I'm on route to Singapore on that quest for a....damn what is it again? - rhymes with 'mob' or 'sob' or 'gob' or 'rob'? .... well I forget now but I'm making a stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to give me time to remember. This is a vastly different part of Asia from what I've seen before. It's primarily a Muslim population in KL complete with women covered in traditional dress (body covered completely including a veil except for that slit to let them peep thru. There are huge multi storey shopping malls in the center with all the big designer gear (Gucci, Armani etc) and an equal amount of great restaurants (far removed from your foodcourts of USA or Europe)
We visited the impressive Batu Caves which has a Hindu temple built into a cave and is overrun with monkeys. One of the highlights todate was fish head soup which comes in a red curry style broth and is a local specialty. They say travel makes you grow but the only growing I've done so far is around the waist. My exercise regime has been shot to pieces. I've even managed to avoid Delhi belly (aka squirt alert) which although uncomfortable usually allows you to lose a few kgs.
We had two interesting encounters on Friday night. First a lady-boy (she-male) approached and then chased my friend up the street. We had a similar encounter in Vietnam where the only decipherible English was "Hey you - Special price - You - Me - 1 hour - Boom Boom - yes?" Second incident was witnessing a drunk driver plough into and completely wreck a taxi on a busy central street corner and drive off despite the fact there was a police kiosk on the same corner. Never a dull moment in this part of the world.
Tags: .Batu Caves Kuala Lumpur..We visited the impressive Batu Caves which has a Hindu temple built into a cave and is overrun with monkeys. One of the highlights todate was fish head soup which comes in a red curry style broth and is a local specialty. They say travel makes you grow but the only growing I've done so far is around the waist. My exercise regime has been shot to pieces. I've even managed to avoid Delhi belly (aka squirt alert) which although uncomfortable usually allows you to lose a few kgs.
We had two interesting encounters on Friday night. First a lady-boy (she-male) approached and then chased my friend up the street. We had a similar encounter in Vietnam where the only decipherible English was "Hey you - Special price - You - Me - 1 hour - Boom Boom - yes?" Second incident was witnessing a drunk driver plough into and completely wreck a taxi on a busy central street corner and drive off despite the fact there was a police kiosk on the same corner. Never a dull moment in this part of the world.
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Aye malaysia is an oddity in the Asian travel guide for sure. Still the food is great (is this curry called a lhaksa by any chance?) Recommend a visit to Taman Negara if you get a moment.
ReplyDeleteMan you get around!You'll be in my neck of the woods before long!I am stlightly terrified of monkeys! Nasty little things.
ReplyDeleteJeez, Paddy, where will you be next??? No, don't tell me, I'll wait for the post.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying your travels and am glad you weren't the one getting chased - although might have been some good exercise, yeah?
Doesn't seem much point in women buying designer clothes if they have to walk around in public covered up. Presumably the clothes are strictly for consenting adults in private....
ReplyDeleteOn the route to Singapore? Have a Singapore Sling for me at the long bar and then hang out at the Satay Club on the lawn. Lucky!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Paddy,
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that you enjoyed your brief stopover at Kuala Lumpur and managed to see some 'exciting' sights.
The women in black you encounter covered from head to toe except for their eye slits, they are mostly tourists from the Middle East. We do get a lot of visitors from that part of the world because they love our climate, the shopping extravaganza, the availability of amazing food (including kosher food), etc.
Hope you can stay longer in Malaysia the next time. There's definitely more to discover and to like here :)
Cheers!
Lovely sights and sounds of Singapore!
ReplyDelete@ Shaunj: No it's got a different name to lhaksa which escapes me now. No time for further exploration unfortunately as just passing thru really.
ReplyDelete@ Baino: There was a fair waft of monkey sh!t and I managed to step on it too!
@ Megan: you're right - a wee sprint up the street would at least make me lose a few calories
@ Nick: Interesting point - I wonder if Armani do designer veils
@ VE: I'll be sure to try those out
@ Ariel: Thanks for dropping in and for clarifying the shoppers and clothing customs - I checked out your malaysia site - pretty impressive!
@ Jenny: Thanks