Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Day)

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Soon after I arrived, I fell in love with Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The first thing that struck me was the diversity, which stood in stark contrast to China. Malaysia's population consists of a mix of three major ethnic groups: muslim malays, chinese and indian. Kuala Lumpur, being a large city and an important economic hub for Southeast Asia, has people and influences from all over the world. This incredible diversity is seen in food, dress, architecture and customs. To me it seemed like a paradise: extreme differences with a "live and let live" aproach. Everybody seemed to get along fine. I saw a church, a mosque and a hindu temple all in the same block. I found this place incredibly exciting.


KL was the best place I have ever been in regards to food. There were food stalls and fruit stands everywhere. The city is blanketed with Indian and Chinese restaurants. The Thai food here was as good as anything I found in Thailand. You can get Lebanese, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or any other style of Middle Eastern cuisine. The food is cheap and many of these places are open 24 hours. I could walk around the corner from my room and see well over a hundred people at two o'clock in the morning sitting in the plastic chairs that line street in front of twentyor thirty food stands. Food heaven!

Within twenty paces from my room there was a 24 hour Indian restaurant. Every morning I would have indian style coffee that is frothed by pouring it from one glass to another, back and forth. The city is easy to navigate; they have a nice monorail system in addition to cheap taxis. There is a great mix of colonial buildings down the street from incredibly modern skyscrapers and shopping malls. To me KL is a really peaceful colliding of many different influences simulateously.

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