It is Saturday five o'clock in the morning as the bus pulls into Kuala Lumpur. I've left the party-island in the early hours of the previous day. It's been a long trip. About three hours in the ferry back to mainland, then another hour in a bus to Surat Thani. We then rush off with a local to the train station to pick up my suitcase I left there. A most uncomfortable four-hour ride later in the back of a stuffy old smelly minivan we arrive in Hat Yai. Another bus, this time normally sized and as it leaves around seven in the evening I have time to finally rest. Eleven! hours of sitting, sleeping, only woken up at the border. The usual. Get off, get your bag, walk through immigration and get back on. But even this mind killing trip ends. 23 hours. Why didn't I take the plane?

Kuala Lumpur is different. Something has changed. Everything is where it was, but then again isn't. The chaos of this huge city, the masses of people hurrying about their daily lives, the insurmountable task of crossing the streets amid a million crazed motos, taxis; it's all gone. The scorching heat, the constant sweating at the slightest movement; all gone. Even the Chinese quarters with hundreds of salesmen hawking on you is not the same anymore. Kuala Lumpur has changed. It is now a tranquil, slumbering metropolis, offering a peace of mind I have not experienced in a long time. It feels homely, finally for the first time since leaving home I know where I am, where to go, what to see, what to buy. It's an exhilarating feeling, a good feeling.

We - me and Kai; I've met him on the bus - check into some fleezy hostel in Chinatown. Drop our bags and head towards the CBD. I direct Kai to the Petronas Towers to go up the sky bridge; I stroll around the city. My main target is Central Market. A quarter of a year ago this was the place where I saw a great mural on rice paper. Did not buy it of course, an action I have regretted a hundred times since. Today makes it the 101st time as the shop was nowhere to be found anymore. Closed, moved away, god knows what the turnover rate of these places is. Dammit!

Oh, it's the 18th of September today; before I forget. My birthday. Yaay. But the worst place to be. Especially after I had a look at my rapidly decreasing pile of money. In Islamic Malaysia alcohol is horrendously expensive and I just don't feel like spending upwards to fifty Euros in some bar on cocktails. Even normal juices have seemingly exploded in price. I guess I've gotten spoiled by cheap, cheap darling Vietnam. Also all the cheap shopping I've planned to do isn't fun. Suria KLCC has prices very close to home, and not even the clothes I'm looking for. *sigh* money; the bane of the common man.

But, back to more important matters. I still have to fix my suitcase as it'll probably not survive another trip. Both handles have basically come off, just dangling, and the inner lining's zipper cannot be closed anymore. After more than an hour of searching and getting sent from A to B and back I finally find a department store where they sell nuts and bolts. Back at the hostel we set off to fix my suitcase with Kai, using thread and needle first to fix the lining, then a simple double-edged tape to glue the damn thing. I'm so proud! It's as good as new! No. Better than new! The rest of the weekend, wherever there is a chance I try to sell my remaining 8 bolts to other travellers. For some reason I'm not taken seriously :)

So. What shall I treat myself to on this special day? For some odd reason I feel like repeating my Sydney experience and get a ticket to tomorrow's - Sunday - soprano performance of the KL philharmonic orchestra in the Petronas Towers. A bit of culture is fitting at this age ;) Plus I get to wear my suit. And get the appropriate accessories. I have no shoes. No belt. No cuffs. No tie. No money. Interesting task. Easily solved on the Chinese market. Shoes: EUR 16 - no bargaining. Belt: EUR 2.50, down from 10. Cuffs: EUR 3.00 from 15. It works pretty well if you don't really care what you buy, act generally uninterested and are willing to walk away from the sale. In fact, I am actually liking this bargaining process. So much changed again. When I arrived in Asia the first time it was horrible. Frustrating. And I sucked at it. But now it's a nice way to pass the time. Chat a bit, act surprised, try to figure out the other person. Very social. I am not saying I have perfected this art as the first price is wholly unrealistic but you know you're on a good track when your offer is met with hesitation, heavy commenting or pure rejection. And you still manage to get it for that price. My (unwilling) piece the resistance was on Sunday. But let that remain personal. Just let me say I am not a ruthless bargainer - like some - just really had no more money left.

The evening is spent with a few drinks and a horribly bad Stallone movie in the cinema with some people from the hostel. And I wasn't expecting otherwise but when the movie ends and we head back home, we're greeted by my favourite tropical thunderstorm. Aaaaah. Nice.

It's been a nice day, but by no means the big party I have envisioned of having in Bangkok before I fly onwards to Beijing.

Sunday. Me and Kai give the Central Market one last chance. Maybe I can find something else. And behold, the shop I've been looking for is there. And here is the most ruthless case bargaining performed by mankind. Successfully executed. Finally - in the evening - I leave a happy man with the painting of my choice in my arms. This single item has taken most of the morning so we hurry back to the hostel for checking out. Grab our bags, take the MRT to KL Sentral. Kai checks in right there and then, I leave my suitcase in a locker, after removing my new shoes, a shirt and the pants, stuffing them in my daypack. More aimless strolling, tanning on Merdaka Square, eating in Chinatown, visiting Hindu temples, we split. I hurry to the Petronas Towers for my performance. Get in, rush to the bathroom, change - to the amazement to many locals - and exit a new man. From shabby backpacker to flashy gentleman. I am not much of a culture-type so all I can do is chuckle at the two yuppies behind me as one tries to up the other with his knowledge and likes, dislikes. The orchestra is awesome, the soprano. Well. Boring. She does a good job probably, but after every song she has the same touched, amazed look on her for applauds from the audience, the exact same way of emotionally thanking the director. Come on, you can't be serious. At least add some variation into your acting! Oh well. I can always look at the pretty violist at the front row.

Two hours later I change back to the Tourist, and look for food. Around eight in the evening I too make my way to KL Sentral. Retrieve my suitcase, repack everything, and check-in. I love how you can check in at the train station in the middle of Kuala Lumpur when flying with Malaysia Airlines and then take the hassle-free 28minute express train to the airport. No lines, no stress, just you and your carry-on all the way to the plane. Malaysia; awesome!

At the airport I make the mandatory rounds through the fragrance shops to mask certain odours and bump into Kai again. We chat away until midnight when both he and me have to start boarding. A crappy Airbus A330-300 with only a central LCD screen and non-working headphones. Bah. I try to sleep, but even with two blankets it's chilling. Is it me? Even yesterday evening in the cinema it must've been about 18 degrees and I was practically shivering. What the hell? Have I so much gotten used to the heat? I remember the good old days of walking outside wearing nothing but a t-shirt on 15 degree spring day. Or playing tennis in ~2C. Argh.