Thursday 14 August

Kellie's Castle has been used as a film set

I slept better with all the medication I took, and ignored the lift mechanisms going on all the time. We had a strange breakfast at the Copthorne hotel - it tries to cater to all tastes but failed somehow. I had sweet cereal and an omelette with onions. Coffee was OK though. We checked out ready for a busy day ahead.

Gua Kek Lok Tong, a Buddhist temple built in a cave

We set off towards Ipoh, William's birthplace, and noted the lush vegetation. We stopped at a roadside stall to try fruit, and drove through the poor village. Our first visit was to Kellie's Castle, a folly built by a wealthy Scots rubber plantation owner who died before its completion. Kellie was his mother-in-law's maiden name. We also visited the workers' Hindu temple nearby and had a red dot placed on our foreheads.

Near the town of Ipoh, we went to see the Ket Lok Tong Buddhist temple inside a large cave. We had lunch at the Nasi Kandar Habib- chicken roti and mee rebus - another messy dish. No beer today.

The Ubudiah mosque was very lavish

Our next stop was in the beautiful town of Kuala Kangsar. We saw the sultan's palaces (he has two) and the Ubudiah mosque. We also stopped to admire the world's oldest rubber tree. Then we drove without stopping to Penang, over the causeway. We arrived at the Holiday Inn in Batu Ferringhi in the north of the island. We're in the beach wing but no sea view, sadly.



After dinner at a Lebanese restaurant near the hotel we paddled in the warm waters of the Straits of Malacca.