through the literature and decided on our plans for the next two days.

 

Don’t you just love education?

The Turf Tavern is famous for its list of famous customers.

To date Bob Hawke is Australia’s longest serving labour Prime Minister – March ’83 to Dec ‘91

We decide that the next day we would visit Blenheim Palace

Where Sir Winston Churchill was born.

What an interesting day- beautiful weather, interesting guides and a stately home that is still being used as such. The gardens at the back are magnificent.

Had to take this shot as it epitomises my idea of England. The particular shade of the grass is so English. This was the side garden, what a lawn.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the house, but if you are ever in the area do pay this house a visit.

Back of the house.

The following day was Sunday and nothing really started until around 11.00 am So we decided to do an hour and a half guided tour around the colleges.

This guided walk would be closest I would ever get to attending an Oxford college.

The guide was middle aged and looked as if he had been around the colleges for years. He didn’t wear a gown, but he did have a light fawn jacket with leather patches on his elbows, very donnish, but very entertaining.

The Bodleian Library entrance.

Bridge of Sighs

We had a great morning of history, and more history, and everything is still in use.

Part of the old defence wall of Oxford.

The doorway through which a certain Mr. Potter of  Hogwarts, walked.

The real Hogwarts dining room.

All to soon it was Monday, and we had to leave Oxford for London.

When ‘building’ the holiday I considered that we would have the cost of a taxi from Tilbury Lodge to the railway station, a train from Oxford to Paddington station in London, followed by another taxi from Paddington station to our London accommodation. This whole operation would require more manhandling of bags for the males; not an attractive scenario.

For £95.00 I was able to hire a MPV vehicle, which included a driver to pick us up at Tilbury Lodge at 9.00 am and have us in our London accommodation by 11.00 am. The additional cost over taxis / rail / taxi, plus baggage handling up and down stairs & lifts was £5.00 per person – a no ‘brainer’ as they say. The journey took us an hour and three quarters door to door.

AFE at our age – anything for ease.

Our London address was Parliament View -1 Albert Embankment, London, an apartment overlooking the Houses of Parliament.

The view from the living room and also from both bedrooms.

This apartment had everything – from dishwasher to clothes washer and everything in between – a little expensive for two people, but for four it was cheaper than two rooms in many of the local hotels, and we had much more room. If we return to London, with another couple, I’d definitely stay here again.

Kitchen     

Living / dining area

The location is in the heart of London and only a walk away from the underground and along the most photographed embankment in more films than I can remember. We did see a film crew and all the actors having their lunch one day. It turns out that Sam Neil was staring in the film that was being made. Not sure of the title, but I think it might be ‘Mariah Mundai & the Midas box’. I’ve not seen it yet.

The Embankment

I started this blog with a comment about James Bond, and now we see where ‘007’ is supposed to have received his instructions from ‘M’.  Ten minutes walk from our apartment, away from the Houses of Parliament, is the MI6 building  – we did remember to smile for the cameras each time we passed this building.

We’d all visited London a number of times before, so the main sites were not our main focus this holiday, except for a visit to Buckingham Palace. The ladies wanted time to visit various shops, and the men wanted the shops to be near a pub. Everyone would be happy.

On our second day we walked the short distance from the accommodation to Buckingham palace (about fifteen minutes) and presented our prepaid tickets for a tour of the Palace. Being September the Queen is always in Scotland so the Palace is open to the public. Although my wife & I had visited the Palace in 2009 it wasn’t a hardship to return and do it all again.

Oh, so so very British.

They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We saw a guard in a sentry-box.

The rear of Buckingham Palace; everyone walks down the same steps as the Queen when she holds a garden party.

Buckingham Palace rear garden.

It is forbidden to take photographs inside the Palace.

This is from an advert to tour the Palace.

I was keen to use the Dockland Light Rail (DLR) system as I had read that it had been extended since our last visit. As 2012 was the Olympic year we decided to use the DLR to visit the Westfield shopping area near Olympic Park; as this was the largest shopping centre in Europe and it would keep the ladies happy, and I figured that there  must be a nearby pub.

I used to be in the merchant navy and I have docked a number of times in London during the 1960’s. What a change to today. What used to be working docks is now all up market apartments and boat holding areas. I wonder why I felt nostalgic for the old dirty streets around King George V docks? The place is a lot cleaner today, but is it because it has lost its old heart?

It was very pleasant to be able to sit in the front of the computer controlled DLR train and watch the view. As you see it was a beautiful day.

The rail terminus is linked to Westfield shopping centre at Olympic Park.

With three hundred shops for the ladies my friend and I wondered outside to find a pub. I was sure we would find a dock land pub, but how wrong I was. The whole area had changed and the pubs had been replaced with shops! Back in to the shopping centre until we found our way to a particular level that had a few bars – the problem was that they didn’t open until Noon and it was only 11.15 am. Oh, for the European system . . . .

Just before Noon one bar opened it was OK, but I couldn’t help wondering how much it had cost to give the place a ‘distressed’ look when most of the earlier pubs in the area were doing their best to look ‘smart’. I suppose the distressed look is in, and I am too old to appreciate the subtlety. At least the beer & the staff we were OK. I did price a pork pie and couldn’t believe that a small pub pork pie could be so expensive, but I suppose the rent that the bar owner was paying demanded high food prices. I didn’t buy the pie.

