I did a little count out of curiosity - I am going to cover at least 18,798 miles around the world, which is only about 5,000 miles short of the length of the equator.

I am sure that with a trip to New Zealand and around I can make up for that. And all that I do in 141 days. I guess it's not quite like "Around the world in 80 days" but I would say it's close enough.

At this point I should apologies to the environment for leaving so many footprints of carbon on this planet this year. I shall make up for it when I'm too old to travel or we run out of oil which might force us to stop travelling all together unless someone comes up with an alternative to fuel our cars and planes.

After half a day in Bangkok I took the airport shuttle from my hotel back to the airport to catch my flight to Kuala Lumpur.

One of the guys getting on the shuttle bus also was German who had a Thai-bride with him. It was so obvious and fitted right in with all the stereotypes about males travel in Thailand. He was probably in his forties, bold, had a huge beer belly and looked like one of the German soccer fans on Ballerman (a party island in the Mediterranean in Europe).

She was a pretty Thai girl and definitely much younger than him. It was quite funny to listen to their conversation if you can even call it that. He spoke only German with a thick Berlin accent (tricky accent to understand - think New Orleans or Liverpool). He taught her a few words in German but she didn't seem to understand much.

The looks of the other Asian men should clearly that they didn't approve of this either.

I find this whole issue of sex tourism and Thai brides rather strange and never understood it but maybe you need to be male to understand this.

Along the way to the airport I saw more of the rather intriguing looking "buses" used in Bangkok. All they are is a pick up truck with a roof over the otherwise open boot and handle bars to hold onto at the far back. They do not look safe at all especially not in Bangkok's crazy driving habits.

I flew over to Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia. They are comparable to Ryanair in Europe or South West Airlines in the USA. Though AirAsia does not only fly throughout Asia but also connects it with the rest of the world. I believe Ryanair has similar expending plans but I am not sure how far these plans have developed.

Like Ryanair, AirAsia offers you super cheap flights just to charge you for a million things afterwards and tries to sell you anything possible. Though unlike Ryanair AirAsia does not charge you for things unless you click yes or charge you handling fees for not really handling anything. I mean really if I book my flight online, print of my own boarding card and have no check in luggage what is Ryanair still handling?

The three airlines have in common that they fly only Boing 737 planes, which made me feel right at home when I boarded the plane.

The flight was quick and uneventful though had a 30 minutes delay. This did not really matter as Jonathan's flight from Singapore was delayed also.

My way through the passport control was again fast and easy though I was a little surprised that they took my fingerprints but I guess the USA aren't the only ones interested in those.

The low coast carrier terminal of KL International Airport is quite small. Still I managed to get confused. While waiting for Jonathan to arrive I wanted to find out if his flight had arrived yet but couldn't find a board showing the arrivals. It took me about half an hour to realise the the Arrivals where shown on a board in the departure hall not the arrival hall - a bit of a strange arrangement but I guess different countries have different customs.

The welcome was slightly shattered by a heavy rain that was waiting for us outside. Luckily most of the way to the bus stop was covered so we didn't get very wet.

Once in KL we took the local commuter train from KL Sentral to Midvalley where Jonathan's hotel was.

I knew that Malaysia is a mainly Muslim country yet it still took me by surprise when I learned that on the Kommuter Train they have one coach restricted for women. On the platform you will even see a police that check that no man is getting on the female only coaches.

As I was with Jonathan I got on the mixed coach but within seconds I knew that I would take the lady's coach when out on my own. None of the women in the mixed coach were on there by themselves not to mention the occasional stare by the men.

It is something I couldn't grow accustomed to if I had to live here. I am not necessarily an ultra feminist but I do like my rights and freedoms I have in the west and don't like to see them compromised.

Throughout my time in Kuala Lumpur it was easy to see that this is a very male dominated society. It is places like these that remind me how lucky I am to be born into the part of the world that I was.

At the hotel we had some trouble to get into our room because there had been communication problems between his company and the hotel regarding the payment. Jonathan made a few phone calls and after a few hours and just in time before the time was up he managed to get things sorted.

And what a place the Garden Hotel Midvalley is. It is a 5 star hotel - the room is massive with two small double beds and a bathroom bigger than some of the bedrooms in houses in London - it has a separate bath tub and shower and a rain shower!

I was able to stay for free here because it was Jonathan's company paying for it while he was in KL for work, so thank you very much.

In the evening we went to one of the restaurants in the shopping mall that is attached to the hotel. It was Hong Kong food but did not convince either of us.

