The overnight train to Butterworth in Malaysia is a 19-hour trip (6:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.) It runs only once a day. There are no sleeper cabins, so we're in a dorm-like sleeper car. Sleep doesn't come easily, but no one snores and it beats the alternative of sitting up all night by a million miles.

December 17, 2003
traveling to Ipoh, Malaysia
7 km today / 628 km to date

From the train window, Malaysia looks just a little lusher (we're getting close to the Equator), but still very flat -- lots of rice paddies. Crossing the border is easy (take bags off, go through immigration and customs, get back on the train with bags, all within an hour), but we've been advised that from the border to the train destination 250km into Malaysia, there will be no cargo car and our bikes can't be transported. Since we can't go without our bikes, we're hooped. We've done a little thinking about this, tossing ideas for alternatives around, but have been at this long enough to know that its best to wait and see if we can't work something out. Usually, in a crunch, people will work with us to sort something out.

Sure enough, about two minutes before the train leaves and just as I'm about to unload all our stuff in defeat, Brent comes back, very nonchalant. Did you work something out? Of course, he says, smiling. Hero worship is in order for a couple of minutes.

Our trials were smaller than four young Brits on the train. They didn't realize the train travelled to Malaysia and thought they'd be disembarking still in Thailand. Once they realized we weren't pulling their legs, they had a few moments panic and, like all other travelers, soon adjusted to the idea of a new adventure. Last we saw them they were at a money-changer.

Our transfer from train to bus was remarkably smooth. The stations are side by side, so we just wandered over. Unlike Thailand, most people in Malaysia speak some English, so we had no trouble figuring out how it all would work.

We wandered over to the food stalls to grab a quick bite and realized we're going to have to learn another whole new food vocabulary. We ordered the only thing on the lists we recognized - Nasi Goren - and chowed down.

When it came time to load our bikes on the bus we realized there was no way they'd fit underneath in the baggage compartment. The area was quite small and was rapidly becoming jammed with bags and suitcases and boxes. The driver shrugged his shoulders -- tough luck. But one enterprising ticket collector beckoned for us to put them inside the bus at the back. It took some maneuvering but, without too much effort, we had our bikes and panniers occupying the rear seats. No one seemed to mind that all our stuff took up about 1/5 of the bus!

The hotel we had picked from a list on the Internet looked like a real dive. Gambling, seedy looking characters, minimum room rental time 4 hours, dirt and grime. I stayed with he bicycles while Brent went in to check it out -- I couldn't believe my ears when he said he'd booked us in! Bikes onto the elevator, up two floors and coming out its like a different world. Colonial charm, it would be called. Long (100 metre) colonnaded veranda, with rooms directly off the veranda. Ours is huge -- would easily fit 5 or 6 people. It was probably the "CP-equivalent" hotel in its heyday. Here's hoping someone takes it over and refurbishes if. It would be quite a heritage gem in a town which lacks heritage character.

Brent has been in Internet contact with a fellow birder in Ipoh which is why we're here in the first place -- and why we hurried on trains and buses to get here. Even at that, we didn't expect to get here so easily and early. But in response to Brent's checking-in phone call with Beng, he says he'll be right over. We have a quick chat -- and then the most amazing hospitality I've ever heard of kicks in. Beng has never met us, yet......

He drives us to his house where we pick up his wife, Siew Lan, and go to a vegetarian Chinese-food restaurant. (Amazing place -- all fancy decorated vegetarian food designed and cooked to look and taste like meat dishes. We had vegetarian forms of crispy duck, fish, fusion food. Wild.) Beng has called a fellow birder, Lawrence Poh, who is very famous in birding circles for his invention of digi-scoping, which is an innovation that allows combining a digital camera with a telescope for close-ups of birds. Lawrence has already eaten dinner, but comes to join us anyway. We all chatter away so long that the restaurant closes; they take us to a golf-club for late night tea and we sort out how Brent can best join them for some birding. Beng is certain Brent must get to Fraser's Hill, but its 250 km, on secondary rods, no public transport. There's no way we can get to Fraser's Hill and back.

By the time the evening is over, Lawrence has loaned us his car for 3 days so we can get to Fraser's Hill, then we are to return to Ipoh for 2 days where we will stay with Siew Lan and Beng. They give us maps, make arrangements to get us to Kuala Lumpur (300 km) in time for our flight on Monday. This is unbelievable -- a few hours ago none of these people had ever spoken to us. And, then, after they've dropped us off at 11:00 p.m. at our hotel, Beng remembers I was asking him where to locate an ATM. Realizing we don't have any Malaysian ringgits, he comes back to the hotel to drop off $200 CDN equivalent of local currency (600 ringgit), just in case we have any trouble in the a.m. I am absolutely, 100 per cent blown away!

