Arriving at Kuala Lumpur (KL) airport, early Sunday morning of the 10th of December, we had no idea what to expect from this metropolis. Yes, of course, we had done our research and read about things to do and see, but I am talking more about the atmosphere of this cosmopolitan city. Chaotic or organised? Dirty or clean? Manic or quiet? Dull or exciting? Mostly, these questions were answered by our talkative taxi driver who brought us to our hotel. In between telling us how lucky we were with the meager amount of traffic, he emphasized at least ten times, that KL is “clean and green” (on the 40 minutes drive). And he was – oh joy! – absolutely right. Even better: KL was exciting, organised (with a perfect hint of chaos), alive, diverse, christmassy, child-friendly and heavenly for the taste buds. As well as all of that we were reunited with our dear friend Marc (the Spark) which was an extra big bonus.

Some of our highlights:

• Sleeping on the 38th floor.
• Chilling off our jetlag watching (or sleeping through) COCO in the cinema.
• Running around the playground and getting our feet wet at Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park (KLCC Park).
• Admiring the architecture of the Petronas Towers by day and night.
• Watching the colourful water display at the Lake Symphony fountains (KLCC Park).
• Diving into the open-air streetside dining adventure of Jln Alor.
• Discovering all sorts of new foods. Roti telur or steamed buns fast becoming our staples.
• Covering some ground riding the monorail.
• For the girls: Having fun on merry-go-rounds, mini trains and bumper cars at the Berjaya Times Square Theme Park.
• And: Catching up with Marc the Spark, of course.

The learning curve:

• Don’t waste your time looking for the visa payment counter. Entering Malaysia is free.
• Airport taxi service from the airport to the hotel is cheaper than the obvious public transport option. And much more convenient, too.
• Lift doors can close before you all manage to enter. That’s how we lost Sophie in the hotel. Panic!