Kuala Lumpur

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Hopping off the bus in KL (Kuala Lumpur) we knew we were back in the kinda city we like. There were tons of different people on the streets, hanging out, on the move, and just being city people. No more cookie cutter city, this wasn’t Disney. It had a mix of high rises (think Petronas Towers) and hundred year old Chinese shop houses, Islamic architecture and colonial buildings. People were trying to sell watches, bags, jeans, food and massages. Don’t buy a massage from a street vendor! This is the kind of place we like, a mix of everything on the streets, people from all walks of life all walking together.

After finding a place to stay in Chinatown we did our usual marathon walking tour checking out Little India and parts of Chinatown. We caught the end of Deepavali in Little India and ate our way through the food stalls with everyone else. The highlight of our sightseeing was the Petronas Towers. Truly awesome buildings, we were there at dusk as they lit up the building just for us. We even visited the mega mall in the towers. Ruthie would not let me buy a $941 Louis Vuitton man purse and I was very upset.

We thought we were prepared when we went out to the Indonesian Embassy to get our coveted 60 day visa, not quite. First mistake, men must wear long pants. Second mistake, you need two copies of everything (passport, entry stamp, departure card, onward airline tickets, proof of finances and of course two photos). When you don’t have these they kindly send you down the street where you purchase pants and to the local copy shop (possible family members?). Then you come back, get a number and wait. If you’re lucky and did everything correctly you get to come back later that afternoon and pick up your VISA. If not, you are the couple trying to convince the officials THEY made a mistake and you are Australian, not Armenian.

We had some extra time on our hands and went to Melaka for a short stay. This was a really nice little town. It was like stepping back into the French Quarter. Tons of cool buildings, temples, mosques, ruins and Chinese shops. We met a man whose family had made shoes for the wealthy families of days gone by. The unique thing was their specialty of tiny shoes for ladies with bound feet. This was amazing, especially the photos of the women with their bound, misshapen feet and the size of the shoes. Three inches was the perfect size for “beautiful feet”.

Caught a bus back to KL for our final night in Malaysia, had dinner at our favorite plastic chair restaurant and rested up for our trip to Bali (Indonesia).

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Photos

Petronas Towers
Kuala Lumpur

View from below
Kuala Lumpur

WahAik Shoemaker
Dealer in bound feet shoes, Melaka

Comments

[Karin]

I'm there with you.
I gotta say I just love this blog! And your pics and ability to describe your travelings make me almost feel like I'm right there with you. I'm so happy you're having such a great time, and that you had the guts to do this trip, and I think it'll change your perspective on life, and make your old age more valuable. When I read your blog I always have a big smile on my face, and butterflies in my belly - like I'm in love:) Thanx for the postcard!!! Love you! Karin