Malaysia

10Nov/111

Landed in Kuala Lumpur after flying for 23 hours: Aus -> LAX -> HKG -> KUL. Brutal. Cathay was especially uncomfortable- the seats don't recline, they only slide into a slouch which is terrible for the back. Getting to the hotel was a simple matter of a few trains and a monorail. Took tons of pictures (269!) so check out the flickr set.

Studio room at Frasers Place

The hotel was really nice- new and contemporary with great amenities. Rested up and went to the city Petaling Jaya outside KL to meet up with the food guide. The experience was awesome- we got to see how regular Malaysians live in the burbs and see what daily life is like: night markets and outdoor eateries. It was also a convenient way to ask a local questions about their culture and daily life. One thing that stood out is that KL had a diversity of people (Malay, Chinese, Indian) but it didn't seem to be a melting pot. People tended to stay with their own, at least in KL. In Petaling Jaya there seemed to be more mixing. I also had a hard time understanding when people speak Cantonese or English to me.

Nasi Lemak - the national comfort food here: coconut rice with chili bean paste and other condiments - often self-served, and eaten as breakfast

Food guides. Sam is of Southern Indian heritage but speaks Cantonese, Malay, and Tamil fluently

Salted duck yolk fried calamari

Slice of stingray

Typical night market in the streets of Petaling Jaya

All sorts of stuff sold here

Jalan Alor street - an outdoor eating area popular with locals for Chinese food - we had smoked chicken wings here

Next day I had my feet tickled by fish at the Central Market- a shopping bazaar. Got a ticket on the KL Hop-on-hop-off tour bus. Great way to see the city, it hit up all the major tourist sites in a short time. My main destination was the KL Bird Park

Birds at the bird park

'sup bro

Merdeka Square

Obligatory Petronas Twin Towers pic

I learned that most locals don't take public transportation. Everyone drives despite the brutal traffic. This was gridlock at 9pm in the busy shopping area Bukit Bintang

The stairs to the Batu Caves

Lots of statues and shrines at the Batu Caves grounds

Macaque monkeys roaming around, one even stole my drink! (it was empty)

Entrance to the caves

Various shrines built into the limestone caves

Shopping malls were ridiculous here. I explored a few and I swear I walked a few miles in each. They are simply HUGE. Can't wait to see how Singapore compares. Next time I visit a place known for shopping, I'm going to pack super light and bring an empty suitcase. I went a little nuts at Uniqlo and I think I need to get a duffel bag now.

Here's some pics of various food court meals - America needs to step up their food courts: