It really kicked off when we stopped in the office. It is possibly the last time we are going to be in three for the past few months.

The big surprise came when the entire office staff began to sing Happy Birthday and gave her a gigantic cheesecake!

Tila was very surprised, not only at all that, but also to now find herself eating cheesecake for breakfast.

Happy Birthday Honey.

After the spontaneous celebration we finally got general directions from Beh and headed off to the Malaysia Post, in Sungai Besi. We NEEDED to go there because Tila's Parents, Stewart and Carol, had sent her a birthday card.

We had to pick it up. It was currently being held awaiting a passport an a signature.

Sungai Besi is actually located just between our house and the office, being approximately 1 mile from where we were now. PIECE OF CAKE, just zip in, pick up the card and get straight onto the highway. Easy...

We did not know, however, that a Sungei Besi was a fully working authentic Malaysian village.

After circling this small village and only asking once for directions - we found it!

The birthday card was only seconds away....

We had to pick up the card personally because the card was "insured" to the value of £100, and Malaysia Post wanted to make sure it got into the correct hands.

Now that's not something that a postman would hand over to any random office staff.

We walked up to the small window in the wall of the Malaysia Post building and asked for the aforementioned card. "Passport please." The young Malay girl said form the other side of the barred window.

Hmmm, we seem to have forgotten something... yes, the passport...

That launched us into one of our most interesting Malaysian experiences.

It definitely goes down as the Malaysian Post Office Adventure, since it was the one and only time we ever visited a post office in Malaysia.

We had to somehow convince the procedure ridden Malaysian Postal System that we were who we say we are. We don't want to have to go back home, get the passport, find this place again and THEN finally get on the road to the Cameron Highlands.

Understanding this complicated problem, Tila quickly proceeded to empty her wallet of credit cards, business cards and any other form of card, which had her name on it.

"Nothing with a picture,lah?" the girl asks.

No, definitely nothing with a picture.

The young girl went to get a higher-ranking postal official.

A professional and friendly man finally appeared at the window, again immediately requesting a photo ID.

Again the credit cards landed upon the counter. "It's my birthday card, from my parents." Tila said pleadingly.

"They sent it all the way over here from the UK."

He looked at her. It kind of looked like he wanted to just pass the card across to her, but knew he could not with just that small amount of information.

I then decided to put more oomph into our case by also displaying my array of business and credit cards.

That didn't seem to make any difference.

Tila another idea.

She realised that her parents always put the correct return address on all postal envelopes leaving their 8 Carthall Crescent residence.

She tried a different tack.

She quickly pulled out a pen and small pad and explained to the man that the address she was writing would be located on the reverse of the insured birthday card.

She wrote the address.

The man held them both up, comparing them.

Checking carefully, he finally nodded and smiled.

It looked like that did the trick.

However, in his mind there were still legal procedures to go through since no passport was forthcoming.

He kindly explained that since the card was insured, if it was not correctly delivered the Post Office would be liable for the full cost of £100. That is a significant sum of money here in Malaysia.

Understanding full well his reasons, Tila gladly agreed to whatever procedure was necessary to retrieve her birthday card... little did she know...

We were surprised at the next request.

"I'm going to have to take your thumb print," the nice man said, pulling out a pad of black stamp-ink.

"I've never had my thumb print taken before," Tila said excitedly with a girlish glimmer in her eyes.

"Never before?" he said. "Then this will be history for you."

"Yes, you'll be part of my history", Tila said almost giggling.

So the thumbprint was taken and the card was handed over.

Tila quickly opened the envelope, right there at the counter, laughed, and showed the man the front of it.

"To Our Special Daughter on Her Birthday".

He smiled, knowing instantly that he had done a good deed.

Here it is.

As he said.

History.