All language subtitles for Amazing.Railway.Adventures.with.Nick.Knowles.S01E04.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

'I'm travelling the world by train

'on a series
of incredible journeys.'

What a queue!

'There'll be spectacular scenery.'

It's absolutely stunning,
I genuinely can't believe I'm here.

Somebody pinch me.

'I'll meet amazing people...'

I brought some rope
and some fruit.

'..Who push me to my limits
in extraordinary places...'

'..and show me astonishing sights.'

NICK CH UCKLES

Oh, my word. Look at that.

I'm holding a piece of real artwork.

That's ridiculously good.

I discover incredible feats
of engineering.

TRAIN HORN BLARES

I'm feeling this might be
another switch back.

'And I'll go beyond
the tourist trail

'to find out what life's like
along the track.'

I'm very rarely stuck for words,

but this is one of the most
gobsmacking places I've ever been.

Skol, everyone.

'These are my amazing
railway journeys.'

So, sit back, put your feet up
and enjoy the ride. All aboard!

It's just so much fun!

Today, I'm in Malaysia,

a country with a rail network
of over 1,700 miles.

'I'll be riding the jungle train...'

Tongue!
HE LAUGHS

That's the way they say hello.

'..Trying an ancient martial art...'

It will groom your body
towards spirituality.

'..And I'll find the railways here

'are a surprisingly
sociable experience.'

Hello, everyone. Hi.
ALL: Hi.

Imagine trying that
on a British commuter train!

HE LAUGHS

My adventure starts
in the capital, Kuala Lumpur,

a melting pot of a city with large
populations of Indians and Chinese,

all mixed in
with the 60% who are Malays.

Malaysia's railways
were commissioned by the British

over 100 years ago.

A lot has changed since then.

This is a booming economy,
and nowhere is that more evident

than with this -
a high-tech transport hub

at the heart of the city.

This is Kuala Lumpur
Sentral Station,

and it's nine acres of railways

and various associated
bits and pieces.

This station helps the city manage
a staggering 13 million tourists

every year.

That's almost as many
as visit New York.

ANNOUNCER: Please mind your step.

Travelling through the city,
very much a commuter train,

as you can see by all the people
using it to get across the city.

Here in Malaysia,
I'm taking three separate journeys -

Kuala Lumpur to Batu Caves
on the edge of town,

the jungle train
from Mentakab to Gua Musang,

and the electrified line
from lpoh to Penang.

The first is also
my shortest journey,

and I soon arrive
at the station for Batu Caves.

They're home to a Hindu shrine.

But before I can visit it,

I have to take part
in what's become an informal ritual.

I've just bought some bananas,
and you'll see this will cause

a bit of attention here
in amongst the monkeys.

Hang on, there you go.

These are macaques, by the way,

which are the most common form
of monkey in the area.

And... they know
they're gonna get fed.

Monkeys are a common sight
at Hindu temples

as they're associated
with the monkey god Hanuman.

Anybody else want one?
You have one?

But this shrine
is to another Hindu deity -

the Tamil Lord Murugan,
the god of war.

His 140ft effigy is the largest
statue in the whole of Malaysia.

I'm meeting Mr Sethupathy, the
secretary of the temple committee.

He's waiting at the foot of a
particularly daunting set of stairs.

So, how often do you walk
up and down these steps?

Every week, once. Weekly, one.

How many steps?
272.

I thought that's what it was.
That's slightly worrying.

I'm not that fit.

It's 30 degrees plus,
and the humidity must be over 90%.

The steps that we are walking
was built in 1940.

1940?
Yeah.

NICK SIGHS

'The rainbow paint arrived in 2018,

'helping to make the shrine one of
Malaysia's top visitor attractions.

'5,000 people a day
mount these steps.'

Slow and steady is the way,
slow and steady.

'So slow, in fact,
it's a full 15-minute climb.'

Wow!
Ha-ha.

Last few steps.

2'! 2 .
MACAQUE SCREECHES

'I felt every one of them.

'But now I'm here...'

Good grief, look at this.

How amazing!

Can't believe
the scale of this thing.

It is like a cathedral, isn't it?
Yeah.

Shoes not allowed.
Yeah, shoes not allowed.

Shall I take my shoes off here?
Yeah.

