Kuala Lumpur

Apart from somebody trying to enter our cabin in the middle of the night, the trip was uneventful, and the train arrived only a little late at 6:45 AM. We sat around the station having breakfast for a little while waiting for things to open, and took a local train a couple of stations to the one indicated on the internet map for the hotel we were staying at. Started walking in the general direction, and got very strange looks from everybody we asked directions from. They universally told me that it was a long way, but we trudged on.


After half an hour, whilst walking through an old market, an older man asked if he could help us, told us it was a long way -- too far to walk, but he was going that way and would drop us off. He described himself as a very young 74-year-old surgeon of Sri Lankan heritage, who plays tennis four times a week, and travels around the world often,. So we were chauffeured in an air-conditioned Mercedes by a guy who is coming to Australia in February. He knew the hotel well, having spent $40,000 having his daughter's wedding reception there. Turned out the station on the internet map was very wrong, and it was really too far to walk. Actually it was ideally located next to the Petronas Towers, and is very swank.


Arrived just in time to depart on a half day tour of the city which gave us our bearings. Visited the Petronas Twin Towers (which really are quite ugly close-up), a Batik showroom where we saw students trying their hand, the king's palace where we saw the changing of the guard, the National Museum for an hour, the National Mosque, the National (Independence) monument which was designed by the same guy who did the Washington Monument and was very good, and then to Merdeka Square where independence was proclaimed, and saw the Malaysian cricket ground, and old British buildings which are now the Supreme Court.


Dropped off at the Petronas Towers at the end of the tour, but to our disappointment all the tickets had been given out for the day. Back to the hotel to check in and get organised. Down to the light rail station for lunch of pastries and then off to the KL Tower -- the fourth tallest in the world. A bit of a hike but a great view of KL from the top. A different light rail to the shopping mall, but was so busy being a Sunday that we eventually gave up, and went back to the hotel for a nice swim. Over the road to an Indian restaurant for tea. Did some washing, and watched a great badminton final from the All England Championships.