No Koalas in Kuala

This is the way to travel
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We set off on an early bus from Pinang to Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. Preparing ourselves for another five hour, butt-busting minibus ride we were pleasantly surprised by the 5-star luxury coach that turned up. The seats changed position electronically and had 6 massage settings, it was practically the best 'bed' we'd slept in so far.

As you arrive into KL the futuristic skyline of skyscrapers and tall towers together with the busy streets is quite daunting. We were dropped off by the coach without a mention of where we actually were but finally got a taxi to some local guest houses in the 'Golden Triangle' district. Unfortunately these were all full so we opted for an old favourite of mine - the Comfort Inn, which was... comfortable. We headed straight out to the Menara Communications Tower. This is a huge landmark in the city and standing at 421 metres is the fourth tallest tower in the world. We took the lift to the viewing deck (276 metres) for some really cool views of the city. Unfortunately we had to share the pleasure with about 200 excited school children so we didn't stay too long.

we stood looking like broken hearted puppy dogs

Kuala Lumpur has a futuristic feel
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We next went in search of some local cuisine and chinese was on our minds. After walking around China Town for two hours (ironically it was difficult to find a chinese restaurant) we finally found a street restaurant we were both happy with. We ate lots and drank lots whilst a huge thunder storm raged around us.

Next day we headed for the other major attraction in KL, the Petronas Twin Towers. Lonely Planet describes these as 'the buildings aliens would use as their headquarters if they took over Earth', which on seeing them, is a fair assumption. They are incredible. Huge stainless steel and glass structures with 88 floors standing at 452 metres (the tallest twin towers in the world). The public can take a lift up to the connecting bridge between the towers called 'the Skybridge'. However our Guidebook said it was closed until 3.00pm so with some time to kill we wandered around the grounds and then popped into the super swish shopping centre at the tower's base for lunch. On level five there was a huge 'Taste of Asia' food court with about 30 different canteens. Claire went for sizzling Malaysian chicken whilst I opted for Lebanese lamb kebab then a Macdonalds spicy beef turnover meal and apple pie - they know how to do food well here!

A great picture of Dan
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At 3.30pm we headed for the Skybridge entrance but to our dismay it had been open all day and tickets were given on a first-come first-served basis with none left for today. As we stood looking like broken hearted puppy dogs deciding what to do a staff member secretly ushered us over and gave us some cancelled tickets. He was really kind and got us straight on the next lift, what a result! The Skybridge is on the 41st floor, 170 metres high and the views of the city were brilliant. They only send up 10 people at a time so this was a more intimate affair than the Menara Tower.

The Menara communications tower
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That evening we went for a few drinks at a trendy (aka expensive) bar called 'The Beach Club Bar' (voted best bar in Asia 2002) and then went back to see the Petronas Towers spectacularly lit up in the dark.

Next day it was time to move on again and into another country. Singapore here we come!