If it's Saturday it must be KL

11-12th June

I'm taking advantage of Robin’s Kuala Lumpur house-swap to do a lightning tour of Malaysia – a 10-day mini-break covering KL, Tioman Island off the East coast of the peninsula, and Lankawi off the West Coast.

With my flight landing at 7.40pm , there’s only time to drive back from the airport to the flat in the Embassy district, Robin’s home for the next month, meet the cats he is looking after – not quite as needy as the two I’ve left at home – and drop round to the next door bar for a late supper to the sounds of a local jazz band.

On Saturday I get my first real sight of KL, from the top of the Menara Tower. KL’s own twin towers – Petronus – dominate the skyline, but there are skyrise blocks all around and many more being erected - a clear sign of Malaysia’s booming economy, deliberately spurred by massive population growth. In the 1970s, the government decreed that the population must rise from 15 million to 65 million by 2015 to generate economic growth. It seems to be working. Sadly the buildings needed to house both businesses and workers in KL seem untouched by any architect’s hand, with function rather than design to the fore. But, as in many south-east Asian cities, there is a real vitality here. Designer labels, and the latest electronic gadgetry (there’s a least one iPad on show in every coffee shop we visit), sit comfortably alongside outdoor food stalls, where old style restaurant entrepreneurs vie for your custom at night. We enjoyed a great meal in Jalang Alor – famed for its Chinese food – brought to our table from 4 separate kitchens. Then onto Bukit Bintang, for a leisurely bar crawl leading up to England’s first World Cup match, against USA at 2.30 in the morning! When Gerrard scores after 4 minutes, the late night seems worth it, but after USA draw level we call it a day at half time. The street is still teeming with ex-pat and local supporters, including a Brummie with the physique of Matt Lucas masquerading as a flag of St George in a striking one-piece - “It’s really sweaty in here”- covering him, literally, from head to foot. I guess you could say KL's cosmopolitan!