MALAYSIA - Kuala Lumpur

The monorail through the City adds to the futuristic feel
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Relieved to be here after 6 hour bus journey.

Dropped my bags off at homestay and went for a wander. I felt a bit off colour and by the time I got back had monster headache.Went to bed at 6pm and that was it till 8 the next morning!

KL, as everyone calls it , has the kind of futuristic skyline I used to see in my brothers comics.

Towering spires of glass and steel house huge shopping malls containing everything you could ever wish to buy. In one alone , countless numbers of stores are spread over a whopping 10 floors. Mind you , theres also the 2 imax cinemas . food hall and a theme park complete with rollercoaster!

Chinese acrobats welcome in the New Year in shopping Mall
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At the same time, at street level , hawkers sell cheap and tasty food and drinks . a favourite of mine is the coffee ; a hot and sweet affair made with condensed milk . Its poured at arms length from mug to jug and back  that gives it  a frothy texture.

Having been in regions very recently where some people own literarily almost nothing , the contrast to this consumer society is all the more acute. I'm not suggesting those Africans were any happier people , but it certainly makes it clear than none of these 'desirable' items really matter.

As they said 'Don't try this at home.'
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Off to one of the worlds oldest tropical rainforests tomorrow. Now that really is exciting!

I had planned to go from there over to the east coast , but am told the floods and high seas make this impossible - even the fishing boats are not going out to sea - , so shall have to sort out a route up the west coast.