From this giant shopping area we made our way, via the DLR, to North Greenwich to ride the cable car across the Thames to the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

All my yesterday’s above

Progress I suppose, but I’m glad the kept the cranes at least it is a link with yesterday.

As we left the cable car terminal I was able to see the extent of the changes to the Royal Dock area that I knew in the ‘60’s.

It was strange to hear the airline style comments when crossing the Thames in the cable car. Being sponsored by Emirate Airlines I shouldn’t have been surprised. The ride was about five minutes but with great views.

The following day we did a walking tour, which started at the Monument if you get the chance there are several different walks. We have ‘done’ the Dickens’ walk and the City of London walk (the City is only a square mile). The guide was very informative and a good ‘chatter’ as she walked us down back alleyways that had been used by locals for hundreds of years.

We met some interesting people (Liverymen) and found quiet church gardens in the heart of the city.

Our four nights in London ended all to soon and once again it was time for us to move on, and our next stop was Paris to start the journey home.
The 8.30 am Eurostar soon had us in Paris at 11.50 am – just in time for lunch.

After checking in to the same hotel in Paris (Hotel France Albion) that we used at the beginning of our holiday, it was a short walk to St George Tavern. We didn’t know of this place beforehand, but just noticed it as we were walking around looking for a likely lunchtime café. The food was just great, and the staff, who were a mix of French and Swedish, were very helpful.

After lunch we decide to walk to the top of Monmarte again, to buy a few souvenirs. Just before we reached the top it started to rain, and did it rain! Within a short time everyone was soaked.

We did feel sorry for the young couple that had just been married and arrived in Montmarte to have their wedding photographs.

The young couple are a little damp; they are sitting down, with the professional photographer kneeling.

As the rain grew heavier we decided to make our way back to the hotel. Obviously everyone else thought the same thing, and we were unable to find a taxi, so we decided to walk. We walked down hill and zig-zagged, as we thought to the correct area at the bottom. Only it wasn’t the bottom of the hill were we expected to be, and we had another thirty odd minutes walk to reach an area that we recognised. We did see a different part of Paris though, mainly north African Parisians.

In the evening we ate at a local restaurant, and on the way back to the hotel my friend and I clicked these two picture, which epitomised Paris in the rain – it made one feel that we should be sitting and watching the world go by.

The following morning was our departure time from Europe to Sydney.

Check-in at the airport went smoothly, after which we were given a pass to the Air France business class lounge (Qatar Airways do not yet have their own lounge in Paris). What a disappointment for such a prestige airline as Air France. We had packets of peanuts, croissants & jam for breakfast – they didn’t have any hot food, and it was a queue to create your own coffee from a single machine. The place was packed with travellers. While in the lounge I checked on the internet for any comments about Air France’s Paris airport lounge (Charles de Gaul airport), and received dozens of complaints about this particular lounge. It appears to have been in the process of being ‘upgraded’ for some time. I suppose it could be the home carrier syndrome – you’ll fly with us anyway! Well my wife & I will not be flying with Air France in the future. They have a lot to learn from Asian & Middle East carriers.

The return flight with Qatar Airways was a s good as the outbound flights, and after leaving Paris at 11.50 am – still hungry, until the lunchtime canapes and a calming glass of Champagne –  we arrived in Doha at 6.55 pm (same day, local time) to connect with the Colombo flight an hour later. We arrived in Colombo on schedule at 3.25 am local time – a big mistake.

What seemed simple on paper, and a small wait of four hours, was interminable from 3.25 am to 7.40 am, waiting for the Sri Lanka airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur.

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 2.00 pm (allowing for time change – we flew in to the future). Immigration and customs went smoothly and I’d booked transport for the four of us from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur Int’l Airport) to Melaka (Malacca), about a two-hour drive. After exiting the control area I walked slowly along the meeters & greeters looking for my name, and the driver of the transport. Couldn’t see him, so we waited about ten minutes and I walked back along the line, just in case the driver was late. Nothing!

It was obvious to the group of meeters & greeters that something was wrong. One of the drivers in the group stepped forward and asked if he could help. The bottom line is that we had to hire another vehicle and driver, at a price of 50% more than the contracted price. Fortunately I had not paid for the first driver & vehicle. Everything is relative – the cost should have been around $47 and we ended up paying $70 per couple. The $23 difference is not a lot in our world, but I’ll be more careful in future picking transport companies.

We stayed at the Casa del Rio, because the last time we visited Melaka we saw the hotel being built, and thought it looked a great place to stay. We’d stayed at the Casa del Mar in Langkawi in 2011, and the Casa del Rio is in the same group (as is the Concorde Hotel in KL and the Concorde Inn near KLIA as well as Hard Rock Cafe). The company has my name on file, so it was nice to receive this leaf, along with cold drinks on arrival. Pity about the name being the wrong way around for our culture – but it is the thought that counts. The scar on my chin is a due to shaving on the aircraft when we hit an air pocket – it took most of the day to stop bleeding.

We arrived about 5.00 pm, checked in and all met downstairs around 6.30 pm.

View from our balcony                                                                                                                                               Evening view from the hotel’s waterside restaurant area.

