Arriving in KL after escaping unharmed from pyschoville we wondered off the bus (as luxury as we have had so far we reckon) and into another chaotic bus terminal where groups of Indian men started eyeing us up suspiciously. What was instantly noticeable was the extreme difference in temperature, it felt almost as if you had been draped in a large, hot, wet blanket. It must have been fifteen degrees hotter. After some initial confusion and disorientation that comes with being in a new, large city we got our act together and found the metro system and the stop we would have to get off at, Masjid Jemak, right in the heart of Little India. According to the directions on the website our hotel was a matter of metres away from the metro station, should be a doddle we thought. Our first mistake was turning right when we should have turned left. Our second mistake was to keep walking in 35 degree heat with backpacks on in a huge circle, only to return once more to the same metro station where we had been 30 minutes previously. We then saw the hotel, next to the metro station. Idiots.
After our Cameron highlands lunatic asylum experience we were hopeful that the hotel room we had booked turned out to be as good as the increase in budget would suggest. Thankfully it was, it was beautiful. The bed was the biggest I have ever seen and the huge flat screen tv was a nice touch (not that we'd get to watch it!), we even got a selection of free biscuits, chocolate bourbons! We felt like royalty!
Anyway, after a much needed shower (we started to smell like soil), we were off into KL central to seek out cheap eats and to try to get some bearings. We found another cheap food court in another huge mall and gorged, despite the crowds, on two chicken claypot dishes. They are basically incredibly hot (as in ouch to touch) clay pots with various vegetables, rice and tender chicken. Really tasty.
The only problem, and we were pretty sick of it by that point, were the crowds, there were people everywhere. We were just fed up, Penang and the Cameron highlands were good but due to the national holidays it was just hard work. Fortunately today was the last day of the holidays so we were hoping that as we progressed through the next three days the crowds would start to ease a little, we hoped!
After an incredible nights sleep we both started the day with bundles of energy, so good! Nothing will beat the feeling you get in your first full day in a new and exciting city on a long trip. As we walked out of the hotel the sudden rush of heat, noise and aromas hit us, you've gotta love it. Our first call was a small southern Indian cafe where we munched on fresh roti and daal dip, apple juice and ginger tea. The guys in there were great and showed us an authentic Indian breakfast, we liked a lot and would be back.
From there we hit Merdeka square, a large cricket field flanked by impressive Tudor and Georgian colonial architecture. This was the site of Malaysian independence from Britian in 1957 but still maintains all the pomp and pageantry that you would expect from a city and a country with a big colonial past. We got some great photos from this area so you should take a look. Only thing at this point was the heat, it was just so hot!
From there we stopped at Masjid Jamek mosque, a huge and highly significant mosque in this conservatively Muslim country. We picked up some literature to try to understand this highly misunderstood religion before walking round to take in the surroundings. To do this though we both had to cover up so were thankful for the free hajib and headscarf (see photos-I look like a choirboy, Shell would make a good Muslim).
From there we joined the lonely planet guides walking tour of Chinatown, even though by this point, it was probably 1pm, we were beginning to melt. the tour was excellent. We stopped at a fantastic Taoist temple where a Chinese woman told us all about the Chinese new year, she literally popped out of nowhere bless her! This year is the year of the dragon and people born in a dragon year have to spend hours praying and generally work hard to appease the spirits compared to someone born in a rat or a pig year (mine and shells). She said the pig and the rat go well together, I'd agree, and if the last hotel is anything to go by then we also, much like our symbolic counterparts, like lying in filth. For lunch we stopped for delicious noodles and Chinese tea at a cafe that has apparently been open for 200 years. It was beautiful. It also occurred to me that Shell probably likes tea and coffee just as much as I do now, my mission is complete.
Back in the centre we headed towards the mammoth Petronas towers, KL's most famous landmark, and for good reason. As far as skyscrapers go it really is the dogs testicles. At one point they were the tallest buildings in the world, now they have the elevated default position of the worlds tallest twin towers, since 2001 of course. To look at they look as if they are going to be propelled skywards at any moment, they are magnificent and and a true feat of engineering. We got the obligatory photos before heading into the adjoining mall, KLCC, to check out yet more rampant Asian consumerism.
Out in the park we were stunned when two friends, a man and a woman, who looked as though they had just met for the first time in years were reprimanded by not one but two policeman, all for a short embrace. Its hard to understand when touring a strictly Muslim country and even though you have to accept it, these two people simply hugged for a matter of seconds. Did they really deserve the whistles and subsequent embarrassment?
