It was a very nice bus, possibly our first double-decker of the trip, certainly plenty of room in our seats. The journey was fairly uneventful though I did have to smile when we stopped at Cherating for a half-hour break. Mostly flat expressway the whole way, only the last hour provided something different in the form of undulating hills and twists and turns. Still on the expressway mind.

We arrived into the heat of KL Putra station and grabbing our bags and politely refusing the taxi drivers it was time to get our bearings. We had singled out a hostel from Lonely Planet and using our map headed on the Light Rail Transit (LRT) towards Chinatown.

We found the hostel fairly easily and after an inspection and long discussion decided to take the room. Once settled and registered, we left our stuff and went for a wander. We weren't 100% sure about the room and without our bags it would be easier to find something else for our remaining time in Kuala Lumpur.

As it turned out the next hostel we looked at was a cut above anything we'd seen in the whole of Malaysia. It was fairly new and, as such, the owner was trying to drum up business and offered discounted rooms. The friendliness she showed was in contrast to anywhere else we had stayed. We decided on the spot to stay there for the rest of the week.

We then had a wander around Chinatown taking in the shops and businesses as well as the touristy parts before finding a nice restaurant to have some food and soak up a bit of the atmosphere of the area.

A surprisingly sound night's sleep was had by all. After moving hostels and using the shower at the new hostel we headed out to find the Zambia embassy. Our thinking was that since we were in Kuala Lumpur for some time it made sense to get one of our African visas processed. Having spoken to the embassy staff though it seems this would not be possible as processing times are 7 working days. 7 working days for a visa??? Please can someone enlighten me on why it takes so long?!

Attempting not to let the disappointment get to us we walked to the neighbouring district of Bukit Bintang, also known as the shopping district. After (eventually) finding a food court to have some lunch we had a mooch around the shops. During lunch I tried teh tarik (literally "stretched or pulled tea") a local drink where the hot tea is poured from one mug to another several times to increase the flavour and cool the temperature. It is often served with condensed milk, one of my favourites as regular readers will know! Perhaps my mistake was to order an iced variety as it wasn't brilliant in my opinion.

There are so many shops and shopping centres in this area, even Kirsty found it a tad tiresome. And we only visited three of the malls! Unfortunately Kirsty wants to buy so much "stuff" but she knows she will have to carry it or pay to have it sent home and neither of those are good solutions. So frustrating for her!!

We caught the monorail back to the hostel and after chilling for an hour or so ventured out for some food. The idea was to try and get something in Little India but after making Kirsty walk all the way in her new flip-flops bought earlier today we discovered a very small and uninspiring selection of eateries so a little hesitantly I suggested we return to Chinatown. We'll try Little India again during the Saturday Night Market, hopefully the whole area will be a little more alive!

Back in Chinatown we chose a place on the main street of Petaling Street and went for some sweet and sour pork with rice and fried noodles which were black in colour.

We had a leisurely early morning in the hostel including sampling the free breakfast before making our way to the nearby LRT station. Here we caught the train to Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). A short ride later we disembarked and were excited about our first glimpse of the world-famous Petronas Twin Towers. Our excitement couldn't even be dampened by the infamously poor signage which abounds in Malaysia and left us confused as we tried to exit the LRT station!

Finding the steps up and rounding the corner we found ourselves gazing upwards at the tallest twin towers and joint sixth tallest towers in the world. The feeling was weird, I've wanted to see them for many years - in fact when I first heard about them I couldn't even point to Kuala Lumpur on a map. And here they were towering before me.

It wasn't as busy as I'd expected, perhaps because we were a bit later in the day than normal, perhaps because they're only buildings and not natural wonders. Strange to say it but they just didn't look that tall. The tallest buildings I've ever seen in person and they didn't look it. It was just unbelievable that I was finally here.

After taking a number of photos we went inside to walk through and see the building from the park side. We had decided we weren't going to go up the Skybridge - we will go to the KL Tower observation deck (which is 100 metres higher) later in the week to get our view of Kuala Lumpur.

KLCC Park is a beautifully landscaped area which borders the Petronas Twin Towers but also includes the KL Convention Centre (housing the Aquarium), Suria Shopping Centre, a children's play area and a couple of wading pools. It also has a rubberised running track if you fancy a quick jog in the heat and humidity!

