Kuala Lumpur - back in civilisation

Day 61 - 28th June 14

Reggae Mansion where we're staying is located in a large old colonial building which has been newly renovated, painted white outside and in and really is perfect from the young backpacker's point of view. It is sparkling clean and hip and the interior design is mainly tasteful, with the exception of a few silver velvet sofas. The dormitories have spacious pods with curtains for privacy. I'm on the upper bunk and the straight ladder to the top feels like a bit of a death trap. It's such an easy place to stay but we feel a little guilty for not boycotting it. The hostel is ageist, racist and ablest, banning citizens from India, the Middle East and Malaysia, anyone over the age of 60, with no access for the wheelchair bound.

Excited to be back in the civilisation of city life after so long, we take the metro to a shopping mall nearby. It is shiny, modern and immense. I am overly enthusiastic about browsing in Zara and H&M and

buy myself 2 t-shirts and a pair of comfy light-weight trousers. The food court in the basement of the mall has an overwhelming choice. I order from the Hong Kong counter - the skin of the duck is shiny, crispy and cooked to perfection, the flavours of the sauces tantalising and the wonton dumplings delicious.

My hair is in desperate need of a cut - it's been over a year, so it is straggly, dry and full of split ends, the texture at the bottom like straw. We both book an appointment at a salon in the mall. My chic, stylish hairdresser is clearly shocked at the condition of my hair and does little to hide this emotion. Unfortunately there is some confusion and she chops off much more than I had wished. My hair is now just below shoulder length and I almost feel like crying. My long messy locks feather the floor and with them, part of my identity that I irrationally feel I have lost.

In the evening we stroll with the crowds through the bustling, dirty Chinese quarters. Above us floats string upon string of swaying red lanterns. Stalls of fake purses, trainers and iPhone cases stand in front of the Chinese restaurants. In front of us walks a lady dressed in a Burka and near her, a Western Sadhu with long hair, naked except for a cream cloth draped over his body - a wonderful contrast of cultures. Mouth-watering smells surround us, but we are not yet hungry We nap in the late afternoon, intending to wake later for a beer on the roof garden, but both of us sleep through until the morning.

Day 62 - 29th June 14

We leave the hostel at midday and visit a different mall to window shop. Being a Sunday it's busy with locals, but this mall is run down and way past its hay day. We eat lunch in a Japanese restaurant - a huge bowl of fresh leafed salad with a Japanese vinaigrette, sesame seeds and thin slices of smoked duck. It's exactly what we were craving and the first salad we've had since leaving England.

In the evening we join our roommates on the hostel roof for a BBQ - where we are fed more salad and juicy chargrilled meat. At 11 the music is turned off to be replaced by the sound of an Englishman commentating on the Holland vs Mexico football game - the surrounding screens flicker to life with the image of the green football pitch. I have little choice but to attempt to watch the game.

A Canadian starts chatting to me who similarly seems disinterested by the match. He is tall and lanky with round thick lensed glasses. His naive outlook on life seems younger than his 23 years and I make a possibly wrong assumption that he is from a small backwards town. He queries the safety of 2 girls (or 1) travelling on their own and although I agree with him that travelling is in general less dangerous for males than females, I suggest that it can depend on the circumstances and that both of us could be equally defenceless as solo travellers. He looks confused. I can't help but question the particular cases of the 2 of us. He is young and weedy-looking and I suggest to him that neither of us would pose a particular threat to a would-be mugger with a weapon. I can't help but feel that in some circumstances females can be safer - do-gooders, noticing our vulnerability, are likely to be of assistance or protective, whereas it would be presumed that males are able to fend for themselves. It appears he had never previously considered this scenario.

Day 63 - 30th June 14

Our roommate Daniel is ill, so he asks us if his girlfriend Heather can join us today. She's shy but very sweet. With our other roommate Andrew, we set out at midday up to the KL telecommunication tower (the sixth highest in the world), to see the views across the city. With the use of the telescope, I spy on the workers on the construction site below. In a high rise concrete shell, one builder lies lazing on his back in a room high up open to the outside and sheer drop below. From here I can see the garden roof of our hostel, currently empty of people. The Petronius towers are not as impressive viewed from this height.

As we walk through the city back to our hostel, we notice colonial buildings that have been left to decay. Once beautiful houses are now simply shells of their former grandeur. The metal gates are tightly padlocked so I can only peer inside. A dusty mailbox still contains letters. Around the sides of a crumbling house is an entrance that I pass through, but the rooms are clearly inhabited so I quickly depart.

We share a meal in a restaurant in China Town - the food is mediocre but the fresh juices from the stall next door are excellent. In the evening Andrew would like to go for a drink in the Helilounge bar, but we are all turned away as being inappropriately dressed with the exception of Andrew who is wearing chinos and leather shoes. We expect Daniel to be the main cause who is wearing shorts, a baggy vest and his skin painted in tattoos. Daniel is excitable and young and oblivious to his appearance, but I like that he refuses to act the chameleon. I am much more likely to adapt to what is expected within each new environment I enter. We are accepted into Sky bar instead which has no dress code. There is a spectacular view from here of the silver shining Petronius towers and there is a swimming pool in the centre of the room. We treat ourselves to a glass of wine and are now wishing we'd used this opportunity to put a little make up on and feel like city dwellers again.

