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Published: January 31st 2007
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Kuala Lumpur
Note the Petronas Twin Towers (world's second tallest sky scrapers) PREAMBLE: How I got to be in SE Asia
My work contract was up at the end of December. I was offered a full-time permanent position, however, I declined after much deliberation. I decided that after 9 years of working it was time to explore the world. I was also very inspired by my Kiwi workmates and Canadian friends who had raved about their recent travels to this part of the world.
I met my travelling buddy, Heather, through Erin Nixon, one of my best friends in Sault Ste. Marie. Heather was a summer student for Erin's husband. Coincidently, Heather is best friends with my former summer student!
Heather's cousin, April has also joined us. April was teaching in the United Arab Emirates over the last few months. She has been feeding us interesting tid-bits on the Muslim culture throughout the trip. Malaysia has a high population of Muslims. April enlightened us on the mosque's "call to prayer" that occurs five times per day. It's a beautiful song that resounds over many miles.
I invited Allen to tag along, however, he has too many work committments. In addition, after 8 years of staying in 4 or 5
Travelling Mates
Arpil, me and Heather (L-R): Ready to take on SE Asia. star hotels for work, he's not accustomed to a backpacker's life. Just yesterday, he received a complimentary fruit and cheese platter for his 200th stay at Sydney's Westin Hotel.
KUALA LUMPUR (KL), MALAYSIA- Jan 20-24
This city of 3 million people is hopping, especially at night. There are lots of outdoor markets and people bustling about. The city is graced with beautiful mosques and temples.
Our Hostel: The hosts described themselves as a "0-star hotel with 5- star service". The hosts were extremely friendly and helpful. They suggested a couple of excellent day trips that were off the tourists' beaten path. Our hostel was full of character, including lizards that crawled on the ceilings catching insects and even the odd cockroach. I didn't even flinch when the host tried to inconspcisouly kill a roach . I asked if it was a spider or a cockroach. He replied "Both, they've mutated into one"!!!!
Our hostel was right next door to a Kaoroke bar. Consequently, we were "sung" to sleep every night during our stay.
The Weather: Think sauna. It was intensely hot (around 42 degrees) and humid in KL. The pollution seemed to intensify the humidity. There
was a reason why our hostel did not have any hot water. Cold showers were a blessing.
It took me a few days to adjust to the hot, humid weather. I was relieved to read in the Lonely Planet that travellers need to be kind to themselves when they first arrive in Asia secondary to jet lag, culture shock, and the heat and humidity. I was feeling guilty because I was only able to tolerate one outing on my second day in KL. The intense heat and feeling of passing out forced me to seek refuge at the air-conditioned 10-storey mall next door to our hostel.
HIGHLIGHT OF KL
Cell Phone Shopping:
A local reported that cell phones are sold like chewing gum in Malaysia. I decided that a cell phone would be a more convenient and cheaper way to keep in touch with family and friends over a pay-phone. I went to a malll where there was an entire floor of cell phone booths. There were 3-5 sales people in each tiny booth. At many of the booths, I was their sole customer, however, I still had to wait for service. The sales clerks were more
Rainforest Canopy Walk
April conquering her fear of heights. interested in playing with their own cell phones than serving customrers. When I did decide on a cell phone, the sales clerk continued to play his computer game while selling me the phone.
Rainforest Canopy Walkway:
April and I went to Penong, a suburb of KL to do a canopy walkway in a forestry reserve. This walkway spans about 200 meters and is suspended between trees at about 30 meters above ground. We took a taxi to the forestry reserve. Upon entering this reserve, we had to pay 5 RM (Malaysian ringets) each even though the advertised price was 5 RM per vehicle. We asked at the Information Office why we were overcharged. The guy replied that "As of Jan 1, it's 5 RM per foreigner" (Is that discrimination?).
