Lots has happened since last entry... been very busy bees! Here goes... On 23rd June we had a very tiring day! We decided with two other girls we would go up Penang Hill to the highest part of Penang. We got the train up (about a 45 degrees ascent) and took photos and had some encounters with some monkeys. Then we decided we would walk down. WALK I say. It turned into a bit of a trek... from nice pavementy bits to jungle tracks then... heres the best bit... to abseiling. There were ropes between some of the trees and we literally had to hold our weight on the ropes while we tried to find our footing. A good hour and a half (and a few slips and trips) later we were half way down. We decided to get the train down the bottom and went past some locals tending allotments where the jungle had thinned out (yes jungle... thick, dense, with HUGE insects and vipers) and they were like "Where have you come from?" when we said they were amazed... apparently people just don't "walk" down... esp not in flip flops and skirts! After that we deserved a good night out (after some retail therapy!) and luckily it was Ladies Night at a club called Slippery Senoritas (name says it all!) and it was free entry and drinks for ladies. We deduced that the local women probably don't drink much so it didnt lose them much money... but they didnt count on 15 Brit/ Canadian girls coming in and tearing up the dance floor! So we danced the night away until about 2am... eeek... then had an early start to go to the Cameron Highlands. Once there we settled into our APARTMENT (yes, read again... apartment). It was STUNNING. Marble floors, cream leathers sofas, huge kitchen, two big lounges with all mod cons, six bedrooms, six bathrooms... one big dining area with table with lazy susan on it (jokes!) It was really nice to be away from hotel rooms and it meant we could have a football party last night with all the tour group, which was fun. Cam Highlands was a bit like England - colder than the rest of Malaysia (which was nice!) and a bit rainy. We did another jungle trek there, and went to a tea plantation: the phrase "I could murder a brew" was created for such times as this... and I had the NICEST cuppa ever and a nice scone (how very British of me!) Today we arrived in Kuala Lumpur via a five hour coach journey along winding roads that nearly caused a reappearance of our breakfasts... but once we hit the malls we were fine. And STOP PRESS!! We found Topshop!! The sizes are the same as at home and prices are too so I got a top I wish I'd bought before I left! Other than that we were a bit feable on the shopping front... There are three massive malls near us. One is called Times Square and as well as thousands of shops (ten levels each the size of West Quay/ Churchill Square) there is a theme park! It was a bit overwhelming even for an accomplished shopper such as myself! Think the knowledge Im on a tight budget is hindering shopping experiences! Tomorrow we're going to see the Petronas Towers (KL's twin towers... highest in the world now) then probably head to a park or something and chill out a bit. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for us - we decided to use the local laundret today... let's hope our clothes don't come back three sizes smaller and the colour of dirty pavement... Head for Cairns in under a week now - looking forward to it as it's bound to seem more familiar than the culture here (You KNOW you've been in Asia too long when peeing into a hole in the ground seems normal!) Internets very slow here so will upload more piccies (including ones of our apartment) soon! Lots of love Karen xxx