Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 17th – 18th Dec 09

Yesterday we travelled from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. We hadn’t planned to visit here, but the visa rules in Thailand have changed which meant we either stayed put and pay loads of money in fines for staying illegally or spend a similar amount to leave the country and fly back in.

We’re staying in the Traders hotel, which is directly opposite the Petronas Towers. Between 1999 and 2004 they were the tallest in the world and they are incredible.

Last night we went to the hotel’s rooftop bar, complete with swimming pool and DJ. We drank wine whilst admiring the towers, which were lit up looking like crystal and had clouds floating around them – a truly stunning sight! Except for the Taj Mahal we think there are the prettiest buildings we’ve ever seen.

Today we went and had a closer look at the towers, they don’t look quite as stunning in the daytime, but are still very impressive. We then had a whistle-stop walk around the city center, taking in Merdeka Square, the colonial district and China town, where we popped into a Chinese temple.

Malaysia is a Muslim country and you can see the Arabic influence everywhere, from the Moorish style architecture, to the women wearing their headscarves – a change from the rest of SE Asia. Tomorrow we head back to Thailand and Kho Phi Phi, where we’ll spend 18 days, including Christmas and New Year! Yay!