I left Singapore by bus from an area called the golden mile, This area is where most of the major bus company operate from. The bus was modern and very comfortable, very much the same quality as those in south America, with reclining seats and footrests, there was also several TV's on board but the entertainment was not up to much, with a showing of Bollywood films. The bus pulled out on time at 09.00 and was full to capacity. We drove along one of the city highways then we crossed over a large bridge to the boarder. Here i had to climb off the bus and walk into a small office to have my passport stamped with an exit stamp. Then it was back onto the bus for what must have been only half a mile, then it was all off again, this time with our luggage as well, and into another small building, which was the Malaysian boarder control. The process was very quick and easy, i had my passport stamped without question and with my backpack scanned, it was back on the bus for the journey up to Kuala Lumpur. This took around another five hours with a short stop for lunch at a road stop. The traffic became very heavy as we approached the city center. Most of the passengers on the bus were bound for the main bus terminal, but i was dropped off at time square. This is a large shopping area based around a shopping mall. It was also the most convenient spot for me to get a monorail for one stop to my hostel in Butik Bintang. Which is in the heart of the area called the golden triangle. This being the entertainment district and the main area for hostels and hotels. After arriving at the station and walking along J1 Bukit Bintang highway for around ten minuets i i reached my hostel, the Pondok Lodge. This hostel is on the 2nd and 3rd floors above a small bar. It is a large city hostel with the front desk, internet and several rooms on the 1st level, then a common area, more rooms and a kitchen on the 2nd level, there was also a nice roof terrace. I was given a inside twin room with air con, for the sum of 55 ringgits (7 GBP). Being a inside room there was no window which made it very dark. The walls were also paper thin and i could here the conversations going on in the other rooms next to mine, which was interesting!

I dropped my bag in, and then went for a walk further into the city center. I passed many expensive hotels along the way such as the Marriott and the oriental. But just a short distance from these were street stalls selling many cuisines from around Asia. I stopped at one of these selling Indian food, i had a great meal for only 1 pound. I ate in the traditional way which is to use your hand to mix the ingredients together on your plate, and also to eat with your hand too. It became dark whilst i was eating and i could see the city light up around me. There was many skyscrapers to my right, to my left was a tall telecommunications tower called Menara Kuala Lumpur. But the building that was standing out from the rest and really drawing my eyes to was the famous petronas towers. They were so brightly lit that there was a glow in the sky around them. I walked towards them past many bars that were filling up with other tourists. Once past these the road swung a sharp left that led me straight to the towers. At the foot of them there was a well kept garden area and to the right of the towers was a 8 level shopping mall, selling designer brands from around the world. The towers are closed to the public, except the bridge that joins the two structures together on the 41st floor, but to gain access to this you have to stand queuing at 08.00 for tickets. Then they let you in from 10.00. The best pictures though i think are from the outside and at night, that way you really see the size and beauty of them. I walked from here back to the bars i past before. There was one called Rumms and it was up a flight of stairs on the second floor above a TGI Fridays. I walked straight in and noticed that there were TV cameras moving around, and that there was a panel of 4 sat to the left of the dance floor. I had actually managed to walk in on the filming of a talent show. I turned back around and see that the door i just walked in, was now guarded by three doormen and that tickets were needed to get in. well i was in there now, not sure how but i was, so i stayed and watched for an hour or so. After here i went to another bar called the rum shack. It was a large bar that was very crowded with a mix of locals and tourists. There was a large fish tank above the bar that had two white tip reef sharks swimming in. There was a large open air section too. After a short while i noticed that all the locals were girls, and that they were all trying to get the attention of the visiting men!

This surprised me, being such a religious country. I stayed for a short while, maybe enjoying the smiles and the constant "hello how are you, can i sit with you" ? just a little. But it does get a little bit to much after a while.

The next day i caught the KL Monorail to China town, which is a few stops away from Bukit bintang. I got off the mono rail at a station called Maharajalela and from here i walked past a large temple before entering China town proper. The area was very busy and chaotic, with street stalls selling cheap clothing, watches, bags, belts and of course food. I thought that it was purely geared to the tourists and that it was really hard to find anything that resembled China itself. I did however find a traditional Chinese tea house which i stopped in to taste a variety of teas they had on offer. There was also a large Hindu temple close by, but at the time of my visit was closed. Other than this there was not much else to see in China town, unless you interested in buying cheap clobber.

I also tried to visit the lake gardens, but this was also closed.

I headed back to Bukit and explored the streets around the many malls. There were many reflexology and foot massage shops that were run by Chinese. Further down there was a large stage where they where playing what i can only describe as a mixture of Drum and base and Indian dance. It was here that i realized just how diverse the city is. As here there were Islamic women covered from head to toe in their black buerkers and that stayed one step behind their men as they walked. Also here you had the young that were serious Emo followers with their colorful skinny jeans and converse trainers. There was Indians in sari's and bindis and Chinese and western women in short skirts. The Emo kids were dancing away to this mixture of sounds, in a way that also seemed to take traditional dance and combine with modern. I watched this for a while then made my way back to the hotel.

