Arriving in Malaysia we are pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to travel around, no more negotiating with the guy who is a 'tuk tuk driver/train conductor/ bus driver/travel agent' charging you double the price and overly reassuring you that this is the real deal.

One of the things that instantly strikes you about Malaysia is its huge Indian population. Taking advantage of this and also settling our cravings we head to Little India to sample some of their delicious delicacies. The only westerners in sight we sit down, a banana leaf is placed in front of us (this is our plate) several men then proceed to spoon several different curries, dhals and chutneys onto our leaf plates. Needless to say it's a bit different to ordering a tikka masala and naan bread. Unsure of what anything is we happily eat away.

Making our way up to KLCC, perhaps one of the city's most famous landmarks, Amy is happy to discover a Topshop and M&S- stocking Percy Pigs. Paul quickly ushers us out of the mall.

Having spent the last night sleeping in an airport we decide to go back to the hostel for a nap, 20 minutes- one hour tops. Six hours later we wake up, its midnight and our plans of visiting the night market in China town are ruined, oh well at least we are well rested.

The next day we are privileged enough to meet a Malayan, Felson. Unable to accommodate us for the night (Felson is on couch surfing) he offers to show us around Kuala Lumpa for the day. Seeing the city with a local is great he takes us to some really interesting places, is great company and is eager to answer the many questions we have, this knowledge is a refreshing change from reading the Lonely Planet.

Having only one week in Malaysia we are tight on time but still yearn to see more of the country. Melaka, an UNESCO world heritage town, is two hours outside the capital and is our next destination. The town is picturesque, its streets are interwoven with canals, in addition to this Melaka is steeped in history. Once home to Portuguese and Dutch settlers/invaders (depending on your take on colonialism) there is a fort and church atop a hill. Encircling the base of the hill is the square, home to the town hall and post office, built by the Dutch in amazing red brick. Wanting to explore the city some more we opted to take a ride on a tuk-tuk, more than your average tuk-tuk our carriage of choice was decked out with coloured fairy lights and surrounded by pink fluff (imagine if Malibu Barbie's bedroom exploded). During our ride we are treated to the sounds of Shakira, our driver picks out the CD and smiles, this is his romantic choice. Driving round the town he points out the local sites, one of which is an old aeroplane, so old in fact that it is from the 1800s. Doing the maths in our heads it doesn't take us long to realize that the plane must be very famous indeed especially as the 1800s is before the advent of the aeroplane. We were naturally scepitical when he told us he had 7 wives and 25 children, ah well it was an entertaining if not entirely factual ride. With our time in Malaysia spent we head back up to KL to meet up with some friends and catch a flight to the Philippines.