Malaysian Sun

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I left London in the pouring rain and arrived in KL to 30 degree heat and extreme humidity.... and it was only 9am in the morning. Ekk. I couldn't check into my hotel straight away so sought solace in the local Starbucks with an iced cappuccino - what can I say, it was air conditioned ;0) Hotel was lurvely - the posh kind with a concierge and a porter who whisks your bags away from you and makes them magically appear in your room later!! And then there was the roof top swimming pool and bar... ahhh.... made lots of use of that in the 3 days I stayed here.... alas isn't probably something I should be getting used to!

I did squeeze in some sight seeing whilst I was here... partly thanks to the very chatty taxi driver I had from the airport!! He could have given my LP book a serious run for its money! Saw the former Pudu Prison where the tropical murals on the outside walls were painted by the prisoners.... according to Mr Taxi Driver they painted them using their hands for paint brushes. Not sure about that one but they were pretty impressive and took over a year to paint. A trip to the top of the KL tower (421m high) gave amazing views over the city skyline and of the Petronas Towers. The Petronas Towers are actually taller at some 452m but as the KL tower is built on a hill the views are just as good. I was still at the top when a huge thunder storm started.... not so good!

I spent a sunny day walking round the city looking at the amazing mix of architecture and cultures here... Little India, China Town and then Merdeka Square, where in 1957 the Union Jack was lowered and the Federation of Malaya flag hoisted for the first time. Here at Merdeka Square, right in the middle of the city, is a cricket pitch used by the British in colonial times, surrounded on one side by the mock Tudor Selangor Club and the Moorish style Sultan Abdul Samud Building on the other. An absolutely mad mixture! In the end the sun all got a bit to much for me so I had to retreat for some air conditioning... the closest option being one of the huge shopping malls that they have here ;0)

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