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Our flight to Asia went straight over the North Pole.As Harry and Lloyd once said: "We're...THERE!" (Except, whereas they were half frozen to death after riding a bike across a snowy Colorado pass, we have the unique sensation that our skin might actually melt off our bones from the oppressive tropical heat. Minor difference!)
Anyway. Yes. Approximately 24 hours after our departure from New York, we landed safe and sound (and a little bleary-eyed) in our new home of Kuala Lumpur! The 16-hour flight from New York to Taiwan was actually not too bad! We flew EVA airlines, Taiwan's national brand, and the service, food, and level of comfort was exceptionally good. I even managed to sleep on-and-off for a few hours (this never happens to me). The coolest part was that instead of flying east over the Atlantic or west over the Pacific, we flew straight north, up and over the polar ice cap! We got a great bird's eye view of Siberia and northern Russia before we started south and the sunlight faded behind us. We flew over South Korea and the East China Sea before making our approach to Taiwan. The sun was just starting to rise again as we landed, illuminating the tiny island country.
It was gorgeous! During our layover, we learned that Taiwan has exactly 100 mountain peaks with an elevation greater than 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). Who knew? We may have to go there for one of our "obligatory vacations" to check it out!
Our four-hour layover in Taipei was very pleasant. American airports could learn a thing or two from these guys! The "transit" terminal is equipped with, not only the usual restaurants and duty free stores, but comfy lounge chairs, beach umbrellas, a full service spa/salon, even (free!) marble showers you can use to freshen up after those long flights. Having never showered in an airport before, we had to try it just for the experience! Then a walk around the terminal to stretch the weary legs and a quick lunch of curry (Jeremy) and pork dumplings (me) before we boarded our second and final flight to KL. This one was only four hours, but it felt so much longer. We'd basically been awake for two days already (Saturday and Sunday), and it was technically now 10am on Monday morning, so we had a whole other day to get through. I kept myself entertained by watching two documentaries -
one on the world's greatest mosques, and the other on the life story of Michael Flatley (the Riverdance/Lord of the Dance guy). A bizarre mix, I know, but welcome to Asia. It's a bizarre (but wonderful) world.
At long last, we arrived. Customs were a breeze (first 90 days - thank you very much!) and our luggage was some of the first on the carousel. We hit up an ATM for our first batch of Ringgits (the local currency) and exited immigration to find an array of booths selling phones and SIM cards to foreign travelers. (They even have phones now that you can RENT for your trip and return when you leave!) Before we could blink, we'd opened up our phones, removed the American SIM cards, and inserted new Malaysian ones, giving us instant local phone numbers and a data package (for about $10/month). This all happened in, like, two minutes flat. It's incredible how much the world has changed in just the few short years since we were last here. We didn't even HAVE cell phones to travel with, let alone the ability to seamlessly change from America to Malaysia to wherever we visit next! So cool.
Anyway. Our Floridian friend Danielle (now living here in KL for five years) was outside waiting for us as we emerged from the air conditioning into the aforementioned skin-melting heat and humidity. We loaded our bags and set off for a memorable ride through the chaotic cluster of highways that traverse this sprawling metropolis of eight million people. Lanes? Pay no attention to those pesky dotted lines in the road. As many cars as will fit across, THAT'S the number of lanes. Stop signs? Ha! Just a suggestion. Turn signals? What are those? It's like you're on a high speed go kart track, except you're with a million other drivers. The skill level involved is truly a sight to behold - cars and trucks squeezing into spaces no car or truck should EVER fit, avoiding a collision by only inches. Then motorbikes come whizzing between the tiny spaces that remain, missing your fenders and side mirrors by mere millimeters. If we are to buy a car here, suffice to say our driving skills will need to be sharpened before we tackle one of the freeways at rush hour!
So we arrive at Danielle's gorgeous house in the suburbs,
where she presents us with what some would consider to be an odd welcome gift: A 12-pack of pocket tissues. Does she anticipate that we'll have a lot of allergies? Not at all. As we learned on our last journey through Asia, toilet paper is basically nonexistent in public restrooms. Many of the local cultures use a little hose attached to the toilet or a good old-fashioned pot of water and a plastic scoop to clean themselves (I still have NO IDEA how that's supposed to work), so every public restroom is likely to have two things: 1) a puddle of water on the floor, and 2) zero toilet paper. Hence, always a good idea to have your own little stash in your purse when you're out and about. Hence, a very practical gift from someone who KNOWS.
The rest of the evening involved something like dinner, playing with Danielle's four kids (under the age of 10), being shuttled to our current accommodation in Shah Alam only two miles away (it took 45 minutes to get there in rush hour traffic), and vague memories of something resembling a toothbrush and a shower, but by this point we're pushing 72
hours of wakefulness and it's all starting to blur. We fall into a death-like slumber around 8pm (which was 8am to our poor confused bodies) and awoke this morning around 5am (which technically was dinnertime). We've done the 12-hour jet lag once before and it's actually not as horrible as it sounds. If all goes well, we should be adjusted in another day or two. Hopefully.
