Day 2 in Kuala Lumpur

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Having almost jogged around the city yesterday visiting several of the landmarks, today was more relaxed. We started with breakfast in a local coffee shop. My sticky bun was nice but Carol's attempt at going local backfired - the spicey sauce that went with the rice and vegetables just defied all attempts at swallowing.

After the breakfast experience we walked to the KL Tower. Well worth it. I was surprised when at the pay desk I was asked if I was a senior citizen, but pleased that my admission got me reduced price entry. Carol was relieved not to have been asked. The views from the top were superb, really showing the extent of the sprawl that is modern KL. It was also quite clear from up there just how high rise KL is engulfing the old colonial city; hopefully considerate conservation action will allow plenty of examples of the city's past to remain.

To help Carol recover from the spicey breakfast accompanied by what tasted like chicory coffee we stopped off in a city centre Starbucks; sat looking out over a plaza with lots of office workers mingling we could have been in any major city in the world - globalisation in action. Fueled up we were then able to walk the KLCC Walkway before getting the monorail out to Brickfields, Little India. This allowed us to check out KL Sentral station for our journey to Singapore. Little India is just a short walk from the station. The name is spot on, walking down the central road the senses are bombarded with Indian sounds, sights and smells. Plenty of what we experienced there had been around for a very long time. However, within metres of the old, 21st century skyscrapers were sprouting upwards, some finished but many in the earliest phase of development. This was a fascinating juxtaposition.

Using the Kommuter train next got us back towards the centre of the city and back in time. We headed for The Coliseum, a throwback to Colonial days. The place had deliberately kept its oldness including furniture, fitting, decor and menu - but sadly not beer prices. Sitting in there was restful, but I couldn't help wondering how much longer it would survive in that way, it certainly wasn't busy and there really wasn't that much about the place to make it genuinely interesting.

The photograph was taken in Little India.

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