'There are daily ceremonies,
and everyone is welcome.'

9% of Malaysians are Hindu -

a small minority,
but a vibrant presence.

Hindu ceremonies are loud
and colourful

and noisy and beautiful,

and now I feel truly blessed.

Right, then. I feel like
I've earned a bite to eat.

Back in the centre of town, I'm due
to meet our translator, Alan.

He wants me to try a dish created
when the British ruled Malaysia.

It's named after the Chinese workers
who invented it -

Hainanese chicken chop.

And is this something that's eaten
all over Malaysia and...?

It is eaten all over Malaysia.
It began, really, as...

as a dish that
the Hainanese cooks used to serve

to their colonial, you know,
sort of employers. Right.

Their employers
wanted something from home.

Typical British aboard.

Rather than eat the local food,

they want something that's,
you know.

I also notice
that this is a Chinese restaurant,

but we're in the Indian quarter,

so everybody lives side by side,
everybody mixes.

It's very happy coexistence here?

Yes, I mean,
definitely more in the urban areas,

but Malaysia is that melange
of Malays, Chinese, Indian,

living together happily.
Here we go.

Wow! Thank you, Sharon.
Lovely.

I gotta say, this does not look
like a Chinese meal.

It doesn't, does it?

You know what a key thing is here?

Is that the blots of gravy,
the baked beans, the processed peas,

and the carrots.

Isn't that terrible
that internationally we're known

for that quality of cuisine?

Try it.
It is a large chicken breast,

and it tastes of...

That's roast chicken, isn't it,
essentially, in gravy?

That's another important part.
What's this, then?

Tomato sauce.
Is it really tomato sauce? Is it?

You put tomato sauce and gravy
on chips?

Absolutely.
That is fantastic.

Is it still the British
that order this?

I think that there very few British
that would order this now

unless they actually know about it
and want to taste it.

Yeah.

But it's a really popular dish
with Malaysians in general.

It's a nostalgia, retro thing.

'So that's a Chinese meal
created for the British

'that's now popular with Malaysians.

'We pop out for a Chinese,
they pop out for a British.'

Kuala Lumpur
is a city of the future,

but my next journey is on a line
left over from the past.

I'm heading
to the centre of Malaysia,

where the jungle awaits.

Building began on the world-famous
jungle Railway in 1910,

when this was British Malaya.

So, this is Mentakab Station,

and this is the start
of the iconic jungle Railway.

TRAIN HORN BEEPS
That's my train coming in.

BELL RINGS

'The jungle Railway
is a single track,

'and they have an ingenious way
of keeping the line safe.'

So, this is a key.
It's a token, really.

On automated, electronic lines,
it's all done with electronics now,

but this is a leftover

from when the British
ran the railway years ago.

Because it's a single line,

they have to make sure
that no two trains are travelling

on that single line together,
and it's done very simply with this.

The driver who holds this is the one
that's allowed to go on the line.

People are boarding.
Give that back.

'Because we won't be going anywhere

'until our driver
has this key in his cab.'

Thank you.
BELL RINGS

CONDUCTOR WHISTLE SOUNDS

CONDUCTOR WHISTLE SOUNDS

I can't tell you how excited I am
to be heading out into the jungle.

This is one of Asia's
most iconic rail journeys.

As this is the rainy season,

it's gonna be hot, humid
and very green.

I'll be travelling from Mentakab
around 130 miles to Gua Musang,

with some of the world's
oldest rainforest along the track.

TRAIN HORN BEEPS

Over 60% of Malaysians are Muslim,

so they've designed their trains
accordingly.

Now, here's something you won't see
on many trains - it's a prayer room.

It's OK for me to open the door

because there's a sign
saying vacant.

It's a bit tight.

Obviously, a Muslim country,

you might well be on the train
when it's time to pray,

so they have a room for that.

Great, open views
of the jungle going past.

What's not to love, really?

TRAIN HORN BLARES

Hello.
MANY: Hello.

Hello. People are super friendly,
aren't they?

Hello.
ALL: Hi.

Hi, hello. Hello, everyone.

Hi. Hey, hi, hello.

Imagine trying that
on a British commuter train!

HE CHUCKLES

'Awaiting me
on this unique railway...'

ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

'..one of my favourite animals...'

