Please help with a trip to Malaysia & Sin for a solo traveller interested in Colonial Architecture & WW2/Tenko camps
 

I am quite new to this board (normally at the Europe site) but have decided to return to Asia next summer.

I am a solo traveller and have been to Thailand (twice) and Sri Lanka (once) - loved them both.

I have decided to go to Malaysia & Singapore because it is somewhere that has held my interest since I watched the TV programme TENKO in the UK (many years ago). However,I have googled TENKO and can't find any information on camps preserved. Can anyone help?

Also, can I please ask for a critique of my preliminary itinerary (nothing booked yet) and if there is somewhere I have missed please advise.

Day 1 UK to Singapore
Days 2-4 - Singapore (Considering the YMCA International Hostel)
Day 5 - Early bus to Malacca and stay overnight (Budget accommodation recommendations welcome)
Days 6-7 Bus to KL (Acc/ Recom as above)
Day 8 - Bus to Cameron Highlands ??
Days 9- 14 Bus to Penang. I want to vist Georgetown but would also like at the end of my trip to spend 4 days in a nice hotel where I can relax and read a few books. Is Penang the place to do this?
Day 15 - Air Asia Flight to Senai Airport and bus to Singapore Airport for flight home.

Is this doable?

Thankyou

Helen

helen--as you ahve been to the far east before, i probably don't have to tell you this, but your first day after arrival you will be shot...very tired....perhaps you should try to extend singapore a day or tack on a day at the end...

langkawi island in northern malaysia is far nicer than penang for relaxing...penang tends to be like phuket---overbuilt...

hi helen! i remember you - you helped me in planning my amalfi coast trip in sept/october. (that was great by the way - i was really glad i chose sant'agnello as a base)


in kl, if you are looking for a nice hostel in a good location, maybe look up red palm. it gets really good customer reviews. there are lots of places (restaurants and street food) around that area. however, you do have to share bathrooms

http://www.redpalm-kl.com/.

although langkawi is more relaxed, there are no colonial buildings there. penang has a stronger colonial heritage.

if you want to see a laid back small town between kl and penang, drop by taiping. the lake area has got really beautiful old rain trees (at least it used to) and it has a hill resort too (but much smaller scale than cameron)

hope this little bit helps.

hi helen.

there is a guesthouse in malacca that is recommended by backpackers called sama-sama (literal translation same-same - its what you say when people thank you for something) guesthouse.

check out the website

http://sama-sama-guesthouse.com/

I found these on Yahoo Asia which I think is what you are after re Changi / WW11 history etc:

http://www.changimuseum.com/

http://www.visitsingapore.com/WWII/tours.htm

http://www.visitsingapore.com/WWII/sites.htm

http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/roundtable/index.html

Another one for you:

http://www.s1942.org.sg/home/index.jsp

http://www.singaporewalks.com/tours/changi.htm

Helen,

Don't miss Taiping (already mentioned). It has everything - classic Malaysian day/night market; glorious streetscapes with some lovely old shophouses; a whole colonial "precinct" with villas, and the old Club, and administrative buildings and a museum too. The park is gorgeous; and there is (used to be) a bus to take you up to the lower reaches of the hill station. Then you can walk a bit to the top - nice. There is also a small Commonwealth cemetery - beautifully maintained and in an overwhelming location.

It's a very low key sort of place - not too many foreign visitors (tho this may have changed - I was there in 1999).

I think you would like the place I stayed in Melaka - but I have tried to remember, and cannot be sure of the name. And, besides, it was one of those places ripe for re-development. Situated on a road running parallel to one of the klongs it was a large colonial style hotel with an enormous lounge area - and a wide verandah upstairs. A bit moth eaten but unbeatable for atmosphere and clean enough.

If I can find it I will post again.

In Singapore you might wish to visit the museum at Changi (if it's still there - I have a feeling I've seen something in the press in the fairly recent past saying it was to be closed). I don't believe there are any camps still in e

Penang is not great for beaches but Georgetown is a wonderful place to wander in. If you had more time I would recommend the Perhentians for the R&R but to get there from Penang would be time-consuming.

Sounds like a great trip.

Helen,

Don't miss Taiping (already mentioned). It has everything - classic Malaysian day/night market; glorious streetscapes with some lovely old shophouses; a whole colonial "precinct" with villas, and the old Club, and administrative buildings and a museum too. The park is gorgeous; and there is (used to be) a bus to take you up to the lower reaches of the hill station. Then you can walk a bit to the top - nice. There is also a small Commonwealth cemetery - beautifully maintained and in an overwhelming location.

It's a very low key sort of place - not too many foreign visitors (tho this may have changed - I was there in 1999).

I think you would like the place I stayed in Melaka - but I have tried to remember, and cannot be sure of the name. And, besides, it was one of those places ripe for re-development. Situated on a road running parallel to one of the klongs it was a large colonial style hotel with an enormous lounge area - and a wide verandah upstairs. A bit moth eaten but unbeatable for atmosphere and clean enough.

If I can find it I will post again.

