Day1: Kuala Lumpur

Selamat petang! Or good afternoon - aka the only Malay I know I'm afraid..

Anyway, one 13 hour flight, 3 main course dinners (don't ask) and a 3 hour sleep later, I have made it to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital city. It's 8pm and still a humid 32 degrees. It's my second time in Malaysia but it's a very different experience already. Memories of peaceful Langkawi beaches with poolside satay and roadside food stalls have been replaced by the streets and malls of Bhukit Bintang, KL's shopping and business district, which are glowing with elaborate Chinese New Year decorations, huge billboards with Leonardo Di Caprio, Calvin Harris and Dakota Fanning staring down, and completely buzzing with people, (many of which appear to have just discovered the 'selfie' and aremanically clicking away against the backdrop of bright lights and designer stores). There's a Topshop, a Zara, a Burberry, an H&M, the ubiquitous Maccy Ds and Irish pub, and even a German beer bar.

Beneath one of KL's huge shopping centre's, Lot 10, is an underground food hall serving mostly Chinese and some Malay food from less glitzy vendors, with us tucking into a portion of Char Kwey Teow, a fried flat noodle dish with prawns and cockles hailing from Penang, a state further up Malaysia's coast and, as it happens, where my mum spent her early years growing up. "Spicy?" I think so. A few minutes later the plate is clean, save one odd looking cockle - so haven't left behind my British squeamishness just yet... Think I'll stay away from the 'famous fish head curry' and fried intestines for the moment as well...

Despite being disappointed by the apparent absence of traditional Malay food in favour of every other kind of cuisine (Italian, Lebanese, American, Indian, Iranian, Thai... the list goes on), the noodles were delicious and quickly followed by a Tiger beer - an energetic first few hours in KL and raring to go for Day 2... But only after a long long sleep...