We spent a fair bit of time in the park taking more snaps of the Twin Towers together with spending time staying cool in the wading pool watching locals and their families and noticing how many western couples (possibly on honeymoon) there are.

After our cool dip we entered the Suria Shopping Centre (containing all the expensive brands) where we enjoyed some Mexican cuisine in the food court. Made a nice change from local food!

We then spent the afternoon in the aquarium getting a sizeable discount using our student cards! Having not visited an aquarium for many a year it was a fascinating visit, even the reptiles' area, not my favourite area, was bearable.

We also learned a lot here about the despicable practice of fishing sharks for their fin which is very popular in soup both here and across Asia. Don't blame the fishermen, blame the customer and stop this cruelty now!

We caught feeding time at one of the tanks containing many varieties of fish, sharks and turtles. It was fascinating to watch the diver provide the fish to them.

Afterwards we found a back alley in Chinatown away from the hoards for some nasi goreng ayam (chicken fried rice) and nasi goreng pattaya (omelette containing fried rice) - both fantastic! It's true that the more basic and run-down the stall, the better the quality of food!

We walked home via Petaling Street which is the main street in Chinatown and an open-air bazaar. Kirsty made the mistake of taking an interest in one stall and asking how much a particular bag was. It seems this question to the locals is the opening line in a haggling exercise. They don't expect you to walk away empty-handed, rather the only unknown is how much you will end up paying. Kirsty simply wanted to know for future reference. This cultural difference led to some back chat as we moved on. Suffice it to say that with this attitude he lost out on a future sale.

Another lazy lie-in followed, the only problem with air-conditioned rooms, we learned, is they make it too cool and comfortable to sleep!

Breakfasting at the hostel we again walked to the nearby LRT station. Our destination today of Batu Caves involved a change of transport at KL Sentral, the transport hub for Kuala Lumpur. When we arrived here we swapped onto KTM (or "normal" train to you and me, the various abbreviations for the differing transport are so confusing!) but before doing so and taking advantage of being at KL Sentral we checked how to get to the airport in readiness for next week. And we also did some shopping at the stalls that were there. And by "we" I mean "Kirsty" and by "did some shopping" I mean "bought three pairs of earrings". Nice earrings to be fair.

For some reason the first KTM never turned up (nice to know trains don't stick to timetables in Malaysia either) so we waited a while for the next one. While waiting we noticed a woman-only waiting area and sure enough when the train arrived it had a woman-only carriage. First time we've experienced this though no doubt a taste of things to come in India.

The journey was rather slow and plodding and we arrived just in time to see some locals "busying" themselves with a snake. Admittedly a small snake but at one point it did slither away from them towards us onlookers. Eventually they managed to pop it back into the undergrowth.

This incident together with the hoards of monkeys running around made us feel we had jumped in at the deep-end. While not particularly scared of monkeys we're aware that (a) they're wild animals and therefore unpredictable and (b) could easily be carriers of diseases. Diseases such as rabies. These facts seem lost on tourists as common sense and precaution go out of the window in search of the money shot. Even worse is the widespread teasing of the animals that goes on, great idea to get a wild animal wound up and angry.

We wandered along the street towards the entrance to the caves passing an Indian wedding party to our right. The caves contain a Hindu shrine and are therefore a pilgrimage site for many Hindus, particularly in January and February. Although we seemed to have missed the bride and groom, it was quite special to see real life like this.

The steps up to the caves, numbering two hundred and seventy-two, were full of monkeys and also bizarrely a cockerel or two. The caves themselves were impressive and full of Hindu iconography, which certainly provided colour and sobriety.

At the top were many more monkeys being fed by our fellow tourists, the whole cave system being a strange mix of wildlife, nature and religion.

We returned to the train and got off a station early at the main Kuala Lumpur train station. From here we walked to Pasar Seni better known as Central Market. Despite the name, this is no longer a market but instead a leading craft centre in the city. There were many stalls selling souvenirs and various trinkets all locally produced, the majority made of batik. We took a fancy to a batik elephant tea-cosy but costing more than our daily budget and with us not owning a teapot we politely declined.

Instead we bought a batik handkerchief which we will find a home for back home and a bookmark together with a couple of books, still disappointed with the lack of book swaps in South East Asia.

