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We left it very late in the day to get to Kuala Lumpa and so had to settle for a minibus through the southern provinces of Thailand to Georgetown, Penang finding accommodation in the Chinatown district. That evening we ended up having dinner in Pizza hut when the waitress staff asked for us to pose for some photos and then gave us some little gifts. This is when we realised that we'd forgotten it was Valentines Day! Due to the language barrier, we were unsure why she wanted photos of us posing with our pizzas but images of billboards across Malaysia promoting Pizza Hut for Valentines Day have scared us ever since! Walking back to our hostel, we stopped off to watch a Chinese ceremony as it was still in the run-up to Chinese New year, and fireworks which crackled and banged randomly outside peoples doorsteps.

To get to KL we booked another VIP bus (Asian Luxury), of all the buses we've ever been on, this has to be the best. The seats were literally like arm chairs and there was loads of leg room. As we arrived in KL the influences and way of life of the largely Malayan, Indian and Chinese became apparent as did the importance of Islam to a large significant percentage of the population.The best way to describe KL is a modern day metropolis set within large areas of Malaysian greenery. After a brief taxi ride, we checked into a nice hotel in the heart of China Town, walking through the busy market with stalls selling everything from fruit to Nike trainers. The stereotypical Asian 'hard sell' came into effect with every man, woman and entrepreneurial teenager trying to convince you that what they were selling could not be matched anywhere else (price, quality etc, we're sure you get the idea).

Recovering from travelling and finding our bearings, we spent the next day visiting KL's most iconic landmark, the Petronas Towers. Queuing nice and early to make sure we got a ticket for the day, the pair of us moved through a long line of people in a trance like state, getting our tickets for an 11:15 viewing. At 452m high the Petronas Towers were once the worlds tallest buildings, now they have to settle for third place but are nonetheless very impressive. The highlight is the walkway which joins the 2 towers together on the 41st and 42nd floor, the towers themselves have 88 floors each. Our guide informed us that we were allowed 15 minutes on the walkway before the next crowd would be along to view KL. When looking at the towers from the ground, you realise that they are tall but always assume they should be bigger for all the hype that surrounds them. It isn't until you stand halfway up the building and look down, knowing there is twice the distance between you and the ground from the top floors that you understand just how high these buildings stand, it's a case of perception.

Although far less impressive in appearance, the view from the observation tower definitely topped the views from the Petronas Towers. At 270m high the observation tower is around equal height as it sits on top of a hill, meaning you can look over and almost down onto the Petronas Towers and many other high rise buildings that looked dwarfed in comparison. The view of KL extended to the skyline and everything could be seen from people swimming in their hotel rooftop pools to mountainous hills on the far edges of KL. Our evenings were spent eating and drinking with a couple from Sweden (who spoke better English than we did) and another couple from England. Fried rice with sweet and sour dishes was usually on the menu along with copious amounts of Tiger beer. The nights were very entertaining amongst the districts smells and hustle and bustle of China Town, especially with one particular gentleman who kept us puzzled with logical thinking problems and magic.