The Guan Ping Festival was in full swing when we got to Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur last Sunday. There was a procession down Jalan (meaning ‘street’ in Malay) Petaling consisting of lion and dragon dancers, these lovely ladies, stilt walkers, as well as representatives of the local Indian and Malay communities. The festival aimed to bring prosperity to local businesses. There were hundreds of people in the streets watching the parade and presumably they bought food and other things from the numerous stalls and shops that exist cheek by jowl in Chinatown. The shops along Petaling Street sell made-in-China tat and designer knock-offs. But look past that and up at the buildings and you get an idea of what the old Chinatown must have looked like. In the Lee Rubber Building we found the wonderful Peter Hoe store and cafe (go to this article http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/magazine/peter-hoe-beyond.htm to see why I loved exploring this store). And later on we found the Old China Cafe (http://www.oldchina.com.my/) where we had a drink and enjoyed the ambiance. So good that you can still get a taste of the old Chinatown.