Relaxing in Kuala Lumpur and Legoland, Malaysia

I'm glad Kuala Lumpur wasn't our first stop. It is very westernised, with lots of shopping areas and brands we recognize like H&M, Tesco, Marks and Spencer's, not to mention all the usual fast food giants. And, much to the kids' delight, a theme parks.

After five weeks in Nepal and India, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was a welcome change to stay in a nice hotel, tuck into a buffet breakfast, relax by a pool and plugin the media box to the hotel TV and enjoy family movies in bed. Occasionally, we ventured out to see the sights - the Petronas Towers in central KL, and Batu Caves where monkeys roamed in troupes and grabbed whatever they could from unsuspecting visitors.

Close by to the hotel was a waterpark 'Sunway Lagoon' where we spent the whole day throwing ourselves down waterslides and drifting down the rapids. The kids couldn't get enough of it but Edwina quickly tired of being thrown down the Vuvuzela the world's highest and largest funnel waterslide, starting at 11 storeys high, so Edwina welcomed the sound of thunder and site of lightning. The park closed on safety reasons and it was the only way we managed to get the kids out of the place. After 5 days we all felt refreshed and headed south to Legoland Malaysia.

The kids considered Legoland one of their highlights, we found it hard to fathom how Legoland could be put into the same category as the experiences they'd had in India and Nepal. But just as we found temporary comfort in staying in a nice hotel and lounging by a pool, they found comfort in activities that were familiar to them. For a short time, at least, they were able to switch off from the sensory overload of the trip so far and relax. We did enjoy the family time Legoland gave us to bond, especially the disco lifts that got the whole family dancing each time we used them.