If nothing else, you can set your watch to the calls to prayer (or "adhan") that go out from the city's many, many mosques. We awoke this morning to the first call, and now the sun is going down and I'm listening to the final call for the day. There are five daily calls in total, when devout Muslims pause in their daily routine to bow towards Mecca and pray. The adhan is technically a recitation about Allah, but it's sung in a beautiful, melodious, almost haunting tune that resounds through the streets. I find the calls to be pleasant to the ears, as well as a strong reminder that I am in a
very foreign place.
We spent the morning researching apartments and car options - we may rent a car
temporarily until we secure a place to live and figure out the public transportation situation (plentiful when you're right downtown, but not as available out here in the 'burbs). We may end up searching for a place closer to downtown, if it could spare us having to buy a car. Or we may decide, dang it, that we'll end up needing a car after all and just go out and get one. Either way, we're not making any hasty decisions. Priority numero uno is getting an apartment; we'll worry about the car (or lack thereof) after that.
Danielle picked us up around 10am and took us to her favorite grocery store...which just happened to be inside a gigantic six-story shopping mall...which just happened to be next-door to one of the apartment buildings I've been drooling over online. (Subang SoHo - look it up! This place is gorgeous!) If I showed you the listing of that gorgeous apartment with the big open loft and mirrored wall - that's the one. A city with probably 10,000 shopping malls/apartment buildings, and we end up at THAT one. Ah, the irony.
So while we did not get to check out the apartments
(need an appointment with a realtor for that), we did fall in love with the attached Empire Shopping Gallery. I know it sounds weird - living above or next to an enormous shopping center - but it's super common here. And think of the bonuses. Need groceries? A quick meal? New appliance? A haircut or a massage? You don't even have to get in your car. Walk down the hallway, get on the elevator, and BAM - you're inside an enormous upscale mall. Maybe it's the lazy American in me, but I think it's pretty cool.
This is one of many, many things I love about Malaysia. Don't get me wrong - you are most definitely in a foreign country. Billboards are in Arabic, Chinese, Tamil, or Malay (and plenty in English, too). Traffic is crazy. Muslim women in full burqas walk down the same street as teenaged girls in miniskirts. If you want to get lost in translation, it's very easy to do. And yet...the familiar is here also. We walked into a shopping center today and were greeted by stores like Toys R Us, GNC, H+M, GUESS, and Timberland. There were at least 40 different places to
Charging Problems...
My cord was about two inches too short! eat - Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, and Indian, as you'd expect - but also a Spanish tapas bar, a gelato stand, a Godiva store, a Starbuck's, a Chili's, and a KFC.
Whatever you want, it's here. Want something mindblowingly exotic? It's here. Want some good old-fashioned comfort food? It's here too. It truly is the best of both worlds. Best of all, it's a fraction of what you'd pay for it back home.
I made a joke about needing a massage as we stepped into the mall and - as fate would have it - there was a lovely establishment called "Thai Odyssey" staring back at me. Danielle enjoyed an hour-long foot massage while Jeremy and I opted for the full-body version (nothing makes you ache like 20 hours on a plane). It began with a cushy seat and a formal washing of the feet - hot stones, warm towels, the works. Then you change into a comfy shirt and pants before you lie down on a soft mat and prepare for the brutal-yet-strangely-relaxing phenomenon known as Thai massage. For those who recall, five years ago I did a course in Chiang Mai to get certified in traditional Thai
massage, and that was the last time I had one. Maybe the techniques have evolved over time or maybe I just reeeeeeeeeeeeeally needed it, but it was without a doubt the best hour of my recent life. Words fail me. When you come to visit, I shall take you to experience it for yourself!
So. That was our first 24 hours in Malaysia, in a nutshell. A rather wordy nutshell. So not really a nutshell. At all.
Oh, never mind.
As you can see, the brain fog has yet to lift. In the meantime, we are looking forward to making some new friends, exploring the area, and deciding which part of the city we're going to call "home." And don't be shy - the thing about blogging is that it can be a lonely road, with all the one-way communication. Leave a comment, email us, or better yet, shoot us a message on Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook, or Instagram. Just because we're so far away does not mean that we don't care how you're doing, too!! Keep us posted on the goings-on at home, and we'll keep you updated on developments over here!
(As an aside, my
friends in Colorado will appreciate this: The photo to the right was LITERALLY the first sign I saw when I stepped through customs.)
Ah, the sweet, sweet irony of life.
*sigh of defeat*
#bangingheadondesk
#goingtobednow
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Hannah
non-member comment
French
Hahaha! You may use French after all! ? also that apartment looks amazing!