We have a drink in Bar Street once Sky Bar has closed. The bar is loud and full of drunk people and ecstatic French men whose football team have just won their latest match. As we haven't yet eaten, we grab some dim sum from a stall on a street lined with outdoor tables, before returning to the hostel in the early hours. We pass men cutting up Durian fruit - I find its odour overpowering and disgusting, but it's a favourite food for so many people.

Day 64 - 1st July 14

Today we visit the Batu Caves. The transport system is excellent in KL and we can take a train directly there from KL Sentral. A guy approaches us as he has overheard our destination and ushers us in the right direction to the train station where he buys our tickets and refuses our money. He's going in a different direction so he points us onto the correct platform before saying goodbye. We are hardly surprised when we find out he's from Jakarta - I've started to call this selfless helpfulness the 'Javanese spirit'.

A colourful, cartoon-like statue of the monkey Hanuman towers above us at the entrance to the station, next to the limestone hill that rises to our left. The world's tallest statue of Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity painted gold, stands in front of the concrete steps leading up to

the cave. As we ascend, the territorial macaques leaping from wall to wall across the stairs terrorise the tourists who dare to pass through their playground. The smell of Ribena permeates from Hannah's bag, unfortunately attracting a monkey, whose firm grip she is unable to shake. Frozen in fear with the threat of attack, her ears are deaf to the Malay instructing her to hit the monkey and she desperately asks me to help. Until now, a bystander feeling as helpless as she, I manage to pull the bag away and in swinging it at the group of monkeys that have now appeared, they sheepishly back away, afraid to be swiped.

The smell of incense burning, the music and the bright block colours of the priests' clothing in the temple cave, conjure up memories evoked from India. Hannah has already noted from our time in Indonesia that she feels a certain soul is lacking - something that is inherent in India and Sri Lanka. That feeling of spiritualism that

these countries evoke in you - and now listening to the sound of the drum beaten passionately and shehnai played so sensually, exuding such a rich melody, I can identify with her stance. Standing there watching the priests performing rituals, we feel lost for a moment transported from our immediate surroundings. The caves themselves are high-ceilinged and magnificent like a cathedral, as per their namesake. They are home to the pigeons that swoop in and out of the caves, creating stunning moving silhouettes next to the black outlines of Hindu figurines sitting above the exit.

As we depart we notice the entrance to the Dark Cave, as an employee is closing the gate. We ask if we can enter before it closes and he says we can just catch the last tour that has already started. Armed with a torch and a protective helmet, we are escorted to the group. Our tour guide is excellent since she's so passionate about the cave's ecology. It

is home to a number of rare species, including a spider that creates a trapdoor to hide behind. Fruit bats squeal and flap above our heads. The structures of stalagmites and stalactites have dripped into impressive forms, one a pure white, ridged sea shell, another a cave curtain shaped into existence.

As we emerge from the darkness the sky outside is overcast and moody, the grey outlines of the skyscrapers and communication tower in the distance stand out dramatically against a low layer of bright orange sky, the silhouette created by the cave, hanging vines and monkeys frame the city. As we leave to catch the train, a downpour drenches our clothes, in which we now freeze while confined in the refrigerator created by the train's AC. We are relieved when we eventually reach our stop and walk out onto the platform into the blast of hot air and humidity. I head back to the hostel while Hannah peruses the wares in Sentral market to buy gifts for her family.

That evening, having been recommended Little India as a good place to eat by Andrew, we are surprised to find him there blocking the pavement in front of us, busy eating a small tub of ice cream for dessert. He is no longer staying in our hostel as he has chosen to try a new location every evening of his stay in KL - we cannot imagine anything worse than re-packing our bags everyday unnecessarily. We

suggest that he joins us for a beer while we eat and he directs us to a restaurant highly rated on trip advisor. We choose a selection of tandoori meats and a pea and mushroom curry with garlic naan. The food is wonderful and once full we continue to stuff ourselves until it's completely finished.

In a bar a few doors down, I enjoy a whiskey. Unhappily the conversation turns to sports, football and tennis, both of which I am equally disinterested by, so I half zone out while Andrew and Hannah natter away. Andrew is incredibly knowledgeable on numerous topics of conversation. He's a 34 year old Australian. He dresses very neatly and looks slightly geeky. He has just finished writing his thesis for a PHD in engineering and he is travelling while waiting for his results.

After finishing our drinks, the shutters in the bar have been pulled down so we take the hint and leave. We say goodbye to Andrew who has been an interesting companion and wish him good luck with his results for his doctorate.

Day 65 - 2nd July 14

We are leaving KL so we pack in the morning. Hannah is heading back to the UK for Claire's wedding, which I am sad to be missing. I say goodbye to Hannah, sorry to see her go and apprehensive of travelling alone. I am catching a bus to the Cameron Highlands as it seems an easy, safe option for a solo traveller.