Woke up to another bright sunny day. After breakfast it was decided to catch the mono-rail to  the Bird Park. It was supposed to be the world’s largest undercover aviary and we both like pretty coloured birds. The walk from the hotel to the train station was just 2 minutes and we bought two tokens for RM2.10 each (about 50p). To gain access to the platform you just have to touch your token against the barrier and it opens. The train arrived within 5 mins and we were off to the end of the line (KL Sentral).

The Park was just under a kilometre away so we decided to walk it. We should have caught a taxi! It was far too hot and we made an error at the very beginning and walked around in a circle back to where we had started. Setting off, this time we w got it right, but because there is so much building work going on and the roads are a nightmare to cross, plus the Malayans think that pedestrians are surplus population and therefore do not accommodate them in any way, plus flat pavements are not found anywhere. After what seemed an age walking we had to stop in a cafe for cooling drinks and a respite from the heat. Refreshed we set off again and within ten minutes we were in the park and striding up the hill to the Aviary. We bought our tickets and entered. It is truly massive and full of the most friendliest birds you could want to see or meet. While waiting for Sue (outside a loo) I was surrounded by inquisitive storks who just stared at me, I stared back. Later we had to shelter from a brief shower and sat under a gazebo next to a very pretty waterfall that had pink flamingos wading in the water.  When the rain stopped I took some photos of Sue being covered in parakeets. We spent a pleasant couple of hours there before locating the restaurant had having ice-cold fruit drinks followed by very large ice-cream fruit sundaes (yummy).

After leaving the Bird Park we walked across the road to the Orchid Gardens. Very beautiful and full of exotic flowers with long sounding names. There was a spectacular view over KL from the top of the hill.

From there we walked to the Butterfly Park. As the Bird P{ark was covered in a huge netting tent (to keep the birds in and the monkeys out) so was this, though quite a bit smaller. Inside the air seemed full of fluttering wings.  Seeing the brightly coloured insects was not a problem, trying to photograph them being still was, but we managed it.

The place also had a fantastic insect collection as well as some lizards and snakes. While we were inside, unknown to us the monsoon hit out side. Raindrops the size of golf balls were turning the roads and paths into torrents of water. I spotted a taxi driver sheltering in the cafe and we negotiated a RM15  lift to the mono rail. The roads were truly flooded and it would have been impossible to have returned on foot. The lightning was flashing and the thunder echoing across the city and it was pleasing to be in a taxi making bow waves down the road. After being dropped off at the station we caught the train back to the hotel and a nice cup of coffee. That night we ate in an Indian Restaurant, the food was very good as was soon proved when the place filled up with Indians who seemed to be getting off tour buses to eat there. We walked back through the Parkson Mall. Yet another huge retail Mall that defied belief as to size, yet this had something over the others. It was for the very affluent. The outlets were Armani, Gucci, Burberry etc. There was hundreds of them that Sue had heard of but I had not. I noticed there was no price tags, which reminded me of the time when I went with some rugby friends to an Armani shop in Prague and was told, “Sir, if you have to ask the price then this shop is not for you.”  I also noticed that there were very few shoppers and many, many shop assistants who were dressed in suites and  very nice outfits looking bored. The people who were   shopping obviously had no taste and were wearing gear I personally would not be seen dead in. We bought nothing.

It had been a tiring day so, it was straight to bed when we returned to the hotel.