Next day even my tummy was upset about what I gave him for dinner the night before. It was supposed to be rice and chicken but something was clearly not right with that chicken.

To finish the day we went for a drink at the Sky Bar near the Petrona Towers. People had recommended it to me so we gave it a shot.

I was not quite as good as I expected. It seemed a bit like a meet up place for expats and tourists. It would have been a more exciting visit if we had been allowed to sit next to the window. All those seats though were apparently reserved even if it meant no one was sitting there at all. In the middle of the bar there was a pool yet no one was using it so it was simply a safety hazard in my eyes as the walkways at each side of it were really narrow. The pool did give the bar a cool look but because they did not use it made me wonder why the owner of the bar wouldn't rather put more tables in and with that have more paying guests at a time in the bar.

Maybe I need to come back another time when they have a pool party.

The best aspect of the bar is the fact that it is at the top of a skyscraper and allows you to enjoy a view across Kuala Lumpur. I could not say it is anywhere near as good as the New York skyline. In my bias opinion I don't think there will ever be anything as good as the New York skyline at night (as far as skylines go).

Kuala Lumpur or KL for short is the capital of Malaysia and is the countries most populous city of 1,5 Million people. Despite it being the capital you wont find the government here because their seat is in Putrajaya.

Looking from the height of my hotel room it is easy to see that KL is one of the greenest cities despite it being cut in parts by several major highways. Those highways make it impossible in places to walk from one place to another despite the distances not being far at all. Underneath many of these highways are many self built huts where the poorest live. Aside from that the space underneath the highway bridges is used to grow plants, vegetables and herbs. I could be slightly off as to what exactly they were growing because as you might know I am not very good at identifying these kinds of things.

My hotel is in an area called MidValley. This part of town is a short tram ride south of the city centre and comprises the modern part of town. Although there are many skyscrapers can be found across the city it is here were it feels most modern and westernised.

The main part of MidValley is a huge shopping mall, the Megamall and the Gardens Shopping Centre to which the Gardens Hotel belongs also.

The mall has everything any mall in the West would have and to the same prices so no bargain shopping could be done here. It also meant I had enough Western food alternatives. Knowing my stomach I prefer to be a chicken than spend all my days in one of the public toilets. Especially as most of those are standing ones with no toilet paper, instead you have to use the pipe next to the whole in the ground to water yourself clean. Luckily I could avoid trying this technique so far as most public restrooms offer sitting down options and a spare tissue would be always at hand. I am sure it is possible and hygienic to use the water pipe but I have a feeling I will end up spraying the water all over.

To reach the city centre I took the Kommuter Train and then the KL Transit which all together did not cost me more than the equivalent of 50p (30 cents (US), 40 cents (EU)). For that kind of money you don't even get on the bus in London or anywhere else in Europe/US for that matter.

The KL Transit was pretty good, fast and frequent. Instead of the usual paper ticket you received a token as your ticket.

The Kommuter Train on the other hand was very slow and hardly ever on time. At times I waited for 30 minutes for the train to arrive. In those moments I thought it wasn't worth more than what they charged.

Once in KL Sentral, Chinatown and around Merdeka Square the houses are a lot older and much more run down apart from the historical places that are well conserved. The crowds there are quite overwhelming. I love the hassle and bustle of New York or London and even though the crowds there are probably more it feels more welcoming than in KL.

KL is much more culturally diverse than what I have seen so far from Bangkok. Here are as many Malaysians as there are Indians, Chinese and even many immigrants of Africa. Just as diverse is the way people dress - you can see everything from very conservative all covered up Muslims to rather sexy emphasize with the Chinese girls. The Indians seem somewhere in the middle. It comes to no surprise that there is less difference in the way men dress. They dress very much in the western style.

As my first full day in town was spoilt by monsoon rain and the incident with the Indian man I to some extent started all over again the next day.

With fear of another monsoon I started of by exploring one of the many parks of KL and headed back into town in the afternoon to have another look at the area around Merdeka Square and Chinatown.

My first stop of the day was the old railway station which is now only used by the Kommuter Train. It is a very beautiful building in a very Indian style with little towers with a round roof. The headquarters of the KTM train service looks more like a little castle again, in a very Indian style. Right next to it is the National Mosque, unlike the very beautiful and traditional looking Masjid Jamek the Masjid Negara is very modern and in my view hasn't got that beauty to it. It is also one of Asia's largest mosques. The main dome is an 18 point star, that symbolises the 13 states of Malaysia and the five pillars of Islam.

