Some pictures from KL that aren't shops.

Kuala Lumpur is not my favourite city. As Asian cities go, it's a baby - founded by the British in the nineteenth century. It has no stories of derring-do, nor ancient artefacts.

There are solid colonial buildings to remind me of its past, but even so it feels to me as if it struggles to find an identify as a capital city.

And, like so many cities, it looks for that identity in commerce. From the tourists' point of view this presents as shopping. I wonder if KL has looked over her shoulder at the success of Singapore and noticed that the proliferation of shopping malls appears to have brought prosperity. So, why not try follow the same path?

As a non-shopper, it all feels a bit pointless. There's little that I can't buy at home. Besides, what has shopping to do with cultural identity - and that's the bit I'm interested in.

Having said all that, I spent my few days in KL seeking out the most non-commercial corners. Beginning with the Islamic Arts Museum - which I love. It's light, and spacious, and cool. It is a place of reflection. I could meander among its quiet beauty and think. I began to understand why Islamic art is a genre in its own right - and what makes it different, and special. The Koran discourages any representation of a living form: the result is a sequence of exotic shapes and patterns.

For instance, I looked through a window to see this dome:

And this is what it looked like from the inside:

There's also a lovely bird park, where I could wander, and marvel, and not be pressured into buying anything other than bird food. I'm sorry I don't have pictures - I gave up, as it was a Saturday when I was there and it was impossible to take a picture that didn't have someone else's selfie stick in it! (Grrrrr!)

Not all the streets are lined with shops. However, I found it impossible to take pictures of some of the more impressive buildings without a skyscraper in the background. For me, this beautiful mosque is marred by that phallic construction perched behind the central dome.

And this row of colonial buildings doesn't need an apartment block behind it.

And not all the shopping opportunities were dull. This is the covered way beside the Central Market (full of tourist trinkets but better than most), with the Chinese lanterns all ready for the New Year celebrations. It must have been riotous in that passageway that night!

Strange things to buy in Venice.

In my last post I showed you how goods arrive at their destinations. Here I have some of the things you can buy. I have not included anything from a street stall, most of which are crammed with bags and scarves and masks and little models of St Mark's. All these were in shop windows (except the one that was on my table ... that will become clear). I do not claim that this is not representative of things you can buy in Venice - simply things that caught my eye.

Suppose you've been walking all day, your feet ache ... would you buy these?

Speaking personally, I value my knees to much - though I can see that they are rather wonderful colours.

If you don't fancy shoes, how about jewellery?

When I saw this, it struck me that it resembled a collection of green nipples. But maybe green nipples are your thing ...

You can buy dolls in many shapes and forms.

These are dressed in their finery, and are presumably meant to sit on the side and be admired. No use to my granddaughter then.

I can't see her playing with these, either. They're glass, and the colours are lovely, and might look good with the sun behind them.

Maybe the grandsons would like masks? There are masks all over Venice - and some of them are truly beautiful. I'm sure many tourists swaddle them in bubble wrap to get them home. And how many unpack them and wonder - what are they going to do with it now?

It's all getting too much. Time for this: