Greetings from Kuala Lumpur

[Andy]

Hello people, just a quick message from me and Rowenna.

KL is a cool city. We have done a few tourist things - gone up the Petronas towers, etc. We have also bargained at China town and will be doing that tomorrow. Funnily, I am everybody's ''friend'' when I walk near their stall..... We have also done a few things off the beaten track - such as going to a zoo where they encouraged you to go up to the animals and feed them. So, off we went into the cages and fed deer, quail, sun bear, BIG sun bear, ostrich, etc. That was class. We also fed and rode an elephant (with help) which was great.

We have just got back from Visiting Cambodia for 3 days and it was incredibe! We stayed at Siem Reap so we could visit the temples of the ancient Khmer empire. Angkor Wat and Anngkor Thom are the most famous due to Lara Croft. However, they are so much better than they are on screen. Also, there are so many of them dotted around. We visited another 8. I cannot put it into words other than breathtaking. The architecture and the scale of the buildings make it a must see for any of you.

A week ago we were in Singapore and that is a class nation/city. So much to do. So little time. Tea at Raffles is a must for anyone who goes just for the experience.

Anyway, got to go now because tea is on the table. I am 8 hours in front of you lot!

[Mike]

Cool, that sounds amazing. I am glad that the two of you seem to be having fun! See you when you get back.. we need photos!

[mr_e]

I can't think of enough adjectives to describe how cool that must be. Have fun for the rest of the trip a well, and hopefully we'll be able to see some photos when you return!

[Andy]

It has been an incredible holiday. There have been so many highlights that I couldn't possibly rank them. The interaction with animals was just great and the best thing was that they don't have ridiculous health and safety laws or charge you for extra stuff. The ''zoo'' that we went to cost 1.50 for all those experiences and I don't know how they could make a profit from that, I really don't.

The temples in Cambodia are a must see as they are truly wonderous. As architects and people who have an interest in architecture then you would marvel at the sheer size and scale of the buildings, the detailed bas-reliefs, the drainage system that incorporated the rise and falls, etc. If I were you I would go soon because Cambodia is becoming westernised very quickly. Geoff, Rowenna's dad, was explaining to us that four years ago he wouldn't have walked down many of the streets that we walked down today. They are also redeveloping and contracting buildings out to building companies and major companies are buying land quickly - Honda has a huge sign that just looks totally out of place in the centre. The traffic has to be seen to be believed here because until you've seen a live pig being carried on a motorcycle then you haven't lived! The areas surrounding the individual temples haven't been ruined by tourist shops and I hope it doesn't but I wouldn't be surprised if it was soon which is a shame but it would give the majority of these people a better quality of life so that is a double-edged sword for me.


I think it is safe to suffice that we will be coming back to this part of the world next year - Hanoi (Vietnam) is on the radar as is Borneo and other parts of Indonesia.