One night in Kuala Lumpur

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First stop: Kuala Lumpur! It was hot and humid with random rainshowers during the day, great taste of what the next two months will be 😊

We had a jampacked program for our 24hrs there but due to the limited time, we had to limit ourselves to the obvious activities and sights. The thing that struck me the most was how diverse the city was.

First the food! We had dinner in Chinatown, breakfast in Little India and a Malay lunch next to the Petronas towers. I honestly don't understand how people stay thin here or don't die at 40 from a heart attack cuz everything is fried!

Second the fruit! Needless to say they have fruit I had never seen before! I'm really bad with remembering names but I will buy a little notepad to write things down along the way. We tried anything that looked exotic and they were all so fresh an sweet, deeeerlicious! EXCEPT (and this one deserves all those capital letters) the one that looks like a headless porcupine. It's a local delicacy and you see a lot of people around tables next to food stalls eating it, but not only did it have a funky smell, it had a putrid taste that lasted 24 hours!! It sticks to your teeth so it makes toothpaste taste funky too! Definitely no regrets in trying everything though 😊

Third the people! The main ethnicities here are Malays, Indian and Chinese. And for anybody who knows anything about the region knows that there have been some tensions between them especially since government policies favor the Malays, and the ethnically Indian and Chinese have been fighting for their rights as Malaysians since they have been here for generations. Soooo culturally insensitive Simo gets in a cab and decides to ask the cab driver where he's from. I started sinking in my seat because I knew this wasn't going to be pretty. The guy says "guess" and what does he think to say?! Pakistan!!! The driver's name was Siva, we're in Malaysia, I had talked to him about the history of the different ethnicities here aaaand he guesses Pakistan! The driver got offended and kept repeating that of course he was Malaysian! He's been PC ever since 😊

Fourth the biodiversity! This city is SO green and beautiful. The airport is in the middle of huge fields of palm trees and the city is engulfed in gorgeous flaura. It's half tropical trees, half skyscrapers, it makes for a beautiful mix!

Unfortunately we only had one night to spend there, but I will for sure come back here some day to explore the city and country some more. This city definitely confirmed the rule about cab drivers though.... most corrupt human beings on the planet! But they are do it here with a smile on their face 😊 Overall the people here are so nice and well educated. People got into lines to get into the monorail which was a nice change from the chaos in Shanghai where you basically have to elbow wrestle to get a chance to get in. I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of women on the streets. Many uniformed officers wore the hijab which is something I had never seen before!

We are currently in Phuket. Check-in in a couple of days to hear how we celebrated Thai New Year and how I got gangraped by mosquitoes our first hour here!

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Comments

[MEREDITH]

AMAZING DINA jajaja I laughed my ass of....with the stinky fruit! its so famoussssss in asia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In shanghai i tried it..it was...something that I just laughed my ass everytime i walked byjajajaja

[Othman]

hilarious
Les tourtereaux! I loved the bit about simo guessing "Pakistan" & Deenz sinking in the seat... Y pakistan and not India? I mean there are more indians... Does your digestive system work so much better in asia? Meaning "wash kat khraw bi souhoula?" That's what happened to me fr Nicky's wedding, something about the fruits and diet I think. Enjoy and keep us posted! Fot

[Roaming Around SE Asia]

Digestive systems
Our systems are fine... Clear and squeaky clean thank you for asking... Although i have to admit... The rice gets to you once in a while. We've been pretty adventerous with our diets with only one incident to report (in a "boat", in the middle of the ocean, and no bathroom in sight... I ended up on a desert beach digging my self a litttttllleee hole in the ground... Your picture perfect virgin beach with white sand experience hahahaha);) as for the cab driver... I think he had it coming... He started the meter at twice the going rate. Now that was hard to digest even if it was a buck or two... Simo I also would like to report that the mosquitoes' digestive systems are working just fine as well. I ended up with intestines and a few other organs splashed on my face yesterday after a motorcycle ride to the jungle. Dina

[Jocelyne]

The fruit names
The smelly, spiky fruit is called durian. I HATE that freakin' fruit! My parents would eat it at home and my brother and I would run to our room so that we didn't have to smell it. The red, "hairy" fruit that you're eating in the picture is called rambutan--one of my faves! I am SO JEALOUS!! Seeing all these pictures brings back so many memories...siiighhhh. I'm so glad you two are enjoying yourselves...MISS YOU SO MUCH!!