In Quest of the Lark

Singapore and Malaysia, Jan-Feb 2024

(Click for map)

Late 2023 and early 2024 were a bit of a lull in activity. Maggie was not coming to Australia this season, no major bushwalks were scheduled, and the Snowy Mountains Hawkweed surveys had been cancelled this year (and maybe forever?). That left a gap in my activities with nothing scheduled prior to meeting Maggie in Chile in March 2024. What to do in that time? I decided it seemed fairly easy to take off for a brief holiday in SE Asia.

As such, I arranged to fly to Singapore on 29 Jan 2024, spend 3 weeks there and in Malaysia, and back home on 19 Feb. I would mainly aim to re-visit old places and maybe a couple of new locations. I booked flight tickets, 3 nights accommodation in Singapore, and applied for the now-obligatory electronic SG Arrival Card. Once at the airport, I found out my plane was delayed 2.5 hours owing to tech problems. I flew with Scoot, a super-no frills airline; comfortable enough but they didn't even serve water (except bottled).

Because the flight was late, I was worried about arriving in Singapore too late for the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) to still be running and the hotel reception being shut down for the night, but it all turned out OK anyway. I’m staying at the Snooze Inn in the Little India district of Singapore.

First things on my first morning were to go through emails and call the wife. Then I'd have time for some exploring. I'd seen in the tourist info, that there was a "Southern Ridges" walk that can be done from the HarbourFront district, and thought to give it a go. Weather was slightly hot and sticky but not as oppressive as expected.

The walk starts from near the HarbourFront, goes uphill to Mount Faber and along a mainly-forested ridge for several kilometres. Much of the walk is on an elevated skywalk, affording great views of forest, city suburbs, water views, and traffic below. There were other walkers on the route, but not large numbers.

I started on Marang Road and walked up many steps to Mount Faber Rd and Faber Peak (top of cable-car run). Not bad views on the way up and at the hotel/lookout at the peak. Then on to Faber Point and down more steps to the start of the odd-wavy-looking Henderson Waves Bridge over Henderson Rd. Then along Forest Walk/Earth Walk past Telok Blangah Hill. Part of the skywalk was closed for renovations and I had to divert down to the street and up again. Past Alexandra Road I came to Hort Park, sort of a botanical garden with extensive landscaping and exotic vegetation. There was a pond there with an incredible number of turtles in and around it. By that time, I'd had enough, and made my way back to Alexandra Rd and down to Labrador MRT station. I was slightly tired by then and quite sweaty, but it was an interesting enough walk. It's real tropics atmosphere, lots of greenery and some views, quite neat and manicured, but never far from "civilisation" and the city. I'd walked maybe 3-4 hours at a relaxed pace with frequent rests.

On my second day in Singapore, I mainly re-visited districts I'd seen before, to see how it's all changed. I explored around Bugis, Suntec, Bayfront and Marina Bay. The Marina Bay area is known for its Supertree Grove which are towering vertical gardens that look like trees. The over-the-top Sands Hotel was featured in the Crazy Rich Asians film. The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish and the official mascot of Singapore. It was all pretty much as before, but the Supertrees were being decorated for lunar new year, and the Merlion appears to be ever more boxed in from surrounding developments. I finished my explorations in Chinatown and found it now has more up-scale - and fewer seedy - restaurants. Next to the Chinatown MRT station is Peoples Park Shopping Mall and since I was last here, it has been upgraded; no longer the old-style sweaty cramped shops, it’s more up-market now but with a plethora of aggressive massage parlours.

Meals in Singapore were typically very good roti canai (plain paratha) breakfasts, masala dosa lunches, and biryani-type dinners. Travel in these countries appears to be evolving from ad-hoc seat-of-the-pants travel to more restrictions and planning necessary. Now they require digital arrival cards to enter a country, and accommodation and transport increasingly needs to be booked in advance. Not sure if it'd because of lunar new year and school holidays, or maybe at all times (??). To go on to Malaysia, I could still find a bus from the small Queen Street bus terminal in downtown Singapore to the big Larkin bus terminal in suburban Johore Bahru, Malaysia. But to get into Malaysia I didn't realise I had to get an arrival card in advance, like for Singapore. It caused some hassles and delay at the Malay passport control. Also, they roused on me for not having my accommodation pre-booked for Melaka (Malacca in western spelling), my first destination in Malaysia.

