Malaysia, Borneo, Pandemic and Singapore

The plan for this trip was to visit the western side of Malaysia, Malaysian Borneo, and spend a few nights in Singapore before returning to England in late March. The trip would combine hot weather, delicious food, colourful sights, stunning scenery and friendly locals enjoying a different way of life. 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 of 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 the 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 famous not only for its colonial architecture, tin mining history and delicious white coffee but also as the gateway to the Cameron Highlands. After a few days enjoying the cooler air of the Cameron Highlands and tea plantations in Tanah Rata, we would continue northwards to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgetown on the small island of Penang. The paradise (and duty-free) island of Langkawi would be our fifth stop, but the first opportunity to feel the warm sand beneath our feet. Leaving the Malay Peninsula behind, we have flights booked already 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 and wild orangutans, plus a supporting cast who are the regular stars of many BBC wildlife documentaries. Kuching, the 'City of Cats', enjoys a stunning setting on the Sarawak River, and the nearby Bako National Park would offer one last shot for spotting any wildlife that may have eluded us.

Singapore has a long and interesting history; it has been fought over for hundreds of years. Stamford Raffles took it from the Dutch in the early 19th century, making Singapore 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 will be nearing its end; 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 managed to complete our plans. Maybe the writing had been on the wall from the very first day, our bus broke down en 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. In our little travel bubble, everything continued as normal. Perhaps the first sign of the severity of what was to follow came in Penang whilst we were sitting on the ferry waiting to depart for Langkawi. On a cruise ship 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 within Borneo barely had a dozen passengers on, and we had our temperatures taken for the first time when we arrived at the airport. Singapore closed its borders a few days before we were due to arrive, forcing us to reroute. Suddenly, things were going very awry.