Hanging In KL

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After a brief absence the blog returns......

I've spent the past couple of weeks back in my new home from home, Tonsai, where internet access is gifted with the wonderful combo of exceedingly expensive (3 Baht a minute!) and sleep inducingly slow. Today however has marked my departure from Tonsai for the 2nd, and final time. It also marks my split from my travel comrades of the past 2 months, rock climbing instructors, trouble makers and good friends Rich and Jay after 2 months. They're off Mountaineering in India/Nepal. I'm off Scuba Diving/Trekking/Surfing in Malaysia/Philippines. Both of these changes to my circumstance may see the return of the more frequent blogs. Typcially though as men of the world, no tears were shed, in fact we missed even saying goodbye on the morning of our departure! Will miss both the guys but am looking forward to striking out on my own in this Wild World (thanks Cat Stevens) again.... well after hooking up with a certain someone who some of you know well.

Before i spill my thoughts on the nirvana of little Tonsai (much more pleasant without the s@%ts) there's the small matter of the week or so that i spent in Kuala Lumpur which has soo far escaped my ever expanding blog. Unfortunately very few photos of this portion of my trip exist due to my camera being fixed in Bangkok, problems paying for said repairs and my battery charger touring Asia in Vic's backpack. Soon battery charger, camera, and fair Wes will be reunited in some kind of photographical trinity and photos may just start (slowly) appearing again. But anyway......

Kuala Lumpur is Malaysia's vibrant capital city, a massive modern metropolis mixing western, eastern and technological influences to create something very pleasant indeed. My second major Asian capital (my 5/6 hours in Vientienne in Laos doesn't really count) KL eschews the hustle, bustle, dirt and seediness of Bangkok. The streets are clean. Everything generally seems to work. There isn't that rancid smell that you can't quite place. There are no Tuk Tuk drivers trying to trick you into a tour of their friends suit shops, jewellery stores, pokey restuarants and just about every other random place that isn't where you want to be. The sex industry is not thrust right into your face. This said though, it is still Asia and one still gets offered prostitutes walking through the main shopping centre (The Golden Triangle), but it's all done a little more discreetly. (Happy to note that i rarely got offered such services whilst Rich seemed to be inundated with offers - must look the type eh!). There is a seedier underbelly to KL (surfacing for sure at the Beach Club) but it's not thrust into your face like Bangkok... and i liked that.

What KL does have is masses of massive new glistening shopping malls, the (formerly) largest building in the world, Petronas Towers (superceded by Taipei 101 in... well...Taipei), cinemas, an obsession with Shisha's, an efficient easy to use Metro system, daily downpours at 5pm (my first experience of the expected asian downpours), Casinos, Themeparks, a rollercoaster in a shopping centre and soo much more.

Rich needed to arrange his Indian Visa, so our KL stay ended up lasting 6 or 7 days (Jay was otherwise engaged in England having flown home for 9 days for his and his 2 brothers birthdays - crazy b@ast@rd!) which took it's toll on the bank balance. KL can be done cheaply if you're careful. There are some great little Indian diners where you can get a couple of different types of curry, rice, some vegetables and a drink for around 6 or 7 Ringgit (approx 1GBP), the metro/bus system is cheap and user friendly, and affordable rooms do exist (Pondok Lodge in the Golden Triangle a good option - really helpful staff!). However what will rapidly bust your bank in KL is the thing we did too much of...drinking! Prices compare with London and are positively absurd compared to Thailand. However after the relative chill of Tonsai, Kaki Bukit and Pulau Penang a goodnight out (or two) was needed.

Variety ended up not being the spice of KL nightlife. At least 4 nights Rich and I ended up in the Reggae Bar in Chinatown. Decorated as a shrine to the late, great (wife beater) Bob Marley the small smokey bar incongruously has an open music policy and plays all sorts of cheese, rock, dance as well as the obligatory Reggae! One night we did venture from the Reggae Bar to a street conveniently lined with 6 or 7 clubs. The Beach Club was randomly chosen. For a short while we danced with a load of (mainly older) Western guys and (i assume) Malay prostitutes. 2 rum and cokes and a short cab ride later and we were back in the now familiar surroundings of the Reggae Bar.

The best night of the bunch there was when Rich and I finished the evening at a flat occupied by some Maldivians we met. Strangely while the block of flats themselves were dilapidated, the residents had access to a lovly, clean, heated outdoor swimming pool. Swimming around at 5am whilst slightly more drunk than i should have been was a definite highlight of KL. Less of a highlight was fending of the advances of Rich's lady's sister and having to try and sleep on the (officially) most uncomfortable sofa in the world. But all in all it was a great night out!

Whilst drinking ended up being the principal activity in KL it could have so very different... our original intentions were to keep on top of the climbing at the Batu Caves (where unfortunately we just missed the culmination of the masochistic festival i mentioned in the Penang blog by about half a day). The Batu Caves are a massive series of caves containing some religiously significant shrines inside and varying climbing walls outside. Our first sightseeing trip out to the caves illustrated it was a 2 hour round trip on the bus to the caves, let alone the actual climbing walls. Our second trip saw us frustrated after confusion about where the bus actually stopped. An hour later we arrived back at the main entrance to the caves to set out on foot for the walls. Already behind, the walls themselves were hard to find, overgrown, uncared for and looked like they hadn't been climbed in a long time. A couple of climbs later we were back on the bus (smelling absolutely awful! lol) and soon devided that it just wasn't worth all the hassle.

Other random thoughts from KL were that Rambo 4 is actually quite an enjoyable movie.... but Alien Vs. Predator 2 is not. Malaysian men really do love the Freddie Mercuary moustache (i may be tempted to indulge on my next trip there). Curry for breakfast when hungover is absolutely fantastic and not as strange as Rich thinks. What is the obsession with Shisha's? I'm not sure i understand. Nando's taste good the world over. Is it really this hot all year round? You need to go into the air-conditioned shops just to get out of the heat!

Overall KL didn't feel cultural, adventurous, exciting, ground breaking or any such superlative that i'd care to throw around. However hanging out, catching movies, shopping and going to clubs was a welcome little reminder of the taste of the ways of city living. Not all travelling has to be about new experiences... sometimes it's nice to do the stuff you used to do... back in your real life.

I have just been updating my favourite songs section on Facebook. My intentions were to record all the ubiquitious anthems that i'm hearing on my way round with a view to making a CD that will always make me smile. Rather curiously though no sooner then i seem to write a song down it appears over the speakers in the internet cafe i'm typing in. Is this a sign that the people in here have some mystical pyschic conncection with me. Or a sign they are closely monitoring everything i type (yeah i'm onto you fatty!!). Or perhaps just that everyone in Asia owns the one CD!!!

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