Casa del Rio from across the river.

This is not the swimming pool, which is on the roof, but the reception area, along with a library, breakfast room, bar etc. It was very pleasant to sit in the shaded alcoves around this ornamental pool with a cool drink. I must say that the food in both the Casa del Mar (Langkawi) & the Casa del Rio (Melaka) was excellent, and not too expensive considering the standard of the hotel. The cost would have been below a good Sydney restaurant.

Same view point at night

The bedrooms are large and very comfortable. The bathroom is well equipped with separate bath & shower and plenty of work areas. Wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again.

Our stay in Malacca was nothing but a rest time – sounds funny having a rest after such a holiday, but a quiet time was appreciated. We visited most, if not all, of the historic sites during our last visit and all we wanted to do was ‘veg out’, which we did.

Jonker Street – food, shops, entertainment & a few drinks.

The morning after

The Geographer Bar

The only place to be on Jonker Street for lunch, while the ladies window shop.

All good things come to an end and we had to return to Kuala Lumpur for our last night to catch a 9.00 am flight the following day to Sydney. The problem was that I’d booked the Rumah Putih for B & B on the wrong night! I’d booked the accommodation for the night that we land in Sydney rather than the night before and of course when we arrived at Rumah Putih they were full!

The owner, James, did look a little surprised when we all turned up asking for our old rooms. As soon as it was realised that I’d stuffed up, James started ring around for alternative accommodation. Would you believe it that every hotel close to the airport, in our price bracket, was full? Eventually he found a hotel in Putrajaya (the new capital of Malaysia) and I was able to book it using my computer, because it was cheaper to book over the net than in person. James was kind enough to drive us to the hotel. It was lesson for me to be more careful, or buy a calendar.

The following morning we were on the 9.00 am flight to Sydney – our holiday was over.

I took this in the garden of York House in Hay on Wye – an English rose.

Vietnam – 2007

As a group we’d ‘done’ Malaysia in 2005 and Sri Lanka in 2006, with a few days in Malaysia before and after our visit to Sri Lanka. So when I was asked ‘Where next?’ I was reading ‘Brighton Rock’ by Graham Green, so I thought why not Vietnam to see the Continental Hotel in Saigon (now Ho Chi minh), where Graham Green wrote much of his novel The Quiet American. Fortunately none of the group had been involved with the Vietnam War, so we didn’t have any hidden memories to consider.

This is the hotel where Graham Green wrote much of ‘The Quiet American’, published in 1955.

Flying out of Australia, in 2007, we could travel by Air Vietnam or Qantas, but when I checked on the prices I realised that Air Vietnam had a virtual ‘monopoly’ on the route. Qantas did not operate their own aircraft, but sold tickets on their subsidiary airline Jetstar. Once I knew this I checked the cost of the Jetstar tickets. Still too expensive after one added various additional charges for food, drink, entertainment, etc . My wife & I and another couple had flown Jetstar on a domestic route for a ninety-minute flight. We found them satisfactory, but as I am over six feet tall (188cm in new money) the limited space in economy was tolerable for a maximum of ninety-minutes, so an eight-hour flight was out of the question, it had to be Air Vietnam. Or did it?

I spent some time checking a number of different airlines Malaysian Airlines (our old friend), which would require a night stop in Kuala Lumpur (more cost), Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong was too expensive, Thai International; a possibility over Bangkok, but they were expensive, so I finally checked Singapore Airlines and their rate was the same as Jetstar fare plus the cost of the additions for food, drink entertainment etc. In fact Singapore was a few dollars cheaper than the total Jetstar price, and much cheaper than Air Vietnam, so it was Singapore Airlines, but we would require an hour and a bit transit time in Singapore; but our bags would be booked through to Saigon.

I booked us all on SQ (Singapore code) and we left Sydney at 8.30 am and connected with the 2.40 pm flight from Singapore to Saigon, arriving at 3.45 pm local time. I found it ironic that if we’d have booked the more expensive Jetstar we would not have arrived in Saigon until around 10.00 pm.
After booking with SQ I realised that we could claim discounted hotel rates in Singapore, because we had a SQ ticket, plus using this airline gave us other benefits from discounted entrance fees to many places of interest, a free tour of Singapore, so a couple of nights in Singapore, at the end of our trip, was on the cards.

Having booked the tickets, now we required hotels – I researched various hotels in Saigon for a mixture of price, standard of accommodation, as we are too old for backpacker style hotel and not wealthy enough to disregard the cost. At the same time I contacted a number of local travel agency / companies in Vietnam for ideas and quotes for various tours. I found all of the companies that I contacted cheaper than dealing with an Australian travel company, but I did not have the buyer protection of dealing with an Australia company. Having already had dealings with travel agents in Malaysia and Sri Lanka I felt confident that I would be able to smell a con. In the end I decided to deal with a company called Aurora Travel, and the person who became my main contact was a lady called Van. She couldn’t do enough for me, answering all my e-mails promptly, suggesting places to see, commented on my suggestions, some were positive and some negative, but always kind and friendly.

Between Van and my group, via yours truly, we finalised a tour and our hotels in Saigon (Ho Chi minh), Hoi An, Hanoi and Halong Bay. The whole holiday was going to be two weeks from the 28th February, to arriving back in Sydney on the morning of the 15th March. Our time in Vietnam was going to be twelve days with two nights in Singapore on the way home.