A quick ride to Beng's house, dropped off our bikes and Siew Lan took us to Lawrence and Audrey's place where we picked up his Volvo, Siew Lan led us to the highway, and we were on our way, once more Brent practising his left-hand driving. About 50 kms the other side (north) of Ipoh and this whole distance south, Malaysia has been hilly and green. Quite a surprise -- we had expected an extension of the Thailand flats. The hills are covered in jungle vegetation -- palms, vines and broad-leafed trees. It is scenic and, even at 100 kph, serene.

As we bear east from the highway into the hills, it gets steep. All along the lower road to Fraser's Hill, road crews are cleaning up landslides and reinforcing the road. The upper road is older and in better shape, but is a very windy, steep, one-way. Odd hour cars can go up; on the even hours they can come down.

The town at the top is hard to describe. No stores or restaurants; few homes. Almost all small resorts, mostly 2-storey, probably 400 rooms altogether, so it has a village feel. It also seems vacant despite the fact that its near Christmas and we're still in the 7-week Malaysian summer school break. If its not full now, or even busy, it must never be. (And its a weekend to boot.) Again, I can't figure the economics. But its great for Brent who does better without crowds when he is trying to bird.

At Siew Lan's suggestion, we elected to stay 8 km from the top at "The Gap", the place where the road narrows to one-way. It turns out to be a resthouse, a la Sri Lanka style. That is, built by the government 100 years ago, for government officials, and still owned/run by the government, although this one has been managed by the same local family for 60 years. Typical of other resthouses we've found, its got big rooms, front veranda, nice garden -- and a general air of deterioration. Paint peels, windows don't close, plumbing is iffy, generator is on for only an hour in the morning and three hours in the evening and its a bit grubby. We are the only guests Thursday and only two other parties of three are here Friday. I fear its days must be numbered, which is a great shame, because it has more character than the newer places up the hill.

Brent spends all daylight hours on the hill birding and the hours when the generator is on looking at his reference material (including all the bird books Beng loaned him) trying to decipher what he saw. Its too early to record, because the analysis will carry on for some time even after we've left Malaysia, but its safe to say its a success. Early guesses put it at about 40 species, some of which we saw in Thailand but many of which are new lifers.

I've never read so many books, done so many crosswords, looked at leaves (or nothing) for so many uninterrupted hours. I have discovered it is quite pleasant to be a slug! I think I'll join the ranks of people who want their next life to be as one of Ruth's (pampered) cats!

Over a leisurely breakfast I chatted with a Malaysian driver for some Australian folks. We munched away, drank a ton of coffee (concentrate- yuck!) and swapped yarns. He's in the business of arranging exhibitions, usually outside of Kuala Lumpur which he says is wildly expensive. Business is tough, margins are small, competition is fierce. He supplements his income by driving tours when exhibition business is slow -- most visitors are Australians, some Koreans !?, he says. He then insisted on buying my toast and coffee -- Malaysian hospitality, he said.

Siew Lan had told us that until 10 years ago, all school subjects were taught in English. Hence all adults 20 - 40+ speak English. For the last 10 years, only English language class has been taught in English -- a government policy to strengthen Malay culture. The downside has been that new graduates are having a hard time finding good jobs -- without English they cannot study advanced math or engineering or science, cannot get mid-level jobs in production or sales, and cannot look forward to career advancement in multinational companies. It is expected that soon English will be the language of instruction for math and sciences in the Malaysian school system. A thorny issue for a government that wants to both strengthen its national identity and promote economic prosperity. The upside for us is that its very easy to around in Malaysia, and its more interesting when we can talk to all sorts of people about their interests and their country.

An uneventful drive the 150 or so km to Ipoh, arriving late afternoon so that Birdman could spend the morning on Fraser's Hill. Beng took us out for an afternoon walk at an amazing huge natural cave. Full of interesting rock shapes and complete with a few sitting Buddha of various shapes and sizes in the cavernous recesses - - the first full-bellied laughing Chinese Buddha we've seen this trip. The cave entrance is about 45 metres tall -- so cool. The back end opens onto a beautiful restful garden, complete with a small children's playground, a lotus pool, a water garden, manicured lawn and small circular walkway around which about 20 Malaysians are running laps. These are not the local jocks -- if there are any -- its the old farts, many overweight, traipsing around at a pace slightly faster than a walk. But more power to them for giving it a go -- and what a place to be inspired. Its like a beautiful, peaceful oasis only slightly outside the busy somewhat grungy downtown core.

Beng and Siew Lan take us to dinner at the golf club where we had coffee a few nights ago. Tonight we are joined by Johan, their 19- year old daughter who is currently studying first-year medicine in Sydney, Australia. Johan is quite quiet around us -- possibly shy? -- but has a beautiful smile which slowly emerges from her sombre mien to gradually light up her whole face and she gamely responds to our million and one questions. She speaks flawless English with no trace of a Chinese accent -- if anything she sounds faintly British and she is now picking up an Aussie accent.

