Kuala Lumpur: The Big Durian

Hey folks,

So it's been almost a week since I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia and the country's version of "the Big Apple", although apples are scarce on the crowded streets, replaced by my least favourite (and quite repulsive) fruit, the durian, hence the nickname, "the Big Durian"...

My arrival was quite a shock, especially after such a long commute from the Perhentian Islands, a 45 minute boat ride followed up by a 10.5 hour journey by bus which included a switch of buses and a stop to fix a flat tire. By the time I got into the big city, I was quite exhausted and perhaps more acutely aware of the bombardment to my senses: the loud traffic, the bright lights, and the hordes of people milling about on the streets. Squeezing through the bustling night market on Petaling Street was no easy feat with my large backpack, but necessary to get to my hostel, and once I got to my dorm, I fell down in a crumpled heap on my bed in great need of a few minutes of decompression before braving the alleyways of Chinatown for something to eat...

The magnificent Batu Caves!

The next day, however, the size of the city was a little less daunting and if anything, maybe even a little comforting, a welcome reminder of my birthplace/home base back in Canada. I set out in the morning for a tourist site on the outskirts of the city, and approaching by taxi, the gasp-inducing grandeur of the Batu Caves baffled my eyes from well over 500m away. I climbed the 272 steps up to the cave entrance, the tallest statue in the world towering over me on my right, over 42m in height! The caves themselves were no less extraordinary and are among the biggest I have ever seen. Some of the magic was taken away by the amount of tourists there snapping photos, but I still enjoyed the walkthrough and several stops to watch monkeys terrorizing people by taking their cameras and fighting each other for scraps of coconut or left-behind juice containers and candy wrappers...

My stay in Kuala Lumpur has been a good mix of exploration and leisure, with on and off days alternating to give me a chance for rejuvenation and rehabilitation after the last busy two months. I'm finding more and more now that busy days take their toll, and it is harder to sleep at night, more than likely due to the knowledge of my impending departure and opportunity to pass out in my own bed. I have spent several afternoons here pleasantly sipping iced coffees and reading fairly enthralling books by Stephen King and Robert Ludlum, the chirps of traffic subtly reminding me of my background surroundings. I have also gone to see two movies at a theatre in the largest shopping complex in the city, the KLCC. The first movie Thor, was greatly entertaining and one of the better superhero movies I have seen in awhile, especially due to my lack of expectation going in. The second movie Fast Five, while somewhat entertaining was pretty stupid, although I had pretty low expectations so I wasn't exactly disappointed. Once again, it provided distraction until I fly off to Laos and wasn't a swindle (I only paid $3CDN for the ticket)...

Standing in front of the National Monument

At Petronas Towers

As for my busy days, I did a great tour on my second day in the city where I could hop on and off of a audio-guided adventure bus that went to all of the main sites in the city. I started early and made the most of my ticket, making several stops along the way and taking my time with the sites. My first stop was at the National Palace where the king and queen live, and I was just in time to see the changing of the guards, a similar occurrence to the one in England. Next, I hopped off to get a sense of the vibes of Little India, similar to the ones I experienced in Penang but on a bit of a grander city scale. I found the colours in this area quite unique, with many buildings and apartment complexes painted pastel purples and pinks. After that, I stopped at the Lake Garden area of the city where I explored a sculpture garden with offerings from different South East Asian countries, saw the National Monument in all its glory, the Anniversary Theatre where concerts are held, and had a nice stroll through a park dotted with ponds and a variety of foliage. Following that, I went to the National Art Gallery where I checked out several exhibits and then I headed down to Lake Titiwangsa and enjoyed some corn ice cream, a delightful flavour that comes with actual kernels buried in it! I now have another weird flavour to brag about to my friends other than wasabi! My last two stops were at Merdeka ("independence") Square, home to the world's tallest flagpole and the site in which Malaysia gained independence from the British in 1957, and then Petronas Towers, the world's tallest twin towers. I actually went back to the towers a second time in order to line up early in the morning and get a ticket to head up to the skybridge, one of the highest viewpoints of the city of KL, suspended 140m above the ground! After an exhausting day of exploration, I headed back to my area of town and went through the night market on Petaling Street, picking up souvenirs for family along the way, and spending way more money than I should have, but a bargain for what I got nonetheless...

Now I head off for another new country and another new adventure. I'm sure Laos will bring lots more stories to tell and a chilled-out atmosphere for me to soak in. As for a timeline, I don't have one... I'll simply leave when I feel good and ready!

Hope you're all happy and healthy and I'll write soon about life in Laos

Ciao for now,

Max