After my research of the hotels I picked the Windsor Hotel in Saigon. Windsor Hotel with shopping arcade underneath.

Van asked if I realised that this hotel was not in the centre, but that the hotel did offer a free minibus service in to Saigon centre. I was aware that the location was a little bit out of the town, but this didn’t bother us, as we knew of the free transport. The actual time to get from the hotel to the centre is about five to eight minutes (depending on traffic) and we didn’t consider it ‘out of town’ at all. The price of the Windsor Hotel fitted our budget, plus for $15 extra a night, we could have a room on the Executive Floor where they served food and cocktails from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm. It was a ‘no brainer’ as we knew that wine was expensive in Vietnam and the Exec Floor served French wines. The best $15 purchase for a long time. I think the club floor was a new idea for this hotel, because the range and amount of food was quite large. It was much more than cocktail nibbles, being a range of hot food from fried rice through to various meat dishes, all very tasty. We did have one small problem; the bar staff kept the red wine in the fridge and the white wine on top of the fridge. It didn’t take long for us to get things changed.

Hotel Windsor foyer

The bedrooms were a very good size, with comfortable beds and everywhere was clean and they offered non-smoking rooms, which is a huge plus for hotels in Vietnam, where I think smoking is compulsory. Both the bedrooms and the Club Floor had views across the rooftops of the city.

Hotel room

On the top floor, one up from the Executive floor, was a bar and a swimming pool.

View from the Executive Floor.

Khao, (pronounce Quar) our guide for Saigon and surrounding area, met us at the airport. Khao is married to an English schoolteacher, and at that time he was about to become a father. He has since become the father of Rosie.
Khao’s command of English was very good, partly due to his father, who used to work for the Americans during the American War, and of course being married to Michelle, his English wife helped. Those of us in the West refer to the war between Vietnam and America as the Vietnam War, but in Vietnam it is called the American War.

The number of motorbikes is frightening, but after a while you get used to them and you are able to cross the road in safety even though the bikes are zipping past you at a rate of knots.

I used to keep an eye out for an old lady and I would follow her across the road. Age is revered in Asia and I knew that they wouldn’t hit an old lady – I was right. Eventually I ran out of old ladies and had to make the trip on my own.
We had four days in Saigon (Ho Chi minh). On the first day we had a tour of the city followed by a visit to the War Remnants Museum.

The place was full of US tanks, artillery, planes etc as well as N. Vietnamese equipment.

The museum also had a guillotine, which had been used in the 20th century.

From this museum we moved on to the Reunification Palace. It didn’t register with me until we were inside the building and I looked out of the window and suddenly realised I was looking down on the spot where the N.Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates and brought the war to an end.

The tanks came up the road in front of the fountain and smashed through the gates.

I’m not sure if you can see the two tanks, which are now museum pieces, but are kept on show as a reminder. It was very dramatic for me, as I can remember the TV news as the tanks arrived.
This is a close up of one of the tanks as a museum piece.

The viewing of the Palace, and hearing of the history of Saigon under the French, South Vietnamese, Americans and eventually the Vietnamese was very interesting.

In the afternoon we visited the tunnels, which are just outside Saigon.

You can see how small the entrance to one of the tunnels is – this was our guide. Later we were shown tunnel opening, which have been enlarged to allow well-fed westerners to experience crawling along a tunnel.


This is the enlarged opening of a tunnel entrance, just for us westerners.

The next picture is the entrance to a tunnel where you can crawl for about  30 metres underground. I tried it, but being rather large I become stuck in a tunnel and had to back crawl out. The tunnels have bends in them so you, as the crawler, blocks all form of light, which comes from behind. I could not see anything in front of me so wasn’t sure where the tunnel went around a corner – another reason for me to get out. Some of our group did cover the whole underground course.

A shot of the tunnel, after climbing down the ladder from ground level.

Later we had the chance of firing an AK47 for $1 a shot – two of us ‘invested’ $10 for five shots each – last of the big spenders. We were aiming at targets about 75 meters away – I managed to hit the surrounding sandbags.

We were also shown various booby traps used during the war. The afternoon was very interesting, and brought to life how frightening the war was for both sides. Carpet-bombing to booby traps.

The following day we were picked up at 8.00 am and driven to the Mekong Delta. This was a full day. We crossed the Mekong in a small-motorised boat. Once on the other side, amongst the mangrove swamps, we switched to a much smaller boat, paddled by one man.

We visited a bee farm – the bees do not sting – just produce honey.

From here we moved on to a small factory that made coconut sweets, watched local dancing and then on to lunch. I’m not a big fish eater (can’t stand the bones), but we were offered ‘Elephant ear’ fish.

The above shows what was left after we got stuck in to the fish. There was plenty of meat on them; we also had very large tiger prawns, spicy beef, fried rice and vegetables so I couldn’t complain about going hungry. And beer was included, of course, as it was HOT and humid!

The following day was a free day for some shopping. The curtesy bus from / to the hotel and the centre worked well and was well used by the guests. I’d stay at the Windsor again next time I visit Saigon or Ho Chi minh to be PC, even though the airport code is still SGN.

