I've been in Malaysia for 24 hours and already seem to have broken the jet lag barrier. Unfortunately something has also broken the wifi at the house (where I am staying with my Aunt) so I'm a little lost without communication lines and have had to (!) locate a Starbucks to check emails and update people on my whereabouts.

After an early start and a reasonably long drive to the burial site, for my grandmothers funeral,, the remainder of Monday was absorbed by a monsoon (electric) storm and a visit to the famous Petaling Street in KL.

I don't think I remember another storm quite like this one, with fork lightning hitting, what seemed like, just metres away, and the preceding thunder that made the sky shake abruptly. I actually thought at one point the ground was going to open and swallow everything up... it was really quite frightening.

This sort of storm is something I could sit and watch for hours, with electricity striking right in front of you, leaving momentary blindness. I tried to video it but typically only managed to capture the smaller sparks and rumblings so I can't share the full effect. You just have to trust me when I tell you, it was awesome!

My Auntie wanted to take a trip to Petaling Street, before returning to Singapore tomorrow, so of course I wasn't going to miss out on some obligatory bargaining. This is a must do and see on a visit to KL, particularly if you want reasonable quality fake handbags, sunglasses, designer t.shirts or perhaps a fake watch.

The market stalls seem to have increased in capacity, now consisting of 3 rows crammed under the covered area of Petaling Street. Last time I was here there was just a row on either side which made it much easier to navigate and see everything. I was also a bit disappointed at the variety of handbags on offer, as the one I've had for over a year (and used almost everyday, except for geocaching ;) ) has a frayed strap so I wanted a duplicate replacement - I had to settle for a slightly different style but in the the same colour.
 
I also acquired some new clothes, including a top the same as one I'd had my eye on in Sri Lanka, but possibly cheaper. I got them down to half the starting price so it seemed silly not to purchase two!