Bintan

No piccies, sorry. Actually, there are a few, but my travelling companions took them, so it is up to them to show them if they wish. Nur nur ne ner nur.

Sleep, swimming, sunburn and a good book, with fun cocktails and some general pampering went a very long way. Well, not that far, but far enough. And the New Year's Eve party was awesome. A good band (despite a simply dreadful Simply Red cover, and an almost unrecognisable "Come On Eileen"). Even I danced. And, no doubt, sometime soon my knees and thighs will recover from the unaccustomed activity.

Melaka/Malacca

Let's not talk about the immigration and border controls. Or the traffic. Instead I'll mention an odd reminiscence. Maybe it was the shape of the streets, or the smell (subconscious), but Melaka reminded me of Nanjing. There are several peculiar things about this: I didn't especially enjoy NJ at the time, but in hindsight it has really been rather stimulating - some of my more vivid and positive memories of China came from there. Melaka is a fraction of the size and has a stronger western influence (having had Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial influence) but something about it or me triggered memories. I'm sure it wasn't just the stairs. Although the stairs would probably be a factor... 

Johore Baru

And, just as a bonus... photographic evidence

The Sultanate of Johore Baru's gardens.

(just a statute - I saw no crocs)

But some weird, alien tree parasite...

The building on the right is the old British colonial administration apparently. I found it a very interesting style of building.

Orchids

Growing outdoors at the botanic gardens were some of the most lovely blooms I have ever seen.

Some piccies

So here I am, sat on a bean bag playing Playstation in a post-migraine torpor. Nice to be back :-).
I thought I'd put a few of the pictures on here...

Here is the famous Merlion. Singa means lion and so it is the lion city. Not that anyone has ever seen a lion here, but... 

The harbour was set up for the NYE celebrations, with 2009 white balls floating there. Looked fantastic (but I am not complaining about the way I spent NYE. No sirree).

It is a fine-looking city.

Made it

A quick summary now and I'll fill in the gaps later...
Qantas: not Singapore. Not as good for me (less impressive film system and worse food)
Singapore hotel: expensive trimmings, but excellent
Raffles: Jebus. The people and prices make this a popular choice for not returning to
Malaysia: If visiting from Singapore, stay the night. Crossing that border too often can break you!
Bintan: stunning resort area.

Good. Even very good.