Boxing day

We attempted to walk to the old railway station this morning, but the tourist map wasn't particularly accurate and we soon found ourselves stranded in the middle of a network of high speed highways. We eventually found our way out through some underpasses seemingly being guarded by some people in shabby uniforms, yet there was no-one else to be seen and the pavements were thick with litter. KL is strange in this regard, you can be walking down a lovely paved street and it will abruptly stop and turn into a dirty mud track for a while and then start again somewhere else.

The railway station when we got there is a very elaborate affair, a splendid white, with Islamic-looking turrets. The railway offices opposite are also unfeasibly grand for a network that has almost wholly been displaced by the bus for long-distance journey's. The old part is mostly a museum, though trains still pull in and out as there is a new concrete station adjoined that still serves passengers, though the main terminus is now one stop up the line.

Behind the railway station is the modern national Islamic Centre and a beautiful park. I reluctantly agreed to visit the butterfly sanctuary and was pleasantly surprised to find that along with the butterflies were several species of poisonous snakes, spiders and other insects. The horned toads were pretty weird, looking like toad robots and I also enjoyed the ridiculous moving leaf.

We then got a taxi to the other side of town where we had a late lunch at one of the hawker stalls before heading to the shopping mall to the games room we'd spotted previously. With each game RM1, or 15p, we had a terrific time on the various simulators and games. We also had a session in a karaoke box, the only time you'll find either of us voluntarily partaking in singing into microphones. Despite the limited selection of English tunes, it was quite fun, though towards the end we started to get hassled by hyperactive Malaysian kids having fun hitting the box and running away.