Vikki: Today we are Kuala Lumpur. We arrived yesterday after a 2 hour bus ride and we are here for 3 days. It is very hot here still and there have been lots of tropical downpours with thunder and lightening.

Today we visited the Batu Caves & Temple and the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park.

We caught the train to the Batu Caves and it only cost us 1 ringgit (40 cents) each for a 30minute train ride, really cheap. Because we were so hot when we arrived we had an ice cream (it was only about 10.30am). We had been warned about the monkeys which live at the caves and that they take food from people. When we walked in with our ice-creams one of the biggest monkeys came running up to Harley and hit his tub of ice cream out of his hands then ran away with it and ate it. How rude!!!!!! We saw the monkeys eating lots of other food as well, including chewing gum and drinking from soft drink cans. It's a bit sad really. At the caves we had to walk up 272 steps, straight up. By the time we got to the top we were hot and sweaty. The caves were huge, quite wet and really hot too. There were lots of shrines and statues all around the caves, and we took heaps of photos.

After we left the caves we went to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park. It is the worlds largest free-flight walk-in aviary. We saw all sorts of birds - parrots, pelicans, flamingo's, owls, peacocks and eagles just to name a few. Vikki's favourite bird was the flamingo's, Harley's was the hornbill, Raj's was the toucan and Anouk's the parrots because they were beautiful and colourful.

It was really hot walking around, and once we got home we all had to shower as we were so sweaty.

We headed to the local market for dinner, and as we were about to head home got caught in the most amazing tropical storm. Sorry Wellingtonian's, leaves what you have just had for dead. Thunder lightening and torrential rain with no end in site. Instead of attempting to head home, we decided to wait it out and wandered around the market. Still waiting then decided why not, have another ice-cream (number 3 for the day). Finally we decided to brave it and ran. Pretty frightening with rolling thunder, flashing lightening, flooding roads and chaotic traffic, but we made it, albeit looking like drowned rats.

As I sit here and write the blog, in the comforts of our room in dry clothes, it's still pouring & thundering outside, so was inevitable we had to do it. All part of the experience.

Finally, today on the Raj Factor: At the bird park, Raj got pooped on by a bird, thankfully he had his cap on otherwise it would have landed right on his head. We were looking at some emu's and the next thing we know Raj shouts out ooooouuuuuu. We cracked up as did some other tourists that were there. They tried to take a photo of Raj, as they thought it was really funny too.