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Petaling Street
A handbag fiend's dream! Hey everyone,
First of all a huge apology to you all for how long it's been since our last update... we've finally arrived safely in South America, and write this now from our amazing hostel in Santiago!
So, we'll pick up where we left off, just about to cross the border into Malaysia. As you'll remember, Hat Yai is the worst town on earth! So we left as soon as possible! We tried to book a ticket the day before and were told that we couldn't buy tickets until 8am on the day of departure so, an early morning ensued arriving at the station at 7.30 (which was tough for two people who don't normally surface before midday!) Upon arrival we were informed that no sleeping berths remained on the whole train..! 15 hours sitting up. Nightmare.
After about 10 hours and Dawn having a small tantrum (complete with feet stomping) we finally got some sleep...a grand total of about 1 hour between us! We arrived unscathed to views of the Petronas Towers... we knew we'd finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur! After a lengthy search for accommodation which took us up and down the same street four
times (Dan's directions) we found a lovely little room without a window and for a ridiculous price! But the Aircon worked, so we were happy! After a short nap, we headed out for Chinatown. A concoction of fake goods and rip-off restaurants, Petaling Street was an interesting introduction to KL. Heading back to the hostel, we spotted Petronas in the distance and couldn't resist. They are amazing, unbelieveably huge! How they managed to build something on that scale is just beyond our imagination.
Second day took us to Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine about 13km from KL hidden in the mountains. Reached only by 272 steep stairs. Thinking it would be good preparation for the Inca trail, up we went. Easy! We were just expecting some pretty big caves...but were greeted by great views over the city and a LOT of monkeys! Having been excited at seeing just one on our ascent, we were over-awed. Not just by how many there were, but how close we could get to them. We sat on the floor with two Irish girls and they literally came within 2 feet of us, playing with our bottles of water and throwing coconuts at people.
Just seeing monkeys in the wild was awesome!
Next day, and another early start to make sure we got tickets for the skybridge at the towers. Tickets are free, but you have to get there early and queue for them. The desk opened at 8.30, so we made sure we were there. After an hour of queuing, we were allocated our 15 minute slot at 12.15. The views were pretty good, but as the bridge is less than half way up at just the 41st floor, we were slightly disappointed. It was still great to go up, and the tickets were free! That night we headed for the real views over the city at the KL tower. Standing on a hill, and at about the same height as Petronas, the view of the Towers was worth the entrance fee alone.
So, our time in KL pretty much centered around the Petronas twin towers, the world's second tallest building. And it's bloody big! Special thanks go to Sharon and her addiction to fashion magazines, for finding us Number 8 hostel where we stayed. (Not the one without a window!) Just a couple of observations about KL...it's very difficult to
Monkey!
The single monkey that we saw on our ascent! find a decent restaurant, and beer is really expensive! (Hence, not a mention of beer upto this point!)
Onwards to Singapore...
Taking up the very kind offer from Joe and Nat to stay at their place while in Singapore, we arrived in the afternoon and spent about 2 hours wandering around with backpacks on trying to find an internet cafe so we could get in touch. Eventually we managed it and met them from work for a quick beer! We headed back to theirs for the bangers and mash we'd been eagerly awaiting since we met in Chiang Mai... it exceeded expectations. The best meal we'd had in a long while!!
Second day, we finally surfaced at about 11am for our day out at the zoo! Excited like children, we arrived very late and with rain imminent! We headed straight for one of the main attractions...the White Tigers. We managed to catch them at feeding time, but were stuck there for the next hour as a result of the torrential downpour which ensued! When the rain finally eased, we moved on. As well as all the usual suspects like Lions, Cheetahs, Elephants, Zebras, Giraffes and the Reptiles,
The top step
Dawn triumphantly reaches the summit...! there were lots of animals we'd never heard of before! Another main attraction was the Polar Bears... stunning. What made this zoo so different, is that (most) animals aren't caged in traditional ways, moats are preferred to keep them separate. This allows Chimpanzees to roam free amongst the trees. It was pretty cool to look up and see a Chimp swinging above your head!
Next day we headed downtown for a bit of shopping (unsuccessful.) Bank Quay was nice to sit on for a jug of beer, before heading back for what we thought would be our flight...!! So, having packed up, we decided to check the tickets and realised that our flight wasn't until the following day!! Joe and Nat kindly allowed us to stay another night, and managed to get us tickets for the rugby the next day. And so on to the rugby. It was a country of origin tournament, played mostly by ex-pats. Free beer, free food, free t-shirts and free beer cosies...a travellers dream!! It had been a great day, but it was time to catch our flight now that the actual date had arrived! We just want to say thank you again to
Another monkey.
Look at how cute he is! Joe and Nat for everything. And remember if you're ever in Southport your accommodation's sorted!! (And, your Nobby's nuts will be on their way soon!)
So, that brings us up to just 9 days ago, when we arrived in Sydney...we'll do that one tomorrow! Can't have you getting all the excitement at once...!
Muchos love xxx
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Robynski
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Woohoo!
Glad your alive! You look beautiful Dawn! Keep up the good work x