Anyway, I did get to Larkin, and was able to get on a bus to the Melaka Sentral bus terminal, and thence a #17 bus to downtown Melaka. A bit more hassle at the Ringo's Foyer Guest House, where they said they didn't normally take "walk-ins" from the street and liked pre-bookings. But they had room and I eventually got in OK.

Henceforth, I found I would have to book transport and accommodation in advance for virtually all the remainder of my trip. So, ASAP with the help of Ringo's staff, I booked a bus from Melaka Sentral to George Town, on Penang Island, and accommodation therein. I would book onward travel and digs ahead of time for the remainder of the trip.

I had a couple of full days in Melaka, a pleasant city with good history, attractions and ambience. On the first day I walked through Little India and up to the Chinese graveyard on Bukit Cina hill. Slightly disappointing now, the hill was overgrown with trees, providing ever poorer views of the Straits,and the graces were deteriorated. Nobody seemed to use the park now.

Back down from the hill, I proceeded through residential neighbourhoods, to new reclaimed-land developments on the shore, the historical Portuguese/Dutch/British precinct, and finally the attractive and vibrant Jonkers Walk street. There was some dragon-dance activity, signalling the year of the dragon in the up-coming lunar new year.

The following day I decided to go further afield, hiring a rickety but functional bicycle and riding up and down the coast for about 35 km. I saw mostly reclaimed or undeveloped land along the shore, with building/development projects in various stages of construction or planning. It was hot but not unbearably so, and I finished the ride without difficulty. Later in the evening I joined a cycling group from the GH to do a ride to the "Floating Mosque" on piers near the shore, to watch the sun set over the Straits and watch the mosque light up at dark. As a finish to the group ride, we went to a night market for a feed, but I didn't eat much as I'd already had an Indian meal before the group ride.

Next was the bus trip to George Town, Penang (or Pinang in Malay). Buses are generally modern and comfortable, often with USB charging stations and occasionally even wi-fi. Unfortunately, scenery is now little more than endless palm-oil plantations. The bus took me to Sungai Nibong, a terminal outside of George Town, where I had to wait over an hour for a local bus to take me into the Komtar terminal in the centre, from where it was a 20-minute walk to my guest house, arriving there at 21:30 just before closing.

I would spend two full days in George Town, not the best as I felt a bit weak and lethargic most of the time. On my first day I had breakfast of roti canai, then walked toward the centre, exploring streets and sites I'd visited on previous trips. I checked out Ciulia Street and Love Lane, to the shore, on past Fort Cornwallis, down to the ferry terminal, through Little India, and back home around 13:00.

I spent much of the rest of the day figuring out transport and accommodation for my next destination, Langkawi Island up near the Thai border. My hostess, Moon, suggested I book things in advance in case of Lunar NY stress. I'd take the ferry from George Town to Butterworth on the mainland, then a bus from Butterworth to the mainland town Kuala Perlis, a ferry from Kuala Perlis to Kuah (Lankawi), and a taxi from Kuah to the beach town Pantai Cenang (no public transport on Langkawi). I booked 4 nights (7-11/2) in Gecko GH in Pantai Cenang. We had a few hiccups trying to arrange things, but we got it all done eventually.

On my second day in George Town, I decided to go up to Penang Hill near the edge of town. That would be my third time there, after 1979 and 1989, and I was interested to see how it changed. The local bus 204 takes me to Penang Hill, from where I took the funicular railway for the 10-15 minute ride to the top. It felt a bit cooler at the top of the hill, but likely only my imagination, as I sweated later when walking. Overall, I found the hill a bit disappointing this time; questionable whether worth it or not. Mainly there was heavy haze over the city and you couldn't see much. The viewing area had been renovated since my last trip, but not really for the better. The whole area was grossly commercialised. I went on a path walk, but part of the path was closed, and I had to retrace my steps, which was a bit tiring. And there were waits and delays at every stage; I left around 10:30 but didn't get back home until nearly 16:00, little time nor energy to do anything more that day.

On 7 Feb I was on the road to Langkawi. I was up before 07:00, and was able to get out on the street before 07:30. It was a nearly 1/2 hour walk straight down to the ferry terminal. The ferry crossing to Butterworth was quick, something of the order of 15-20 min. I had time enough to grab a quick roti telor (bread/egg) breakfast at Butterworth. The bus to Kuala Perlis was on time, but it wasn't as salubrious as the previous one to George Town; older and grubbier and no USB ports. Also, the ventral luggage compartment was full so I had to put my pack between my legs. Scenery was again mostly oil palms, and more rice fields as we got north.