For a late lunch we nipped upstairs to the mezzanine level food court. I had some delicious curry mee, Kirsty opting for Chinese noodles.

We then walked along to Chinatown where we bought some durian to try before returning to the hostel. Trying the durian inside the hostel was a huge mistake. The hostel owner caught whiff of the smell (it's known for its foul odour) and went on the warpath demanding to know which of her guests had durian with them. When we confessed she told us in no uncertain terms to get rid which we were happy to, pleased that we were not being chucked out ourselves.

Her carry-on in front of the other guests caused more than a little embarrassment to us and in a culture which is all about saving face, I consider mine well and truly unsaved. I was not happy with her over-reaction, nobody had been injured after all.

She later apologised and obviously regretted her hot-headed reaction because an hour or so later she returned with a salad each for me and Kirsty. A peace offering if you will. Forgive and forget and it was a pretty good salad too!

In the evening we popped out to Merdeka Square (Independence Square) which contains the tallest flagpole in the world (100 metres) - they certainly seem to like tall things in Kuala Lumpur! The buildings that border the square are lit up at night by colour-changing lights, making a pretty place to visit after dark.

The following morning we returned to Merdeka Square to appreciate it during the day. We first went into Kuala Lumpur Gallery, a free centre detailing a little history of how Kuala Lumpur came to be. Included were fairly detailed models of the city of Kuala Lumpur as it is now - we even and rather strangely got to see a glimpse of the model makers plugging away making detailed models of worldwide landmarks to sell to tourists.

This place is also where I learned that Kuala Lumpur means "muddy estuary" in Malay and the town came about as a tin prospecting town at the confluence of two rivers; Klang and Gombak.

It was a lot hotter today but we explored the various sites lining Merdeka Square. Our first port of call, perhaps bizarrely for most people but not for us as book lovers was the library. However, as Kirsty had bare shoulders and for the first time did not have another top/scarf with her we were not permitted entry.

Recovering from the shame we made our way round to the Royal Selangor Club which is a mock-Tudor building built as a social and cricket club (the Square was formerly a cricket pitch) for the expatriates in colonial times. It remains a members-only club and so retains an air of exclusivity (certainly to riff-raff like us!)

Further around the Square is the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Virgin dating from 1894. Another example of England's reach and colonial times, this being built in the English Gothic style. A little bit of England while we're away.

Arguably the most impressive building is the Sultan Abdul Samad building, opposite the Royal Selangor club. Built in 1897 it served as the government administration building during British rule. The largest building of its day (what is it with Malaysia and records??) it includes a 41.2 metre high clock-tower.

Having had enough history and marvel for one morning, we returned to the hostel before setting off in the afternoon to the Berjaya Times Square, the largest shopping centre in Malaysia. We thought about going to the cinema but the only film we wanted to see was on at 11, morning or evening, not in the afternoon.

Instead we satisfied ourselves with watching in awe at the various rides of the indoor theme park!! The theme park is huge taking up at least two whole floors and not the first thing you expect when you enter a shopping centre. In terms of shopping, it was just too big and, as usual, with a lack of signage it was not easy to navigate our way around. Added to this atria and galleried landings don't seem to feature highly in the architecture leading to a claustrophobic closed-in feel. Or maybe I just get this whenever I go shopping….

We did manage to find a Primark-type shop where I bought some new swimming shorts. Prepare to be dazzled in upcoming photo albums!!

Hot and tired from all the wandering we had a sit down and a cheap ice-cream before getting on the LRT with destination KL Tower.

After correctly guessing the right way to the KL Tower (Malaysian signs…) we found ourselves at the base of the small hill waiting for a shuttle bus. It was our intention to visit the Forest Reserve that surrounds the tower but instead we were whisked to the ticket counter before we knew what was what.

Getting in the lift to head for the observation deck it was weird to see the lift ascending, not by floors, but in metres instead! Must have been a speedy lift too as my ears were popping like mad, both during the ascent and descent.

The view from the observation deck is decent to say the least and the free audio guide helped bring all the different landmarks and areas of the city together (many of which we've already been to). We took some time here just to appreciate Kuala Lumpur laid out before us.