It was steep hike up to the canopy walkway but the vantage point was worth it. It was a bit nerve-racking to be walking on the swinging walkway held by ropes and wire, especially since the tour guide did not respond when April asked "Is this safe?". It was only mid-way through the walk that April revealed that she was terrified of heights. She conquered her fear and was
The Friendly School Bus Children
Thanks to these children, we caught a school bus back to the train station. able to complete the walk!!
After the canopy walk, we were exhausted. Much to our frustration, we weren't able to flag a taxi while standing on a busy highway under the blazing sun. In desparation, we approached two school children (12-14 years old) at a bus stop and asked them where we could catch a taxi. These school children were only too happy to help us. They reported that their school bus passed close by the train station. The sun had zapped us of our patience to hail a tax, so we boldly asked the bus driver if we could catch a ride. To our surprise, the bus driver welcomed us aboard. As we entered the bus, he turned up the radio and switched it to an English station. Now that's service with a smile!
The was of 1970's vintage did not have a door, and the driver's seat was made of a straw-like material. We didn't care because the company was top-drawer. We caught the 3 school children who were on the bussneaking glances at us. They seemed pleased as punch to answer our questions about their country and school. April and I were thrilled to have
Mr. Peek-a-Boo
Although we didn't speak the same language, we communicated well via a game of peek-a-boo! an unplanned tour of quaint Malaysian village. The school children beamed when we asked to take their photo. See attached photo.
KL Tower:
This is the fifthth tallest tower in the world. It was a perfect way to get panaromic view of the city and its landmarks. When I was purchasing my ticket to go up the elevator to the observation deck, I jokingly asked if I could take the stairs instead. (I figured I needed the exercise since I decided not to run during my trip). The ticket clerk laughed and said that the stairs are only open once a year for a race to the top. It's over 800m to the top with over 2 000 steps. Two Kiwis, Jonathan Wyatt (record holder) and Melissa Moon have won this event.
Pulau Ketam (Crab Island):
This is a small island about 2.5 hours outside of KL. We took the mono-rail, a train and then a ferry that looked more like a submarine. The island is home to "floating houses" perched on long wooden stilts approximately 10m above the swamp bed. The swamp feeds into the sea. The island is renowned for its fresh crab, prawns and fish.
Boo!!
What an adorable smile! The village was first inhabited by 3 fishermen who grew tired of making the day-long journy back to the main island (Port Klang) after a day of fishing. Today the population is between 6-7 thousand with the majority being Chinese. 80% of the population are fishermen (or fisherpeople??).
The island is only accessible by ferry. The only transportation on the island are bicycles and motorcycles. The streets are very narrow with "gaps" on either side. Houses are also separated by these gaps. These gaps are filled with water during high tide. During low-tide, the gaps are swampy and unfortunately filled with garbage. We saw many dogs and rats amongst the garbage. According to one source, 90% of children fall down into these swamps when learning to ride a bike. On the flipside, these gaps are natural swimming pools during high tide. Apparently, children can be seen swimming beside their house!
During the 30 minute ferry ride to the island, we befriended a 2 year old boy. Although we weren't able to speak each other's language, we communicated via a game of peek-a-boo. As we walked along the narrow streets of this island, it became very evident that we
Crab Island
The village built on stilts. were the only tourists on the island. As we strolled along, we noted that the insides of houses had spic-and-span floors and an altar on a mantel. We witnessed a boy cleaning fish with his mom. We ended our tour with a delicious meal of fresh seafood.
Our next stop is the Cameron Highland, a tea plantation which is 4 hours North of KL. I am enjoying my SE Asia experience. I am learning and seeing many new things on a daily basis. I couldn't ask for better travel companions. My taste buds are slowly adjusting to Asian cuisine.
I hope everyone is well and enjoying the winter or summer (for those in NZ).
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Lois
non-member comment
Cold
Hello-Thirty below here this morning. Enjoyed your pictures. i will read latter. Mary is here and helped me get into your blog. Mrs. M. Cory. asked about you when I saw her at the rink.. Lois