Amazing.

Just the most beautiful animals.

'..And what I'm told
is the king of fruits.'

That is rank.

I mean, I have to tell you,
the smell of that is disgusting.

I'm on Malaysia's world-famous
jungle railway.

The jungle that we're travelling
through has huge biodiversity,

and the largest animal
living in there is the elephant.

But human activity
is causing a problem,

which you can see
in these video clips.

When people clear the jungle
for farming,

they cut into
the elephant's territory.

So elephants, on the hunt for food,

among crops or in villages,
come into conflict with humans.

ELEPHANT SNORTS

'The government have set up a scheme
to help deal with the problem,

'and the next stop, I'm hopping off
to see how they do it.'

I'm really looking forward to this.
Elephants! Elephants!

The Deputy Director

of Kuala Gandah National Elephant
Conservation Centre

is Mrjuan.

He's brought three elephants
to show me what they do,

and he's asked me to call him Juan.

So, Juan, what are we gonna see
this morning?

It's a translocation process
that we do

for human-elephant conflict.

We're gonna take the wild elephant
that cause conflict

on human or the plantation

and bring them back
to the natural habitat.

What sets this scheme apart
is the conflict elephants

are calmed and soothed

by trained what-you-might-call
therapy elephants.

ELEPHANT SCREECHES

Are they wild elephants
that you've trained?

It's actually conflict elephants.

Oh, these are originally conflict
elephants that you've rescued?

And we tram them.

So, charities that deal with
elephants in the wild

don't like elephants to be ridden
and, you know,

riding elephants for work, riding
elephants for pleasure for tourists,

but this is very different.

You're riding these elephants
specifically to help elephants.

Yeah.
Explain to me how that works.

I can see they're manoeuvring
both sides of the elephant.

So, we use the tame elephant,
trained elephant,

to calm the elephant down
and just pull it together with them.

The staff is chaining the neck

just for the guidance
for the elephant to follow

the direction that
the tame elephant is going.

It's like the two
sort of trained elephants

are giving the wild elephant
a cuddle, a reassuring cuddle,

and in the process,
keeping the wild elephant in place.

So, these elephants that came
into conflict with humans -

what would have happened to them
before this project started?

They would have been killed.
They would have been?

Yeah.
No other option?

Either by, erm, poison or shooting.

So, how many elephants do you think
you've rescued overall?

We started this process in 1974,

and up until now,

we have saved 1,096 elephants,
wild elephants.

That's incredible.

So, what happens now?

So, the trained elephant
is pulling the wild elephant.

STAFF SHOUTS

ELEPHANT ROARS

He's not necessarily
in a good mood, is he? Yeah.

But this is teenage elephants,
isn't it? It's like teenage humans.

They're kind of angry and fighty,

and don't wanna be told
what to do.

Yeah.
NICK LAUGHS

STAFF SHOUTING

There we go.
And now he's got the message.

Now, this is a training exercise,
right?

Yeah, this is a training exercise.

Despite that, this teenage elephant
doesn't wanna join in.

So he's acted like
a proper wild elephant.

Yeah.
THEY LAUGH

He's a good actor.
Yeah.

ELEPHANT SCREECHES

just such beautiful animals,
aren't they? Yeah.

I think this is
the most majestic animals for me

so that's why I am so in love
with this work

and also so in love with them.

Well, you're doing great work.
It's amazing.

With the demonstration over,

there's a treat in store
for me and the elephants.

JUAN SPEAKS IN MALAY

This is a sugarcane.
It's a natural food for them.

So, elephants have a sweet tooth,
the same as us? Yeah.

OK, so you're the star of the show

cos you were playing
the wild elephant.

There you go.
Erm, you can have one, too.

Here we go, behind there.
You got one there? There you go.

There you go. Chung!
ELEPHANT SCREECHES

NICK LAUGHS

That's the way they say hello.
Chung!

Chung! There you go.
ELEPHANT SCREECHES

You're eating too fast.
You need to calm down a little bit.

This one's not getting any.

Here you go, have one of those.

It's just lovely to know that these
animals are now being looked after,

whereas before, they were...

...well, literally,
had been poisoned or shot...

...as people expand
into their territory.

Into THEIR territory, mind you.

Amazing.