Our time in Saigon was over as the alarm went at 2.00 am for a 4.00 am pick-up, for the ride to the airport. Cardboard breakfasts are never my favourite food. For those who are wondering what is a cardboard breakfast it is a small individual cardboard box containing a piece of fruit, croissants (some stuffed with chocolate), a ‘Danish’ or two and a plastic drink container – could be fruit juice or water. Obviously the breakfast room is not open at 3.30 am, so we made do with a cardboard breakfast while checking out and waiting for our transport.

It was goodbye and many thanks to Khao as he left us at the airport to check-in for the 6.00 am Air Vietnam flight to Danang. Our final destination would be Hoi An, on the north east coast of the country.

Danang, China Beach and Good Morning Vietnam – with Robin Williams’ Viva Danang comes to mind when I think of this area.

On arrival we were met by Phong ‘Our man in Danang’, which sounded like another Graham Green novel. (Our man in Havana). On the way to Hoi An we diverted to Marble Mountain as we could not check-into the hotel until Noon. The town below the ‘mountain’ lives off creating artefacts from marble. The problem is that they are no longer allowed to use the marble of the mountain so they import the stuff from Italy!

The climb to the top (via many, many steps) was hard going for us considering the early rise and the growing heat, but we managed to make it to the top.

The view from the top of Marble Mountain

This is a view from the top of Marble Mountain towards China Beach.

Working the marble.

It was a spot of R&R for us as we made our way from the mountain down to China Beach. You can see a pillbox in the background.

A close up of the pillbox on China Beach.

From China Beach we made our way to Hoi An. What a lovely small town that still has many of its old buildings in use. Narrow streets just made for walking. The pace of life is slow and for us it was just right.

A street scene along Hoi An waterfront.

Health and safety – never heard of it  . . .  The man on the roof is hauling up a wheelbarrow full of mixed cement.

Hoi An from the river. A nice quiet setting.       Market Day ?

The front drive of our hotel              

The pool was clean and very pleasant for swimming. The rooms were dark wood furniture, with wooden floors for coolness. Fully air-conditioned. The only small problem I had while staying at this hotel was that they charged me for the small containers of milk after we had used the two in the fridge. Later they asked me to fill in a guest form being a foreigner, so I made the comment that charging for 20 ml of milk will turn people away as tourist object to being ripped – off.

I posted the comment card in the box provided, and we all went off for the day sightseeing. On our return I was asked by the Manager to join him as he had read my comments and wanted clarification. We had a very friendly chat and he accepted my ‘complaint’ about the charge for the milk – the charges were cancelled, and he put out instructions that the front desk would no longer charge for small items. The Manager was very interested in what I had to say, and asked me about the different hotels that I’d stayed during the previous couple of years. He only had local hotels to judge if he was offering the correct service to international travellers, so he was very keen to learn.

Hoi An is famous for its tailoring industry. There are many tailoring shops and you can order a tailor made suit or pair of slacks or shorts at 9.00 am and they will be ready at 5.00 pm. If they are not ready they will deliver free of charge to the hotel (delivery is free, not the garment) – one of our group had a small problem with the fit of a finished article at 5.00 pm. The problem was fixed and the goods delivered to the hotel around 9.00 pm. A sale is everything.

There are a few cars in Hoi An; plenty of motor bikes and peddle trishaws for getting around.  We had a large choice of restaurants and street cafes – all are inexpensive, except for the wine, but what you save on the food and beer goes towards the wine – not a problem really.

I knew that the group loved Asian food s when booking the holiday I also booked us all to attend a cooking school. To get to the school we had to go by boat.
The trip itself was interesting as we passed fishermen and local duck farmers.

The school was a great experience. We were shown how to prepare various dishes and we were told that what ever we produced was our lunch (the price of the education included lunch!). We were expected to carve cucumber in to a fan design, split tomatoes in a particular way and use one of the cooking rings to produce eggplant soup, fresh rice paper sheets, Hoi An pancakes and more. All of this was outside under a suspended roof area (no walls) for coolness and the people showing us how things were done were very helpful and entertaining, particularly the chef who was very funny. I was surprised at the lack of flies; consider all the cooking and raw ingredients.
At the end of our lesson we were invited in to the main house for cool drinks. It was here that we found out that we were not expected to eat the food that we had prepared. A full lunch was laid on with soft drinks. We could have wine & beer (an extra cost) but it was inexpensive.
On the way back the boatman was kind enough to let me pilot the boat back to Hoi An. It reminded me of my time at HMS Conway and when at sea using the lifeboats to go ashore.

Not far outside Hoi An is Myson ancient monuments of Hindu worship temples built around 400 AD.

During bombing raids the people would hide in the surrounding caves. It was unfortunate that some of these remains where damaged in the bombing.      

Our guide was nice and friendly and very pleasant, but his English was not as fluent as Khao in Saigon. On the other hand, my Vietnamese wasn’t very good either.

We had three nights in Hoi An and if I return to Vietnam I will make a point of visiting Hoi An again, as I found it to be a very friendly and pleasant place. If you do visit Hoi An try the Cargo Club bar & restaurant overlooking the river. Book an evening table upstairs and watch the lights on the river. Food was great, the wine was good and the ambience was just ‘spot on’.

