Kuala Lumpur extended

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After sunset is the most interesting time to explore the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Not only is it cooler but most of the stalls and restaurants are open for business, illuminated by neon signs and flashing strings of christmas lights. A strange sight are the large number of "reflexology/massage" studios that line certain streets. They claim to be able to cure most ailments by simply mapping the troublesome area (head, heart, stomach etc.) to a region on your foot and rub the problem away. Invariably they are staffed, not by young ladies, but elderly men and women, I guess they are at least over 60 years old. If it was the former I may be tempted to give it a go, however I just can't get used to the idea of paying an old man to rub my feet no matter how enthusiastically he fans his price list at me.

My plan to go to the KL Tower early to see great views of Kuala Lumpur was a bit of a lost cause. I arrived at the tower at around 09:45 (the doors open at 09:00) and although things looked reasonably clear from the ground, once I stepped out of the lift and onto the observation deck, the haze over the city was so dense that I could only see for a couple of blocks before the shapes were swallowed up. It hasn't rained for two days now, so perhaps the haze doesn't really disperse unless there's a good soaking shower to cool everything down. At each window there was a poster with a photograph indicating landmarks that you should be able to see - compared with the poster I couldn't see more than 1/4 of the buildings through the haze. Still it was a good trip and the ear-popping lift was a fun, if brief, journey.

After a soothing "Triple Threat" smoothie at a cafe at the base of the tower I next tracked my way across the city to the Aquarium for what I thought would be a quiet cool afternoon. Unfortunately several hurricanes swept through the Aquarium complex - primary school tours! I counted at least 5 different uniforms of screaming, jumping, shouting kids banging the glass tanks and plunging their paws into open pools. I guess they must go to school on Saturdays in Malaysia. The exhibits were mostly devoid of local fish species, it seems that the focus was on exotic animals from other regions of the world - I guess the wow factor designed to attract more local visitors. They had large exhibits containing amazonian species, and somewhat bizarrely large sections devoted to tarantulas and lizards (also from South America). There was even a cage with a monkey in it. The few pools with marine fish in them were OK but I think I have been spoiled by the dive trip in Cairns. Aquariums were once one of my favourite places to visit but now they simply don't compare to the splendor of the real thing. The fish somehow appeared sad and disheveled, their colours less vibrant and their behavior unnatural in their small enclosures.

My time in KL is up, I've spent too long here in fact (4 days) and would recommend that 2 - 3 days is more than adequate. I'm on a bus journey to the northern tip of Malaysia next, to a town called Kota Bharu.

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