Just the most beautiful animals.

'Juan and his team
are doing fabulous work.

'What a wonderful start
to my jungle railway journey.'

Wasn't that just the coolest thing
in the world?

Originally built to carry tin
and rubber for export,

this line was completed in 1931.

A passenger service was soon added.

TRAIN HORN HONKS

Erm, coffee?

Yeah, can I have one coffee, please?
Thank you.

I'm a couple of hours
into the journey,

and we're approaching Kuala Lipis,
the old provincial capital,

where I need to change trains.

So, that's as far
as this train goes.

If I wanna go further
in the jungle line, and I do,

I have to go on another train.

It leaves in a couple of hours,
which gives me some time to kill.

The warm monsoon rain
may be falling,

but this is my chance to taste

what's known locally
as "the king of fruits".

Now, this is durian.

Erm, it's a very stinky fruit.

It's loved by the Malaysians.

Now, I've always been told
that you either love it or hate it.

Can I have one, please?

So, people describe the smell

as being between rotting flesh
or sweet almonds.

And apparently, different people
smell it differently.

'This fruit is so smelly,

'it's actually banned
in many public places,

'like hotels and transport.'

Oh, God.

That is rank.

I mean, I have to tell you,
the smell of that is disgusting.

But the flavour is interesting.
It's like a...

...caramely, creme brulee
kind of thing...

...with a hint of "yuck" about it.

Since people react to durian
in different ways,

why don't I ask the crew
what they think?

Onion custard.

Cheesy.
You've got... You've got cheese?

Everyone's getting
something different.

It's actually quite nice, that.

Rotten. Rotten onions.

'For the record,
apart from the smell,

'I quite liked it.'

Back at the station,
my train's ready to go.

Over the decades,
this enchanting line

may have gathered followers
from all over the world,

but brothers Akmal and Madhu have
been adopted as local celebrities

after falling for its charms.

What makes this jungle Railway
so special?

You can see the train
going through the jungle.

All the nature, natural beauty.
jungle train is the best one.

You cannot see the single train.

Oh, I see. You like it
because it's a single train.

Yeah.

Because it's not so wide, and so
you're closer to the jungle. Yeah.

We like the sound of the wheel
of the train on the track.

That...
IMITATES WHEEL SOUND

Yeah. Or we call it, like a...
"Buba-ca-Chang, buba-ca-Chang".

TRAIN CH UGS

Now, the guard
is coming to check tickets. Yeah.

Does he recognise you
because you travel so much? Yes.

Do you know all the guards now?
Yeah. We know him.

NICK LAUGHS
There you go.

So, it's good that you guys
both have the same passion?

You've always done this
since you were kids?

From kid... From we kids until now.

We must together.
Always together?

Because if we not together,

erm, the people will ask,
"Where is your brother?

"Where's the other one?"

"Where's the other one?"
Yeah.

The jungle Railway may be
a tourist attraction,

but for the villagers
who live along the track,

it provides a vital lifeline.

Part of the charm
of the jungle Railway

is that what they call stations

aren't stations
that you or I would recognise.

This is it.

It's basically just like a bus stop
in the middle of nowhere

where people get on and off.

So, and I'm not getting off here,
but I thought I'd show you.

It's quite a climb to get back on
as well. Thank you very much.

Not everything I'm seeing through
the window is strictly jungle.

Large areas of rainforest have been
turned over to agriculture.

So, these trees that you can see
out of the window are palm oil,

sometimes referred to
as palm nut oil.

It's used a lot in the West,

and it's a huge export for Malaysia.

But, of course,
in order to plant these,

they've had to cut down
enormous amounts of forest,

which is bad for the environment.

Actually bad for the wildlife, too.

But it is a huge export.

Palm oil has become increasingly
contentious in the West

due to its environmental impact.

The government are curbing
expansion of the crop,

although current levels
aren't being rolled back.

Having said that,

around 50% of Malaysia is still
covered in tropical rainforest,

and the next stop, Me rap oh,
drops me right on its doorstep.

So, the train has brought me
to the heart of the jungle,

which gives me a chance to visit

one of the oldest rainforests
in the world.

A small proportion of Malaysia's
rainforests are still untouched,

and they don't get
much more pristine than this.