In Singapore you might wish to visit the museum at Changi (if it's still there - I have a feeling I've seen something in the press in the fairly recent past saying it was to be closed). I don't believe there are any camps still in existence so if the museum is still there it might be the closest you could get.

Penang is not great for beaches but Georgetown is a wonderful place to wander in. If you had more time I would recommend the Perhentians for the R&R but to get there from Penang would be time-consuming.

Sounds like a great trip.

helen

as fuzzy logic says taiping is a little off the normal tourist path but it is like a town caught in a time warp. in 1985, it was caught in the 60's. i dont know if it has moved to the 80's now!

i found it very charming. its the wettest town in malaysia so everything looks very lush and green. and in the market there used to be a group of men betting on what time it woiuld start raining that day (as it is expected to rain everyday!) - they have a can and the bet on the first drop that hits that can.

YMCA International House Hotel is an excellent choice.It's not a hostel. It's right next to the Dhoby Gaut subway station and a ton of buses. I've stayed there almost annually since the 90s.I was just there in August. Ask for a room on the 8th floor where there are room safes.I've answered a lot of questions on Singapore...as I vacation there regularly... so if you click on my name, you can scroll down and find the Singapore related information.I have also written a trip report under the Boston GTG (long) thread. Just jump to the BOTTOM of that thread and scroll UP. I wrote Singapore information on that thread while in Singapore in August. Happy Travels!

A few days in Penang? - if you're into Colonial Architecture you must try and stretch your budget to the Eastern and Oriental Hotel in Penang. The rooms are an absolute bargain cw what you would pay in the west. You can get a room for about £70 a night. The hotel is similar (but much less commercialised and a lot lot cheaper) to Raffles (built by the Sarkie Brothers) in Singapore. All the rooms are suites and the hotel has a fantastic Colonial feel. The hotel also owns a very old hotel that they tastefully modernised in Batu Ferringhi (about 20 mins from Georgetown on the beach) - the lone Pine Hotel. Rates are about £30-£40 a night.

Thank you all for the excellent advise (can't wait to get booking)

Hornbill, so glad you enjoyed the Amalfi Coast.

James, thank you for the web addreses very useful.

Taiping is definetely on my agenda (exactly what I am looking for. I have looked up bus timetables and can get a bus there from KL but getting to Penang seems more difficult, Anyone know if there is a bus from Taiping to Penang?

I had thought of going to Langkawi but with only 4 days I thoughtit would be a bit rushed and I do want to see Georgetown. The E&O sounds wonderful and as it is in the centre I would be able to spend time in Georgetown and then relax at a nice hotel. I intend to stay in quite budget accommodation when sightseeing so can afford to push the boat out a bit for my final few days.

Thank you all again I will probably come back with some more detailed questions before I make my trip

Helen

there should definitely be buses from taiping to penang. there should be train services too, although it may be the slow one if it stops in taiping

helen

i made a mistake. there are no trains to taiping. there should be local buses. usually you can also go by taxi. in most towns there will be a taxi station and most will wait for other people to fill up the rest of the seats. otherwise, you can pay for the fare of 4 people and have the taxi to yourself.

btw, we have really good roads but a large number of really bad drivers! so, maybe bus is safer! (safety in size)

Dear Helen,

Visited Singapore & Malacca when son and daughter-in-law were living there two years ago. We drove to Malacca, and found it very enjoyable.

Would recommend the Heeren House Guest House as a nice place to stay in Malacca. We found it clean, well located and interesting, as the rooms look out on the river.

http://www.melaka.net/heerenhouse/

I enjoyed the food (!), architecture and spent an afternoon shopping for majolica tiles to take home.

Good luck with your planning.

SusanEva

Another guest house in KL that might interest you is Number Eight - http://www.numbereight.com.my/eight.html - it's just up the street from Red Palm.

Yes, there're buses and trains to Taiping from KL or Penang. By the way, you should know that Malaysia's first railway station is built in Taiping more than 100 years ago.

Places that might interest you in Taiping....

- WW2 British soldier cemetery (visited by HRH Queen E on each of her trip to Msia)
- Maxwell Hill
- Lake Garden
- Museum (oldest one in Msia)
- Town center for fabulous colonial style mansion and houses.
- King Edward School
- St George's School (also take note of a beautiful "nyonya" house located opposite the school)
- Food in "casual market"
- Streams and waterfall at Larut foothills

Since you are planning to go Cameron Highlands, you can also drop by Batu Gajah - a quaint town steeped in English tradition. Visit "God's Little Acre" where fallen British soldiers were buried, Kellie's Castle (a castle built by a Scottish who came in 19th century to run rubber plantation), oldest golf club and hospital founded by the British.

There're buses to Cameron but its a long ride, about 2-3 hours via Tapah. There's new road which takes about 1 hours to reach from Ipoh but it is only accessible by car or taxi. Do visit the BOH tea plantation (the largest in Msia) run by 2nd generation of its English founder.

Yeah, Penang is a good place to end your journey and feast yourself with its heritage, sea and sand.