I am at a bar in KL airport that has wireless so I uploaded a pre-written post and added some more photos to my holiday galleries:
I have notes for quite a few many more posts and I hope to write them on the plane and post when I get to Amsterdam, in 20 hours or so.
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We got up early as our bus to KL was due to depart at 8am. We got there at about 7:50 and were the first to arrive. The bus was sitting there with the engine on and no driver and no other passengers. We loaded our luggage and proceeded to wait…eventually a few more passengers arrived and the bus left after 8:40. I guess Singaporians aren’t as strict about schedules as they are about other things.
The bus trip, advertised as 5 hours, took 7. The journey was pretty uneventful, there were a few toilet stops and at one point we had to switch busses but nothing exciting.
When we arrived in KL we went straight to the tailor, suitcases in tow. He wasn’t there so we dumped our stuff in his shop and walked to Chinatown via Little India, hot work with a backpack. I am not ashamed to say that I ate at McDonald’s because it was purely for research purposes. Their Big Macs taste much the same as ours, the fries are a bit more potato-y. We have been buying a few things, presents and clothes, so I bought another cabin bag for the flight home so that we can distribute the weight, bargained down from RM30 to RM12.
Got the cab back to the tailors and had my fitting, the suit looks like it will be good. We tried to call and book a flight to Pulau Langkawi but had no success with our calling card: for some reason it blocks 1-800 numbers. We were both getting a bit pissed off at this point, a heavy suitcase burden and nowhere to go, so we decided just to go to the airport and hope for a flight.
When we arrived at the airport we found that there were no more flights available that night so we booked one for the next morning. We didn’t feel like going back to the city (70km) so walked to the Pan Pacific hotel, which is connected to the airport. The rooms at this hotel were very expensive (by Malay standards) but we got one anyway since they had wireless internet in the rooms.
Our room was very luxurious, with all of the trimmings except one: no wireless. I complained and was escalated to the manager, who granted me free (wired) broadband for the duration of our stay. This is where my geekiness comes in handy, as I pulled out the power adapter, power strip and wireless access point from my bag and in 5 minutes we were happily wirelessly updating our blogs and catching up on our email. We also booked our return flight from Langkawi to KL on Air Asia - this only cost RM90.
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The day started early - we had to catch the 7:30am Express train to Singapore, a 7.5 hour journey. We left to get a cab at 6:45 (for a 600m journey) as we wanted to be early and we have heavy bags. The normally plentiful cab supply had dried up though, and we waited for 20 minutes before we caught a cab. The driver must have thought he had some fresh tourists on board because he took us in the wrong direction, and we were soon stuck in traffic on a one way street. Fear gripped us as the clock ticked. It was 7:27am when we passed our hotel, finally on the short road to KL Sentral station. It was exactly 7:30 when we arrived, Kip ran out to hold the train while I unpacked the car, and with a He-Man effort carried all of our baggage across the road and into the station. As I entered the door, Kip came running with a rail employee in tow, and we were escorted all the way to the platform. As soon as we were on board the doors closed and the train started, we didn’t even have time to put our bags in the rack.
We bought 1st Class tickets (AUD$20) and it was not a mistake. The seats were comfortable, with lots of leg room and the air conditioning was plentiful. I had the window seat, and I settled back to watch the countryside go past. Not a lot to report, lots of banana trees and palms. At least I had time for a bit of a snooze and to write up my blog posts from my notes in the moleskine.
Crossing the strait into Singapore, it became clear that this was a different kind of place. Identical highrise apartment buildings in clusters of five dotted the landscape - all looking new. A bit of a contrast to KL, where even the new buildings had the beginnings of the dark concrete blight. There were still some run-down old houses or even shanties, but they were on perfectly paved roads with immaculate gutters and sidewalks.
Through historical circumstances, the terminus of the train line is technically Malaysian territory and typically it was filthy, smelly and bustling with activity. In the cab away the driver did not hide his disgust at the filthy station and supported his government’s attempts to try and buy the territory back from Malaysia. It wasn’t long and we were at our hotel in an old part of Chinatown, with beautifully preserved terrace style shops and hotels. Our host was very friendly and helpful and the room was clean and well maintained, much better than our KL room (and more expensive).
Our bags dropped off, we set out in search of food. We found a stand selling pisan goreng which is a tasty fried banana. We didn’t want to fill up as it was late in the afternoon and we needed to save space for our special dinner.
We hopped in the subway to Little India. The light rail is very clean, fast, cheap and Singaporeanly efficient. There were little signs everywhere with friendly imperatives: “you should let others sit here if they need it more than you”; “wash your hands” (this sign on the train). The fine for pulling the emergency brake on the train was S$6000 which is around AUD$5000.
