Malaysia, Borneo, Pandemic and Singapore

Having returned from Vietnam in May 2019 after four months away we soon had itchy feet again, where could we go after Christmas to avoid the cold of an English winter? The western side of Malaysia, Malaysian Borneo and a few nights in Singapore before travelling back to England in late March was the plan for this trip. . A combination of hot weather, delicious food and friendly locals coupled with colourful sights, stunning scenery and a different way of life. On our return hopefully the worst of winter would already be over and with the nights pulling out we could look forward to a summer at home... With our long-haul flight arriving in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur it would make sense to spend a few days there, another Asian city for us to explore and get a feel for - as well as give us an opportunity to acclimatise and catch up on sleep before moving onwards. From Kuala Lumpur we would make our way north to Ipoh, an attractive town famed not only for its colonial architecture, tin mining history and delicious white coffee but also as being the gateway to the Cameron Highlands. After a few days in Tanah Rata and the cooler air of the highlands and tea plantations we would continue our journey north to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgetown on the small island of Penang. The paradise (and duty free) island of Langkawi would be the fifth stop, a chance to relax and feel the warm sand beneath our feet before we leave the Malay Peninsular and fly out to experience the incredible wildlife of Borneo. It was Borneo that really had us excited, the opportunity to see orangutans in the wild - if we were lucky. The world famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre would almost guarantee it, albeit in a sanctuary setting. Further afield is the renowned Kinabatangan River, home to the proboscis monkeys, wild orangutans and a whole host of supporting cast that are the regular stars of many a BBC wildlife documentary. Kuching, the city of cats that enjoys a stunning setting on the Sarawak River has the nearby Bako National Park, one last shot at spotting any wildlife that may have eluded us. Singapore has a long and interesting history; it had been much fought over for hundreds of years. Stamford Raffles 'took' it from the Dutch in the early 19th century and Singapore became another British colony. It was briefly returned to Malaysia for two years in the 1960s before becoming an independent nation. By the time we leave Singapore our trip would be reaching its conclusion; one last stop in Melaka before heading back to Kuala Lumpur for our flight home. As we all know by now a worldwide pandemic hit, Covid-19 brought an early end to our adventure, and it was winter 2023 before we would manage to complete our plans. Maybe the writing had been on the wall from the very first day, our bus broke down on route from Kuala Lumpur airport to Pudu Central in the heart of the city. The next few weeks had all gone fine, we were aware through the news that there was talk of a potential pandemic, yet in our little travel bubble everything was normal. Perhaps the first sign of the severity of what was to follow came in Penang whilst we were sat on the ferry waiting to depart for Langkawi. On a cruise ship that was towering over us we could see figures in hazmat suits taking the temperatures of guests, presumably as they were heading for breakfast. A week or two later an internal flight we took within Borneo barely had a dozen passengers on, and we had our temperatures taken for the first time as we arrived at the airport. Singapore closed her borders a few days before we were due to arrive... Suddenly things were going very awry.