Quite late we return Lawrence's car and our thanks -- oft repeated -- still seems too little for his generosity to us. A Malaysian friend who happens to be visiting Lawrence and who currently lives in Sydney, Australia is quite inviting that we should visit him when we're in Australia -- more Malaysian hospitality! December 21, 2003
Ipoh, Malaysia

Brent is taken out to the Cameron Highlands by Beng and Mr. Chu for more birding and digi-scoping. I putter about and go with Siew Lan for noodles as a mid-morning break. There are about 10 different kinds of noodles -- rather different shapes because they are all variations of rice noodles -- from wide fat ones, to vermicelli, to short ones shaped like rice to medium-sized ones which look like white worms. Its a basic spot -- about 10 tables, each with six metal stools. Plastic dishes arrive in front of us with some soup/noodle concoction about two minutes after ordering. We carefully order coffee to our taste and are told in no uncertain terms that coffee comes with sugar and milk already added -- full stop. So, of course, that's exactly what we'll have! The place bustles. Its good fun.

You've got to love Siew Lan. She's a tiny, beautiful person with a ready smile and laugh. But she's also uncharacteristicly opinionated and frank for a Chinese Malaysian and she claims -- and I believe her -- to be stubborn and determined. This makes her so much fun to be with because we can talk about anything and everything -- educational system, future for Malaysian women, economic conditions, cultural issues, tensions and conflicts in everyday life. Siew Lan is a teacher which is not well paid in Malaysia. Since much of society cares about money and status, wealthy parents of some of her pupils felt they should be able to intimidate her. So she bought an expensive sports car, and now it is clear they are equals. She is such a character and such a lot of fun to be with!

Tonight Beng and Siew Lan had a family birthday (her father's 92nd) to attend, so we wandered off to a Malaysian food mart for dinner. It comprised about 25 stalls each cooking some distinctly different Chinese of Indian food. About 300 Malaysians were crowded about 60 metal tables, each numbered, under a low canopy. Some strange machines blew in great puffs of what looked like mist, but must have been some kind of bug killer because there was not a fly in sight. I'm waiting for us to develop neurological spasms. The food we chose was made in some clay pots sitting on coals -- when you order they plunk in some chicken, lots of rice and stew it all together over the coals. The sides get burned and crispy; the middle is steamy; the whole thing is delicious. December 22, 2003
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Beng has arranged for a driver to take us and out bikes to Kuala Lumpur Airport, about 300 kms south. Malaysia is more expensive than Thailand, but at 360 ringgit ($150 CDN) it works out well. The scenery the whole way is tropical, gently hilly, lots of oil palms. Biking would be on busy highway, but the shoulder is excellent the whole way -- great condition and 5-foot width.

We do a quick trip into KL to see the world famous twin towers as they are called in Malaysia -- the tallest building in the world. They are awesome. No short spire here. Clean lines, clean building shell, decorative without being fussy. A design of repeating patterns. Joined by the distinctive walkway at about floor 20. What really makes it possible for the buildings to be seen to advantage is that most of the surrounding buildings are only a few storys tall. It gives the whole city a lived-in look. None of the New York, or even Vancouver, canyons between long walls of skyscrapers. Instead, open, interesting and visually appealing.

A few of the minor challenges of dealing with the umpteenth trainee at the airport and we begin our marathon to Hobart, Australia, with 14 hours flying time and 4 hours in layovers at 2 stops for what would be 7 hours direct. Oh, the joy of hubs and airline partners -- or not! TRIP SUMMARY

There is a lot of Thailand, and not all areas are the same. For me, the cities are busy and/or industrial or market towns -- none of which hold much appeal. Most people enjoy Bangkok -- I'll give it a pass on a future trip. The rural areas are extremely friendly and safe, but because no one speaks English and their different writing script makes translation all but impossible, its hard to figure out how to get around by bike, much less have a meaningful conversation with anyone. The answer is probably to skip both and slipstream into areas on the trekker circuit (Chiang Mai, Mae Sariang, beach areas, some of the quiet islands or coastal towns).

The cycling is great. Road system is extensive, road conditions are good, large roads have shoulders, maps are a useful scale and readily available, flat terrain. It would be easy to spend 6 weeks and not see it all -- doing Chiang Mai and on down south. If only it weren't so darned hot and humid. 35 degrees year-round is just "too darn hot"!

Our view of Malaysia must be skewed by the hospitality offered to us by Beng, Siew Lan and Lawrence. Life was very easy! Here, from the seat of a car, it looks like cycling would be fun. Its not as flat as Thailand, but the scenery of the lush tropical hills would compensate for the extra effort. The roads are good and the shoulders are wide. Its easy to get around with so many people speaking English. And, here too, people are extraordinarily friendly.

Malaysia is more expensive than Thailand, which is an incredible bargain. But Malaysia is still an inexpensive place to visit.

For a cycling trip, three weeks from north to south with a few days on Penang Island would work nicely.

The mix of Indian and Chinese with Muslim influence also offers some interesting contrasts and variety.

It is, however, "too darn hot, too"!

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