Fake? who gives a s**t?!

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We arrived in Kuala Lumpur (KL) at 5 in the morning on the 26th and went straight to bed in a hostel recommended to us by our friend "Bob" on the island. They ushered us in and I was back to sleep before my head hit the pillow. When we finally rolled out of bed around 10am we wasted no time at all visiting the market in China Town (where we are also staying). This market is a combination of Ko San Road and the Chatuchak Markets, both in Bankok. A main street filled with stalls which are simply OVERFLOWING with all that is Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Coach, Roxy, Billabong, Puma, Nike and any other brand you can think of. It is all fake, made and Malaysia and cheap cheap cheap. THis place is an assault on the senses: "hey beauty look at these bags, come take a look, cheap price for you beautiful". Haha, I just laugh and sometimes humour them by asking how much. It's amazing at how low the price will drop when you show a little interest and then walk away. I used to be intimidated by bargaining, not anymore! It is a fun interaction and I have actually learnt quite a bit not only about how to get a good price for both parties but also some insight into the lives of these people. Especially in Malaysia the people here are so open to talking to you about where you are from, what it is like where I live compared to here and full of advice on where to visit in their city and country. It is all an attempt to get you to buy something of course, but here (unlike say Vietnam) it is okay to engange in dialogue and not buy. A wonderfully exciting experience, if a bit tiring!

Today (April 27th) we hit up the KLCC Shopping Centre complete with all the real stores of all these names and more....Armani, Rolex, Chanel, Prada, Gucci, they have it all neatly organized in a round 6 story shopping mall nestled neatly between the towers. Prices are similar to home except for the movies which is only 10 Riggit (about 2.50US). We escaped the scalding heat and indulged in a western treat of the movies for a couple of hours mid-day. A guilty pleasure for sure but very relaxing and needed after our early start. We woke early to get free tickets (the first 800 are free and go quickly) to go up to the 41st floor of the Petronas Twin Towers. The star shaped towers are 452 metres high with 84 stories. There is a bridge that connects the two at the 41st floor where we rode to in a high speed elevator that rises 1 floor per second! These buildings are an engineering marvel and really quite spectacular. We spent some time just sitting outside in the surrounding garden gazing the long way up.

Our Irish friends, Nikki and Bryan, arrived this evening and we took dinner with them and hung out on the rooftop gardens at out hostel. Canadians and Irish have much the same temperment and we both like beer! We spent Friday and Saturday morning with them before saying goodbye to them (so sad). Brookes and I then went back to the twin towers for the art gallery there and to see them lit up at night. They really look ghostly at night, like they are floating in the sky!

KL has been a slice, time to move on...reluctantly closer and closer to May 4th.

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Comments

[Mom]

Shopping!???
So - did you buy another backpack to carry all your purchases - just send another package this way - we'll be happy to take care of your stuff for you! Sounds great - are there any local gemstones or metals that the people make jewelry from, to sell? (Hint)