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Published: November 30th -0001
K.L. Skyline
Still under construction.So here we are again. It seems that whenever we are travelling in the most south of Southeast Asia, there is only one choice to come to when you need to revitalize, regroup, and re-supply. Kuala Lumpur provides all of this, plus great food and an endless supply of embassies and cheap flights to help you out with your next move. It's clean, modern, hip, and now it even feels like home. We've come back so many times, that we are even recognized at the local internet cafe and the barber shop. And we've made some great friends.
On our first visit here was a 20 minute stop-over from the Cameron Highlands to switch buses on our way to Malacca. As we rode through downtown, the imposing height of the Petronas Towers and the enormous mosques were a stark contrast to the dirty and crowded cities we had been to before. Everything seemed so manicured and built with purposeful design. Sculptures, gardens, and fountains adorned the swept avenues. Malaysia's love for exotic skyscrapers was in full bloom here, with many more on the way. A monorail track ran through the middle of downtown, suspended over us as we crawled through
Petronas Towers
The tallest twin towers in the world. traffic. It seemed such a vibrant city that we knew we would have to spend some time here.
When we made our return after Singapore, we arrived in chaos. Late at night, we were scammed by taxi drivers and arrived at a guesthouse plagued by bedbugs. Looking for help in the massive sprawl of the unfamiliar Capitol, we looked into a suggestion made by Suz's brother Michael. A friend of his had a brother who lived in KL, and he implored us to give him a call.
We first met Loy and his father Mook at a corner mall in a busy intersection near downtown. At first, the well dressed men made us feel like the scruffy looking backpackers we appeared to be, but their open friendliness quickly put us at ease as they whisked us away to Loy's car. Complete gentlemen, they always opened car doors and made sure we walked through doorways first. Loy is a very busy man, juggling his work and his love for the Japanese art of Kendo throughout the week, but he had made time to take us out to dinner. Knowing that we are foodies, and always looking for something new,
Hangin' at the Bird Park
Suz and Mark make a new friend. he had the perfect place in mind.
Knowing nothing about Korean food, we let Loy do the ordering. It was one of his favorite restaurants after all. He ordered only 3 dishes, and I wondered if it would be enough for the four of us. My concerns were laid to rest when 16 different small dishes arrived to completely fill the table, a complementary supplement that comes with every order. 16 dishes! There was seaweed salad, kim chee, pickled vegetables, steamed cockles, and dressed bean sprouts to name a few. The mains that Loy had ordered included an unbelievably tasty fried fish, a mixed rice dish served in a stone pot, and a soup of noodles and seafood in a broth so good I could have drank it with a straw. We devoured the contents of the table, while Mook continuously offered us more from each plate, not wanting us to miss out on any of the flavorful combinations. It was a truly great meal with our favorite ingredient of all; variety.
Loy insisted on paying the bill, and we set off down the street in search of a Korean market. I had fallen in love with the
Anjung KL 2
Suz shows off the bathroom of our favorite guesthouse. sesame green tea we had been drinking during dinner, and Loy wanted to see if we could purchase some for our travels. Among a huge selection of tea, we managed to locate it. Loy insisted on purchasing this for us as well. A little overwhelmed by our gracious hosts, we piled back into the car.
Our night didn't stop there. Wanting to make the most of his free evening, Loy drove us 45 minutes to the edge of the city to check out the Batu Caves, one of the Hindu's most sacred places in Malaysia. This is the place where once a year, Hindus make the pilgrimage to drive themselves into religious fervor and commit acts of impressive self mutilation. Dragging carts by hooks imbedded into their backs and large needles piercing their cheeks, they climb the 200+ steps to the mouth of a cave big enough to park an airplane in. There was no pilgrimage that night, but a few workout buffs used the steep stairs to break a sweat. Behind the silhouette of a huge golden statue, we climbed the stairs to see the incredible view from the mouth of the cave. Mook came with us all
Scary Mannequin
Rest assured, the 80's are back in style. the way to the top, insisting that we not wait for him. On the way up, he told us of how he had made the climb up Mount Kinabalu not too long ago, at the age of 65. Planning on making the trip ourselves, we asked him for the secret to the 4,000 meter hike.