130 million years old
in a national park

larger than Cornwall,

with one of the most diverse
mixtures of plants and trees

of any rainforest in the world.

So, this is Ta man Negara
National Park,

and I've come to meetjoe,
who's in charge.

He's gonna show me
the new treetop walk,

which is so new that it isn't open
to the public yet.

Joe?
Yeah.

How you doing?
Fine, thank you.

The walkway cost over £2 million,

and winds its way through
almost half a mile of jungle.

You also have huge snakes here?
Yes.

Python. H uge pythons?
Yeah.

All right, I'll watch out for those.
Also, we have gibbon here.

Oh, do you?
Yeah.

So you hear the whooping
at the end of the day?

Yes, the late evening.
NICK WOOPS

Yeah, that.

TH EY LAUGH,
NICK WOOPS

No, I like gibbons, they're amazing.

I love the fact it goes up again
into the tree canopy there.

The walkway rises over 100 feet
into the trees.

Wow, it's great. The higher you get,
the better it looks.

Yes, of course.
Wonderful.

Wow. That was worth a climb,
wasn't it?

It's a privilege to be
in a canopy like this,

where you can hear the bird life
around you.

It's immersion, that's what it is.

What is your favourite time
when you're in the forest?

When we do patrolling,
we go on jeeps.

Sometimes, we see animals
crossing our path.

That's so nice.

That's special.
Yeah, special.

Thank you, joe. It's beautiful
to be up here in the treetops.

It's really, really special.

Back on the train, we're approaching
the spectacular limestone cliffs

at Gua Musang, my final stop.

Well, that's the end
of the jungle part of my journey,

and what an experience it was.

I've always loved elephants,

but to see the work they're doing
in rescuing elephants

that come into conflict with humans
was just amazing.

And then the rainforest
and the treetops.

Oh, I absolutely loved it.
More adventures to come, though.

Tomorrow, I set off to
the other side of the country.

'On my third rail journey
across Malaysia...'

I can't believe this.

'..| get to ride in the cab...'

Look at the world
rushing towards us.

'..And meet Malaysia's most famous
celebrity chef.'

Ah, there you are.
Ancl so, you are cleansed.

You know, you are cleansed,
and now, you become a good boy.

NICK KNOWLES:
I'm exploring Malaysia's railways.

Less than three hours north
of Kuala Lumpur

is the town of lpoh.

In the 1880s, tin mining
turned it overnight from a village

into one of the largest cities
in Malaysia.

In recent decades, it's reinvented
itself as a tourist destination...

...and there are
plenty of tourists about.

It's so hot that I'm gonna get
one of these fans.

'I've been in Malaysia
for almost a week,

'and I'm still finding
the climate a struggle.'

Thank you. Oh.

It is so hot.

I mean, it's an amazing place,
don't get me wrong,

and well worth putting up with,
but...

I've never known anywhere
so humid.

I can't visit lpoh without tasting

its most famous
culinary contribution.

Can I get a lpoh white coffee,
please?

Ipoh is one
of the three coffee destinations

named in Asia
as worth giving it a try,

but they actually
roast their coffee beans in palm oil

which gives a special flavour,

and then they use,
like, condensed milk on it.

I normally drink mine black,
but, you know,

"When in lpoh,
do as the lpoh-nese do."

Oh, that is fantastic!

I mean, I love a coffee,
but that is fantastic!

It's rich and sweet and creamy
and...

Yeah, really good.
Yeah, I love it. Thank you.

'The coffee here may use palm oil,
which, as we've said, is a problem,

'but given how widely
it's found in the West,

'it's hardly surprising
they use it here, where it's grown.'

These murals are a clue to the way
lpoh has reinvented itself

since its mining heyday.

When the tin ran out
so the mining went away,

lpoh fell into economic decline.

Things looked pretty bleak,

especially for the young people
of the city.

But like so many old mining towns
around the world,

out of adversity comes creativity.

There's a whole underground
music scene that's kicked off here

that I can only describe
as sort of experimental punk.

GUITAR STRUMS
Well, that's them I can hear now,

so come and have a listen.

This is jay.

For two years, he was cultural
adviser to the Malaysian Government.

His group were invited

to the Venice Biennale
Arts Festival.

You must be jay.
Yes.

Lovely to meet you.
Lovely to meet you.