The purpose of our visit to Singapore was mainly to get a new camera and phone. So we headed for Sim Lim Square, the best place to get electronics. Sim Lim Square is a shopping centre devoted entirely to electronics. It is about 7 levels high, the first 2-3 levels are devoted to cameras, the next 3 to computers and peripherals etc. You go from place to place getting prices which drop considerably the more places you try. It is hard to explain the bright lights and shiny things that surround you, the photos don’t do it any justice. Geek heaven.
The recommended technique for camera purchasing is to start at Level 1 and get prices, playing each shop against the others for incremental improvements. Then off to Level 2, where the purchase will happen. Through this method I purchased my new Sony DSC-P200 for S$660 (AUD$500) with a 256MB Memory Stick Pro. I also picked up a USB Bluetooth adapter so that I can talk to my new Sony-Ericsson T630, whose price dropped 50% during the course of haggling.
This post cut short due to time constraints…
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Remember 15 years ago when money was made out of paper? Well now I am reliving the horror. Both Malaysia and Singapore use paper money and I am not pleased with it. It gets all scrunkled up in my pocket and falls on the ground when I put my hand in.
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After our simple breakfast we headed out to the National Mosque. Kirsten wore her head scarf (purchased earlier) and I remembered to wear long pants, I even shaved well just in case. The mosque was very beautiful, and from the inside did not look so much like the Jedi Temple, there was a comfortable feeling to the place - perhaps inviting would be the word. I took lots of photos.
Our next stop was the butterfly park, which is basically a massive net strung in the trees, about the size of a football field. Inside the net was a concrete landscaped garden with fish ponds and of course many butterflies. The net must make a mini greenhouse effect because it was much more humid inside and I was saturated within a minute. I guess if butterflies are your thing then you would like it there, Kip enjoyed it.
Next stop was Sentral to buy our train ticket to Singapore, we got a first class ticket for the 7 hour journey for only AUD$23. Thought we’d try the public transport so got the light rail to Chinatown, very easy. Navigated through yet another market, where I discovered that L is the largest size tshirt available, so no tshirts for me. We found a food area, where I had another type of kway teow, this time with “everything” and “spicy”. Everything turned out to be some kind of small shellfish, possibly cockles. They tasted a bit like fishy oysters. It was alright but not really very spicy. Kirsten once again chose poorly and admitted that I am the best at choosing food.
We decided to catch a bus to Batu Caves, but as we don’t know the city we got a cab to the bus stop. En route the driver convinced us to let him take us the whole way. His name was Charlie and he was Chinese-Malaysian (Malaysia comprises 3 main ethnic groups: Malay; Chinese; and Indian). Charlie was very chatty and helpful. One attraction that he told us about is an area not far from KL where many fireflies come out at night, which is apparently the “8th Wonder of the World”. Of course like many cabbies he gave me his card and offered to take me there and back at any time for a good price. We got to Batu Caves in about half an hour, the trip cost RM15 (about AUD$5).
The caves contain a Hindu temple, and are perhaps best known as the site of an annual festival where the devout go into a trance state and place metal hooks through their skin. From the hooks they hang burdens, ranging from pieces of paper to heavy metal objects. We climbed the 272 steep steps to the Temple Cave, where we were rewarded with the sight of many cat-sized monkeys. This was the first time I had ever seen wild monkeys, and as a bonus first I also saw a squirrel. We sat for a while and watched them play, the little babies were very cute and amusing. On the way out we admired the many cool statues, of course ignorant of their meaning or who they depict. Another cab back to KL, strangely the ride back, following the same route, cost only RM8. Perhaps Charlie took us on a bit of a ride while he spoke.
I have been planning to get a new suit whilst in South East Asia, Jem recommended a tailor in Bangkok but I don’t have enough time to go that far in this trip. Phil suggested Singapore as a cheap place, but looking at their prices for everything else I think they might be (comparatively) pricey. I decided to get a suit made in KL, maybe not as cheap as Bangkok but it fits in best with our travel plans. We went to a taxi rank and asked the drivers if they knew of a tailor. One piped up that he knows a man very well and offered to take us there - on the meter no less! He took us straight to Chew’s, but unfortunately Mr Chew was not there, so as the second option he took us to a shopping centre that has a few tailors. Not the best option as this was a pricey place - suits cost RM4900 which is slightly out of my price range. This shopping centre could have been in Australia, all of the same shops and brands. Not what this trip is about.