Our next stop on a particularly frenetic day was to return to KLCC. Kirsty wanted her Pandora bracelet seeing to, the mosquito repellent and sun cream we have used on our travels having dulled its appearance. More importantly we wanted to visit the KLCC Park and Twin Towers at night.

The walk from KL Tower to KLCC was an interesting one as it took us past some bars gearing up for the evening ahead and some nice restaurants selling steaks and gourmet burgers allowing me to dream of a world without a budget!

We dropped off the bracelet and after being told to come back in an hour we headed upstairs to try and quench the insatiable thirst we both had. We returned an hour later and 1.5 litres of coke heavier (at least I did) and after sharing a delicious plate of noodles. The bracelet was bright and sparkling and as good as new. Kirsty's smile was big and broad!

Finally we ventured outside to the park to sample the atmosphere. Despite the darkness and the late hour it was still gloriously warm. The coloured fountain show was certainly a draw as many families sat around watching. And obviously the Twin Towers beautifully lit up was a big draw. Like a few others we wandered around the park pausing at certain points to take advantage of the scene before us.

Heading towards the LRT station we had to go through the shopping centre when we popped into Uniqlo and, seeing they were on offer, Kirsty bought the denim shorts she was eyeing a couple of days ago. Her smile became even broader!!

With a combination of LRT and monorail we made our way to Chowkit Market in the north of the city the following morning. We didn't stop for breakfast instead buying some takeaway pau (steamed buns) from a Chinese and some fruit from a stall holder to eat along the way.

Chowkit Market is a local market selling the usual mix of clothes, toys, spices, fish, meat and exotic fruits and vegetables. It was a fascinating and bustling place to be with colours, smells and noise bombarding us from all directions. Really miss having a local guide with us who can tell us what all the exotic food is that is on sale.

Giving ourselves a budget of 5 Ringgit (£1) each as "pocket money", I predictably spent mine on food and Kirsty (equally predictably) spent hers on clothes! At one of the stalls I chose an omelette thing stuffed with spicy chicken mince, having turned my nose up at the previously bought steamed buns. The rest of my pocket money was spent on some apples. Not a huge fruit eater but all the colourful fruit stalls were enticing to me. With her pocket money Kirsty bought a beautiful green scarf.

We spent a little time in the market and surrounding shops before hopping back on the LRT with our destination the Central Market Food Court for some lunch. Here we both went Chinese, sweet and sour chicken rice and tomyam fried rice.

My addiction to caffeine makes it hard to have anything other than coffee, tea or cola but in a concerted effort I chose fresh orange juice. There are some weird and wonderful juices available here and I've told myself I need to be sampling more of these in preference to the local teas and coffees which are neither thirst-quenching nor cooling (but have that magic caffeine in them!)

We then returned to the hostel on foot (with an ice-cream!) to have a very relaxing afternoon. Once evening came we headed out returning to Little India having visited a few evenings ago. This time we knew there was a Saturday night market on the go.

Buying some hairbands at a bargain price we then stumbled past a few eating establishments. It was encouraging to know that, despite the fact we were westerners, they were encouraging us to sit down and order. It can be very intimidating in such places as the only western faces as a subculture seems to exist when it comes to ordering and eating in these places.

We walked away pledging to return and found the main shopping street which was buzzing with activity. I say street, it was more the width of an alleyway with clothes and accessories stalls on one side and food and drink stalls the other. In between a "river" of people going wherever the current took them! It truly was sensory overload and we loved it!!

After a good long walk - the market seemed to go on forever - we eventually managed to wade out of the "river" to a stall selling snacky foods. Even though we were about to go to a café for some food we still bought some snacks - a samosa or two and two of the biggest doughnuts we've ever seen. The stallholder seemed to struggle in English and another customer interpreted for her. We definitely got the impression between the two of them we were having to pay the tourist tax but we didn't care as it was still cheap!

Now back to the subculture idea. The place whose patio chairs we decided to sit down on for food had no menu. This not only meant we had no idea how much things were (never a great feeling especially with the elastic concept of the tourist tax) but even more pressing we had no idea what food he had.

I saw and fancied the tandoori chicken and home-made naan so ordered this. As I got up to indicate what drinks we wanted I was thrust a plate and shown the rice and the various trays of ready-cooked food on offer. It was a buffet-type situation with various curries and other Indian dishes in different trays. You pay for what you have.

