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Published: August 13th 2008
KL Chinatown night market
This is the view from our room. I went crazy here buying "original copies" of Addidas and Nike sport shirts. I started off paying 34 Ringets ($10) and got down to 20 Ringets ($6). There was a label on one that said it had been through an "Instection." :)We are in Melaka right now, the ancient trading port on the silk road. (Yay, I've finally caught up on our blog thanks to free wi-fi!) This place was controlled by the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Japanese and has plenty of Chinese influences resulting in an interesting melange of architecture. It's a great place just to walk around and enjoy the old buildings and the river.
Our first 4 days were spent in Kuala Lumpur (KL), a strange mix of skyscrapers and street hawker stalls. Both modern and old with a decent dose of smog. And there are women walking around in head coverings, the most devout wearing head to toe black gowns over their clothes and scarves over their faces. It's a wonder they don't pass out in the heat. And what really chaps my hide is that women have to wear all this because if a man saw them they might go berserk and lose control. Argh! Why doesn't the religion make men wear rubber bands on their junk to remind them not to let their pee-pee control them?!
Okay, off my soap box now. Those with queasy stomachs (and you know who you are) shouldn't read the
Giant Hibiscus
The hibiscus garden in KL's Lake Park. next paragraph. And Carrie, you really shouldn't read the paragraph after that!
On the morning of our arrival in KL, we decided to play GI Russian roulette and eat breakfast at a street vendor cart. I'd read about Roti Canai, a rice flour dough palmed and stretched thin, folded, and then fried in ghee and served with a curry sauce. At the entrance to a narrow alley we spotted such a vendor so we took a seat on small plastic stools in front of a low plastic table. The Roti Canai came and it was both flaky and chewy at the same time. As we were eating, Toby pointed out a used condom on the asphalt just a few feet from us. Across the alley two rats came up out of a hole in the ground under a large metal drum where a man was placing whole boiled ducks, I would guess to either smoke or steam them. The man stopped what he was doing for a moment in order to blow his nose on the ground. Though the food was good, it was not the most appetizing of breakfasts.
A couple of streets away we walked down
Masjid Jamek mosque in KL
This place is really beautiful with pink and white stones. Surrounded by date palms it looks like it was dropped out of Arabia. the narrow, stall lined walkway through the Chinese “wet” market. Pork bellies were being sliced, huge fish were being cut into steaks, ginger was being scraped free of it's skin with the edge of spoons, caged live chickens sat beneath tables with those recently slaughtered and plucked for sale on the table above, and... much to my horror, and you won't believe this... there were cages with kitty cats. Toby said, “No, they don't actually eat them.” I said, “Of course they do! You think in the middle of the food stalls they decided to have a pet shop?” Instead of eating them it seems like they would be better off letting them free to catch the rats!
Well, we are off to explore some more.
Ciao!
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Stacey
non-member comment
Rubber bands on junk
I agree! Why is it always up to the women to control the men?! :) I am so glad you are having so much fun. Try not to eat any kitties and thanks for sharing!