Having said to Mum and Jan that my blogs are not just a list of things I am doing, today I am going to write it as I go along!! So sorry if the tenses all get muddled up.

9.23am - Sitting in a cafe on Petaling Street, Chinatown drinking iced lemon tea. I have decided in honour of Chinese New Year to have a Chinese day. I left the hotel bright and early (not so hot) and walked to Chinatown only to find, like the rest of Malaysia, Chinatown doesn’t wake up until 10am. Mind you they may not wake up at all - it is a national holiday in KL today. (Not the rest of the nation only KL!!) I am watching the market stalls coming to life so maybe it will all wake up - lets wait and see.

10am - Music loud enough to burst eardrums, so someone is awake.

12pm - It was coming to life but several stalls looked as if owners were determined to enjoy their holiday and had taken a day off. Found a modern temple built by a woman who was one of the leaders for women’s rights back in the 60s. Another great part of the walk was the local market behind the tourist street - it was more my type of market - had to lift my skirt and avoid the left overs but it was far more fun than being asked to buy fake designer stuff.

12.40pm - In a cafe just round the corner from the hotel in the Arab area. The area I am in is right in the middle of food heaven, as long as you like street food. I am drinking lemon with mint having seen my first lion dance - I was just walking down the street and there they were. I am melting in as little that is decent and they were jumping from pole to pole in a very heavy costume.
Lunch is not Chinese but Iraqi - fresh bread (warm straight from the oven) and hummus. Just delicious.

Great news I found some money - which means I can eat on the street and not have to go to a restaurant where you can pay with a card. I found it in my trousers pocket not lying around on the street. Two days ago I had it all planned and decided I had just enough for the three days left. Sadly I had forgotten the deposit needed for the hotel - which will now have to be spent getting to and at the airport!!

5pm Well that was an interesting afternoon.I was all set to watch 2 performances of lion dancing - one by children - in one of the most up market malls there is - when I realised that today is the second and the performances were on the 3rd. So Goggle came into it’s own and I found another mall with a performance today. After two trains and a walk I arrived at a very run down local mall - and watched a very low key lion dance. Got given an orange by a lion!!

9pm Dinner was in the street food market basically next door and was incredible. Thai rather than Chinese- plenty to choose from, as long as you like Asian food.