From KL we had a 4 hour bus journey to Kuala Kansar - what a bus! There was probably only about 30 odd seats and they were huge, it was almost comparitive with the business class seats we had with BA!! Not bad at all, who'd have thought buses in Asia are better than in the West?! Once we got to KK we were picked up by a local guy in a not so luxurious minibus, actually we were wondering how this thing actually runs, as it was literally falling apart! Luckily we were only on this for about half an hour until we got to a huge lake and were greeted by our host for the next few days - Aziz. Somehow we managed to get all 13 of us and our luggage onto a very average sized motor boat to get us to his island - Suka Suka. The bags were all piled up at the end and we balanced ourselves well for the fifteen minute ride. To begin with my eyes were transfixed on my backpack, which was on the top of the pile (I am not going through losing another bag!) but the stunning scenery surrounding us stole my gaze - it was beautiful and so wonderful to be away from the cities again.

When we got to Suka Suka Lake Resort, which is the Island where Aziz and his family live, we were greeted by his wife - Asiah, who was keenly pouring us fresh orange juice and inviting us into their home (after we'd taken off our shoes that is!). We sat in the dining / lounge area whilst Aziz introduced himself formally and told us that they also have a four and a half year old son called Azam, who would know doubt make himself known in due course. We were shown to our rooms, which were actually private huts with en-suites. Really lovely, but not quite the authentic homestay I was imagining (I had visions of us all dossing down on the floor of someone's lounge like a big slumber party - remember those?!) as this was more of a holiday destination. There were communal areas outside too, where we played cards and read etc. It was a great place to wind down and simply relax, perfect in fact (that is if we hadn't been bitten to death by mozzies despite using half a bottle of spray and having nets over our beds - It's safe to say we officially HATE mosquito's - I know Hate's a strong word but I do hate them!).

We had two nights here on Suka Suka and the first we were served a feast of a dinner all cooked by Asiah and then she taught us to play Chonkak (a marble game), which we all soon became addicted to and some were up playing until early hours of the morning! Well what else is there to do when you're in a home where no alcohol is allowed?! The breakfasts were as good as the dinners and although it was strange having curry dishes that early they all tasted so good, especially with the breads and rotti we had to dip in them - yum yum! The best meal whilst we were here though was on the last night and it was a traditional Muslim meal, where we all had to dress up sarongs and were taught how to wear them properly (there are seperate ways to wear them if you're male or female). Then we all sat on the floor and ate with our hands (against all we've been taught growing up and although we were apprehensive it was quite good fun - not something I'll be doing every night, but fun). The host is also in control of the rice and if he sees that you've almost finish the rice that's on your plate he tops you up! James got wise to this though and ate really slowly, being as he eats about as much as an ant now! I however seem to be eating like a horse and therefore couldn't slow down and ended up eating almost half the rice, with Matt who was sitting opposite me (both of us next to Aziz, so prime position for extra food!). This was the best cultural experience I think we've had so far on this trip and it was great to sit and talk to Aziz about his life afterwards, whilst sipping hot coffee and munching on sweet rice biscuits and mango. Really a great evening and afterwards we played more Chongkak!

We took a trip out on the second day to a local village where Aziz showed us the small community and introduced us to rubber trees and how they get the rubber out, cotton trees and many other leaves etc that they use on a daily basis for cooking, drinking and as medicines. After he left us another local guy took us on a walk to get to a lovely waterfall where we were to take a swin after our sweaty walk! I was sweaty, not just because of the heat, but also becuase we were warned about the leaches on the way! We even had limes with us, to take the leaches off of us if we had to. I was really worried about this, as after watching the film 'Stand By Me' as a kid, I've always hoped I'd never have to see leaches in real life! We did see some and a couple tried to get into my trainers, but they weren't anywhere near as big as those in the film luckily!

The day we left Suka Suka Aziz gave us a short tour of Kuala Kansar, where we saw the Royal Palace, went into a Mosque and had to get dressed up in robes first and then we strolled around a local market. If you're not a fish lover it's not the best market to look around! Actually if you are a fish lover it's also not the best place to be, as some of the fish are still alive, but kept in very shallow buckets of water, so they are gasping to try and get their heads under the water - it's not a nice sight!

Overall though, these two days were really great fun and an experience that I feel we were pretty lucky to have - something you certainly wouldn't get on your average holiday! I guess this is where Intrepid come into their own, so thanks to them!