Central Hotel Ipoh

... Victorian/Moorish building with wide open veranda areas and actually operates as a hotel. We had read several horrific stories about it (rats running across beds etc) so had not tried to stay there. However, we met a well-travelled Aussie who showed us his room which was clean and adequately furnished, opening straight onto the long gallery looking right over the surrounding park and town. This view has not changed substantially since Edwardian times and we realised ...

... 6pm on a stretch of motorway in the middle of nowhere and the driver optimistically started the engine, only for it to cut out 100m later! So we waited and waited, and waited and waited.... Then word got around that help was on its way, a rusty car turned up and 2 men got out with an equally rusty toolkit consisting of a few spanners and hammers! Various bits of bus engine came out and lay on the roadside for a while before the guys gave up and drove off! It ...

... stuff, because it all became a bit too heavy in our bags, so once reading them that night we discarded them. We even got free 3D postcards, with 3D viewing glasses! After being given lots of information about hostels and guesthouses and drawing their locations on maps we decided we would venture out. After walking around for about 30minutes to an hour, we still hadn't found any of the places that we'd written down; some of us were starting to get frustrated, and when I say ...

... he says "oh, it hasn't rained in a while", it bloody rains! which he said while we were in the museum. We took shelter and played cards from around an hour before the Thunderstorm came to and end. Our next stop was the 'British Monument' war cemetery for the 1876-77 Perak War, on our way back to the Clock Tower. The cemetery was very small, had quite a few British graves, but it also looked like the cemetery was now being used again now. There were quite a few ...

... Ipoh we spent the evening in the Miners Arms, an olde worlde English style country pub with Mock Tudor beams & pool table, dart board etc. BUT it is run by & patronised by Indian locals all speaking perfect English & eating English food with their beers. A fun place but slightly wierd! Next moring we caught train to KL & found very cheap hotel to crash in as we have to be up at 4am for flight to Thailand

... Notre acession a durer environ 2 heures. J'ai cale jusqu'au cheville dans la bouette. Obstacles en permanences sur le sentier, arbres, roches, ont glissaient dans la bouette. La pluie c'est mis de la partie a certain moment. Un guide que nous avons tres peu vue puisqu'il allait trop vite pour notre groupe. 4 filles qui tombaient sur les nerfs de Rejean et aussi dans la boue. On a tous pris une debarque sauf Rejean. Nous avons traverser une ...

... and Australia, for a hike up the very steep Path 1 to the highest point in the region. The hike itself was really nice - very steep and rather muddy, but with lots of tree roots that made natural steps up the mountain. The view from the top was a bit disappointing since one side was completely covered in fog, but our efforts were rewarded by the view on the walk down the road back into town. About half-way down the road we started to see the ...

... else does around him. The road was all but blocked by the goings on. When we arrived, it was raining, but we decided on a walk any ways, and started our explorations of the virgin jungle that surrounds much of the farmland and towns. We walked up to a watch tower, but most of the surrounding area was shrouded by clouds, but it was still beautiful. The next day we headed up Gurung Brinchang, one of the taller peaks, and had a muddy walk ...

... rainforests and as a result are tearing down the jungle and cutting huge holes in the landscape. Quite sad, especially to see 1 remaining Orang Asli hut perched next to the new road refusung to move - but soon they'll have no choice. Arrive at the village and have to walk a bit, attempting to avoid the huge spiders. The village was quite deserted - a sign of modern times. Men not out hunting (although apparently 1 or 2 were) but out working in the ...

A bus to ride to Ipoh, where we had dinner at an authentic British pub- with Malaysin kareoke and all! Then it was off to Hat Yai, and Thailand. *megs later comments the singers sang in english but couldn't speak a word. we latched on to another canadian couple who live in taiwan making a killing teaching english. they had been to the thai islands before.