Blogs from Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia, Asia - page 190

The bus didn't reach KL until 9pm. We panicked and couldn't really get a hotel. Tfaduh and I walked around and were disappointed to find Number 8ight Guesthouse full. So we settled for a backpackers' hostel called Green Hut Lodge. RM80 a night. Frantically we rushed down a brilliant tandoori dinner. Greedily, we ordered more tandoori. By the time we got to Top Room @ Top Hat, a quaint little house with a restaurant and jazz club along Jalan Kia Peng, the band was already just about the begin its final set. Very hard hitting jazz. Couldn't tell whether the drummer was playing polyrhythms or not. The rest of the band members were mediocre though. And the singer..well she was bad. What was funny though, was that the bassist called himself Fly, and the drummer called ... read more

KL is a confusing array of shops, the most fascinating includes computer plaza Imbi, where we discovered sleek Acer travel laptops goes for as low as RM1999 (SG$900). Also we made a mad rush for Bentley Music Store, a three storey array of music instruments and accessories before it closed at 7pm. Tfaduh was disappointed that he didn't see as much as he had hoped. The strings were apparently cheaper. He lauded them for their unique Fender basses, but the brand struck dispassionately with him. We discovered an art street behind Bukit Bintang, quaint rows of middle eastern shophouses and restaurants. I loved the colourful apartments. Number 8ight was a guesthouse we wanted to keep in mind, it was a quaint arty cosy looking place, very small, but perhaps like a boutique hostel, friendly staff and ... read more

Question: Which city would you rather visit: KL or Melaka? The modern capital city which didn't even exist 150 years ago; or the old colonial town, drenched in history, formerly occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British? Before visiting both places, I would have answered confidently: Melaka! What a mistake that would have been... We arrived in KL on Saturday evening on a Berjaya Air flight from beautiful Pulau Tioman. Even after spending only a couple of days on a small island, having to dodge traffic when crossing the street seemed a bit strange at first. For the first night we had booked a room in Pondok Lodge in the "Golden Triangle", KL's central business district. After settling in, we looked around the neighbourhood, coming across a road lined by loads of food stalls, Jalan Nagasari. ... read more

Sunday, May 7: I went shopping by myself on Petaling Street and got lost many times. Everyone thinks I am either Malaysian or Chinese, so it works out that I don't look that foreign. But, the moment I open my mouth, the first thing they say is, "Where are you from?" Everything here is very fresh, cooked right in front of you. I ate some fresh tofu fa. Yummy...oh, and I tried this brown drink called Barumbak, or something like that, which had longans in it. It was very refreshing. They have a tendency to pack their drinks in plastic bags and tie up a little corner of the bag for your straw... I guess it would save money. There are a lot of stray, emancipated stray cats here, similar to Dubai. Poor little kitties; I ... read more

Malaysia…Truly Asia …or so their tourism commercials say. Well, I haven’t been here long enough to confirm that, but I can say that it is definitely Asia, and I am truly happy to be back. I was just chatting with a friend online last night and I said something without even thinking about it…but I thought about it a lot last night and have come to believe it is true. I have come to the conclusion that different places on Earth have different energy, and this energy mixes with different people in different ways. I know, this might sound a little Lisa or my Mom talking…but it’s true. I have found that in SE Asia I feel the most alive. I am full of energy and I get up early in the morning. I want to ... read more