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Published: February 15th 2011
Happy Vandal's Day!
A graf artist's take on Valentines Day! Bahahaha Kuala Lumpur Has Redeemed Itself
Day two dawned in Kuala Lumpur with my alarm clock of clunking water pipes above my head at 8am... For the price I am paying here RM98 (Roughly $35AUD) a night, I don't think that the place is bad value at all... there was a little bit of noise late into the night with cars and people going past my bedroom window yelling etc, but I am used to living on a main road so it didnt really bother me.. I can see if you are a light sleeper that this room may do your head in... but for me, its fine.. I was glad that the pipes woke me as I didnt have an alarm set (no electricity converter so phone etc all getting low on battery).
I got up, had a shower and used Google Maps to plot out a course for the day... My first stop was going to be breakfast at a little place called Yut Kee... Google estimated a half hour walk and I think it was pretty spot on.. The weather was still quite mild at 10.00am so it was a great walk.. About half way
there I saw some graffiti on a wall across the road.. On closer inspection I saw it said "Happy Vandal Day" and it had a cupid next to it! Haha love it! Definitely bought a smile to my dial! Upon arriving at Yut Kee I was mega surprised to see a line up.. it was the busiest little restaurant ever! I was recommended this place by Robyn that blogs about food (mentioned in my first blog) so it was a must do on the list! I was shown to a round table and was to share this table with two other couples.. its part of the restaurant that you sit whereever you can fit (they are that popular!)...
I started with one of their specialties.. Kaya on Toast. Kaya is a coconut jam made from coconuts and egg yolks.. mega fattening but mega amazing! I am going to buy a small jar to take to Thailand with me. McKay and I will be able to smother it on our toast in Koh Lanta! Might not be able to fit in those Victoria Secret bikinis by Day 4! LOL It will only last about 1-2 weeks so has to be
eaten straight away... pity as I would love to bring some home! I washed it down with Kopi (Malaysian version of coffee) ... this stuff was GREAT too... reminded me alot of the coffee in Vietnam.. very yummy!
I got talking to a lady sitting next to me who spoke excellent English.. She said I must try the Roti Babi as well, which is something Robyn had also recommended. This was a bread stuffed with pork and other ingrediants (honestly I dont know what), dipped in egg and deepfried! It was dripping with fat, and they told me to put some Worchestershire sauce on it... GORGEOUS if somewhat bad for the hips! I asked the lady if Yut Kee was always this busy on a Tuesday morning and she said that the reason it was so busy was that it was a public holiday! That explains the little traffic on the way to the restaurant as well as the packed restaurant... I am pretty sure I am going to fit in some more Kaya on Toast with Kopi tomorrow before leaving .. YUMMO!
From Yuk Kee I set off in search of Chinatown (Petaling Street)... I ended up
Cows Urine! Good Luck for your new home!
The Indians sprinkle this throughout their new home for good luck/fortune! I couldnt stop laughing! down a small street of Indian shops... I stopped to look at some anklets/necklaces a really old lady was selling on the side of the street.. she put two on my ankle then wouldnt let me take them off... She called over a guy who spoke English who told me she wanted RM50 for both .. thats about $15AUD... Ummm how about NO! I ended up giving her RM10 which was still too much.. even the guy told me that (I later saw them in a shop for about RM1 each! hehe) but at the end of the day it was only $4AUD! They are kind of pretty! And they jangle as I walk (is Jangle a word?!) ... Jingle as I walk perhaps!
I wandered around some markets nearby, bought some great little Indian prints (all with lotus flowers and Hindu Gods & Goddesses etc) for RM4 each (less than $2) and had a good laugh with some Indian men in a shop over a bottle of Cow Urine.. they had to find someone to speak English so they could tell me what it was used for! Apparently Indians sprinkle it around inside their new home for good
luck and fortune!!! Ewwww... I was tempted to bring some home but wasn't so sure Customs would allow Cow Urine into the country... although as one man pointed out, I could find plenty of cow urine in Australia!!! Haha
I eventually found my way to Petaling Street... and during the walk there discovered an amazing drink called 100 Plus... its kind of like a fizzy gatorade but looks like water and doesnt have too strong a taste! Its a hydration drink with only 130 cal per 500ml and great to drink while walking around in the heat! Yum! Once at Petaling Street, I wandered around and looked for some street vendors that were mentioned in my Stars Guide to Malaysian Street Food... First off I found AIR MATA KUCING, a small stall that sells a dried Longan fruit drink.. it was just like a fruit juice served over ice and was really refreshing and yummo..
