We may finally be on dry land but it feels like the whole world is swaying around. After a lengthy 13 1/2 hour flight that was, to be frank, rather bumpy for the last four or so hours, and having had little or no sleep, we've reached Kuala Lumpur in body but not quite in mind.

Malaysia Airlines actually came up trumps; they served food regularly (Howie was happy) and we arrived here without plummeting from the skies into the billowing depths of the Bay of Bengal (I was happy). All in all, a merry journey, accompanied by a very nice Aussie lad sitting next to Howie and the fact that Toy Story 3 was one of the film options.

Arriving at Kuala Lumpur airport and getting through to arrivals - which is a somewhat messy and needlessly complex affair, I must say - we hopped on a smelly bus to Sentral and hitched a ride on the magical LRT to Penar Seni and hence found our hostel. It's nice and clean and is in a fantastic location so we can't complain at all. We're staying right in the 'hoppin' Chinatown and are right in the midst of the culinary action. We've already been out and about at the night market, sampling the delights of the local specialities of noodle. Howie has his eye on some quality fake merchandise and has been causing a storm amid the local market-dwellers by showing lengthy and seemingly serious interest in t-shirts, knocked-off DVDs and binoculors (of course), before strutting away in sudden disinterest. On the whole, walking through the market is a pleasurable experience and I have not yet been accosted, nor has Howie been told he is a 'lucky maaaaan', so Kuala Lumpur already tops all the cities in Egypt in that respect.

Tomorrow to sample the wide variety of culture that Kuala Lumpur has to offer. And Howie has his eye on an electronics shop in the Golden Triangle.