Thursday 16 – Monday 27 December – A very HOT Xmas in Kuala Lumpar

At the beginning of our trip Matt and I went to stay with Doug and Wilma, friends of the Cheeks. They were kind enough to invite us back for Christmas, and we jumped at the offer! Having been on the road for a quite a while now, we were very excited to be going somewhere for a reasonable amount of time. As lucky as we know we are, constantly moving from place to place is exhausting, and we are very fortunate to be able to go somewhere for some rest.

We flew into Kuala Lumpar, and after being picked up at the station by Mark, we were greeted into the familiar penthouse by the smell of lasagne. It was delicious, and we enjoyed catching up with the Websters. It truly was great to be back, and that evening, after a hot shower, we enjoyed sleeping in a comfortable bed in an air conditioned room. This is what 'flashpacking' must be like...

Yet again we have really seen the sights of Kuala Lumpar, of course, if those sights include the pool.... We even managed to go for a dip in the pool on Christmas day, mainly, I think, just because we could. In fact, we had a great time in Kuala Lumpar, and the time flew by.

A particular highlight was going to see Harry Potter. It was a really nice cinema, far nicer than in the UK, and it cost all of 15 Ringit (£3) each, including a drink and popcorn. There was one problem though, the cinema was freezing! In fact, Wilma told us that you can go to special screens which have reclining armchairs and blankets; it is a shame we didn't have the chance to experience that! I can confirm that we thoroughly enjoyed Harry Potter, although I think non-fan Mark was quite confused!

Going to the cinema wasn't the only touch of home we had, we also indulged in a Domino's. This was a bit pricier though, it was about the same price as home, but so good. In a way, Kuala Lumpar certainly feels like a home away from home, and Matt and I are even starting to get excited to be getting back on the road.

The highlight of our time here was, of course, Christmas. Michael and his girlfriend Sandy came over, and we had a great couple of days. We started by going on a night out for Christmas eve, which was pretty much over a few hours later after only two cocktails. It might have something to do with the cocktails coming in pint glasses though...

Christmas day was spent at the Hilton, and we enjoyed a 24 course meal. As you can imagine, it was HUGE. Very, very delicious, but by the puddings I couldn't even manage a spoonful of each. My particular favourite was the pink snapper. We did get to have a taste of caviar as well, but I didn't think much of it! Perhaps it is an acquired taste...

Let us not forget that Matt also turned 25 whilst we were out here! I did take him for lunch and manage to buy him a few useful presents. Doug and Wilma also had a Christmas party that night, so Matt managed to consume his entire body weight in beer... It was his birthday, after all.

It has been another fantastic trip to Kuala Lumpar, and as we are now planning on heading to the north of Malaysia, it may not be our last... Thank you once again to Doug and Wilma for their hospitality, when you are next in London we will make sure we begin to repay the favour!