The wonders of the city centre

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Ian took us into the city centre for the first time today, and the whole excursion reminded us why we had come to the other side of the world in the first place. Before we even began, we were informed that 2RM (approximately 30p) would allow us to get on any Rapid KL bus throughout the city for the rest of the day. We though this was great - what we didn’t realise is that there are very few Rapid KL buses to be found. This introduced us to a trend that I believe is going to be common throughout our Malaysian stay: everything appears to be very cheap, but the locals still find ways to make you part with your hard-earned cash (and believe me, in the job I am going to be doing, the cash WILL be hard earned).

We got off right next the awe-inspiring Petronas Towers. At night they are lit up externally. I was slightly discomfited by my enjoyment of this vast expenditure of energy; however, Ian consoled me by explaining that this dazzling display, as spectacular as any natural bloom, is likewise fed by the light of the sun.





We also visited the large, but disappointingly familiar-looking KLCC (a giant mall with packed full with brands like Starbucks and Topshop).

We mooched along the vibrant Bukit Bingtang, which is littered with fake designer bag and sunglasses stalls, alongside massage parlours (not the dodgy kind), backpacker bars and stands filled with the reeking fruit that they love over here! After I finally convinced him that I was uninterested in his wares, one market trader started telling me about his mate in London (who works in the newspaper stand at London Bridge apparently). He confided in me that his lifetime ambition was to move to England. Bless.

We then investigated the various open air eateries in the vicinity. We finally settled on one of the few that purveyed vegetarian food (on behalf of Twyla). The food was fine, nothing spectacular. My problems were twofold - they gave me huge prawns that were still in their shells (with eyes and legs to boot), and chopsticks with which to eat them. Anyone who has observed me at mealtimes can easily guess the outcome of THAT scenario…

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Comments

[J to the Lo]

Duuuuude
Wow dude, Having read through your first few blogs it seems like you are suffering from a taste of the old culture shock - that strange feeling of overwhelming misery at the thought of being separated from everything you know and love to be surrounded by weird people who eat weird food and do weird stuff and can't make a decent cup o' tea and don't know what cheddar is! Relax. It's pretty normal to feel that way, especially when you're all alone in a new place you're going to be for a while. I felt just the same when I got off the plane in Senegal. I can tell you that things will get better, you'll get used to the food (hell, you'll probably be addicted to chilies by the end), you'll make friends and the time will go by faster than you know. Anyway, I'm on msn a lot at the mo, so if you wanna chat to someone, I'll probably be dying of boredom watching futurama re-runs and only too happy to chat. Take care dude, let me know how it goes!