October 11

We had the good fortune to be invited to a Chinese wedding in Malaysia during October so took the opportunity to drive up to Kuala Lumpur and spend a couple of days sight seeing. The journey took about four and a half hours without getting lost once despite the fact that the sat nav, for which I have purchased a Malaysia map, did not recognise a single one of the main KL thoroughfares.

Apart from the wedding, we visited the 378.6 metre high Petronas Twin Towers, the towers that Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones clambered about in the film Entrapment, the tallest twin towers in the world (the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan is now tallest single building in the world). We had supper there at Chinoz, an Asian-Australian fusion restaurant. We visited the Aquarium that is below the KL Conference Centre at the twin towers complex - the walk under and through the tank with sharks, turtles and manta rays is amazing and worth the visit alone. We travelled on the mono-rail sky train and visited the central mosque and the Padang and former colonial administration buildings, which are somewhat unusual.

Later in the month, Julian’s cousin Ed and friend Becca visited for a few days, which meant visiting Chinatown - again! - but also encouraged us to catch some of the sights we had not previously seen. We went to the Sands SkyPark at the top of the Marina Bay Sands complex and had a drink at Ku De Ta. Apparently the SkyPark could hold four and a half A380 jumbo jets (I assume before they put the swimming pool in). The night-time view from the top, some 57 storeys and 200 metres high, is absolutely stupendous with views in all directions, across Singapore and also to Indonesia. With an electric storm in the distance, it was some experience.

We also visited Pulau Ubin, a small island a few minutes to the east of Singapore by bum-boat. There is a nature reserve on the island with wild pigs, monkeys and mangrove snakes, as well as plenty of biking paths and seafood restaurants. There is also a mock Tudor mansion built as a weekend home for one of the Brits of the colonial administration that is now an eco awareness centre.