From Hoi An we flew from Danang by Air Vietnam to Hanoi. What a change in the weather. The previous two week in Hanoi had been beautiful (or so we were told), but we had to visit Hanoi in the coldest snap that they had for years, considering the time of year. It was cold and wet and we were rigged out for the tropics.

Phnong, our Hanoi guide, met us at the airport (in a heated bus) and took us to the Hoabinh Hotel – old world charm with a strong French influence. Our room was quite large with a small sitting room attached – all open plan.

The following morning I met Van. I had paid a deposit via bank transfer from Australia and when the money arrived it was $30 short due to the Singapore bank taking their cut, although when I asked my bank (in Sydney)  if there would be any additional charges. I was assured that there would not be – no comment. I asked Van, by e-mail, how did she want me to pay the balance of the travel agent fee and she told me not to use the banks, but to bring cash and to choose whether we paid in Saigon or Hanoi. I chose Hanoi and asked her if she would visit our hotel to accept the cash so that she could meet the group, and we could thank her for all her work. So we met Van in the hotel foyer and paid her the outstanding amount. It was a pleasure doing business with Aurora Travel and it was all down to Van’s focus on customer service.

Later that morning a two hour cycle tour had been arranged – fortunately it was via trishaw and we were not expected to peddle.  

Marvellous Malaysia – 2005    

Our 2004 holiday had been our first holiday in fifteen years. I was made redundant in 1995, after which I started my own company, so there was little cash left for holidays after funding the company and living. Prior to ’95, with two high school children still at home, we could not afford holidays, so our ‘holidays’ were all based around home – it was cheaper. We enjoyed the Malaysian visit in 2004 on the way home from the UK, so much so that we decided to have a holiday, just in Malaysia in 2005.

During the research period, two friends asked if we wanted company because they liked what we had told them about Kuala Lumpur. Of course we agreed, so I started planning for four. A couple of weeks later another couple asked if they could join us, and I revised my plans to accommodate six. By September the party of holidaymakers had grown to eight. All of us had been friends of the person who died in May 2004.

After checking the Internet prices I approached a number of travel agents for a ‘good deal’ on eight tickets to Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian Airlines offered the best deal, via one of the agents, so I booked for a departure on Sunday the 13th March 2005.

A timetable was produced, with suggested accommodation and the number of nights in each. The holiday was to be ten days, and I wanted to keep it under $2,000 per person for all transport and accommodation and sightseeing. The group agreed the basic timetable and estimated costs and I was asked to arrange everything.

To get us all to the airport it was cheaper to hire a minibus, with driver, than mess about with separate cars or taxis. At that time there were a couple of companies in our area that specialised in this type of work so by the use of a few e-mails, rates were obtained, and our own dedicated minibus was arranged. The minibus would collect us all from a single meeting point, my home, and return us at the end of the holiday. A single pick up was much cheaper than four individual pickups.

The flight was a Sunday afternoon departure that arrived in KL around 9.00pm. The travel agent had arranged for a local Malaysian company to meet us with a minibus large enough for eight Aussies and their suitcases and hand baggage. We cleared customs & immigration quite quickly, and made our way to the meeting place. Within a short time the area became very quiet as most of the other passengers caught buses or taxis to their destination. This was when I started to have misgivings – where was our transport?  It had taken about an hour to clear customs an immigration so it was now around 10.20 pm. I tried to ring the local phone number, that the Sydney agent supplied, but all I heard was the normal message about their opening hours – they would not be open at 10.30pm on a Sunday night!

I left the others, who didn’t seem to be all that concerned, (innocents abroad?) and went in search of transport for the sixty-minute drive to the hotel. My first effort at arranging a group holiday had fallen at the first fence!

Fortunately I met a young Malaysian who could see that I was a little ‘concerned’ and he arranged for another minibus to take us in to the city. Of course we had to pay again (I had already paid the Sydney travel company when I made the booking).

This experience was a steep learning curve for me, and it was the last time I relied on anyone else to handle the meet & greet part of our holidays.

Because Maureen and I had such a pleasant experience in 2004, at our request the agent booked us in to the Renaissance Hotel We were in our rooms just after midnight (our body clock was 3.00 am Sydney time) – the phone rang at 8.00am – it was the original company telling me that they thought we were arriving on Monday i.e that day! The young Malaysian, who helped us at the airport, must have informed them of our arrival. At the end of the holiday I wrote to his company to let them know how helpful he had been and we were not even his clients.

The caller was very apologetic and asked if I had a receipt for the transport. Of course I did, so they sent a messenger around with the cash to reimburse my expenses along with a written apology from the manager. I couldn’t fault their service recovery.

We used this company later for additional ground transport.

In the meantime, we all wanted to see Malacca (now spelt Melaka) so I asked the Sydney agent for a rate for a day trip. The drive to Malacca was about two hours from KL, mainly freeway driving.

The Sydney agent’s rate (which was to include lunch) would be AUD $53 per person, which I thought was rather expensive. I contacted a travel agent in Kuala Lumpur and asked for a a day rate for a minibus and an English speaking driver who would also act as our guide. They came back with RM 380 for the day. At that time, this equated to AUD $129.00 or $16.13 per person – but we would have to buy our own lunch! I knew from my time at sea that in the heat of the tropical day we would eat very little for lunch, but we would need plenty of water. We booked with the KL agent.