The next Day i flew from KL low cost carrier terminal bound for Jakarta. The terminal is a 45 minuet taxi ride out of the city and serves the budget airlines. This is quite evident with the quality of the terminal, and the service within. I was flying with Air Indonesia for the short trip to Java. The aircraft was late, which seemed to cause all sorts of confusion and mayhem at the gate. Although a announcement was made in several languages that the aircraft was late and will not be arriving for another hour. People were rushing to the gate and pushing each other out the way. Then they would sit back down, only to rush for the gate again moments later. I just sat and watched this carry on with amusement. When we did finally get the go ahead to board it was more chaos, as once past the gate, we had to walk to the aircraft without any direction being offered. There were three planes being boarded at the same time, i could see people walking up the stairs onto one plane only to be turned around and told that it was not theirs. I was lucky and found the correct one first time. I managed to get a window seat, and at first there was no one sat besides me. But then a whole family of Arabs got on and occupied the seats all around me. This would not have been a problem other than the fact that the parents decided it a good idea to sit two toddlers next to me while they sat the other side of the isle. These children must have only been at most one and two years old. We took off with these two kids climbing around in their seats, not strapped in. and with both parents and the stewards not batting an eyelid. But things from here just got worse, as the children were allowed to walk up and down the aircraft freely and after lunch, or in my case and many others, whilst lunch, the youngest of the kids was sat on her mothers lap being what i could only describe as force fed, which resulted in the child throwing up in the isle several times. This was swiftly dealt with by the crew (10 minuets later) buy covering over with tissue paper and spraying air freshener. Needless to say i was glad to reach Jakarta.

I walked towards the immigration desk with my visa already purchased from a booth just before. The officer asked me what was my purpose of the visit and asked how much money i had then asked for my proof of exit. This is a problem as i could not possibly have this as i will be exiting Indonesia over land. Well after 5 minuets of discussion on this he gave me my stamp on the visa and passport, and allowed me in. I collected my bag ,which by this time was sat there waiting for me, and i headed out of the terminal for the bus stop for the city center. I purchased a ticket for 15,000Rp (less than a pound) and boarded a the bus for a trip that took about an hour. The bus stopped at the Gambir train station, which is close to the backpacker area of Jalan Jaksa. After a bit of bartering with one of many ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver, i was taken to a hotel called Djody. This was a very basic, but clean and cheap hotel. I got a double room with celling fan, but shared bathroom.

It was late by now so i walked a short distance to get some food from a small street trader, then i had a beer at a local stall, then hit the sack.

The next day i caught a taxi to an area called Senayan. It was a long ride purely because of the traffic. Once there i realized just how pedestrian unfriendly the city is. There are no pavements, or where there is street vendors have placed their borrows and carts, just walking around these made for a hair raising experience. The roads were buzzing with cars, trucks, bus's, motorbikes, Tuk Tuks and even horse and carts. There is reported to be nearly 9 million people living in the city and it felt like they were all on the road. It took ages just to cross one road, literally dicing with death. There was only one way to cross and that was to just walk into the constant flow of traffic and hope that they see you in time and avoid you. The fumes and the heat was intense, so i found a rest bite at a small restaurant where i had lunch. I Then got another taxi for a short ride to Block M. This is a famous area for the nightlife in Jakarta. The taxi driver was very determined to clock up as much on the meter as possible, and although i could see where i wanted to be dropped, he kept saying that he could not pull over there. So he kept going, i ended up around half a mile past where i wanted, and he ended up 5,000RP better off. I walked through a night market on the way back to Block M. It was a local market so was nice to see anyway. After twenty minuets of walking i found the main street of Block M. I stayed in this area for the night and met many expats from England, USA and Australia. After a few games of pool with these guys i changed bars where i met a Irish guy that was staying in my hotel. We were joined by some local girls who showed us the area. At about 04.00 we both headed home, Although this was due to our tiredness and not due to the clubs shutting, as they are open from Thursday night right through to Monday morning, non stop.

The next day i braved the streets again and walked for 15 minuets to the Lapangan Merdeka (freedom Square). Here there is a nice garden area which is a perfect escape from the city chaos. At the center of the park is a 132m high column and below this a national history museum, that explains the Indonesian struggle for independence from the dutch. After this i walked back via the train station, where i brought a ticket for the next day that would take me away from this stifling city. I was only here for two days, but that was plenty. There is not much on offer here other than traffic jams, smog and dirt, apart from the nightlife.