Second stop on the foodie tour was a little stall where a lady sells deep fried potato balls. They had a slightly sweet flavour as apparently they are steamed/mashed, sugar added then deep fried. I showed the lady her picture in my book
and the men at her stall asked to see my book. They were showing everyone and laughing! I got a photo of her with her stall.. but as I tried the potato balls when I walked off I was disappointed to find they were cold and dry... I think they must have been deep fried some time ago! I only managed one before ditching the rest (my hips will thank me later)...
From there I was on the hunt for my most favourite food in the world DUCK... the book features a stall that had been selling duck in Petaling Street for over 40 years called Sze Ngan Chye... it was my mission to find it! Eventually I did and my mouth was watering before I even ordered. Again I showed them the photo in my book and the girl that was in the photo was there.. they found it very funny and she looked embarrassed! Haha... My only option was a full duck or half a duck so I went with the smaller option.. a half duck cost only RM22 (about $7AUD) WOW... It was packed up in a plastic bag and I decided it was best to
The Deep Fried Potato Ball Lady!
I just wish she had given me a freshly fried batch!! take it back to the Guesthouse to eat! By that stage I had been on the go walking for about 3 hours so felt it was time to make tracks!
I started to head back to the Guesthouse but after about 15 minutes and for the first time all day, I had a feeling I was heading in the wrong direction. I stopped to ask a security guard who pointed me in the right direction (back the way I had come) and half an hour later I stumbled into the guesthouse hot, sweaty but proud of my little adventure! I ate my fill of duck then left the rest for the staff to have.. there was simply too much there, even for a duck fan like myself! The meat was so tender... OMG.. it was really the best!
After some relaxing time out doing the blog and reading a book on my bed in the air-con, I decided it was time for.. yep you guessed it.. FOOD! I headed out and after trying to track down a couple of food stalls that seem to have disappeared I ended up at Dragon-I at the Pavillion Mall.. now I was
trying to resist this place but I thought what the hell! I ordered up and had the following: Shainghanese Pork Belly with Lotus Leaves, Shainghanese Steamed Meat Dumplings and Crispy Deep Fried Duck (which comes with the Peking Duck condiments!) .. NOW I know I've eaten alot over the past two days, BUT that was my intention to do a food fest of Malaysia.. and I succeeded.. and I would like to point out that I did not finish everything I ate! After dinner I bought a couple of random t-shirts on the way back to the guesthouse and then decided to try another massage place...
Well let me just say this... I am so glad I did! I went to a little place just around the corner from Jalan Alor and a girl called Nenok gave me a half hour foot massage.. It was so good that I decided to try a half hour body massage to go with it and asked her to just do my back, neck, shoulders and head... OMG OMG OMG she is the BEST ever! She is Balinese and trained as a massage therapist in Bali before moving to KL as the money
is double... and she was worth every bit of the RM60 I paid! She got a tip (unlike yesterdays effort) and I wish so much I was staying an extra day just to get another of her massages... It even tipped me over my budget with the tshirts but it was worth having to draw out some more Ringgit this close to leaving!
If you are EVER in KL, contact me and I will give you the full details of Nenok's location! She is amazing! I am now back at the guesthouse ready to pack the bags and get ready for an early start tomorrow... another big day... Breakfast at Yut Kee first thing before doing the walk/monorail/bus out to the airport for a 1.30pm flight to Thailand!
See you all in Thailand (and dont expect long regular blogs from here on in!!)
Love Reet xx
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Ginny
non-member comment
KL Blog
Hi there - really enjoying the blog... it's making me wish I was in Asia! And it's making me hungry! Looking forward to reading more as you go x