Michael Portillo’s 2,500-mile rail tour of south east Asia reaches Malaysia. On the island of Penang, Michael traces the origins of the former British colony in Georgetown, rides one of the world’s steepest funicular railways and is enchanted by exotic specimens at Malaysia’s first butterfly sanctuary. Travelling on Malaysia’s hi-tech railway network, Michael visits the wettest town in the country, Taiping, and learns how the discovery of tin made this land a prized possession for Britain. Next stop is the regal town of Kuala Kangsar, home to the Sultan of Perak and to one of Malaysia’s most prestigious schools, known as the ‘Eton of the East’. Michael joins pupils in a game of Eton Fives.