We decided that it was time for a beer, so set out walking for a bar we had seen on the way. Took a while but we were rewarded with great views of the Petronas Towers (from below), and eventually we were nursing some cold Carlsbergs and noticing the gathering storm clouds. Not noticing well enough, though, as we were caught in a downpour not 5 minutes later and had to huddle under a bus shelter. We could not hail a cab so made the 100m dash back to the bar now saturated. We got a few more drinks and finally satay. A tasty meal.
Off looking for a cab back tot he hotel, the Universe was looking out for me, as the driver was a former tailor so we diverted to find one. Mr Chew was of course still not there so he took us to another old Chinese man, Mr Yap. The cabbie actually came in with us and sat waiting during the 25 minute measuring and negotiation. I have never had anything tailor made, there are so many decisions to make. I never realised that suits have so many options and features. I chose a nice charcoal for the suit and two white-based cottons for the shirts. All up it cost under RM900, perhaps not the best price but still much better than Sydney and much better than Europe. And of course it is tailor made so will fit me perfectly. The cab driver took us back to the hotel, and only added RM6 to the fare to cover his 25 minute wait! We tipped him very well for his trouble anyway.
Back at the hotel, a few beers in the bar while I write down notes for this post in my trusty moleskine, and off to bed early for our early start tomorrow.
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After my last post we went to an area called Bangsar to drink and hopefully get satay. This neon lit area is a few square blocks of bars and market stalls, a bit ex-pat but also for trendy locals.We looked around for satay, found a few places but the hygiene looked very much on the side of bacteria so I decided to skip it this time. We had a couple of beers at a modern bar, and when we went to pay I spied a bottle of lychee liqueur behind the bar. Kirsten is a massive lychee fan and has taken advantage of its bountifulness here many times. With this in mind I decided a special treat was in order and got us each a shot. The barman w as so impressed with our choice that he went out back and brought us out a complimentary shot each of lychee vodka that he had made himself, it was good and powerful.
Still able to see, we went in search of food. We found a Malay/Indian place which was full of locals. I ordered Kway Teoh, my first of the trip but Kip got flustered and accidentally ordered plain rice with a whole bird on top. Possibly a pigeon. My meal at least was delicious.
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Yesterday I caught the train from KL to Singapore. During the 7 hour journey I wrote quite a few words, I will post them when I can find an access point. Currently I am at an internet kiosk in a beauty parlour.
Going now to buy camera and phone, I have so far got the prices down to half and now it is time to add stuff like memory sticks etc.
Last night we ate a tasty delicacy. At home it is called Singapore Chili Crab. Here it is called Chili Crab. We had a whole 1.1kg crab for about AUD$25.
Hopefully tonight I will be able to get my laptop connected and upload some photos and all my pre-written posts.
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There is an underlying smell that pervades everything in Kuala Lumpur. It is not necessarily a bad smell, just an unusual one. I suppose it is due to the local vegetation, something to do with one of the trees. This has led me to wonder, does every place have its own smell, unique to the conditions at that location? Will I return to Sydney and be overwhelmed by “Sydney Smell”?
We are staying in the Heritage Station Hotel, which is basically the Colonial railway station converted into a hotel. It is very grand, if somewhat dilapidated. The lift has a manual door and still posseses the old lever switch, which unluckily is inactive, electronics having replacing the old system. Our room is clean and comfortable, air conditioned with TV, and is cheap (although not by Malay standards). The shower is just a hose with a sprinkler on the end, but luckily there is a normal toilet.
Speaking of toilets, the most common type of toilet i have encountered is simply a porcelain lined hole in the ground, at floor level. There is a tap with a 1.5m hose next to it, for cleanup. I hope that I will never have to use one.
Anyway, back to the narrative…
After our breakfast of a hard boiled egg, some toast and some sweet paste, we decided to walk to Chinatown which is <1km from our hotel. After 30 mins of walking the wrong direction a helpful man alerted us to our error and we got in a cab. Mental note: the sun is in the South here, not the North.
Chinatown was my first real introduction to Asia. Dirty, with paint peeling off the buildings and dark stains everywhere like mildew. Smelly. Coo.
We went into a covered market, like a low maze in an alley. This was some kind of fresh produce market, with vegetables and meat. By fresh, I mean slaughtered on the spot. There were live chickens and fish under the table, and chopped ones on the top. I saw a fish get decapitated, some of its blood flew onto me. There were pig pieces of all kinds everywhere, no live pigs though.
We wandered through another market (actually an alley with tarps) and it is here that we had early lunch. I ate a delicious chicken laksa whilst Kirsten feasted on pork ball mee soup and a barley juice. Total cost of meal: under AUD$3. Awesome.
