Malaysia: Part I

Capital: Kuala Lumpur

Currency: Ringgit ($1 = about 3.5 Ringgits, also known to us as "ringdings" or "dingdongs")

Language: Malay

Attraction: Towers

We spent the bulk of our break in various places around Malaysia, so I'll have to split up this last leg of the journey into its constituent parts.

1/20-1/25

I had one prevailing thought as I walked out of the LCCT (Low-Cost Carrier Terminal) of Kuala Lumpur International Airport: Malaysia = hot. Even in January. Cori and I searched for a way to get to our hostel, far off in the Chinatown district of the city proper (where we would feel right at home). Cori had been there before, so I was happy to let her take the lead on transportation. She managed to find us the right bus for the right price, and she even got us from the drop-off point to the front door with fairly little effort. We then found our way to the rear cell-block of the facility, located just steps from the common outhouse/showers. The place was downright swampy. Our room was pretty much a walk-in humidor, probably had more room between the floor and ceiling than between any two walls, and the only thing the fan did was blow hot air at us. If the beds gave us the feeling of being POWs in a hospital somewhere in the former Soviet Bloc, the solitary light bulb and outdoor light switches really drove it home. The front gate also closed every night at midnight, which was frustrating.

I'll run through some of the things we did in those early days. The first order of business was finding food, so we went down the street to the local A&W. I know, I was just as surprised as you are. But that's not all. Just across from that was a Kenny Rogers Roasters, which is so random that you know it has to be true. Later, we took the subway (nice, very convenient) to the Petronas Towers, the "tallest towers in the world" and the newest main attraction in town. They're pretty incredible, seeing as how they have a giant shopping mall, movie theatre, and concert hall under all of that office space. We went to the Chili's. You might say it was a day for gorging. The restaurant itself is amazing--it looks like they just packed up one of the American branches and shipped it off to Asia. It's all the same, right down to the kitschy tiles on the tables, and though I would've improved upon the decor a bit, I do have to give them points for consistency.

There was a pretty nice 24-hour Internet cafe in Chinatown, and we went there whenever we had time to kill or needed to get cool. It was right around this time that Obama's inauguration was about to happen, so we spent the night on the computer, since we were locked out after midnight anyway. Long story short, we screwed up the times and missed the live feed, but at least we gave it a shot. The place was also good for booking rooms and looking into transportation for the remainder of our trip. That, and there was a 7-11 right next door.

The city was big, but what struck me most was how international it felt. Everywhere I looked, I saw banks and huge office buildings and people from all different backgrounds. It was hot, dirty, loud, and it felt like a real city. Except for the left-side driving. That always takes some getting used to. We definitely got around, passing through KL Sentral (the main transit hub) on our way to places like the planetarium (under construction), the orchid park, the covered bird park (largest in the world) and the mysterious Bangsar Shopping Center--the damn phantom mall that we never did find. We did see some monkeys, though, so that was pretty cool.


When we went back to the towers a couple of days later, we got there early to take the tour up to the connecting Sky Bridge, and then we went right back down. They don't let you go any higher, but the bridge gave us a good enough view of KL. I was able to snap a couple of decent pictures. I believe that was also the same day I bought a new pair of shorts from the Gap. My old pair had taken a hell of a beating in Cambodia, so I was desperately in need. Other events of the day included a stop at a souvenir shop and some light reading in the area atop our hostel dubiously designated as the "Roof Garden." The next night, after working up a bit of a thirst, we wandered into a stairwell leading to "The Beatles Bar," which naturally seemed intriguing in concept, but was a little more shady in execution. The whole velvety hookah lounge thing was a clear sign of its ties to the nearby Reggae Bar (and who knows what else), but I was able to get a beer and some Beatles tunes, so I can't complain.

I spent those few days trying to get a feel for the city, for the people, and I had a really good time, minus the mosquitoes. I never really felt on display, on the defensive, or like I didn't belong. It's the kind of place where some people visit and just end up staying. Sure, I was leaving after only five days, but I would go back, and things would certainly get interesting in between.

Next up: the jungle.