I didn’t want to spend all day in a bus to reach the Malaysian capital, so on 21st May I went to the bus station early and bought a ticket as far as Malaka – a major city a little way up the Malayan Peninsula.

Then, since I was about to leave the most modern and well functioning city I am likely to visit for many weeks, I decided to head to the post office and send the latest developed films, and unneeded maps, back to the UK, and then stocked up on another half a dozen rolls of film.

Not long after departure from the terminal, the bus was already leaving Singapore, and heading over the causeway – Singapore is not a large island. I was duly stamped into Malaysia at Johor Bahru, and the bus sped northwards.

Towards the end of the afternoon, after a fairly dull trip, I reached Malaka and checked into the Indian-run and optimistically-named Paradise Hotel. I was feeling a little queasy and just relaxed with a Jeffrey Archer book, without venturing out to eat.

On 22nd May I awoke to the news on the BBC that yet another Gandhi has been assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian PM, was blown up by a suicide bomber in Madras during the night.

My appetite had returned, and after a large breakfast I wandered into the old centre of the town, and had a look at an old fortress and church with some large and curious Dutch graves.

Around midday a bicycle rickshaw took me back to the bus terminal and I soon boarded a bus to Kuala Lumpur – “KL”. Unlike the previous day it was a non-airconditioned bus, but the ventilation was good and it wasn’t too uncomfortable – it was certainly cheaper.

KL bus station, called “Puduraya“, was huge – I wandered down to an area of brightly painted Chinese-run hotels and got a room in the least dodgy-looking one. There was plenty of evidence that they had rooms by the hour as well as for staying the night. But it was good value and excellent food was available nearby.

In the morning (23rd May) I left my backpack at the Puduraya terminal, and went on a walking tour of central KL, which was just a few blocks to the west. Some very attractive and historic buildings were there to be seen, mixed in with the modern buildings. There were several large ornate mosques, one in the Moorish style, set near to manicured parks and plazas.

Finally I went past the National Mosque of Malaysia – a modern blue and white structure.

I headed back towards the terminal through part of China Town.

After a quick lunch I boarded a bus for Tapah – a town some 2 hours north of the capital. On board I got chatting to 2 travellers from the UK – Katie and Sonia. We were, it turned out, all heading for the same place – Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. Popular since colonial times due to its altitude and cooler air, it is a tea growing area. We changed buses in Tapah and were going to to get on the next bus for Tanah Rata but it was rather full, so we stayed for a coffee and got a later bus.

It was worth waiting for a bus with window seats at the front because the windy road up into the highlands was very scenic. After anther 2 hours we arrived in Tana Rata, and got a taxi to Bala’s, which is an Indian-run place with a British-style tea house and lodgings – the recommended place to stay, and a great travellers’ hangout.

The air at 1500 metres (5000 feet) is cool and refreshing and I am very glad to have made the effort to come up here.