I expect to travel to Genting Highlands early this coming week, for a couple of nights. I've been told that it's several hours by bus from here.

Here in Malaysia the driver's seat is on the right, gear stick on the left, & we drive on the left, just like in Australia.

Every Friday everything shuts down (apart from the construction next door), for a couple of hours or so, from I think about 1pm, something to do with this being a Muslim country.

I found the Seri Cempaka (where I've stayed) online:
http://www.scss.com.my/" title="http://www.scss.com.my/" target="_blank"http://www.scss.com.my/.  I was lucky, I got the "walk in" rate - but internet bookings are even cheaper.  I don't know why it's supposedly only 3 star.

Maybe it's different in the wealthy households of KL, but there is
only a cold shower where I'm staying, & only cold water in the
kitchen.  Mind you, it's always humid here, all year 'round, so no
need for a hot shower.

I've found the Chinese more friendly than the Indians, not sure about the Malays.  There are some very good looking Malaysians on the tv soap operas here, however not so many in real life so far.  I did see one good looking young Indian man who caught the same bus as me one day, but most Indian men are unattractive, in my opinion.  One of the (I think) security men at the Seri Cempaka was handsome (but not tall),
however he was from Nepal!

There are tv adverts for skin whitening creams in Malaysia!  I didn't know they existed!  I was looking for lotion in the Giant supermarket of the Leisure Mall in Cheras yesterday, & a lot of the lotions were for lightening the skin, so I had to be careful not to get that kind!

The litter here is disgusting!  This place could be like Paradise, if
it was 10 degrees cooler & managed properly.  One just walks over litter most of the time here, & I see it everywhere, except in KLCC of course, around the beautiful Twin Towers, where I saw someone sweeping.  The footpaths could do with a good scrubbing even there. I was told that the Twin Towers, which look to be constructed of stainless steel & glass, are owned by one Indian man!  The four storey section of shops is nearly all designer shops, eg Rolex, Chanel - all the top designer brands.

We went in to Rolex & my friend's favourite watch was priced at over USD16,000, which absolutely flabbergasted him!  He'd bought a fake, which looks exactly the same, the first week I
was here, which I think cost less than 20 bucks - in fact he was
wearing it when we went in to Rolex!  What a lark.  

We wanted to go up to the bridge between the towers, but that tour's tickets were sold out for the day, apparently.  I think the bridge featured in a movie? There were heaps of Mercs & BMWs in the area, & I loved the fountains & plants near the towers. There were quite a few Arab women entirely garbed in black (apart from their eyes & hands) with their regularly-attired husbands in the towers.  (boo, hiss)  Actually, I spoke briefly with a woman from Saudi Arabia when I was in the mobile 'phone/computer mall in my first week.  She had the most beautiful eyes (lucky for her, dreadful for the ugly-eyed Arabian women, hey?!).

There are just so many cars on the road, not enough roads I suppose, or more buses needed, & a railway system wouldn't go astray.  There aren't enough parking spaces for cars, at multi level apartment blocks, & at shopping centres, so we have to slowly carefully squeeze between parked cars at home, & I've seen so much double parking, so that people can't get their cars out - in fact my friend just pushed a car out of the way one day so we could get out!

I have been surprised at the surplus staff employed here, some seem to just hang around for people to ask them questions, like the security(?) men at the Seri Cempaka, & the woman waiting in the pay toilets in the Twin Towers - which was my first experience of a 'sensor/automatic flush after I stood' toilet!  I was relieved that the flashing light was a 'presence of human posterior sensor' rather than a bum camera!

The 'checkout chicks' are slow here, compared to their Australian equivalents.

Yesterday I was in a bank ,where we took a number & sat in comfortable chairs to wait until our number appeared on a screen, showing which teller/customer service officer to go to. That's better than waiting in line, & something Australian banks could adopt.  It was an Islamic bank, & the staff just took their time, as if there was no rush.

Apartments are a death (fire) trap here, with only one door, plus a front sliding security door which is padlocked, & locked, whether you're inside or out.  There is a small padlocked door on the window grille/security cage thing where wet washing is hung, but no fire ladder, & I'm on the 12th floor!  Speaking of washing, with high humidity it can be difficult to get clothes dry without that "wet too long" smell.

I was in the Leisure Mall a couple of days ago, feeling cranky that two loser/crim type looking security guards were standing around by the elevators with rifles, for no apparent reason. How annoying.  They looked like the types to be protected from, not by!  I didn't get that protected secure feeling from them, that's for sure.

I was told this morning that sometimes a bus driver will just walk out of his bus for half an hour, with no explanation.  The Malaysian passengers just sit quietly & dociley on the bus, looking around!  It's fear which causes them to behave.  If anyone is having a verbal argument, the police are called, & the people involved are automatically jailed for several months -  & even if it was a husband hitting his wife, the wife is also jailed!