The ferry to Kuah was absolutely full, but the taxi to Pantai Cenang was problem-free, and I was able to share the taxi with a Brazilian guy. For future ease, I took the opportunity to book my next travel leg; at Kuala Perlis, I booked my bus for later to Ipoh, and while at the Kuah terminal - a ferry for later back to Kuala Perlis.

Got into the Gecko GH for 4 nights. I found the guest house, and Pantai Cenang in general, to be good places to stay for a few days. The GH is good; roomy and charming, with a good vibe and friendly people, a great place to meet others and hang out and chill. It's only a few minutes walk down to a beautiful beach, along which one can swim and walk and observe all the commercial parasailing and jet-ski activity (these activities continued right until dark; seems no safety protocols here). The streets were alive with colourful shops, restaurants etc., and the whole place had a wonderful atmosphere and vibe. It's sort of a Lonely Planet type favourite. I'm really glad I got 4 nights here instead of 3.

While at Gecko I booked accommodation and buses for pretty much the rest of my trip, including my next two Malaysian destinations, Ipoh and Cameron Highlands, and my return night bus to Singapore for near the end of the trip.

Much of my time here in Pantai Cenang was taken up with hanging out with other guests, catching up with emails to do with club and property stuff, beach sitting and walks, and generally chilling out. It was great to have this time here to unwind. Langkawi is a duty-free port, so it was nice to enjoy good cheap Tiger beer with the others.

One evening a group of us walked to the weekly Thursday night market to look around and get things for dinner. The market was not huge, but very lit-up, concentrated, busy and crowded; quite interesting, with a large variety of foods. We looked around a while and I got several take-away dishes to take back home and enjoy in the guest house.

I wanted to check out the nearby forests and see if there's anywhere I could do bushwalking. I found on my map a bit of hill country to the south, about 1/2 hour walk away, with what looked like a shortish forest path. I set out to check it out. Streets, then small country roads, led me to the start of the path. It looked more like a vehicular fire trail. But only 100m or so in from the start, it ended in a dirt quarry with no way past. I had to give up and go back home (by different streets). Anyway, at least I got to see a bit of bush and some rural countryside. Lunar new year was to be celebrated mainly around 10 Feb. But there wasn't a lot of organized activity pertaining here. I saw a dragon dance one day, lion dances for local businesses another day, and not much else.

On 11 Feb, I was off to Ipoh. I found a taxi stand where I could get a taxi to the ferry, and then a 1.5-hour ferry crossing to Kuala Perlis. The bus from Kuala Perlis left nearly on time at 15:35. I'd been concerned about travel time to Ipoh and getting there not too late. The first part of the bus trip, at least to Butterworth, was distressingly slow, many traffic jams, road works and long unexplained stops. I saw myself getting to the Ipoh Amanjaya bus terminal hours late, long after hostel reception closed, and wondering how to get in, or if I would have to spend the night on a chair in the train station. But after Butterworth, the bus roared through at great speed, and amazingly arrived at Amanjaya at 21:25, a few minutes early. What a relief!! In the bus terminal they said no more local buses running at this time, but I found a taxi into town. The Spot On City Hostel reception was still open at 22:15, and I checked in OK. All in all, it was a good day.

I have a full day in Ipoh with not a lot planned, and uncertain about what to see and do. I took a wander into the city centre to find a bank machine and place for lunch. I needed to get some cash (my first time using a bank machine here, as I'd changed plenty of currency in Sydney before the trip). But it wasn't all that easy; I had to try 2 or 3 banks before finding an HSBC bank that worked for me.

Things to see in Ipoh included a Mosque and Buddhist temple, captivating narrow shopping alleys, and eclectic street art installations. There are footpaths along both sides of the Kinta River for some distance. I followed the paths and bridges for a while, discovering a closed amusement park, a picturesque Taman Jepun Park with ponds and lots of kids, and several locals fishing in the river.

Next day, I was off to my final main destination, 4 nights in Cameron Highlands, mainly in the town Tanah Rata. The bus from the Ipoh Amanjaya bus terminal left at 11:30 for the 2.5 hour trip to TR. I'd been to the Highlands a couple of times before, but was surprised how built-up it is now, buildings and infrastructure everywhere, and an incredible expanse of plastic-covered market gardens. Traffic was at a crawl much of the way to TR. Arriving at my Spot On Bedstation Hostel and into my room around 14:15, I settled in quickly. The wi-fi was patchy and unreliable, but I eventually figured it out, and they had no drinking water filter - I got around that problem also - but the place was otherwise good.