A great track. Loved it.
Thank you.

And so tell me about this music,
then.

15 years ago, people used
to call us, like, lpoh Rock City

because we have lots of indie rock,
experimental, punk band,

metal band as well.

And the dancing was amazing, too.

He is essentially the Bez
of your band.

Yeah, the Bez! Bez!
Bez, as in Happy Mondays.

Bez from Happy Mondays.
THEY LAUGH

And so maybe you might get a call
from Shaun.

JAY LAUGHS
Shaun Ryder.

Come and perform with them.
Hi, Shaun Ryder.

Yeah.
Hi, Liam Gallagher. Hi, Carl Bar at.

May I try?
Yeah, sure.

Are you sure?
Yes, of course. Please.

But this is not in standard tune.

So, what have you got it set to?
My own tune.

Your own tuning? Oh, that's...
Yeah.

That's gonna be interesting, then.
This is like... Yeah.

Blimey.
Yeah.

Oh, that doesn't work at all.
Yeah, yeah.

It's not in normal tune.
Not standard tune.

You should just play with sound.

'That's easier said than done.
How weird!'

'Wacky!
But you know what, this is fun!'

HE LAUGHS
That's great!

That's fantastic! I love that!

I'd half a mind to drop everything
and join the band...

...but they're doing perfectly well
without me,

and I've got a train to catch.

This time, I'm travelling

on one of the most modern rail lines
in Malaysia.

I'm headed 100 miles north
to the island of Penang

and its capital, George Town.

The journey is just over two hours.

The electrified line
was opened in 2015,

carrying trains
that run at almost 90 miles an hour.

The drivers of Malaysian trains
are called captains,

and the captain of this one
has agreed

to let me have
a very special treat indeed.

Now, I have been given
the opportunity

to be in the cab here
and watch the driving going on.

I'm here on the strict understanding
that I don't distract him.

Look at the world
rushing towards us.

I do feel like an excited schoolboy

being up the front here,
next to the driver.

You have the coolest job
in the world, I think.

Yeah, yeah.

Did you always
wanna be a train driver?

Train driver captain.

Yeah.
From when you were a little boy?

Yeah, two. Two.

What, since you were two years old!
Yes. Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

Thank you very much, sir.
OK. Thank you.

Thank you for letting me see.
Amazing.

Thank you.
Thanks.

HE LAUGHS
How cool was that?

Before I know it,
we arrive at Butterworth,

a very British name
for the gateway to Penang,

one of the most beautiful
of Malaysia's islands.

Sitting on the coast
is the capital George Town,

a UNESCO World Heritage Site
famous for two things -

colonial architecture
and street food.

So, I'm meeting someone
who can take me through

the incredible diversity
of delights on offer.

This is my friend Chef Wan.
He's a mega-superstar in Malaysia,

and, in fact, all over Asia,
but specifically in Malaysia.

And I've arranged
to meet him here at a market

to talk about Malaysian food

and the diversity of Malaysian food,
but...

if I can stop people taking selfies
for two minutes,

we'll get into it.

I need to take him away.
Yes, one dollar. One dollar.

One photo, one dollar,
one dollar, one dollar.

You know, it feel like Vietnam.
Hello, Nick.

How are you?
Oh, welcome to Malaysia.

Lovely to see you.
Oh, no.

# Malaysia... Who love Malaysia? #
Yes, exactly.

Can I borrow you from your selfies,
and we can go in and see some food?

Cos I know everybody
wants to take a photo.

'Chef Wan is Malaysia's
most famous celebrity chef...'

Hello, sir. How are you?

'..With eight restaurants
and 30 years of TV shows

'and recipe books under his belt.'

Everywhere in Malaysia you come,
you see these huge, you know,

courtyard food,
everywhere they eat, yeah.

It's really wonderful out there,
so people just enjoy them.

So, what do you think
we should try first?

This one, I want you to try

because it's specialty
de la Maison, yeah?

Yeah.
It's really, really good.

'This plate is a Penang special
known as pasanbur...'

Ah, Nick, have a go.
OK.

'..An Indian-inspired spicy salad
of seafood fritters,

'prawn, crab and squid,
with a sweet-and-spicy nut sauce.'

Do you find that delicious?

