Christmas and New Years in KL

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I arrived on Christmas Eve in KL after island hopping my way through southern Thailand. It's amazing how Christmas turns into just another day when you don't have a month of advertisements in your face. The 24th didn't seem like anything special and most of the way through the 25th didn't either. If it weren't for the hotel across the street with a couple trees with lights on I may have forgotten the entire thing. My Jewish friends always talk about their Christmas tradition was going to a Chinese restaurant. I was staying in China Town in KL and gave it a try. The place was packed, either they all had Jewish friends who told them about this grand tradition or it was just a good restaurant people ate at regardless of what day it was. KL had a large diversity of people and it was apparent just walking down the sidewalk. I went and saw the city throughout the week and then stayed in the city for the New Year celebrations. I went to a section of a city suggested by a friend and it was madness. There were tons of people in the streets. Some were taking pictures, while others where shooting this soapy foam spray everywhere. It had an awful smell to it and I did not want to get that stuff of me. I looked everywhere for a bar and only found restaurants that served alcohol. I finally found this make shift bar on a patio next to a Michael Jackson impersonator and started talking with the people there. PS beer in Malaysia is expensive. I left the bar before midnight because I wanted to be in the middle of the action on the street, only to realize that there was no middle. As I walked I heard about five different count downs to midnight at five different times. There were fireworks randomly shot off in different parts of the city. It was a great night though and I had fun, but I spent way too long in a city that only needs a couple days to see.

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