From here I followed the small road further up the hill passing the Birds Park, the national Planetarium and an Orchid Park before reaching Lake Garden Park and the National Monument. The road was lined with tropical trees and gave you a feel for the tropical forest without having the hassle of dealing with the creepy crawlings of the jungle.

The Park around the National Monument was very beautiful with a little pond and many different tropical plants. Again my lack of knowledge in the world of plants and flowers I was left to simply enjoy the beauty of it all without knowing exactly what I was looking at.

From here you had a really good view across the city also. The park is a nice and calm oasis from the noise of the otherwise so busy city.

After relaxing in the park for a while I headed back into town, starting with a stroll around Chinatown. The centre of it is along Jln Petaling. Here you find a bustling street market selling everything from Souvenirs, clothes to food. Most people probably will love the stalls with all its cheap wear in the hope to make a good deal. But it did not appeal to me. I am not convinced that the quality of the products are all that good. Even more so I don't trust them when they claim to sell high profile brands for hardly any money.

I therefore quickly moved on towards the colonial district around Merdeka Sqaure, where my tour on the previous day ended in the rain.

Merdeka Square (independence square) is located opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad building. In 1957 Malaysia's independence was proclaimed here which gave the square its name. A 95 meter flag pole that stands on the square today marks the place where the Union Jack was lowered and replaced by the Malaysian flag on the day of the declaration of independence. It is probably the biggest flag I have seen since the one in Jordan at the Red Sea showing Israel who is next door.

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building was built by a British architect during the British colonial rule, not surprising therefore that the square was originally used as a cricket ground by the local Royal Club. What would the English colonist do with his time if he couldn't enjoy a game of cricket and drink his afternoon tea?! It doesn't get anymore English than that.

Today the square is mainly visited by tourists but is also used for the national parade on Independence Day each year.

After this I had a look at the Masjid Jamek that is nestled in between the modern skyscrapers and the small river right behind the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

As I passed by quite early in the day there were hardly any tourists around let alone women which stopped me from going inside the court area of the mosque. I still managed to have a got view of the mosque of the opposite riverside.

It opened in 1909 and was built on the site of the first Malay burial ground.

Before the National Mosque was built in 1965 the Masjid Jamek was the main mosque in Kuala Lumpur.

Even as a non Muslim it is worth visiting the mosque in simple admiration for its gorgeous architecture.

It was quite disappointing that this was all there was to see in Kuala Lumpur. Apart from the Patronas Towers that is but I have seen them from afar and different angles which was enough for me. With towers or skyscrapers you always get a better view of them from further afield.

Instead I decided to visit the Batu Caves on my last day in KL. The Batu Caves are a little outside of town.

Once there you can hardly miss it because the golden Hindu God statue can be seen from miles away. Moreover is the train station right next to the entrance of the complex. It was one of those places made for the tourists. Even though it is still a religious site for many Indians and many come to pray it is just as much a tourist attraction which takes the spiritual effect away from it. It was worth a visit and quite impressive, for me more on the cave site than Hindu temples, but just a quickly as you made it there you had seen it all and could leave again. It didn't really invite for you to stay a little longer.

The golden Statue at the entrance is of Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity. It stand at 42 meters high and is therefore the tallest statue of Murugan in the world.

Most of the shrines at the caves relate to the story of Lord Murugan's victory over the demon Soorapadam.

The caves are said to be around 400 million years old and an Indian trader promoted this place as a place of worship for the Hindus. It is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India.

For me it was more fascinating to the formation of the rocks and caves. I'm not good enough at Geology either to be able to give a good explanation but on the steep fall of the rock formations were small parts of the rocks hanging of separately, like ice crystals hanging of the ceiling in a cold cave. Small, long pieces of rock are only held to the rest of the rock at one small end, otherwise hanging freely. It looks very bizarre. The trees grew out of the side of the rocks making it look very bizarre and some had roots growing all over the place. It was quite a fascinating sight.

The other entertaining part of my visit were the little Cynomolgus monkeys that made some interesting noises in the attempt to convince tourists to give them food. Moreover there were many roosters in all sorts of different colour shadings.

Inside the temples were even more shrines to worship different Hindu gods.

And on that note I finished my tour around Kuala Lumpur. It was interesting yet not always to my liking. Next stop Thailand, let's what comes with that.

First off beaches and islands around Krabi and Ko Phi Phi and then temples in Bangkok.

Bring it on.