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The trees were teeming with small macaquemonkeys. Resembling grey, furry fruit growingfrom the branches, some carried tiny red-hairedbabies on their fronts like reverse backpacks.When we reached Klang, a port townwith an industrial feel and a name tomatch, we turned north onto Route 5.After two hours of air-conditioneddriving, exiting the car in the humidityof Bukit Malawati was a shock to the system.The site of several historic battles,the once-fortified hilltop enjoys jawdroppingpanoramic views over the surroundingforests. The sea also sparklesthrough the misty horizon here, makingit easy to spot approaching ships.We spent a few minutes here wanderingthe crenulated stone walls, toppedwith 18th-century Dutch cannons,before realizing that the trees wereteeming with small macaque monkeys.Resembling grey, furry fruit growingfrom the branches, some carried tinyred-haired babies on their fronts likereverse backpacks.With the monkeys watching closelyfor signs of food, several visitors hadalready surrendered their snacks, leadingthe scavengers to follow them around andpoke them for more. Avoiding a simianmugging, we retreated to the car beforecontinuing on Route 5 towards Lumut.This was our longest drive, so wemade use of the roadside facilities.Malaysia’s main highways have goodrest stops, some with huge open-air foodcourts combining finger-licking regionaldelicacies with familiar favourites likeDunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins.While traditional washrooms —includingthe dreaded squat toilets—are common,many also have western-style conveniences.As the light began to fade, and wepassed a man selling live crabs displayedfrom a tree like twitching Christmas treeornaments, the landscape became moremountainous. The palms were nowinterspersed with mangrove swamps,their bushes lifted in the air by elaborateroot systems that filter water abovethe ground.Although it’s a region of snakes andwild boar, the only wildlife we spottedwere the tiny gekkos scampering aroundin our resort hotel that night. An enclaveof comfort in a wide bay surroundedby verdant jungle, Lumut’s tranquilSwiss-Garden has a spa and golf course.Its main attraction to us was its relaxingal fresco bar overlooking the star-litseafront.With the beach seeming like a goodidea, we were up early the next day forour final leg to the island of Penang.Hooking-up with Route 1 and continuingnorth towards the Butterworth ferry terminal,we drove straight onto the boat forthe 15-minute traversal of this busy Photos: Dominic SchaeferOpenRoad driver |