Having no idea what any of it was I steered away from the meat and fish and chose four vegetarian options to add to the rice. I returned to our table and after a moment's hesitation we chickened out of the traditional eating with the right hand only and used the cutlery provided instead.

The naan was made fresh in front of us and was unbelievably good, melting in the mouth! Best naan of her life according to Kirsty. The curries and the tandoori were also excellent and neither the rain nor the scurrying rat (we were sat on the street) could put us off. An extra bonus was the ridiculously bargain price! Truly a great experience!!

While eating it had begun to rain and thunder so we decided to come back to the hostel where we sat downstairs and in a moment of pure gluttony tucked into our doughnuts with a drink of pop too. Kirsty summed it up brilliantly when she said "I can have this doughnut because I'm only having diet coke!"

Next day we went to the Lake Gardens to the south-west of the city. We decided to cover the distance on foot and after reaching Merdeka Square we realised it was the Kuala Lumpur Marathon this morning (and the half-marathon, 10km and 5km). If we'd had known we would've brought our running shoes! We saw many people in their running vests hobbling around, clearly finished but in some pain. I was full of admiration - the humidity and the strength of the sun was unbelievable. And they had just completed a race? Madness!

Our first stop after wandering through a sculpture-filled garden was a shop for something to drink, such was the heat. We sat outside in the shade reminiscing about our wedding day before wandering through the gardens to the National Monument, a statue of national pride. The Lake Gardens sprawl over a vast area in a hilly part of the city, the National Monument is situated at the apparent highest point.

We headed downhill and strolled through the gardens, enjoying the peace and quiet (in particular the lack of traffic noise) before spying a children's playground where we had a little rest. Unfortunately we just missed the motorbike ice-cream seller - interesting to note that it is socially acceptable for the local children to drop their ice-cream wrappers on the ground but that they couldn't play while eating and they had to wash their hands after eating.

We continued on towards the lake and were amazed at how empty the whole area was. On a sunny Sunday afternoon I expected there would be more people about. At one point we passed a couple of girls sitting at a picnic bench in the shade of a tree with a lakeside view doing their homework. A little bit different from my own homework days!

The heat and lack of breakfast and/or drinks was beginning to take its toll on us. It seemed strange there were very few if any establishments to get refreshments in such a big area. But then again it is Malaysia!

Along the way back into the city we had photo stops at the National Museum, Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and the National Mosque. Once back in Chinatown we opted for a Western café for brunch; pasta and a sandwich.

The afternoon was spent relaxing after all the walking and staying out of the sun before our tummies started rumbling. We went to the Central Market to buy some postcards before heading to a Chinese stall for dinner. Given a plate of rice we could chose from the various cooked foods on display - again paying for what we chose only. With eyes perhaps bigger than our bellies we each helped ourselves, as only we can, before paying the bargain price of 10 Ringgit.

With a little trepidation we tucked in and were delighted with our choice, money well spent! Once again we were joined by a neighbourhood rat, this time on an opposite roof.

Having saved some money during the day, Kirsty was happy to have some spending money to "enjoy" the night market. The money didn't stay in the pocket too long and she is now the proud owner of silver earrings and a purse!

As the sun rose on our last full day in Kuala Lumpur we had only one thing left on our to-do list, namely to go to the post office. We had accumulated enough knick-knacks to warrant sending them home and ridding ourselves of some weight. Sending parcels is one of those tasks that at home you take for granted whereas on the road each country seems to have its own peculiarities and therefore it always takes longer than expected.

Luckily the main post office was located nearby so taking our stuff in a bag we walked round to where we thought we needed to be. Amazingly all English signage had disappeared and despite asking an employee behind one counter and being re-directed still nobody wanted to help us. Like many post offices there was a ticketing system but we were reassured it was not necessary for us.

After asking again we were told to buy a box and go to the Information Desk. Here we were further re-directed to 'Parcels' downstairs. In the lift thinking we were finally heading in the right direction we discovered building works and that most Malaysian of things, a lack of signs.

We were pointed in seemingly different directions by passers-by until eventually we found the correct area, only really confident due to the presence of other westerners and their packages.

