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Published: December 21st 2008
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You would only send people you don't like to Kuala Lumpur from Dubai via Karachi, it's definitely up there as one of the worst flights ever. The staff at Karachi airport are not all that keen on attracting visitors to Pakistan as they don't even let you off the plane while the hordes of cleaners give it the once over. Then there's the Customs guys who were having a little counting issue which resulted in them counting everyone left on the plane over and over again since there was allegedly one passenger who forgot to get off at Karachi. They must have sorted it out as we were allowed to take off for Kuala Lumpur with a full load of passengers. Although you sort of know you are off to a good start when the flight attendant starts spraying copious quantities of air freshener around a few of the passengers. It can only improve from there really, time for the headphones and some wishful thinking that I had some eucalyptus oil to rub under my nostrils.
Fortunately it all came good on arrival at KL, the efficiency of the train into town and then the prepaid taxi desks at Sentral
station to get a taxi to the hotel puts most cities to shame. It really makes you wonder how Sydney could stuff something like this up, we must have the only airport railway line that managed to go bust in the world, although when you compare what they've done at KL to Sydney it's easy to see why. The return trip to the airport for the flight home was just as easy as the trip from the airport to the hotel, take a taxi through the traffic snarls to the Sentral train station, check in for the flight and drop off bag then catch the train to the airport. After a pleasant ride home on the big bird, get off through customs and collect bag, it couldn't have been easier, considering the last time that I saw the bag was at the train station in KL, it's efficiency plus really.
As luck would have it a former colleague comes from Malaysia and was able to organise some super helpful info from the Malaysian tourist people and point me in the direction of what to see and do. One such tip came from a friend of hers who assumed that
Jalan Petaling
The home of sensational food and genuine fakes I would need to know where the prime watering holes are in KL. This led to me staying in a hotel with a trendy nightclub and pool on it's roof and a room bigger than half the hotels I've stayed in this trip. Come to think of it the hotel suite was nearly as big as my apartment at home with the bathroom being as big as my bedroom, definitely a good choice. It's one of the few times that I've stood in a hotel room and gone how good is this, a very fitting end to this little jaunt. Having been to a few rooftop bars around the place I took this as an opportunity to further my knowledge on the subject. Luna is not a bad place to chill out looking out at the Petronas Towers. It's just a shame that there wasn't a passing storm to add to the effect, how cool would it be to watch a full blown lightning show from up here. As luck would have it my last night in KL coincided with ladies night at Luna, unfortunately there were more Malaysian Princes than Princesses. But how good is it at the end
of the night to get in the lift and before you know it you're home, and I thought that the monkey was conveniently located to home!
After a few too many time zones in such a small timeframe the body wants food a little later than the rest of the populous although this ended up being a good thing as it led to a terrific discovery. The quest for food came at about 9:00pm on my first night in KL, if I was in Spain then this wouldn't have been too much of a drama, but being in KL I headed for the deserted looking Weld Mall just down the road from the hotel. With only a couple of restaurants open amongst the closed doors I went the Japanese option. Wondering in I noticed that there was more Japanese inside then you would find on a bus to the Blue Mountains, definitely a good sign. Then the waiter made sure that I knew what I was ordering and advised me to go the mixed tempura if I wanted a good sample of what the chef could do. The anticipation was just a little too much and it was worth
it. The tempura moriawase (mixed vegetables and seafood in an amazing tempura batter). I know it's a big call after the Syrian baklava and the Lebanese mezze, but the tempura won the best meal of the trip. So good in fact that I then had to make a complete guts of myself and try the salmon sashimi. Definitely the best Japanese I've had since that little hole in the wall place in Yokohama during the Japan tour of ten years ago. And for the princely sum of $30 you could not go wrong, you really have to love those little unexpected surprises like this one.
Being KL there's a few things not to miss, one being the KL telecommunications tower, which was conveniently located across the road from my hotel. The view from the top is only beaten by the complimentary audio tour they give you. Everything is explained and it's a great way to get your bearings for the stroll around town. The other is the twin Petronas towers, conveniently visible from the rooftop pool and bar of the hotel I was staying in. Although they are even more impressive up close and there's a shopping mall at
the base of them if you're stuck for something to do after you've strolled through the park. KL seems to have its fair share of shopping malls and after the lightning trip to Dubai I think that KL may even be in front. If you want a new computer or mobile phone then head for Low Yat Plaza which has six or so floors of computers and mobile phones. Then there's the ten storey mall that has a hotel if you're shopping expedition is a little too tiring, oh and there's an amusement park complete with a full size rollercoaster zipping through the mall as well. To think I didn't even get to the big mall in KL! Although one thing you notice is that the monorail they have running through the city only almost takes you to where you want to go. The station for Chinatown and Jalang Petaling is a couple of blocks away from Chinatown and there's not much signage to point you in the right direction. The other thing you notice about the monorail is that each stop has the name of the stop and the name of the sponsor on it. This makes life easy
when you need to remember what stop to get off at, like Imbi - ING.
KL ended up being a great place to finish this little sojourn through the Muslim nations of the Middle East. It turned out to be a great place to chill and relax before it's back to reality and employment obligations. Might have to add it to the list of places to make a return visit to, and besides I've been told that I really should duck down to Penang to see the sights next time I'm in that Malaysia.
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