One for the road

We've flown into Kuala Lumpur with the intention of going jalan-jalan, or on the road, towards the northern border with Thailand, through the heartland of the Malay Peninsula.

This part of the country is often overlooked by tourists, who prefer the golden beaches of the east coast or paradise islands such as Tioman or Langkawi. Our final destination will be Penang, an island that has suddenly become one of Southeast Asia's hottest destinations.

Kuala Lumpur is the modern face of Malaysia, a skyscraper city of the future, where Blade Runner meets Bollywood. There are few reminders of the complex history of a country that declared independence from Britain only 55 years ago. Driving out of the city centre, we soon find ourselves lost in a sprawling urban mass as intimidating as Beijing, and it is with a little luck that we reach the busy North-South Expressway.

The road is flanked by rolling hills, marked by geometric lines of palm oil and rubber plantations. The scene resembles an M.C. Escher drawing, and there is little trace of the dense rainforest that once covered most of Malaysia.

After we've been going an hour, the landscape changes dramatically, with massive limestone outcrops leaping hundreds of craggy feet out of the flat plains. Up on a hill, a giant but rather tatty billboard announces that we have arrived at "Ipoh - City of Millionaires", our first stop-off.

Soon we are sitting in the legendary Sinhalese Bar, the only Sri Lankan bar in Malaysia, whose decor has remained unchanged since it opened in 1931. While sipping a Tiger beer in an iced glass so cold that it almost takes the skin off my fingers, I talk to our guide for the next few days, Law Siak Hong, who runs the local heritage association.