Kuala Lumpur

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Polly:

We had another comfortable journey aboard Malaysia's VIP coach service to Kuala Lumpur. For an extra 4 Ringits (about 80p) the VIP coach, with only 3 wide seats per row is a great option. When we got close to KL the weather had deteriorated into a full blown monsoon. The streets were 6 inches high with rain water, traffic easing through these temporary rivers. The bus came to a stop about 200m from the bus station, so we jumped out there, only realising later that the underground bus station was totally flooded.

We walked carefully to our guest house, finding dryish places to walk. Luckily we were only 5 minutes walk away, and the rain was subsiding. We had booked to stay for 3 nights at Serai Guest House in Little India. It was a simple and clean hostel. We had a double room with air-con and shared bathroom facilities. To our delight they had western toilets so our thighs and butts could recover for a few days. On the roof was a clean kitchen, TV, sofas and patio, which was a good space to relax in and meet other travellers.

That night we went for a stroll in Little India and had dinner in a vegetarian curry house. The food was really tasty, but the korma took us by surprise a little as it was like rocket fuel.

The next morning we went to explore KL. We walked to the famous Petronas Towers, at .... m, but as they only allowed a limited number of people up to the 'skybridge' each day, we were too late. Just then the rain started again so we took refuge in the shopping mall beneath the towers. The shopping malls were really upmarket with all the designer labels, but also quite expensive.

Once the rain eased we wandered back to our hostel through an inner city area of protected rainforest, before venturing to the Chinese market. The market was bustling with people, had smells of exotic foods, and a constant hum of noise. You could buy practically anything there, so long as you were happy with good brand imitations. It was fun to wander round for an hour or so, but not really needing anything we called it a night and went back to sleep.

On the third day we got up fairly early and I went to get my hair cut while Ross went to book us on a bus to the Highlands for the following day. Ross had success with his mission but mine was a disaster. Thankfully I still have my hair! The hairdresser took the Nicky Clark approach and wanted to cut my hair just like hers - which was dire. She wouldn't do what I wanted, insisting that she new best, and was very unhappy that I wouldn't let her cut me a fringe. When I tried to explain that she hadn't cut any layers or done anything I had asked we had a bit of a barny, her shouting whilst wielding scissors above my head. It's quite funny now looking back but was bizarre at the time.

Afterwards we walked to the base of the KL Tower. Standing at 335 m high, it provides fantastic 360º views over KL. We went up the tower and were each given a headset which guided us round, telling us historical information about the city.

We quite liked KL as it was easy to walk around, and you stumbled across random, interesting things. It wasn't the cleanest city but it had character. The heat, though, was stifling at times and we're looking forward to the cooler climate of the Cameron Highlands, our next destination....

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Photos

Moped crazy
They made crossing roads particularly challenging!