With all the free movies available on Malaysia Airlines, the 8 hour flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumur passes quickly. Fireworks explode over the city lights as we land, most likely a part of the ongoing Chinese New Year celebration. It's almost 9pm and a balmy 84 degrees when I step off the plane. As I fill out my immigration card, I notice the following message emblazoned on the bottom "Be forewarned, death for drug traffickers under Malaysian Law" Well, that certainly is getting to the point isn't it?
After collecting our bags, we buy tickets for the KLIA Ekspres train to the city center. Then we locate the KL monorail and head toward Imbi, where our hostel is located. After getting turned around a few times we finally locate Hostel Equator and are shown to our room. For the equivalent of $10 each, Laura and I get a small room with orange walls, 2 twin beds, a locker, bedside tabe, and a whirring fan. I stay up awhile and play guitar with some Canadian guys before finally falling asleep.
The next day we explore the Central Market first, fingering batik garmets and admiring buddha wood carvings. I eat stingray for lunch and it's delicious. We wander through Chinatown which is chock full of predictable items like desginer bag knock-offs but also more interesting fare such as a row of entire cooked pigs with flowers planted atop their heads. I use a squat style "tanda" (toliet) for the fist time and instead of toliet paper, there is a sprayer you use to clean yourself.
Finding our way around is a bit challenging. Thankfully, everyone I encounter is willing to help. Hadi, the owner of Hostel Equator, gave us a map marked with attractions but KL is far from grid-like. Every "Jalan" (street) seems to tangle into another and it's easy to get confused. Luckily, the monorail provides a landmark we can head toward when lost. We stumble upon the Islamic Arts Museum and I take in the sights--everything from prayer mats to mosque models; intricate marriage certificates to Qur'an texts filled with beautiful calligraphic script.
Kuala Lumpur is an interesting city of contrasts. The glittering Petronas twin towers rise above decaying buildings. Lavish shopping complexes reside near elegant mosques. Tourists in short-shorts stand next to woman draped in burqas. Loud, dirty, crowded streets suddenly give way to quiet, picturesque garden areas. I bought a piece of gourmet cake from an immaculate glass display case the same day I watched a man slit a live chicken's throat with a serrated knife at an open air market. It's a dizzying experience, but one thing is fore sure--I truly feel I am traveling in a far away place.
After collecting our bags, we buy tickets for the KLIA Ekspres train to the city center. Then we locate the KL monorail and head toward Imbi, where our hostel is located. After getting turned around a few times we finally locate Hostel Equator and are shown to our room. For the equivalent of $10 each, Laura and I get a small room with orange walls, 2 twin beds, a locker, bedside tabe, and a whirring fan. I stay up awhile and play guitar with some Canadian guys before finally falling asleep.
The next day we explore the Central Market first, fingering batik garmets and admiring buddha wood carvings. I eat stingray for lunch and it's delicious. We wander through Chinatown which is chock full of predictable items like desginer bag knock-offs but also more interesting fare such as a row of entire cooked pigs with flowers planted atop their heads. I use a squat style "tanda" (toliet) for the fist time and instead of toliet paper, there is a sprayer you use to clean yourself.
Finding our way around is a bit challenging. Thankfully, everyone I encounter is willing to help. Hadi, the owner of Hostel Equator, gave us a map marked with attractions but KL is far from grid-like. Every "Jalan" (street) seems to tangle into another and it's easy to get confused. Luckily, the monorail provides a landmark we can head toward when lost. We stumble upon the Islamic Arts Museum and I take in the sights--everything from prayer mats to mosque models; intricate marriage certificates to Qur'an texts filled with beautiful calligraphic script.
Kuala Lumpur is an interesting city of contrasts. The glittering Petronas twin towers rise above decaying buildings. Lavish shopping complexes reside near elegant mosques. Tourists in short-shorts stand next to woman draped in burqas. Loud, dirty, crowded streets suddenly give way to quiet, picturesque garden areas. I bought a piece of gourmet cake from an immaculate glass display case the same day I watched a man slit a live chicken's throat with a serrated knife at an open air market. It's a dizzying experience, but one thing is fore sure--I truly feel I am traveling in a far away place.
No comments:
Post a Comment