Yeah, that prawn's lovely as well.
Of course it's lovely.

There's lots of different flavours
in here.

Would you say this was a plate
of Malaysian food?

It's Malaysian.
Or is it Indian?

No way.
Or is it Chinese or...?

I mean,
it has a bit of Indian influence.

It has a bit of Malay,
but just Malaysian.

You can never go to India
to find this.

That's delicious.
What else can we try?

We're having the noodle.
Let's go for the noodle.

We're gonna have these Laksam.

Laksa Penang is very well known
in Penang.

There you are.
'I've tasted the Indian influence.

'Now, this broth combines
oriental noodles and Asian spice

'and is famous
all across South East Asia.'

That's amazing. That's kinda fruity
and fishy and quite spicy, too.

So, listen,
I thought we would come out,

and we would try some Chinese food,
and we'd try some Indian food,

and we'd... but actually,
it's all mixed up, isn't it?

To understand Malaysian cuisine

is to understand our geographical...
where our peninsula is located.

We are in the middle of everything,
so that's why you notice

Malaysia has all this confluence
of everything.

Yeah, and it is delicious.
This is really delicious.

Yeah.
Anything else I should try...?

Another one we should try,
very famous.

Ah, rojak kangkung, you wanna try?

Yeah, of course.
Come on.

'One local speciality
comes from the same family

'as our morning glory.'

'It's called kangkung,

'and it's everywhere,
for good reason.'

The cheapest vegetable -

when you're poor,
we eat a lot of this.

Oh, this is morning glory.

Morning glory is the plant,
but it's part of the family.

Rojak kang... kung! There you go.

Ow!
Ah!

Why are you hitting me with it?
Well, because this is how.

Because in Malaysia, when,
you know, when the bomoh,

when they want to cleanse you,
and so they will pray.

They will pray for you,
and then they're gonna cleanse you,

and they go, like, you know...

I now have a bit of,
you know, reading...

HE BABBLES,
SPITS

You know, like that, you know?

And one swing, one swing.

Ah, there you are,
and so you're cleansed.

You know, you are cleansed,
and now you become a good boy, OK?

Yeah, it's more like
a Norwegian sauna, to be honest.

HE SPEAKS MALAY,
THEY LAUGH

This squid is delicious.
Delicious, isn't it? I told you.

Absolutely delicious.

What is it about Malaysian cuisine
that you love so much?

I think what I love about it...

So, you find a bit of Indonesian,
a bit of Arabic,

a bit of northern Indian,
southern Indian,

a bit of Thai.
Right.

Because people arrived
from all these part of the world,

and they intermarriage,
and then we have this lovely mess.

Yeah.
As you can see, I'm the messy one.

NICK LAUGHS
Very messy, but a beautiful mess!

'What a wonderful man, eh?

'I think the phrase "one of a kind"
was invented for him.'

'But now I'm ready for a lie down,

'and luckily,
my hotel's just around the corner.'

Nice place,
and apparently, this is my room.

Oh-hoo-hoo!
Shoes-off kind of place, I think.

Look at this! How amazing is this?

'This five-star luxury
is like stepping back in time.

'I love it.'

Oh, look at this bedroom.

WOW!

This is high-end Penang.

'And tonight, I get to sleep
in the lap of luxury,

'which is good because tomorrow,

'I give an ancient martial art
a go...'

Could you beat him?
No.

HE LAUGHS

'..and take one last special train.'

Wow, look how steep it is!
I'm just like, "That's a big climb!"

NICK KNOWLES:
I'm on the island of Penang

on the last leg of my rail journey
across Malaysia...

...which boasts some 2,900 miles
of coastline,

with beaches that draw tourists
from all over the world.

But I'm not here for a swim.

This is the last day of my journey,

and I've come down to the beach
in Penang

to meet another group of people
who have made this place home.

They're the Tamils
of southern India and Sri Lanka,

and they practise a martial art
called Silambam, or stick fighting.

It's been around for thousands
of years, and since 1936,

the Tamil expats have made Penang
the homeland of the sport.

Rather than being combative,
the moves are designed

to promote subconscious peace
and self-reflection.

HE CALLS OUT

I'm meeting instructor Munies
and Grandmaster Dr Anbananthan.

How are you, sir?
Hi, Nick.

