I am originally from NYC, so I know what it's like to be blase about where you live . And no, there's not a spot of British blood in me. Too many wasted nights watching the dead parrot sketch on Channel 13 (public television in NYC), I guess.

I've just updated my profile so that my email is visible. So I welcome any additional thoughts and suggestions you might have. I'm pretty spontaneous and adventurous -- hence the trip to Malaysia -- but I also like to be well prepared in advance so I'm not disappointed and I get to experience each new place fully. One of the reasons I wanted to go back to HWV was that I hadn't known about FT before my visit: Hence, I had no idea about the macadamia nut farm, the Costco for cheap food and the best place in town to buy Kona coffee.

The itinerary so far is July 1-12, with arrival in Singapore on July 2, Kuching July 4, leaving Kuching July 12. That, I hope, can be adjusted accordingly as I do further research.

My $120 rate at Batang Ai was just in jest: I wondered whether they gave you cheap accomodations, then charged you through the nose for food and other things because you are a captive audience.