Well Its half ten in the morning on the 23rd Jan 2008 and i have just rocked up to my hostel in Kula Lumpar!

Big changes ahoy though. Kelly and Jenny will be coming home early, i on the other hand will be coming back when the money runs out! Have always wanted to travel South East Asia because of all the positive reports i have heard from other people. Never included this in the original itenery though as Kelly has been several times before. As they are going early and Thailand and Laos are so geared up to travelling i decided to fly out of Malaysia on the 11th March rather than this Friday. I will then be getting a bus through Malysia and straight up to Thailand for 4 weeks, then onto Lao for a week or 2. Would like to go to Cambodia also if i have the time, but we shall see!

Anyway, first impressions here are pretty good of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is really clean (or is that just compared to India!!!) The hostel im staying in is nice too. Didnt realise just how modern a city it is either. The traffic seems really orderly too, no constant beeping and crazy driving! Lots more traveller types too.

Afternoon, went to the batu caves. This was proper cool! Ever seen photos of the Hindu chaps with loads of hooks hanging out of thier backs with stuff like fruit hanging off? Well this is what was happening. Another hindu festival which totally beffudles me! Must learn about it when i get back, cause this is the second Hindu festival i have witnessed and from what i can see, they are all mad!

There are huge caves and you have to climb 300 steps to get to them in the boiling heat. At bottom of the steps there are loads of stalls selling food and gifts, there is also a fairground. Hundreds of people are walking up and down the steps and there are many old people collasing up and down them as it is just SO SO SO HOT! The middle rung of steps is kept clear for hindu men carrying big matal frames with statues on top, decorated with peacock feathers. Many have lots of metal hooks through thier backs with fruit and water hanging off. (I found it funny that one bloke had oranges hanging from his back with the labels still on) They then walk up all the steps with the metal thing on and loads of stuff hanging out the back. I think they are supposed to be in some kind of trance cause we stood right near a loads coming up at the top and they where all pulling funny faces! They where naked exept for orange loin cloths and the fruit hanging off thioer backs by hooks of course. Once they got to the top, they went into the caves where they took the hooks out and started shouting. They then jumped around alot and collapsed on the floor. Wanted to take more photos but felt a bit rude poking my lense in when they are having a religeous awakening!

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Inside the caveby mary2u99, 9 more photos
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"Batu Caves is a famous tourist destination especially during Thaipusam festival. This event attracts many devotees and spectators who come to watch devotees in a trance carrying kavadi, a metal frame attached to the body. There are also milk kavadi. Oh and you have to climb steep flight of 272 steps to reach the top"

We then climbed back down and where really exhaused by the heat, We got the bus back. Went for dinner in a chinese (as we are staying in China town and thats all there is) and had a mosey round. In the evening, had a few beers on the roof and then went to bed early in our lovely soft comfy beds.

24/01/2007 - 8.43pm

I have updated the blog two days running! How good am i!

Spent a very enjoyable day here. Had the best nights sleep in here in ages and didnt get up till 11.30! We then went exploring the city on foot. Walked aimlessly through the streets for a while untill a friendly lady who used to live here escorted us toward the twin petronas towers. It is really humid here and by the time we got there after an hour of walking we where all looking very sweaty and attractive!

The towers are really cool in terms of both temperature and how good they are. There is a really huge shopping mall underneth with loads of good shops. Including a pizza hit and some really good cake shops, ah to be back in civilisation!!! Walked round the mall and bought some bits and bobs including the South East Asia lonely planet which is a real relief to have considering im on me todd as of tommorrow. Also got a really nice bit of cheescake, which for me was the highlight of the day. (sod going up the towers! cake is where its at!)

We got tickets for sky bridge between the towers which where free. I did wonder why a company would not charge for this was until realising that it is a cynical ploy by petronis to promote thier company. Before you go in they make you watch a promotional 3D video telling what a great company they are cause they give money to the poor and try and educate the kids. However, it is still an oil company so im not entirely conviced. Still good though, took loads of photos and just as soon as i can find a decent computer i will put them on my facebook!

We then did a bit more shopuing and got a taxi to the KN tower. Its the one in the photo. You go higher than in the petronus tower and because its an actual tourist attraction and not a good excuse for an oil company to show you how moral they are, you actually get a good tour round. They gave us some really attractive head- phones and an mp4 player and we walked round the tower whilst being told the significance of what we are looking at. Enjoyed this, although i kept finding myself in the wrong place to what the voice was telling me to look at. Kelly was no better though we kept bumping into each other although she was much further on it the tour than i was!

We then got a taxi over to the open market near China town where im staying. This was not that good. I expected a local's little market selling food and cool little nik-nacks, it was infact, isle upon isle of tacky-tack. Still bought a pair of 'real' raybands though!

At this point we where pretty tacked-out so came back to the rooom and had dropped our rubbish off. We then went for dinner in China town on a really busy street, it was great, really lively and with a good vibe. My dinner of veg and rice was pretty tasty too! We then came here to the internet shop in the hope of trying to upload some photos, but once again it was a no-no!

Off to Thailand tommorrow night on the night bus to Hat Yai. Have been to the bus station to check out the state of the buses. They are all really air-con and really swish. I like Malysia!

26/01/2007 - (Happy Birthday Erin!)

Well, let me tell you about the big old let down which was yesterday and how it changed my plans totally:

We rose at reasonably early time of 09.30. Had some breaky upstairs and went to the Kular Lumpur Gardens on the outskirts of the city centre. We were advised that this was a good place to escape the heat. This was a blatant lie as after 20 mins of walking round the gardens, we were sweaty beasts!

As nice as the gardens were, sweat was not a good look for us. We went back to the twin towers for more air-con shopping and lunch. Had best intentions of going to the rainforest after but it started raining and it gets real heavy here so we headed back to do some travel planning.

Went to get bus to Thailand at 11.00pm...

2 days ago i had seen a warning from the Forgein office advising not to go to the areas around Hat Yai, where i was headed. This is due to immenent terrorist attacks in the area. I ignored this and choose to continue anyway. This was my first mistake. Secondly, turned up at the bus terminal only to find that my seat had been double booked. This was a big disapointment as i was really looking forward to going and was inthe right mindset. They said sorry and put me on the bus for this morning. This is when i started having doubts about doing the rest of the trip on my own. Had no fear about South-East Asia alone at all as its full of travelers, so i would have plenty of people to talk to! What i had been worried about was Central and South all America alone. It sunk in when the girls left that i would be in a counties i knew nothing about with no grasp of the language and an inexperienced traveller. Central and South America are not as well travelled as South East Asia either. Decided to come and see South East Asia winter next year, on my way to see Kelly in Oz. I think it will be a better idea to take advantage of doing the random countries with friends as i may never go again. If i had stayed in SE Asia i would have only had it in the back of my mind the whole time that at some point i would be in Mexico, Panama and Peru alone . Will probably go surfing in Peru when Kelly leaves if i have enough cash, cause by then i will knowthecountry and hopefully will be confident enough to do italone. After all, there is no way on god's green earth i would have ever gone to India alone. However, now i know the country and how it works (badly). I could go back without thinking twice.

Therefore, have been to airport and changed tickets, fly to Tokyo tonight at 11.35 pm! All the best plans go to waste and all that!

Spending my last day in Malaysia wandering round the streets of China town. I really like it here and can't wait to see it properly next year, along with Thailand Laos, Cambodia and Singapore! Think im going to get some more cheesecake now.

Will update you next when im in Hawaii.........

xxx