THE FIRST thing I normally do when I visit Kuala Lumpur, is to don my snorkelling gear. Then I head to my favourite curry shop fly yoga subang dive into the mutton masala, marvelling at juicy chunks of tandoori chicken and vast streaming strands of laksa noodles waving sinuously in a red chilli soup that packs enough punch to land a man on the moon.

Indonesia spontaneously combusts as farmers burn the rainforests, creating a dense smoke haze that engulfs much of hapless Malaysia’s west coast. Someone please toss a bucket of water on Sumatra and lock up the matches. Kuala Lumpur shopping presents mind-boggling options and stuff so cheap you’d expect EVERYONE to be here. Yet Kuala Lumpur business hotels remain surprisingly seasonal and regular discounts of 30-40 percent or more are perennially on offer.

Four-star KL hotels are even more attractively priced and some offer a rather good room product. Forget rack rates and corporate rates. Kuala Lumpur is a bopping town with something approaching a sidewalk cafe culture, this despite the heat, the rain and exhaust fumes. At Bukit Bintang «sheesha» hubble-bubble stalls have proliferated offering flavoured puffs, Lebanese tidbits and chill-out music.

The heat can be beat with the giant cooling fans that spray a fog of wet mist over diners. Kuala Lumpur shopping is diverse, vigorously showcased in the annual Mega Sales, hotels and hospitality are world class, transport is plentiful and food and nightlife teeming in downtown and newer suburban locations. Kuala Lumpur is a can-do city on the move. Once notorious for its gridlocked traffic, cars and people move too these days, thanks to some well-planned elevated motorways and light rail options. New highways snake in from the international airport. KL Sentral is just 15 minutes.