Surabaya, Java, Indonesia

My watch had decided to give up, I assume from the humidity. I had the clock on my phone set an hour earlier than it was (time's not so important when travelling!), so randomly glancing at a clock 2 hours before my flight was due to leave was a blessing. I had to fly to KL first. For some reason I used up the last of my Ringgits on 5 milka chocolate bars, which were all eaten in the two following days. On the plane was a strange Englishman - young but weary looking - he told me his life story in under five minutes. Said he had a worm in his arm and wanted to see a doctor in KL. Off the plane and on the taxiway tarmac he sparked a cigarette immediately (the ground crew didn't seem to mind) then dashed off somewhere. I later saw him, still, in KL airport, speaking to an official. At the bag carousel the luggage came - people collected them and left. All bags gone the carousel stopped and I stood alone. At the Air Asia lost property desk I told them what had happened and they produced my bag from behind the counter, saying that it had arrived on an earlier flight! Wtf - I'd only arrived an hour and a half before the flight! I wondered off, bemused. It was now 3am and my connecting flight to Indonesia was at 7am.

Air Asia - a fine budget airline

The next flight was tiring. I kept dozing off on the plane, that dozing where you jump, and make loud noises - waking yourself up! Eventually we arrive, and I avoid the airport taxi's and get a city cab from the departure drop-off. The traffic in Surabaya is horrendous - I can really feel Indonesia as the 4th most populous place on the planet. I'd chosen a hostel called "Ikurus to Live". The taxi driver spoke no English but seemed to know the address and we eventually arrive.

It's listed as a homestay but apart from the fact the owners are living somewhere in the building it's more like a posh hostel, or not so posh hotel. It's quite slick, with marble floors, posh paintings and even the water butt has a embroidered cover! The dorm room has three very comfortable beds, right  next to each other. I have the room to myself. The staff (owners?) speak no English - only one girl speaks a small amount. Outside of the hostel is normal for this part of the world :)

English is rarely spoken, other than hello and bye bye, especially out of the cities. Lucky for me Indonesian (Bahasa) is VERY similar to Malay (where I just came from), and is an extremely easy language to learn - there's no tenses, no gender and no conjugation. For plural (or to stress) the same word is said twice. Here's a few basics that you can almost live by (until they come back with a lightning fast sentence, assuming you can speak Bahasa!).

Hallo
Ya - Yes
Tidak - No
Tolong - Please
Terima Khasi - Thank you
Nama saya - My name is...
Berapa - How many / how much?
Apa - What
Di Mana - Where
Kapan - When
Makanan - Food
Minum - Drink
Kopi - Coffee
Teh - Tea
Ayam - Chicken (careful not to order Ayan - epilepsy!)
Bakmi - Noodle
Goreng - Fried
Beras - Rice
1 - Satu
2 - Duo
3 - Tiga

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Off the coach, using my Scottish companions previous KL knowledge, we headed for Bukit Bintang.  The place he'd been to before was full so we ended up in a place called i2inn. The room was tiny; you could just about fit the bunk bed in! The internet was dead, and when I mentioned it to reception they didn't want to tear themselves away from the cricket! The next day I checked out and moved to a 24 bed (yes, 24!) bed dormitory called Fernloft in Chinatown, which was MUCH cleaner, much cheaper (20 Ringgits), much friendlier, and the internet was good. If you're considering a stay in a 24 bed dorm be aware that at any time of the day there's always someone coming, always someone going, always someone awake, always someone snoring... you get the message. I strongly recommend earplugs and an eye mask!

Fernloft - 24 bed dorm

I like to walk around cities, camera firmly in hand. There's many great walking cities in the world, London being one of the best. There's normally enough to hold my attention from place to place but I didn't get KL. Roadwork diversions, building sites and endless main roads left me feeling bored. I know people that love KL so I've put it down to shell-shock after being on remote beach in Thailand, then the relaxed, small-town feel of Georgetown. One day I shall return, and love it!

Car fire

The Petronas towers: for years I've wanted to see them. They're such iconic objects that it's one of those 'am I really here?' moments when you arrive. Masses of shiny steel and glass soaring into the sky. The actual need for such things are questionable but you can't deny that they're an amazing feat of human design and engineering. I reluctantly stumped up the $18 for a visit to the top and the view was astonishing, but the tour a little clinical. I wanted to see the real guts, like the offices and working spaces. We were only taken to the plain top deck, then to the empty sky bridge.