Travel Journal Asia 1982 Day 10

Friday June 25th 1982 We met Suzie and Bernard at the ferry port thinking they were never going to arrive as their bus was late. Finally they did and we had a happy reunion. We found another hotel to stay at having been put of by the flasher the day before. We found a place where we could stay all in one room. This evening, we went to a barbecue on the beach. I've been having stomach issues over the past few days but managed to enjoy the food anyway. After dinner we went for a walk and paused to watch a Lion Dance which was entertaining but a bit silly at the same time! It was great to have Suzie and Bernie with us and made us feel more secure. We were all tired, though after the travelling and had a relatively early night.

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Travel Journal 1982 Day 4

Saturday June 19th 1982 Woke feeling shattered. Jet lag has caught up with me, awake half the night and wanting to sleep all day. J drove Suzie's car while the Singaporean acted as guide. We visited Tiger Balm Gardens, elaborate gardens with Chinese sculptures of wise men and buddhas. The torture chamber was a trifle gruesome with models of torture etc. A group of American's were singing Christian choruses which was a pleasant interlude. Posing with a Buddha Tiger Balm Gardens After our Tiger Balm visit we went to the Chinese Gardens in Jurong where we had lunch. There was a gorgeous lily pond and botanical plants. On the way back we picked up two of Suzie's friends and they played Gin Rummy for a while. I phoned a chap I had met at All Souls Church in London, Wai Yin who's going to take me to church tomorrow and then J will join us for dinner. J and I went for another swim. Suzie and her friends took us to Chinatown for dinner. The markets are vibrant and busy throughout the evening. We also saw fortune tellers with crystal balls, tarot cards and the like trying to attract tourists. We ate at one of the street markets. One of Suzie's friends paid, she wouldn't let us open our purses at all. These people are so generous. The poorer side of Chinatown was laced with shanty houses, beggars on the street and poverty. My purchases were a set of chopsticks to take home and a t-shirt. Linda Ho called Suzie's at the end of the evening and has invited us to spend the afternoon and evening with her. I need to call Wai Yin early tomorrow to see if we can go to church tomorrow evening.

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Travel Journal 1982 Day 2

June 17th 1982 Landed in Dubai at 04:30 local time (01:30 BST), temperature 27˚C, dawn is almost breaking, so is Dawn with swollen feet and ankles! The air stewards have been lovely to us although food comes round almost every hour as we pick up new passengers. 05:30 we've just been for a walk outside, now daylight and very, very hot. We're exhausted as we haven't had any sleep yet. 09:45 local time landed in Karachi. We've disembarked to change flights. There's no such thing as queuing here, people just shove their way to the front. Stepping off the aeroplane was like stepping into an oven – 29˚C – hot with wet humidity. My skin has never felt so clammy. Flies are everywhere, no sooner do you swat them away than they're back. Huge, dopey things, I guess I'll have to get used to them. We had a thorough frisking by a large, angry woman before being allowed to enter the transit lounge. We have no idea when the flight to Singapore is. All I know is we're both extremely tired and it's baking hot. 7pm local time we landed in Kuala Lumpar. We're on a Boeing 707. The temperature is 30˚C: boil, boil, roast, roast. The flight from Karachi took 6 hours. I met a chap called Hamar, a student at Glasgow Polytech studying engineering. He's come home to Malaysia for a 3 month holiday and has invited us to stay with his family when we come back. It will be interesting staying with a Muslim family. We changed plans in Malaysia and didn't visit Kuala Lumpar 10:30pm (3pm BST) we landed in Singapore at last – 22 hours travelling. We've been worrying about where we will be staying in Singapore as I'm not sure the NZ chap (friend of…

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