24.09.12

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24.09.2012

We got off the plane after the long journey left us a Kuala Lumpur airport. I noticed the heat and humidity as soon as I got off the plane, it hit me like a hot brand in the face. My breathing became heavier already and I started to sweat. First thing I had to do was brush my teeth, the next was get our luggage but the airport had a serious lack of signage, strange for an airport that boasted being voted best in the world for three years.

Eventually we made our way to the baggage pickup on the metro trains they had used to link various parts of the airport. We picked up our luggage and packed in them our hand luggage that we had taken on the plane, then was the passport control where we was greeted by a young Malaysian man who was more interested in what football team we support than our passport pictures. He then continued to converse with Joe about Tottenham hotspurs that being his choice of team and didn’t say much to me after I told him I wasn’t really a football fan (note to self lie on this subject from now on). It was the first time id had a fingerprint scan and he asked us to place both index fingers on the glass panel attached to a small piece of black technology, the box flashed and then displayed a green light which I assumed was my liberty. Joe did the same and we made our way outside for a cigarette. The next mission was to get into town to find accommodation, there were plenty of people offering taxis and somewhere to stay and we was directed to a hotel booth. The booths were in a row along the wall inside the airport, offering rental cars, excursion and what we had been looking for after the 24-hour journey… a bed. The guy behind the desk at first jumped to our custom before shying away when he saw our look at the price. It was way above our budget and the rather tall Asian man seem to recede back into his booth like the hair on his head had done in his recent years of middle age. We stuck to our friendly attitude, questioning him on local budget accommodation and where to find it, and still withdrawn from the conversation but with an interest to help us pointed us in the direction of china town and with our last question of a local map he placed two variations on the desk in front of him. We bid him farewell and with that a smile ascended on his face as both parties felt happy with his help and we headed for transport.

Which transport we were not yet sure but we had already discarded a taxi, as this would not suit our price range. Bus turned out to be the cheapest after asking a few friendly locals we found our way to the bus station, “cheapest to china town” I said as I approached the short ticket seller, his warm smile deemed him trustworthy as he gave us a good price and showed us to the bus.

Whether he just sold us any cheap ticket or whether he showed us to the closest spot near china town we will never know but the bus didn’t stop at our required destination but rather the central station of the city. We was informed by two station workers that the best way to get into town was the train but in our attempts to save money on transport we decided to attempt the five kilometer walk. On beginning our walk we purchased a local beer each from a local store only to be disgusted by its fifteen percent volume and the taste that came with it, fizzy spirits would be the closest description. We discarded these as soon as our stomachs told us to and just before we realized that the reality of walking to a place we have never been before, through a city we didn’t know, was not going to happen.

The heat was getting to me and the humidity had drenched my t-shirt so with a quick decision we hailed down a cab in seconds. The driver was a friendly guy and with a lack of local taxi knowledge we accepted his reasonable price and jumped in. He was a rather large guy with a typical Asian look about him and we talked with him about our journey, about the city and how the walk we had originally challenged ourselves with was a hard long voyage that would only have ended in a sweat and bad mood. He also informed us that the train we should have taken was a very good price and laughed at our attempts to walk before pointing us in the direction of a cheap hotel as he pulled up at the opening of china town. The hotel was cheap but not within our price range as we was looking for a hostel style accommodation, the kind receptionist pointed us in the direction of a cheap nights stay as did a biker that we asked outside and we found ourselves at a really cheap hostel of really good prices and quality. The small elderly Asian guy discussed with us the prices in comparison to the local dorms and won us over with his kind gestures and friendly face. The room was lovely all that we could ask for; air-conditioned, our own bathroom and drinking water on tap. We were just happy to have our own bed after the journey we had endured. We lay around for a couple of hours enjoying the Wi-Fi to contact my brother ben and my sister Lou.

It was coming up to the after noon and we didn’t want to fall asleep to early as to reduce jet lag and step into a new body clock, so we decided to go for a walk, get some food and the long awaited beer that had been delayed for too long. We exited the hotel to find ourselves in the unforgettable atmosphere of china town, the round red and gold lanterns lit up the streets of stools selling all kinds of trinkets, cloths and food, the people friendly and happy and the colors of it all beyond imagination. We looked around for a few shops to get an idea of beer prices which was more expensive than we expected before deciding out of the many restaurants to eat a beautifully tasting fried chicken and rice served with an amazing sauce which filled us up in seconds.

We then made our way back to the hotel not forgetting to stop off at a nearby stool to pick up some beers that we haggled down to a price that was within reason. The rest of the night was enjoyed laying in bed and talking about our experience sipping on the lovely flavored Thai beer.

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