Kuala Lumpur

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I don't really know what to think of KL, so this entry will probably be rather meandering and contradictory (very unlike me, I know!).

I guess it all depends on perspective. We came to Singapore from Tonglu, a city in terms of population but really little more than a village in terms of attitudes and amenities. So Singapore was like a return to 'normal' (pre China) life, but actually better because it's cleaner and smells nicer than Glasgow! And we've been living very frugally in Tonglu so it was lovely to just treat ourselves and to western food and treats like Sentosa. From Singapore to KL might not have been a good way to do it. Although the service in Singapore hasn't been flawless it was leagues better than in KL. They just don't seem to cater for tourists in the same way and it felt like everything - from getting around to finding out information - was made more difficult by people being obtuse or just not knowing.

Would I recommend KL to someone else? Well, I loved the food where we were staying, Little India (Masjid Jamek) and probably put on about half a stone over the weekend. We really enjoyed the KL tower (also called Menara tower I think) which is the 4th tallest in the world and has a really thoughtful, interesting exhibition. We also visited the nearby traditional village exhibit which in itself was not hugely informative but paid to paint our own batik pictures which was really fun. It was supposed to take 15 - 20 minutes but we laboured for ages and ages and are looking forward to framing them when we get home (unless of course Charles Saatchi wants to buy them for his next show of undiscovered talent.) We also spent some time in KLCC, the park behind the Petronas Towers (which we couldn't climb because we arrived in the afternoon and apparently it was only available in the morning). KLCC was good, a nice fountain and some random music video being shot (involving three suited, booted and very sweaty Indian boys miming away) but it was all very formal and structured and you couldn't really relax - no sitting on the grass, no lying down.

We had a nice night out but, to be honest that was mainly because it was me and Rachael , not because of where we were. We went to Jalan Telwani which, according to a few websites, is a hip-happening kind of place but we had a pricey dinner in The Social. The food was fine actually, but served within about 5 mintues which always makes me suspicious. After dinner we went to try and find a bar. Finding a bar was no problem; finding people was a different story. We ended up in one with some 90's pop/r+B/rap combo playing pool but were the only customers there. Our Big Night Out in KL ended up with us getting back to the hotel by 11 - rock and roll! Maybe it's becuase it's Ramadhan...Other highlight of that evening was us walking out of a coffee shop without paying and then rushing back in a panic in case they decided to chop our hands off as punishment...


Things I didn't like were mainly due to life being made more difficult- the tour bus had crappy airconditioning so we were roasting, the tour guid lady insisted on talking over the recorded commentary, despite being advertised as open top buses every single one we boarded was completely normal. We'd also been trying to get about on the train/metro thing but if you were going from A to B and that involved a transfer to C you couldn't just buy one ticket but had to buy one part at the first station then the second at the transfer station. They also didn't sell return tickets which was often a pain. The hotel (Citin) is also not recommended. To start with, the entrance is hidden behind a market. We know it was off the beaten track from Trip Advisor but even with that struggled. You actually have t to squeeze between two stalls to get there. The taxi driver didn't know where it was really so we wandered about for a bit before Rachael spotted it. Arriving exhausted after catching an early bus there was some confusion over check in (because I'd only given them my surnmae when they asked and it was booked under my first and second names d'uh) we got to our room expecting the twin we'd booked to see a double. Traipsing back down stairs with the suitcase the recptionsit told us that we must be mistaken because the computer said that was a twin. Well, computer says...bollocks. We had to go back up to check then come back down to reiterate we were right. In return we were put in a room on the smoking floor which smelled stale. The service was rubbish and no-one could even tell us where the nearest tourist information was.

Anyway, there were other things about KL that just didn't appeal to me, but I don't want to dwell anymore than I have. I'm glad we went but am also glad we are back in Singapore. Today I went to an MBA admissions tour at INSEAD (well, gotta aim high!) then came back to do some laundry. Oh, it was funny when we crossed the border today. The security woman opened our suitcase to do a check and slowly but surely the faint odour of week old washing came drifting up! Suitcase lid was clsoed pretty quickly after that!

Tomorrow we're going to go to the Chinese embassy then meet Rachael's friend Cassandra for lunch. If it's not too late we'll go to Sentosa to sit on the beach in the afternoon and then in the evening I'm going to spend more money - Tarik wants a MacBook and I may have to replace my Ipod Touch as it was stolen/lost this morning at the embassy. Both would have been cheaper in Malaysia but me, being a numpty, had put my credit card in a safe place in Singapore and forgot to take it with me. Doh. Still cheaper here than China though. May go out in the evening but not too late as Thursday is Sentosa again - Universal Studios 😊

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Comments

[anonymous]

Zahra - the worst hostel I ever stayed in was in KL. Greenhut or something like that. AWFUL. I'm sure Rach told you the story. Makes you appreciate other places though.