Because the KL agent’s Malacca rate was so much cheaper than the Sydney agent, we also used him for a three and a half hour morning sightseeing trip around KL – the cost was $8 each for our own air-conditioned minibus.
We were shown the Sultan’s Palace, War Memorial, the main Malaysian Mosque, the meeting of the two rivers (the Klang and Gombak) which gives Kuala Lumpur its name – Kuala means junction and Lumpur means muddy – KL means ‘muddy river junction’.

Sultan’s Palace                      War Memorial                      Main Mosque

We also visited a batik factory, Selanger Club, the Old Railway station, drove through China town, visited an Indian temple and then back to KLCC (the Petronas Twin Towers) for lunch.
We all thought that the $8 cost was well worth the trip.

The following day was Melaka

Christ Church                              Flor de la Mar

Our time in Malacca was all too short and we vowed to return one day and book over night accommodation.

Inside the replica of the Portuguese sailing vessel Flor de la Mar, is a maritime museum, which I found very interesting. If you feel energetic, and the heat doesn’t bother you too much, a climb to the top of St John’s Fort would give a great view across the town and out to sea. The whole town is steeped in history – if you have the chance, do visit Malacca.

Back at KL it was happy hour – buy one and get the next one free – around the Renaissance pool – a great way to relax after a long day and the heat.

One can not visit KL without visiting the shops – at that time Times Square was advertised as the largest shopping complex in Asia – I have my doubts, but they did have a full scale ‘thrill ride’ i.e a switch back ride, all under the one roof, which is called the

‘Supersonic Odyssey’

The only way to go shopping!

In the afternoon we visited Petaling Street – the street famous for its fakes, from DVDs & CDs to famous named handbags. I think the only thing that was for sale that was original, was the beer in the Swiss Hotel, which is right on Petaling Street.

We decided to have a cold drink at this hotel and were sitting outside on the pavement when suddenly the stallholders started to frantically dismantle the stalls and pack up their goods. It was a raid by Malaysian customs. The ‘genuine’ fakes disappeared faster than snow in the summer. During the raid a crowd gathered near us and seemed quite agitated. It turned out that one of the stallholders, an elderly man, in his rush not to be caught had a heart attack and died on the street.

Within an hour the raid was over and the stallholders were setting up their stalls once again. It had a feeling that a shower of rain had caused the close down and now that it had passed it was business as usual.

If one is buying DVDs the stalls have portable DVD players to allow you to check the quality. Some copies of major films have been filmed with a hand held camera in the cinema, which includes the coughs and sneezes of the audience. Buyer should beware.

Of course, as one of our group works in the funeral industry we had to take photographs of the local coffin supplier.

After four nights in KL we packed our bags and left in two hired vehicles for the Cameron Highlands. These Highlands were very popular with the British during the colonial times. The building of ‘imperial belvederes’, as Robert Aiken, the hill station historian, called the bungalows and hotels, were practical as well as symbolic.

The original idea was for sanatoriums to preserve the health of the British in the tropics. In time these bungalows and hotels, miles away from the tropical heat of the low land areas, became a world of their own. The highlands were named after William Cameron in 1885.

What used to take days before the road had been hacked out and upgraded, took us four hours from KL to the Strawberry Park Resort.

We did a two hours drive on a freeway and then climbed the highlands via a very winding road that took a further two hours. A few of us were affected by the vehicles swing around curve after curve of the road. Once at the top the view was spectacular and the sickness soon left us. The hotel was my choice, but booked by the travel agent. Each room had a small balcony with bougainvillea flowers around the railing.

The local town, a short taxi ride away, was Tanah Rata.

The following day we hired a local minibus and driver for a four and a half hour drive around the area. We visited a flower and cactus farm, a tea plantation, a butterfly farm with insects and the local flower and veg market.

Cameron Highlands is famous for the strawberry farms. We tasted strawberries with real taste, on their own, with cream and scones, as a milkshake – the berries grow all the year round. About 7% of the land is used for towns and farming, the remainder is still tropical jungle. We found the area very interesting with its own mystery of Jim Thompson, the founder of the modern Thai silk industry. On Easter Sunday 1967, he was 61 years old, and staying at Moonlight Cottage, which is very close to the Strawberry Park Resort. He liked to walk alone and left the cottage at 3.00pm and was never seen again. A massive search with local trackers took place but they have never been able to find his body or any signs of where he went. Thompson’s sister, living in Philadelphia at the time was found murdered in August of 1967. This helped build the ‘mystery’ of the missing man. It was a year to the day that Thompson’s dog, in Bangkok, went missing and has never been found.

As much as we enjoyed the Cameron Highland, we only allowed ourselves two nights at the Strawberry Park Resort before moving on to Penang.  It was a four and a half hour drive. For the first hour and a half we descended the Highlands, via a different route than we used to get to the top. It was a much better road, wider and with far less bends, more like a mini freeway.