"Take it very, very slowly. As slowly as you need to." Mook said. A month later, high above the clouds with my legs and chest on fire, that sentence became my mantra as I made it to the top.
Our tour guides dropped us off at our subway stop that evening, and Mook insisted that the next time we were in the city, we should call him and Loy. As we waved goodbye, we were unaware that it would be the last time we would see him. Sadly, Mook died last May of a heart attack. Our hearts go out to Loy and Kheng, as well as all of their friends and family. It is a true honor for us to have had the privilege to meet such a kind and generous man.
We have returned to KL many times since that
Scenic Transport
Suz waits at the monorail station first welcoming visit, and have fallen madly in love with all the food that the multi-cultured city has to offer. We've eaten amazing Indian Tandoori chicken and smothered our
naan in gobs of
dahl. We've eaten our weight in Lebanese
falafel wraps. We found ourselves the recipients of some wonderful cookies with dates and nuts after a melt-in-your-mouth lamb shank in celebration of Iranian New Year. On another visit with Loy, when we had the pleasure of meeting his girlfriend Suit, we were treated to an incredible Chinese dish of braised pork belly with preserved vegetables. While watching the chef hand-pulling noodles to order through a window in the kitchen that night, I realized that Kuala Lumpur was a food lovers dream come true.
We have certainly developed some habits when we come here. Lunches of Indian Banana Leaf sets at our favorite curry house are always a must, only to be substituted with the all-you-can eat Muslim-Indian buffet at the SK Corner (both places make your stomach swell for about $3). Happy hour is always down at the Tiger Bar, where the waitress gives us free promotional kitch (Mark, are you still wearing your Heineken necklace?). Whenever I
Iranian Delights
Ready to dig into our appetizers of walnut spiced olives and hummus with lamb. need my haircut, or even a shave, the Indian barber next door to the Tiger has a straight-razor sharpened and ready to go (When Mark was here, the two of us paraded around town feeling like new men with our triple-shaved faces and massaged necks). The high-speed internet shop on the corner of Bukit Bintang, where I am writing this right now, has come to know us as "the travelling American couple". KL has really come to feel like home. And whenever we take a late flight back into town, we know we can rely on Brenda at the Anjung 2 Guesthouse to have our window room waiting for us.
Of course a city the size of KL offers many new experiences with every visit. Mark joined us for a trip to the bird park; a giant, net covered zoo whose tenants are allowed to roam free. We were in constant fear of getting pooped on (until we were trapped there in a thunderous downpour. Tropical thunderstorms DO NOT mess around). On a visit with Loy, we found ourselves watching him demonstrate Kendo to a room of 1,000 employees celebrating their annual company dinner. The CEO was driven to
Banana Leaf Lunch
A spicy, filling spread of food (we use a fork). his seat in the dining room in an antique sports car. We talked Mark into sitting down to a session with the sheesha pipe at an Egyptian buffet to watch some soccer. The meal cost us all $5, the pipes cost us $30. We've seen Islamic concerts in the middle of a sidewalk, bought knock-offs of expensive accessories, and were almost included in the filming of a Pepsi commercial (if only Mark hadn't been drinking a Diet Coke!). There is always, ALWAYS, something going on in Kuala Lumpur.
One thing that has definetely worn on me about this city though; shopping malls. They are everywhere, and while they do provide a wonderful break from the heat with their blast of air con, the crowds that enjoy walking through them all day has done my head in. If you thought sales at shoe stores in the U.S. were crazy, you ain't seen nothin'. People go absolutely bananas for sales here. Huge crowds flock to every single mall in the city on the weekends, where public transport is an exercise in how hard you can push the people in front of you. Madness.
KL will always be a great home
Korean Extravaganza
Seriously. 16 condiments? base for travelling in the south of Southeast Asia. Now if they would only get rid of those scary looking manequins......
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mark
non-member comment
yeah james - the fact that your wife had blisters all over her body and had pink eye - my diet coke was the deal breaker on the pepsi commercial - sorry suz.