We met up with our friend Caroline in Kuala Lumpur and spent a few days there. We didn't like the city much - there is so much traffic that it takes ages to get anywhere and it is very noisy and dirty. The first night we stayed in a hotel near the bus station but it was very hot and noisy so we moved to the YWCA which is in one of the only quiet streets in Chinatown.

The nicest part of KL is the park surrounding the worlds tallest building - the Petronas Towers. Especially at night the park is popular with locals and there are dancing fountains - unlike the rest of the city it is kept immaculately clean. There are some other impressive buildings all with an Islamic theme. We went to the top of the telecommunications tower which offers amazing views - it is the 4th highest tower in the world.

We also visited Batu Caves but were more impressed with the Long Tailed Macaques playing on the steps than the caves themselves. We hired a device that allowed you to listen to information and Hindu stories as you walked around which made it more interesting. Afterwards we went to the Islamic Arts Museum which was good but did not hold our interest very long.

We were exausted from walking everywhere so took a bus to Kuala Perlis on the border with Thailand so we could head for a beach. We got to Kuala Perlis at 4pm and were not sure if we would be able to get a boat to Satun in Thailand that late in the day. Boats leave when full and luckily there was one waiting for two more people when we turned up. The trip only takes 30 minutes and then we were in Thailand.