Main activities here are forest walks, exploring the busy and vibrant commercial district, proofreading for Craig, and generally chilling out. Being a hill station, it was pleasantly cooler here than down in the lowlands. Dampness, however, didn't make it easy/quick to dry laundry.

On my first full day, it was damp with slight drizzle rain, but I wanted to do a walk. I might as well try going down the Robinson River to the small dam/power station. I'd been there before and thought it may be an OK walk for the weather. Past the Robinson Falls a short distance was a gate and a join in the path. Through the gate was the way down to the dam, and I started to give it a go. It almost immediately turned into a very steep descent with sharp incline, switchbacks, huge steps, slippery dirt and rocks, even rope assist in places, all somewhat difficult and treacherous. I wondered if I should keep going down, and for whatever reason I continued, wondering how I'd ever get back up. I kept going over a worryingly/painfully long hard distance, having to hang onto trees and vines to climb down.

I eventually got near the bottom and could see the dam just below. I looked around the dam and the open, but deserted, power station, rested a bit and contemplated how to get back to Tanah Rata. The only option seemed to be the frightening one of climbing back up the same way I came.

By now the drizzle was steady. I put my raincoat on, then took it off again and eventually bit the bullet and started back up. The only comfort I had was my experience telling me that ascents are usually not much worse than descents. The path was getting more slippery now, and my sandals and shirt were getting wet. I couldn't go more than maybe 10-20 metres at a time before stopping to rest and pant a while. But it was slow and steady and the path was less treacherous going up than down. I was back up at the gate surprisingly quickly, grateful that I made it up successfully and without incident. It was a fairly normal, but wet, walk up the remainder of the path to the street, and eventually home.

The following day there was blue sky, so I decided to do a walk up into the hills above Tanah Rata, similar to the walks I'd done on previous trips. Starting around 10:00, I didn't do a long walk, only going up from Parit Falls to a 3-way signpost, and down another trail to streets leading to the Smokehouse Inn, a colonial-era English-style country villa. It certainly wasn't as steep and wet and treacherous as yesterday; I found it somewhat easy, but not so much that I wanted to go on to the higher peak Gunung Berenbum. The forest section of the walk wasn't much more than a couple of km, though there was some altitude gain. The forest was pretty, but with little view. I returned via the Smokehouse and had a look in there; not a lot new or of interest. By the time I walked back home along the road 3 hours had passed, and I was tired enough.

On the third day I did a shortish walk along streets/roads outside the town, sat in the nearby park chilling out, and did more proofreading.

17 Feb had me on the bus making my way back down to the Ipoh Amanjaya terminal for my night bus to Singapore. I did more proofreading and emails in the morning, and was on the bus to Ipoh at 14:30. Once there I had about 6 hours wait for the 23:50 night bus. I grabbed yet another nasi goreng meal and finished my proofreading project.

The night bus was, of course, all night. I'd mistakenly thought that my SG arrival card was good for multiple trips, but it wasn't. I didn't realize it until I was on the bus and looked at the arrival card. It was too late to do a new one then; no internet. When we got to the Singapore border, I had to go through the time-consuming process of applying for a new card. It eventually succeeded, but the bus people were pissed off with my delay and holding them up.

After all that I got to the Singapore Golden Mile bus terminal nearly on time, walked over to the Bugis Street Centre to check the MRT to Changi, walked to Little India to get a bed again in Snooze Inn, and prepared for an early departure next morning to the airport and back to Sydney.

Having more or less the whole day now to further prepare and kill time, I did more walking and exploration, along Bencoolen St, Fort Canning Park (full of young people in fancy clothes enjoying a Sunday outing) and the gold and clothing shops of the iconic Indian street Serangoon Rd.

I was up early on 19 Feb to finish packing, get to the Bugis MRT station for the 06:00 train to Changi, and out to the airport before 06:30. That was early enough that I could cash in my MRT card, check in, grab a breakfast in a restaurant, call Maggie, and get to the departure gate.

Flight left at 09:55, an uneventful flight, and into SYD at 20:40, a train to city centre, a quick bite for dinner, and on the bus home, arriving 23:30.

It was a good trip, fairly routine, and mostly enjoyable. As intended, I re-visited old haunts and saw a few new places. I didn't have any major hassles except those around arrival cards and having to book so many things in advance. As mentioned earlier, you now have to do so many arrangements ahead of time to avoid being caught out. Once you get used to that, it's smooth sailing. Next trip? Meet Maggie in Chile in March, creeping up pretty fast now. Looking forward to it.