Lovely to see you.
Thank you, Nick.

And the Grandmaster.
Welcome.

Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.

That was great. Tell me
about this martial art, then.

We can call it, how to say,

a basic exercise
to improve your health.

We'll groom your body
towards spirituality,

towards meditation,

towards, how to say,
self-realisation.

By focusing on the movement
of the stick, you free your mind

and enter a meditative state.

'Time to get a grasp of the basics.'

Basically, this is how you hold, OK?

Then you just turn clockwise
and anticlockwise.

That's it.

You've got it, Nick.
OK.

Grandmaster?
Grandmaster.

Could you beat him?
No.

HE LAUGHS

Can I have a go?
OK, OK.

OK.

OK, do whatever you like.

'It's 30 degrees and 80% humidity.

'Every lunge has me sweating more,
and I'm getting nowhere.'

NICK LAUGHS
I'm trying...

I'm trying, but actually,
I'm spinning this quite hard now.

He looks quite comfortable
with the whole process.

'He's so relaxed.
He's barely breaking sweat.'

'Look at him.
He's 75, by the way. 75!'

NICK LAUGHS

So, that's kind of embarrassing.

I'm twice the weight of you.
GRANDMASTER LAUGHS

I'm throwing the stick
with both hands.

You're defending with one hand.

I think I'll leave it
to the grandmasters, but...

thank you very much, sir.
Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, class.
Thank you!

For a moment there,
I thought I was Bruce Lee.

I was actually
more like Kung Fu Panda.

But now I need to escape
the humidity...

...which is why I've saved
the very special rail trip

for the last part of my stay.

Well, I'm almost at the end
of my travels across Malaysia,

but there's one more railway
I need to get on,

and it's a very unusual train.

The Penang Hill Railway
was opened in 1923

to help the rich
escape the summer heat

by taking to the hills.

So, this is the train coming in,
and it's a funicular railway.

A funicular railway is
a special type of mountain railway,

used to go straight up steep slopes.

And we're off!
HE LAUGHS

This is great for me. I love this.

This is Aarab, by the way,

who is the funicular engineer
on this railway.

Nice to meet you.
Pleasure to meet you.

Tell me a bit about this funicular.
Wow, look how steep it is!

I've just, like, suddenly looked.
That's a big climb.

It's about two kilometre long,
and the steepest incline

is about 27 degrees
at the upper station.

That's very steep.
Yes, that's very steep.

The line was upgraded in 2010,
boosting both capacity and speed,

but it still relies on a beautifully
simple piece of engineering,

where each carriage acts
as a counterbalance for the other.

So, this is the easiest way
to explain it -

that carriage is attached
to this carriage by a cable

that goes all the way up
and all the way back down to them.

This is the passing place...

...but we are still on one cable,

and the weight of that
counterbalances the weight of this,

so actually, it evens out.

And it only takes
a little bit of energy

to drag this enormous thing
up this steep hill.

It's clever, isn't it?

You travel this every day,
but you're still smiling. Yes.

What is it about this railway
you love?

Because of the heritage,
the culture,

and we are always meeting
new people.

They love coming here.

Something like 55 years ago,

I used to ride a funicular railway

back in England in Hastings
where my gran lived.

Uh-huh.

And I always thought that
would be the best funicular railway

I ever went on.

But I've got to say,
this is pretty special.

Yes.
Thank you very much, Aarab.

Wow, that was fantastic!

You can understand
why they built this one here.

We're much higher up.

It's much cooler up here,
and look at the view.

Isn't it something?

But, then,
Malaysia is truly magical.

What a place to end my adventure,
and what an adventure it's been.

There's a saying that

"happiness is a journey
not a destination".

And I have to say that

as I've travel led across Malaysia,
that's been very true.

I've never met happier people,

and it doesn't matter
where you come from

or what your religion is.

There are so many influences.

It's such a melting pot, Malaysia,
that everyone is welcome.

'It's full of beautiful places...'

Wonderful.
That was worth the climb, wasn't it?

Chung!
ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

HE LAUGHS

'..and wonderful people.'

One photo, one dollar, one dollar!

ALL: Hi!
Hello, everyone. Hi!

Possibly the happiest country
that I've visited.

It truly is beautiful,
and I've loved it.