It doesn't quite leave at midnight, but at 10.15pm tonight Larna and I are catching a train to Kuala Lumpar. We have 10 days until our rescheduled flight to Frankfurt (leaving on 30 April) so we're heading off to Malaysia for a bit of an unplanned adventure. We'll start in KL and see from there. The train journey is about 7 hours long and we've booked a sleeper cabin so I'm quite excited about sleeping on the train. I haven't done that since our family went to Durban on a train more than 20 years ago (well that's the last time I remember sleeping on a train).
Travellers' tales
Last night we stayed in a really cute backpackers not from the Arab/Malay quarter in Singapore. We were in a shared dorm (trying to save a bit of money after our expensive room the night before) so a bit unusual havíng three complete strangers around us, but managed to get a fairly decent night's sleep despite the occasional mobile phone going off and people getting up at odd hours.
At breakfast this morning, we met a charming retired guy from Brisbane, orginally from Northern Ireland (he had a thick Belfast accent), who told us he was heading to Myanmar (Burma) for a few weeks and was describing the scenery (unspoilt beaches and lakes) and the custom for fisherman to paddle with one foot and fish with the other. You need permission to go to some places over there, he said.
Another guy at the table was from Pakistan and said things there were not good at all especially in places like Peshawar, and along the border with Afghanistan, where apparently you can walk across from Afghanistan to Pakistan for 1,500 rupees without a visa, despite the presence of the US army nearby. "I only buy a cheap mobile phone because people steal them out of your hand while you are talking on them," he told us.
Another "roommate'' said he had just spent 6 months in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam". He said the govt can decide at any time to close down your business and described the city as chaotic and dirty. He said he felt very alone even though he was surrounded by so many people. He has relocated to Singapore and is looking for a job over here.
Last night we ate at a Moroccan cafe in the Arab quarter, with the gold tops of the Mosque and palm trees as a backdrop. It felt like we were in a very sanitised version of Arabia. Very beautiful - people smoking shisha and drinking mint tea! Better go, someone wants to use the internet.
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