For our English-speaking friends - Malaysia and Singapore

"BK" from BMW helps us finding a pair of new trousers for Annette and also hands out the spare parts Elmar and Joerg had ordered last time we stayed here. 48 hours later we are back on the road again, heading towards the east coast of Malaysia, Elmar enjoying his new windshield - finally! Yeah!

It's a nice and scenic drive through lush green forests. What a change after the dryness in Thailand!

There's not much to see in "Kota Bahru" but the Royal Palace, an arrangement of beautiful old wooden villas in Malay style. But the museum is closed already so we leave the town heading south the next day. We are longing for a few lazy days at the beach!

We reach "Cherating" at around teatime. Ana Laura & Hubert and Ulla & Peter make us feel very welcome. The next days we spend talking, sunbathing, swimming, planting palm trees, "internetting", reading and eating delicous seafood.

Another 400 km further south "Singapore" is waiting for us. We want to leave the bikes at the Malay hotel and go to Singapore for one night, but the management refuses. Only recently two BMW bikes had been stolen right in front of the place. But if we stayed all three nights, they would allow us to put the bikes into the lobby. That's a deal!

From the new and modern station of "Johor Bahru" (JB sentral) a clever system of walkways leads you directly to the Malay checkpoint. From here you take a bus to the Singapore border, immigrate and off you go - by bus again - right into the city centre (1,5 h and 0,50 Eurocents).

"Singapore" stepped onto the world stage in 1819, when Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles started making it into a bastion of the British Empire. As a free-trade zone it soon got most prosperous nevertheless it was marred by diseases, opium addiction and piracy. A large number of Chinese workers immigrated, some intermarrying with local Malays. The so called "Straits-Chinese" or "Pernakan people" were born, keeping their fathers' name and religion and their mothers' customs, language and dress.

On the first glimpse "Singapore" looks a bit dull. Huge blocks of flats, rundown shopping centres, only little green and hardly any flower arrangements. But we do like the area around the "Marina Bay" with its colonial buildings and gardens, where the upper class meets for bowling. One of the most famous buildings here is the "Raffles Hotel", opened in 1887 by two Armenian immigrants, the Sarkies brothers. It is here where the cocktail "Singapore Sling" was born and the last Singaporean tiger was shot.

The bay is currently being developed into a modern and hightech waterfront park. For good or for worse - one will see.

Definitely worse a visit is Chinatown with its pretty fronts and bustling alleys.

We just missed the sundown from the summit of "Mount Faber" but were indemnified by a wonderful view over downtown Singapore.

The second day Elmar crosses over to "Sentosa" island. From the cable car he gets a fine glimpse on the area around the harbour. "Sentosa" is a great fun park and one of the most fascinating underwater worlds.

Heading back towards "Penang" we stop over at "Melaka". By the 15th century "Melaka" had become the greatest trading port within SEA. A huge number of Europeans came, each adding their cultural overlay. The Dutch, Portugese and Chinese influences can still be spotted today. Like "Georgetown" the city got registered as UNESCO World Heritage in 2008.

Our plan was to travel back to "Penang" via the centre, through the mountains. But with rain pouring down and a weather forecast bad as it can possibly be, we change the plan and drive straight back to "Georgetown" via the highway. We are a little bit disappointed, but as we had learned during the past few month, there's always something good in anything that happens. And so it is here.
As far as we knew, the next boat to Indonesia is due on Sunday, maybe Monday. Time enough to get the bikes and ourselves ready to leave. But when we get to the shipping agent on Thursday morning, he tells us, that the boat will leave the next day already. Friday!
We like it here, but we don't want to be waiting another ten days for the next boat!!!! But thanks to the great help and work of Mika and "BK" from BMW Georgetown we make it!!!

Have a look at the short video!



The next days we spend walking around our favourite city, enjoying the atmosphere of our favourite guesthouse (and the great Paul & Joseph), digging in our favourite Chinese food DIM SUM, hanging around with our favourite BMW friend "BK" - to cut a long story short - taking a leave from a very special time.

And to "BK": Whenever you will fulfill your dream and ride your bike to Europe - you are very welcome any time!