First stop....Malaysia (Mon 4th Aug - Wed 6th Aug 2008)

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After a few (very) teary farewells and a good weekend of drinking in London town I was all set for my 12 and a half hour flight from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur. The excitement had finally set in - the whole trip and the living on the other side of the world thing had not quite seemed real for weeks!! Lets face it - it all happened quite quickly and it was only then, checking in at heathrow that I realised - yup I was actually going!!!

After a long boring flight (with the nicest airhostesses ever for anyone planning a trip - go Malaysia Airlines!!) I landed into one of the most super efficient airports ever - yup I was going to like this place! But funnily enough it was the modernity and efficiency of this city that ended up leaving little impression on me in the end!

I stayed at the 5* Istana Hotel in the Golden Triangle...verrrry niiiice! I felt a tad out of place with all the "senior" (old and leary) businessmen in the Club Lounge (which my fancy room allowed me access to to have free food, cocktails etc). I had got a cheap deal on Expedia. Something told me the rest of the clientele hadn't!

I had a great view from my swanky room over Petronas Towers which are famous for being the tallest twin towers in the world and apparently # 2 & #3 tallest towers in the world (Losing out to one in Taiwan apparently). quite an impressive view to have - especially at night when they were all lit up. Idecided to go a wee walk down to see them. I made the mistake of thinking that the blanket clouds and the temperature in the hotel (resulting from a very efficient air conditioning system) meant that it wasn't that hot outside so off I went out in my jeans - big mistake!! It was sweltering!! But I never saw even a patch of blue sky the whole time I was there. Whether it was smog or what I don't know - it vertainly didn't seem that humid...

What was even more impressive than the towers was the Suria KLCC shopping centre underneath the towers.....if only I wasn't unemployed and subject to airline weight restrictions!!! BUT I did make a purchase from Tiffany & Co after losing a heart charm at the Muselburgh Races the week before. Yup unemployed me goes shopping in Tiffanys 😊 (Please don't remind me of this when I am pleading poverty in oz later)!

After this it was a trip to another tower (they like their towers) - the KL Tower. I am sure I was meant to get excited by this and the view it offered but the smog didn't help and I think I was inside the tower a total of 5 minutes - including the super fast elevator ride up and down!!

With not much to do I headed back to the hotel for some malaysian Food (Nasi Goreng Kampung for anyone interested) and wine and a long sleep by the pool. I didn't sample the night life that night and instead opted for room service and a nice view..... (rock on).

My second and last day in KL was quite unremarkable. I decided I'd be a total tourist and get on the hop on hop off bus. There wasn't much to hop off at though with me opting for some nice shopping street then the central markets. Against restricted on the cash/ weight restriction front i just window shopped and hopped back on a short while later. I took the bus to some lovely lake gardens for a wee walk but the jet lag kicked in and I headed back to the hotel and then on the to airport - VERY early for my flight.

So to summrise my quick stopover in KL: Its all very modern and well ordered. Other than the shopping (which has to be said is fab) and the Petronas towers nothing really stands out for me and I can't get too excited about it. Oh except the people they were particularly lovely!!! It was good to see the place though and its another country to tick off the list. I would love to go back and head to the coast - the Scuba is said to be amazing....I may be back one day!

But for now - OZ HERE I COME - Woooooooooooo 😊

LMx

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