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Published: October 6th 2008
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KJ at Petronas Towers
Our first night in Kuala. We think this is everyone's first stop. The Long Haul
Noah dropped us at the Sarasota Airport at 2 PM for our short leg to Atlanta. Noah seemed a little too happy when he bid us adieu but then again he was probably looking forward to the trip as much as we were. We were 2 pounds over the weight limit on one bag but the removal of two travel guides alleviated that glitch. During our two-hour layover in Atlanta we invested in a whole fried chicken. What we didn’t eat we wrapped and stashed in my backpack for future reference.
When we arrived in San Francisco we collected our bags and made our way over to the International terminal to check in. With the bags tagged and delivered to the plane’s bay we spent the next three hours snoozing when we could. Karen and I have been to a myriad of major airports but we have always been amazed at how little San Francisco’s airport has to offer waiting travelers. At 10 PM we couldn’t even find a place to buy a cup of coffee. Wacky but true. At 1 AM our packed Singapore Air 747 trundled down the runway and made its way west
KJ at Menara Tower
Shot from the needle with the Petronas Towers in the background. towards Hong Kong. We had heard great things about Singapore Air and were looking forward to a comfortable flying experience. First of all the staff looks great. Their grooming is perfect and those uniforms are designer cool. We discovered that the reason the employees look so good is because they spend half of their time in the lavatory adjusting their makeup. Meals are chaotic at best. Karen would get her tray and an hour later mine would hit the table. A request for a glass of water often went unanswered. It appeared to be a slightly disorganized affair. Quantas and United could teach Singapore a bit regarding customer service.
14 hours later we landed in Hong Kong. A great airport to spend time in as they offer shower facilities and comfortable recliners to catch a few ZZZ’s on. After a 90-minute layover we reboarded our plane and headed off for a three and a half-hour flight to Singapore. The airport there was like nothing I have ever seen before. Ultra efficient and clean. After getting our bags we cleared customs in less than 5 minutes. This is a new record for us.
We secured a hotel in little
Hotel Hell
Mike in our luxurious Backpacker Inn room. Notice the sheet. It was the only one we got. India for the night, which we reached by cab. Singapore is a beautiful city and certainly deserves a week of time to explore. Unfortunately we only had one night and after 36 hours the first thing we wanted to see was a bed. We slept for 6 hours and rose to take dinner at a great Indian restaurant down the street from our hotel. After a platter of Chicken curry we headed back to bed.
In the morning we hit the bus station and bought seats on an express to Kuala Lumpur. The bus was a treat as it only held 18 passengers. The seats were fully adjustable to the point that you could put yourself in a fully reclined position. Each passenger had a personal entertainment system. We had a choice of 16 current movies in English. The cost for the 300-mile trip was $30 US each. After 5 hours we reached a nondescript bus station and the driver politely asked us to get off of the bus. A taxi driver introduced we to the British influence on Malaysian culture whose favorite adjective was the word ‘Bloody’. Everything was bloody good or bloody bad etc… He dropped us
Light Reading
Dinner with the Lonely Planet. It's like a security blanket for elderly travelers. Bring a highlighter as you will need it. in Chinatown at the ‘Backpacker Inn. This was the only choice we had as our preferred hotel had no rooms available until the following day. A room at the Backpacker with A/C (you definitely want A/C in Kuala) was $13 US. For that amount we got a 7 by 8 ft cell equipped with a double bed, a small desk, no towels, a single sheet on the bed and a shared bathroom. Any port in storm as they say.
After stashing our bags we headed out to the local shopping center to eat. All SE Asian shopping malls boast wonderful food courts where you can peruse the offerings of any number of cooks sold at ridiculously low prices. Noodle soups; stir fried vegetables and the omnipresent steamed rice. We ate well and much for a total bill of $5. We found an Indian moneychanger who offered excellent commission free exchange rates. Freshly fortified with Malaysian Ringits we checked our e-mail and bought some water. I’m sure that the tap water in Kuala is fine but whenever we travel in this area of the world we tend to stick with the bottled stuff for safety’s sake. Nothing puts a damper
Malaysian Buses
This is our ride to Kuala from Singapore. Wonderful vehicle. Mike was unconcious within 5 minutes of taking this picture. on a trip quite as well as a case of gastroenteritis. Ask our son Noah, he’ll be happy to confirm this unhappy fact.
That evening Karen and I walked through the Chinatown night market. Counterfeit watches seem to be the top selling product. You can get a Rolex Oyster for $10 US, which might only run for a few days, but it will always look good. We found the subway station and headed 3 stops north to the Petronas Towers.
Fully lit against the night sky they are stunning to see. At the base of the building is a six story shopping area full of designer shops and prices as lofty as the buildings themselves.
Kuala has a wonderful public transportation system, which is good, because the traffic is terrible. Even walking is risky since there are few cross walks and drivers have no mercy on pedestrians. The subway is easy to navigate and the fare is only 40 cents US no matter where you are headed. The citizens of Kuala are a hodge podge of Muslims, Hindus and Christians. Very courteous people who are happy to assist if you have questions. Everyone speaks some English so language is no problem. As far as Westerners are concerned they are mostly Germans. We’ve seen few Americans while here.
Back at our hovel we spent a restless night. The sidewalk in front of our hotel was converted into a restaurant with more than two dozen tables served by a single cook who fried everything in a five gallon pot of oil heated with an endless supply of propane from a half dozen fuel tanks. I used to think that the Spaniards ate late meals. The guy downstairs was frying food till 5 AM.
After a quick breakfast of fresh yogurt and Muesli at our hotel’s roof top restaurant/ bar/ laundry drying area we went next door to the Swiss Inn and locked up a beautiful quiet room for the next three nights till our departure for Bali. For $45 a night we were blessed with a queen sized bed, in room bath, fridge, cable TV, breakfast, dinner, free Internet access and complimentary beverages. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa and he’s Asian!
Feeling adventurous Karen and I walked to the city center to the Menara Tower which is like the Seattle Space Needle only better because it isn’t in Seattle. For $5 US you get an ear popping elevator ride to the top, a personal video guide to the sights and spectacular views of the city which consists of skyscrapers and skyscrapers to be. Construction cranes cover the town like a flock of long legged birds. After the tower we walked through quiet but muggy streets to the Petronas Towers for a cool down and lunch at the Raza Food Court there. Our food choices ranged from Northern Indian to Chinese to Vietnamese to Western. There was even an ice cream parlor.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was nap time yet again. We find that as we get older we take more and more time to adjust to the new locale. We woke to find the sun down and the street vendors bustling. We found a table on the sidewalk from which we could watch the crowds pass by. Life is good.
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Tom Denson
non-member comment
Home Front
It looks beautiful. It sounds like you've been finding compfortable places to rest when you need it most. It also sounds like it would cost me as much to get to a resturant as it does for you to eat at one. I got Mom to the airport last Friday morning, and she's safely back home. I'm looking forward to your updates, and will shar them with Ellen and the kids. Love Tom