The new (to me) bridge joining Penang Island and the mainland of Malaysia is magnificent. It is 13.5 km long. Although opened in 1985 it has already been expanded from a four lane to a six-lane highway. Click on the bridge link for more details.
Malaysia is in the process of building another bridge between Penang and the mainland, which will be 24 km long and will be the longest bridge in S.E. Asia

Our destination was the Bayview Beach Resort at Ferranghi Beach. We had a ‘side on’ room, which gave us a view of the ocean, and also allowed us to look inland to the hills.

The beds were huge, and one member of our group commented that he was glad that he had two mobile phones as this allowed him to talk to his wife when they were in bed. The bathroom was one of the largest I have seen with a full size bath with a shower over the bath and a separate shower, which was big enough to invite ‘friends’ to join you. The hotel was right on the beach with plenty of lawn to separate the sandy beach from the hotel’s pool area.

We stayed for four nights at $79 a room per night, which included breakfast for two; it was great value as the hotel was listed as a four star.

After checking in to the Bayview we strolled around Batu Ferringhi (it means ‘foreigners rock’ in English) and decided to have dinner at a Chinese restaurant a short walk from the hotel. The tables were outside in a courtyard area, where we were entertained by a large number of monkeys running along the power and phone wires, which were strung across the road. At least they kept their distance and just shouted at us during our meal.

As night began to fall the stallholders started to rig their stalls. Some were lit with kerosene lamps and others, with the help of a small generator, electricity. Trestle tables piled high with goods for sale soon attracted us. The market stretched for two or more kilometres along the beach side of the main road. The other side of the road was a mixture of small bars and restaurants. If you didn’t feel like walking trishaws were available for hire. The atmosphere of the place encourages slow strolling, fingering the goods and buying after bartering with the stallholder. Although enjoyable, the choice of goods offered was not as comprehensive as the market in Pateling Street, Kuala Lumpur.

There are a number of travel agents along the road, so, during our stroll we booked a minibus for a tour of Penang Island for the following morning.

The tour was four hours. As today was a Sunday we visited a flea market, which is only open on Sundays – it was more for the locals than the tourists, but the batteries for cameras, torches etc were cheap. This was followed by visit to a snake farm, a snake temple (quite interesting) and China Town. It was hot, so four hours sight seeing was enough, back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon at the pool.

The following day we hired another minibus to see the botanical gardens, they were beautiful, but we had to keep an eye out for the monkeys, as they would steal handbags etc.

Next stop was the Peak Railway.

The ride to the top was about thirty minutes, with stops at a couple of small stations on the way. Although the view on the day we arrived was not as good as I have seen in photos, due to air pollution I think, it was still dramatic and well worth the trip. In 2010 they stopped the service for an upgrade and now, according to reports, the trip will only take ten minutes. It is a shame as the ride in the train is a big part of the pleasure of visiting the Peak. At the Peak there are old wooden rail cars that were used many years ago. Check this link for some great photos of the Peak railway system.

The oldest mosque in Penang was our next stop followed by Chinese Clan houses, and then Fort Cornwallis and the Francis Light Museum.

Fort Cornwallis,

The end of our sightseeing was at the Farquhar Bar at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel. This hotel is a real oasis for those suffering from the heat of the day. We were so impressed with the E & O that we promised we would return one day to stay overnight. The E & O has now become one of our favourite hotels.

Farquhar Bar at the E & O.

Being from Australia we had heard so much about Butterworth in Malaysia that we just had to go and see the place where our forces used to be based.

We caught the ferry across to the mainland and passed through waters that brought back many memories for me. As a young man, in my teens and early twenties, during my time at sea, a regular port of call was Penang. At that time we anchored off shore and worked cargo in to lighters and barges. After forty years ships still anchored off Penang and worked cargo.

Ships working cargo.        Penang ferry to the mainland.

The ferry trip is about ten minutes and on arrival at Butterworth, after passing what appeared to be a type of railway museum, we found a couple of taxis to take us to the military camp. The town is not a tourist destination. The military base is now a Malaysian base.

The following day was our last day in Penang. The island is called the Pearl of the Orient, and it is a pearl of a place. During our time in Ferringhi we met a Dutch couple that had just arrived for their 26^th or 27^th visit. We were told that Penang grows on you; I think this is true.

Penang is a cross roads between the East and the West. Fortunately many of its building have been preserved and to walk down certain streets is to walk in to the past.

Clan Houses                    One of the many older buildings

The smell, the ambience of the place took me back forty years to my youth. With such scenes it was easy to imagine being a spice trader a hundred years ago.

Tomorrow we leave for home.

We were away for eleven nights and the cost per person came in lower than my original estimate of $2,000. It came in at $1,747.00, which included airfares, bed and breakfast, tours and all transport to the Cameron Highlands and from the Highlands to Penang. Airport transfers to the city and from Ferringhi to Penang airport, I was happy with the price as it was cheaper than similar travel agent packages, and we controlled the pace and places that we wished to see.

We were in the minibus from Sydney Airport to our homes, when someone shouted  ‘Where are we going next year?’

It was nice to know that people enjoyed themselves so much that they were willing to risk another holiday arranged by an amateur.

The three nights passed all too quickly and then we were on our way home to Sydney.

Once again a chauffeur driven limo (a normal size vehicle this time) met us at the airport to take us home.
We were away for 29 days, and arrived home on the 19th May, 2004.