KL, I liked it, though I'll admit that Bangkok is far richer culturally speaking. In KL, a few days is enough to see everything there is to see; Bangkok is another story entirely. That said, KL's more Western flavor suited me well, because Bangkok leans so much more Asian.

Malaysia belongs to the branch of world history that is Malay and Indonesian.

Only relatively recently has its territory been distinguished from the lands of the Malay-Indonesian archipelago. The Malay world is divided into six states: Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, and East Timor.

Geographically, Malaysia sits between great civilizations. To the west, Hindu India, the Islam of the Middle East, and Christian Europe. To the northeast, China and Japan.

This made Malaysia an important cultural crossroads. It was dominated first by Hindu culture, then by Islamic culture in the tenth century, when the majority of its population converted.

Later it was colonized, first by the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and finally the British.

European domination was the most unfortunate event in the country's formation, for a great many reasons I won't go into here, since this story of mine is meant to be short and it would run very long.

British rule lasted a little over a hundred years, and it wasn't until 1957 that Malaysia became independent. So this year, 2007, there will be many celebrations and festivities marking only fifty years of freedom.

During British rule, and again during the Second World War, Japan invaded Malaysia just as it invaded the rest of Asian countries (Thailand included).

All of this has ultimately made Malaysia a multiracial country. Which is why you see people of every kind and of so many nationalities.

Case in point: one afternoon while we were buying a hookah at a little shop that also makes oils and perfumes from woods and essences and the like, in that tiny store, in no more than half an hour, we met a customer from Kuwait, another from somewhere in Asia, ourselves from Mexico, and the shop owner, from Bosnia. With that Bosnian man I had a bit of a cultural exchange, since I went to his shop alone before Juan arrived to make the final purchase. The man had lived in Spain (a country he's mad about), then in Turkey, and finally in Malaysia. Single, roughly my age, with the look of someone who wouldn't mind finding a partner.

He spoke Arabic, Bahasa (Malay), Bosnian, and barely a word of English.

The man from Kuwait advised Juan that the best way to really learn a language is to have a girlfriend who's a native speaker. What do you make of that? I told him, not a bad idea, only I could also have a boyfriend, don't you think?

I believe he took it as a joke, since these Muslim men tend to have more than one wife and everyone's perfectly happy. Only they don't apply the same rule to their women.

Only in Malaysia did we read a newspaper story that went something like this: an Indian man (from India) converts to Islam and marries two women, but will have to support three of them, because his Indian wife refuses to convert and is asking for a divorce.

Juan and I agreed it gives the impression that a lot of men switch to Islam precisely for this reason. On top of which, alimony payments here are very low, judging by the figures cited in the article. I think if Islam keeps spreading, there will be fewer and fewer men who want to share their lives with modern women.

The food in KL is wonderful, and there's this: since Muslims don't drink alcohol, you never see anyone drunk, and in many places they simply won't serve you a drink.

Those of us who do drink mostly drink beer.

There are clubs, but nothing like here in Bangkok. The nightlife looks healthier and not quite as fun. Strangely, you actually feel safer in Bangkok than anywhere in Malaysia. These Malaysians are more likely to try to swindle you.

I am always struck by the sight of little girls in their full tunics from the time they're tiny, because in this heat I'm melting in practically nothing, and there they are looking so cool and collected (or at least what little you can see of them). Some are covered completely from the face, with only their eyes visible, which, incidentally, are often more sensual than anything else on display. They manage to seem more flirtatious even fully covered than Thai women, who have a reputation for it and don't have to cover themselves nearly as much.

KL, like Penang, is a city with very old and traditional quarters alongside astonishingly rapid modern growth.

The sheer number of modern, high-rise buildings, most of them with genuinely interesting and accomplished architecture, is something to behold. The famous Petronas Towers are the prime example.

Completed in 1996, they are the tallest twin towers in the world. And unlike those that no longer exist in New York, these are beautiful in a way that impresses on an entirely different level.

The design is remarkably original, steeped in Islamic influence throughout. The unfortunate part is that they only let you go up as far as the skybridge connecting the two towers.

Even so, looking out over the city from that already considerable height is a genuine pleasure.

Right next to the towers there is a shopping mall of staggering size. There's another mall nearby that, while not as modern, is equally enormous, much like the ones here in Bangkok. Everything in Asia is built on a monumental scale, because consumerism here is simply extraordinary. The brands, the jewelry, the cars, and so on. KL is no exception.

To be continued....