Day 38 – Manakamana to Kathmandu – Descended the truly awesome Austrian cablecar to the highway before catching a bus to Kathmandu. Travelled with two Nepalese citizens who had been living in Sydney and London for 5 years. Interesting to hear their take on Nepal now. Visited Monkey Temple.
Day 39 – Kathmandu – Against all advice to go to Bahktapur, I went to Patan. Bought lots of books (LP S.E.Asia, Mandarin Phrasebook, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and 1984.)
Day 40 – Kathmandu to Mumbai – Scraped my last cash together for a dodgy bus to the airport and breakfast, then got upgraded to Premium Class on my flight. Free beer! Arrived in the dirtiest of metropolese [plural]. Visited a beach enveloped in pollution and cricket.
Day 41 – Mumbai – Toured Dharavi Slum. Ate lunch. Visited a museum. With Mumbai transport, these activities alone consumed an entire day.
Day 42 – Mumbai – If Elephanta Island Caves are Mumbai’s number one tourist attraction, the city’s got some work to do. Complete rubbish. Walk to Chowpatty beach past swish hotels.
Day 43 – Mumbai – Before my overnight flight I headed to Borivali National Park. Although encroached by the sprawling city, it fights back with some exciting caves and jungles.
Day 44 – Singapore – Enormous culture shock coming from the dirtiest to the cleanest of cities. Everything spotless and colour coded. I meet my friend Nil and roam the city in a daze.
Day 45 – Singapore – Sentosa Resort World, where everything is perfect and nothing could possibly go wrong.
Day 46 – Singapore To Melacca, Malaysia – Lack of busses mean four hours to kill in bank-land ghost town. Meet a Japanese guy for a room share and share a beer too. Malaysia, thankfully, is dirtier.
Day 47 – Melacca – Nice temples. Humidity gets the better of me. I spend most of the day in bed finishing off 1984.
Day 48 – Melacca to Kuala Lumpur – a speed tour is in order. My outdated map causes many a confusion, but with effort I visit every one of KL’s major attractions in 8hrs of walking. The Art Gallery is an absolute joy; it’s 6pm closure is a horrible frustration.
Day 49 – KL to Cameron Highlands – I’m on the coach now.
Not entirely sure where to next. My definite stops are Bangkok, Angkor, Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh. Any recommendations in between?