Although the temperature in KL, at around 30-35C is not uncomfortable, the humidity certainly is, and in my thick tshirt I was certainly noticing it, so I bought three new thin cotton shirts from a street hawker in Jalan Petaling for less than AUD$20. They are “Timberland”. Sure. Much more comfortable than the tshirt, anyway.
The fluid loss made us thirsty, so we stopped off in a drink place?, Kip got a cold tea and a sweet food thing (pastry?), whilst I enjoyed a Thai Red Bull and a 7-Up Ice, which is mentholated and I had the freshest throat for some time afterwards. We decided at this point to do something ‘touristy’, so we went to KL Tower. This is a communications tower similar to Centrepoint in Sydney and offers you the same sort of panoramic view from its observation deck (although Petronas Towers is taller, its observation area is lower and has a narrow field of view). The view was of course spectacular and very helpful in getting our bearings, although we could not see to the horizon due to the tick smoke that blankets the city.
I got hungry after this and went in search of satay. Being Malaysia’s most famous dish I assumed it would be everywhere, but after 45 minutes of walking we found every food but satay. I saw my first Kenny Rogers Roasters, right next to Starbucks. Unsuccessful in our quest, we drowned our sorrows with a pint of Tiger, turning to 3 pints after a heavy downpour trapped us in the bar.
We went to Little India for dinner, I had a great meal with 4 dishes for only about AUD$2.50, including drink. We wandered around the area soaking up the atmosphere for a while and came upon an impressive looking mosque. The signs outside forbade us from entering due to our dress, but a helpful man (our second of the day) offered that they supply head scarves and robes to cater for such a situation. Unfortunately we were not allowed in anyway due to Prayers taking place then. Tomorrow we will go to the National Mosque, a breathtaking monument located about 150m from our hotel. It is 13 acres large and has very very very high ceilings and a massive main room, from what i saw it reminds me of the Jedi Temple.
Back to the hotel for a “shower”. Whilst waiting for Kirsten to finish I flipped on the TV and watched a very informative documentary on how to kill small animals. Tonight’s methods were: killing squirrels with blowguns; and clubbing rats to death. Malaysian TV is different from Australian TV.
[Update]: I just saw a small street vendor making satay. On my way there now.
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I am in no-man’s land, 30 minutes from boarding my flight to Malaysia. In the last few hours I have had my first stomach butterflies, and I have to admit that I had a tear in my eye when I said goodbye to my family before going through customs.
Thanks to all of my family for letting us stay with them these last few weeks, and for everyone that saw us off at the airport and made our departure a bit easier.
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2 Days 19 Hours 32 Minutes.
It is starting to really be real. There is a feeling of excitement, a tension. I am leaving my world to live in another country in less than three days.
Last night Chris and Adam took me out for a Last Night Out. Adam had a uni reunion early in the evening, so Chris and I started in earnest with some light refreshments, followed by a shot of vodka with lime. Adam was juggling groups (we were at the same pub), but once he joined us we went out for dinner.
Dinner was a typically Australian meal: all-you-can-eat stirfry at Genghis Khan. Although I had heard of it many times, last night was actually my first time there. I wasn’t disappointed, the food was cheap, meaty and tasty, and went well with a few tiger beers and a bottle of red. 9 serves of food, rice, 6 beers and a bottle of red only came to $130. For the first time that evening, we were asked to leave when the place closed.
A quick stop at a convenience store for some Mandarin Hydration and we were in a cab to The Rocks. Our first port of call: the Lord Nelson, a small pub serving beers brewed on the premises. The Lord Nelson proudly boasts that it is the oldest pub in Australia. We shared a few beers, a few laughs, and discussed rendez-vous plans for the next year. For the second time, the place closed and we were on the street. Luckily I knew where I was thanks to PGR2 and I directed us to general location of more beer. This was perhaps not necessary since we all knew where we were anyway.
Chris veto’d the idea of The Orient, as their bathrooms always smell of vomit. Instead we went to the Fortune of War, where the whole place smells of it. We were able to tolerate this, after all, it is Australia’s oldest pub. I enjoyed a few beers from Newcastle and many glasses of water, and all too soon we were once again kicked out due to closure.
After a night of drinking, what do you do? You eat a meat pie or a kebab, right? And what could be more theoretically Australian than a Tiger Pie at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels in Woolloomoolloo? Nothing.
After the pies, I watched Adam and Chris get in their cab, and for the first time it really hit me. I won’t see them again for a long time. I will miss my friends and family.
*[related]About 6 weeks ago I went out drinking with Stephen, to the Woolpack Inn, which is the oldest pub in Australia. I smoked a whole Cuban cigar in one sitting, something that I will never do again.
Now playing: Lemonheads - Buddy
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