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Published: October 7th 2008
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Street Vendor
Dozens of these counterfeit watch stands dot the Chinatown area. After a wonderful evening spent sleeping and watching the financial market meltdown courtesy of the BBC Karen and I grab breakfast at the hotel breakfast buffet. Sort of like an Asian Shoney’s breakfast bar. Offerings include cereal, toast, fried eggs, baked beans, fried potatoes and stir-fried noodles with vegetables. Noodles are a must have breakfast item for any Asian restaurant. Coffee here is thick and strong. Normally we switch over to tea when we come here but if you gotta have that cup of Joe make sure you dilute it with some hot water. Failure to do so could result in emergency renal dialysis.
Today we decided to visit the Putu Market, which is the biggest food market in KL (Kuala Lumpur). Hitting the markets in the morning is always a treat and a great way to see the locals at work and play. The rule is that you have to get up early. Most markets are done for the day at noon. The Putu Market opens at 6 AM while those in Thailand get started at about 4 AM. On our way to the Skytrain station we stopped at a Malay hardware store. Our electrical adapter blew a fuse
Petronas Tower Shop
One of the inventive shopping displays in the downtown area. and we needed a replacement otherwise our electronics would be little more than useless excess baggage. Gotta have those toys! A knowledgeable fellow at an ancient counter backed by floor to ceiling wall of small wooden drawers turned us onto a Korean made device that replaces all of those little adapters one had to carry specific to different regional electrical systems. Two prong round, three prong rectangular, three prong rectangular tilted, two and three prong American systems etc… This new thing is a wonder of engineering. Looks like an AC/ DC Swiss Army knife and works like a charm.
We made our way to the train under sweltering skies. The weather here is like Florida’s but the sun feels hotter and weighs on your head and shoulders like a heavy blanket. By the time we arrived at the station we were both soaked with perspiration. The air-conditioned train was a welcome albeit short lived respite. The market is on the southern edge of KL. It literally took us 5 minutes to cross one street, as the morning rush hour drivers were merciless in their hurry to get to work. The market was huge and covered three city blocks. A
Hibiscus Lighting
Hundreds of these decorative street lamps are to be found along the major roads. chaotic open-air collection of rickety tables groaning under the weight of produce, meats and fish. Normally the markets are organized according to product but here fishmongers were jumbled with onion sellers and florists. Huge piles of meats and sweetbreads dripped crimson fluid onto the broken pavement. Fat green frogs were packed into wire cages awaiting their turn on the chopping block. Slimy knots of eels writhed in shallow pans of water. The narrow aisles were jammed with veiled housewives securing the best cuts for their kitchen tables as vendors loudly chanted their offerings in a group mantra. The combined odors of fresh meats and sweet produce hung heavy in the air. Scurrying along the edges of the broken pavement you spied hairy damp rats dragging scraps of food off to who knows where. We had seen plenty of rats in other Asian markets but the vendors there would make serious effort to chase them off. Here they were tolerated amazingly well. I have heard that in parts of India rats are worshipped and Hindu temples are dedicated to their kind. People bring offerings of food and drink for their consumption. Perhaps there is a facet of that culture here. Damned
Better Than Dog Casserole
Our super-duper electrical adapter from Korea. if I know. It was time to go.
We headed to the KL Sentral train station. We wanted to make reservations for the train from KL to Bangkok when we got back to Malaysia in December. It is a beautiful and modern transportation center. The person at the information counter was extremely knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. We have a flight to Bali on Wednesday and the airport is 50 miles outside of KL. There is a shuttle bus that runs every 30 minutes from Sentral and costs $9 RM or just under $3 US. Train reservations cannot be made more than 60 days in advance so that will have to wait until Wednesday. They have an excellent bookstore in Sentral with a good collection of used English titles. I met an elderly Chinese gentleman there with his wife. He spoke passable English and obviously wanted some practice as he collared me between the racks and we discussed everything from politics to Down’s Syndrome.
The next day we set off for a walk to the KL Lake Park. Easier said than done. KL is definitely not a pedestrian friendly town as major roadways cut across paths
Our New Abode
Our room in the Swiss Inn. Great room at $45 a night including meals, frig and coffee making facility. The staff is wonderful and the hotel is quiet. turning them into a maze of cul-de-sacs. After a couple of false starts we cut through the old train station which was devoid of people but full of noise. Techno pop boomed through oversized speakers. The volume was startling. Once through we found the road to the park which is a collection of museums and cultural centers. The gate to the park was locked but the guard at the Planetarium told us to hop over the stone wall, which we nervously did. The park is beautiful. The centerpiece is a lake surrounded by a broad landscaped walkway. Surprisingly there were few people. We ran into an American with what looked like a fishing pole. He told us that it was just a piece of wood that he liked to whittle. 50 something white guy from Nevada. Baseball cap turned backwards, scuffed Nikes, patched cargo shorts, skinny white legs. He has lived in KL for the past 18 months in a room that he rents for $70 a month. He has financial problems but said that was a long story he didn’t want to get into (good). His Mom and Dad live in Ft. Myers, Florida and were sending him $2,000 so he could have throat surgery done in India. It’s amazing what people will volunteer if you ask them how they’re doing. By now Karen and I were both looking to end the conversation and put some distance between this guy and us. He came across as more than a little odd and needing a buddy real bad. We zipped away looking over our shoulders. We later realized that the only people we saw in the park were middle aged single men loitering about. We crossed any potential visits to the rest rooms off of our list of things to do.
Exhausted from the heat and long walk we waved a taxi down for a ride back to Chinatown. The Malay driver was remarkable for the fact that he suffered from fibrotic pea sized tumors all over his face and hands. On the way back to the hotel he suddenly pulled into a parking garage. I thought we might have a problem but soon realized that the road actually passed through the garage. Apparently the city fathers decided that the town needed a parking garage and decided to drop it here. Urban planning?
We grabbed lunch at the shopping mall and went back to the hotel for a nap. By now the street vendors were starting to set up their stands. The only time that the streets in town are navigable is between 5 AM and 10 AM. I suspect city law forces the vendors to clear the streets if only for a few hours.
Kuala is a beautiful city but it is designed for the automobile. Expect hot and humid weather. It is more expensive than Thailand but cheaper than Singapore. You can get a decent meal for $3 US. The people are very courteous and English is the second language. Population density is high so if crowds are an issue you may want to avoid it. Public transportation is inexpensive and convenient. We had heard stories about Malaysia and Singapore regarding their cleanliness and highly structured social order. Both places seemed as littered as those in the US and we saw few police in either locale. Would we come back? Probably not. Been there, done that state of mind. We are sooooo looking forward to Bali. Quiet hotel on the beach. Reading, sun, water and looooong naps. Later.
Stacey asked why Noah wasn't adding to the Blog. The answer is that Noah decided to skip the trip and finish this semester. He can be reached at Noahdrichards@gmail.com
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