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Monday, May 4th
After a night of crazy dreams we did our final packing, visited our favorite bookstore one last time, ate our last lunch in Thailand and checked out of our hotel.
We're very excited! We've got big plans for Malaysia! We took a taxi to the airport and when we checked in they refused to let us fly until we bought a plane ticket leaving Kuala Lumpur (KL). It really is the most retarded law. What if we wanted to leave by bus? Or train? Or car? It really ticked Ferdi off, but in the end we believe it will work out for the best.
We wanted to spend five days in KL and then fly to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, but the tickets were too expensive so we decided to fly on the 16th. This gives us way more time in KL than we need so we'll do a trip or two in the area.
We left Thailand at 15:43 and at 18:12, after almost exactly two years, Ferdi arrived back in Malaysia, this time with Talita by his side and with no intention of working here this time. We're now six hours ahead
of SA.
They didn't ask us to prove that we were flying out of KL even though the woman in Thailand assured us, shaking her head at our stupidity, that we wont be allowed into Malaysia without that proof. We got 90 days visa-free entry. So, who's shaking their heads now?
After getting some local currency we took a taxi to KL Sentral. Here we walked around a bit until we asked directions to the monorail station. We got there eventually and moved to an area called the Golden Triangle. We walked and walked, down the wrong street, back tracked, walked some more, back tracked again, got annoyed at each other, then finally had to sit down for a coke because by now it was past 9pm, we were exhausted and we hadn't eaten yet. Talita's back was hurting and we needed a moment to just collect ourselves. We had hoped to score some budget diggs but there was none to be found this late in the evening so we settled for a really nice, really expensive place for the night (it's the most we've paid for a room so far, almost a whole days budget).
We
dropped off our bags then headed back into the night in search of food and a cheaper room for the next night. We found wonderful Indian food right across the road. The only complication was deciphering the menu, but we managed to order vegetarian food for Talita with the waiter's help.
After some investigation we found that the price of accommodation seems to have doubled since last year (when the guide book was written). We were too tired to continue searching so went back to our guest house, showered then hit the hay.
Today was a tough, tough day, but tomorrow we'll sort it all out. We also know from experience that the first five days in a new country, especially the capital city, is very expensive. It takes a while to get used to the currency and the cost of things. After a few days we'll regain our stride.
Today's highlights:
1. Riding the KL monorail.
2. Pricey but pretty guest house.
3. Delicious curry.
Thought for the day:
It's easy to miss the big issues when you focus on the small details. Tuesday, May 5th
Breakfast was followed by a hunt for more
affordable lodgings. After visiting a few places we found a place where we could stay for eight nights and only pay for six, has free wi-fi and breakfast. It's called The Trekkers Lodge. A very friendly man with a great sense of humor showed us around and we checked in there and then. We've not had customer service like that before. It was great! We went back to our old place to fetch our bags and moved in to our new spot.
We then hit the shops in search of camera gear. We're looking to buy a camera for diving (and while we're here, also look at a nice 18mm-200mm lens for our Canon... Ok, ok... It's actually for Ferdi). Anyway... The dive people in Koh Tao said that it's cheapest to buy that kind of gear here in Malaysia.
After visiting tons of stores we had a pretty good idea about prices. We went home to think it over and also plan our trip to Borneo. Later we went back to the store with the best prices and looked at the gear. They said they could only let us know about the waterproof case the following day
and asked us to put down a tiny deposit so that they can keep the gear separate for us (but it's just to make sure we come back).
We went in search of an ATM and found a massive electronics mall just behind the one we were shopping in. We were a little worried that their prices would be much better, but it turned out that the place we had decided on was by far the best bet. Even so, we still spent a good few hours strolling around this gigantic and wonderful mall. We've never seen anything like that before!
Today's highlights:
1. Finding a nice place to call home.
2. Finding good prices on camera gear.
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Melinda
non-member comment
een beentjie!
Cute! Ek gaan die vakansie van julle onthou as die een waar ons besef het Talita was 'n pragtige pient vlaminkie in haar vorige lewe - ek maak n collections van 1 been phodies!! Mis julle baie! 4 slapies dan is ek ook weg! JIPPPEEEE!!!