From there we ate once more in the cheap delight of another shopping mall before returning back to the hotel shattered and sweaty ready to hit the sack.
The next morning we visited our friends at the local Indian cafe once more before following the guidebooks walking tour once again, this time of Little India. The tour wasn't as impressive as the previous days and took us to some strange and irrelevant sights, like a solicitors and an Indian clothes shop. I think they wanted us to admire the arty deco architecture, it just looked like Fratton to me.
From there we went by foot once more in search of Menara tower, the sixth largest tower in the world, can't really miss it then can you. We paid the entrance fee and took a lift to the viewing deck, 220 metres above the ground. It was an awe-inspiring sight, the 360 views were simply staggering and the position of the tower, in the middle of KL, meant that the views of the Petronas and surrounding buildings were even better than we thought. We even had an audio tour via one of those headphone sets at the top though every set they gave me seemed to break on entering my orbit. They gave me five sets that seemed to explode on impact, they were perplexed and the look on their faces were ones of pure disgust.
Also, as part of the ticket, we were given the opportunity to take part in a formula 1 simulator. Turns out Shell, as it happens, seemed to be a bit of a natural (grrrrr) and I seem to have the ability to make the car face the opposite way, even if it seems impossible to do so. I even had the indignity of the two members of staff snigger at me as we left due to being lapped by my girlfriend....there was nothing I could say.
From there we again walked (walking would be a prominent feature here) through the city to a mall that promised an indoor theme park, an indoor theme park! Even saying those two things together conjures up disbelief. We arrived expecting a trampoline, maybe even one of those rides you get in gypsy fairs that seem to want to dismantle every time they pick up speed. Instead the three floors of this mall had been turned into a mini Alton Towers, complete with rollercoasters and gravity defying contraptions. Impressive stuff.
If KL looked impressive by day then by night it looked almost surreal. The Petronas towers took on an almost otherworldly glow and surrounding it were other less tall but nonetheless impressive buildings. I guess Hong Kong or Guangzhou would be it's immediate equal out of the megacities we have visited but KL, unlike it's heavyweight Asian counterparts, seemed to gleam with the freshness of a country with a a very prosperous future.
Our last day in KL will probably go down as the day in which we walked the most of anywhere we have been so far on this trip. I did a 100km trek before we left the UK and my legs had that knowing feeling that we'd at done least a quarter of that distance during the day. Our first port of call was Batu Caves, a huge cave system 13km out of the city. After numerous wrong turns and at one point actually walking down a motorway (seriously), we finally found the correct metro station to take us there. Already the temperature was hovering around 33 degrees and we still had to contend with the 272 steps to gain access to the caves. Apart from many more potential monkey attacks from the vicious macaques on the way up, we managed the ascent pretty well. I think we're both feeling pretty fit at the moment.
The caves were huge and were guarded at the entrance by a 120m golden statue of a Hindu god. Unfortunately I think we had missed the areas most famous annual celebration, Thaipusam, where Hindu men tie very heavy items to parts of their bodies, including the genitalia, in a sort of masochistic show of religious devoteeism. Damn.
We then, maybe foolishly, decided to walk for the rest of the day. First up were the KL lake gardens, a huge, British designed and built, area of lakes, gardens, deer parks and tea houses. The fact that this was in the middle of a city was quite simply astonishing. Maybe on a par with NYC's Central Park for grandeur. After deciding that we didn't want to spend any more money on entrance fees we then decided to work back to Bukit Bintang, the unofficial centre, to eat at one of the delicious Arab stalls. We had been walking, in the heat of the day, for around five hours non stop at this point so made the 'mirage esque' food court and collapsed in a sweaty mess onto some chairs. KL, over four days, had finished us. After chomping down the last pieces of amazing chicken Shwarma's, (a Lebanese wrap-truly amazing) we dropped into to a coffee house and didn't move for hours. We did manage to book our tickets to Borneo though, Orang-utans here we come!
KL has been fantastic. We weren't too sure what to expect from a city that we had been told was just too sterile, too modern. Don't listen to them. It is a fantastic place filled with a heady mix of cracking food, a hundred different cultural influences and bags to see. We had a blast. Next stop, a bus further south to the historic colonial city of Melaka. Onwards!
Much love, Tommo and Shellface xxxx
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