We were told to complete a form and tape up our own box which we did and returned to the desk to finally get the package sent. The paperwork in order and a grunt or two of approval that our packing was up to standard, we paid the amount and waved goodbye to our package. The best thing about the whole experience was that it only cost 50 Ringgit. The relatively low price was obviously as we were told it would be going by sea and would take two to three months to reach home.

And a tip for all people working in a customer-facing environment: a smile and eye-contact never killed anyone, this is your environment not your customers' so a "how can I help you" also goes a long way.

Task done we were then at a bit of a loss as to what to do. We returned to the hostel to mull it over. With us leaving Malaysia in the morning we didn't want to visit an ATM meaning the cash in our pocket was all the money we had. This ruled out shopping much to the chagrin of one of the members of our tour party….

Eventually we decided to go to the cinema. Firstly though we went to a food court for a spot of lunch. So after walking to the monorail station we got off in the shopping district of Bukit Bintang and went to one of the lesser frequented malls and food court areas. Although we weren't planning to, we opted for Chinese again - the food just looked too good to walk past.

Grabbing a plate of steamed rice we helped ourselves to the various vats of obscure meats, random vegetables and wonderfully coloured sauces. After filling (or maybe over-filling) our plates, paying the eleven Ringgit we sat down to devour.

It was fascinating to see the diverse cultures that make up Malaysia among our fellow diners: The Chinese enjoying the Chinese stalls and chatting loudly with each other, Indians eating Indian curries with their right hand only and many people arriving on their lunch-break with their fellow colleagues. It was great to be amongst it.

We chatted for a long time about the woes of the world before descending a few levels into the shopping centre for a mooch around the shops and that all-important (and delicious) ice-cream.

Finally we headed to another shopping centre with the cinema and after buying some snacks (we had left a little room…) we sat down to watch the film Toast about TV chef Nigel Slater.

A couple of hours later we left via a different way and exiting the shopping centre we stumbled across a Dorothy Perkins - I know this because a squeal came from my right along with a high-pitched disbelieving "they've got dotties here!" Obviously we stepped in for a look around.

I'm not sure what air they have in that shop because the happy wife that entered became sad and upset upon leaving. The age-old quandary of wanting new "stuff" but neither having the budget nor the strength/space to lump it about being responsible for the mood change.

Despite it being late evening it was still gloriously warm and sunny as we left the shops and went to the monorail station to return home. We went out once more, firstly to a burger stall where I joined the queue of salivating locals to try a burger Malay style. It was good, unfortunately we left our cameras behind but rest assured it tasted beautiful!

Finally Kirsty opted for a crispy bacon roll at one of the stalls on Petaling Street. At the end of the row of stalls is a Chinese stall with a pile of cooked crispy bacon which is sold by the gram. Somewhat odd in a Muslim country I think. Obviously they're used to westerners' addiction to bacon sarnies and the stall-holder was more than happy to put a couple of rashers between a bun (cob, batch, roll, whatever!) Although it wasn't the same as at home, being much sweeter it was still gooood!!

The next day started early, around 6ish, but bizarrely the hostel was busier at this time. Uncertain how long it would take to reach the airport we set off in earnest heading once again for the local monorail station. It was then one stop to KL Sentral, the transport hub. Here we bought a combined bus-train ticket to LCCT (the low-cost carrier terminal for the airport).

We then had to wait 20 or so minutes for the train to arrive. This wait was hard work as there was no air-conditioning and it was incredibly humid on the sub-ground level platform.

Finally we got onboard the train and finding no suitable luggage space sat with our packs for company. This being rush-hour the train filled quickly and my pack was relegated to the corridor of the train right in everyone's way. Fancy not providing decent-sized luggage racks on a train going to the airport!

As our destination was LCCT and not the main terminal we got off at the penultimate stop and transferred to a coach along with everyone else. In fact too many people strictly for the number of seats in the coach. Two too many people and guess who were the last two people? Kirsty and I had to stand for the duration of the 20 minute bus ride. A big thank you to all the men, both local and western who offered their seat to my wife (precisely zero in case you were counting) - who said chivalry was dead?!

At the terminal we checked in our bags and only then did we allow ourselves to relax and sit and have breakfast.

With some leftover Malaysian Ringgit we headed through passport control to do some shopping. Unfortunately the choice was underwhelming so, although we bought a magazine, we used the rest for food and drink for the flight.