From Singapore, it was a drive north. Yes, even my geographic knowledge has me travelling in the wrong direction at this point, but with the rear diff of the FC101 still singing along to the radio, albeit out of tune, and a chance to see offroad Thailand through the eyes of a Thai/Singaporean group, the idea for a trip around SE Asia made more sense than ever.

By rights, this should be on the next page, as it was the beginning of week 21. But I couldn't resist using it now.

A beach on the east coast of Thailand. Just three Land Rovers and their occupants.

Let the records show that nobody enjoyed themselves here.

First there was a visit to a garage in JB, the first town over the Johor Straits from Singapore, to sort out the diff.

What I'm about to say now is in no way meant as a slur on the image of Malaysia. Indeed, Malaysia reminded me so much of home in the UK, I found myself trying to tune into Radio 2 at one point.

No, it's just that you don't realise how perfect Singapore is until you leave the place, and re-enter the normal world. The world where people stop just beyond the white line at traffic lights. Where cars have little dents in them. Where litter bins are full and in need of emptying. Where people pay no attention to "post no bills" signs.

Anyway, back to the garage. The rear diff was sorted, Polybushes fitted all around, front brake shoes changed, and some other minor jobs done. They did a fantastic job, and worked really hard, allowing me to work alongside them. The place, AMS Technic, gets my full recommendation - see the links page for contact details.

Then into Malaysia proper, which went something like this: motorway - toll - motorway - toll - motorway - sleep - motorway - toll - motorway - toll - motorway - Thai border. If anybody can provide a different picture of Malaysia than this, please let me know. What I did see was lush, green and beautiful. I'll definitely be stopping there later.

The reason for the rush through Malaysia? There was a meeting scheduled at the Malaysia/Thai border with the guys on the left, before going north into Thailand to meet the Thai guys.