Kuala Lumpur

It was only a flying visit to Malaysia’s capital. I’d only planned to spend a couple of days there anyway, the consensus from other travellers being that was enough, however hostel availability in Taman Negara national park (my stop after Kuala Lumpur) meant I had to choose between a bad hostel in Taman Negara or losing a day in Kuala Lumpur. I decided if I set my mind to it I could see plenty of the city in a day and a half. I think I did a pretty good job.

Kuala Lumpur, or KL, seemed in some ways quite similar to Singapore - space age skyscrapers and grand shopping malls sitting comfortably alongside a mix of ancient Malay, Chinese and Indian culture. It felt like a very different place though, less manicured and more life real life, the culture and people spilling out on to the street. I spent a lot of time walking around the city, a combination of heading in the direction of various sights and being distracted by streets that looked interesting, and managed to see a fair amount in one afternoon, the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple the highlight. In the evening I met up with Siang, a pianist and friend of a friend, who took me out for dinner to an authentic Chinese place I never would have found on my own. I said he should order whatever he usually would and I’d give it all a try. The wat dan ho (“slippery” egg fried noodles) and hokkien mee (thicker noodles with a dark sauce) both contained a multitude of bits from various animals - I definitely found chicken, squid and pork fat in each. It was unsurprising that I didn’t get on with the pork liver (I’ve never been a fan of liver) but the deep fried pig intestines with chilli sauce were a surprise hit! Siang also took me for a tuak (rice alcohol) and a drive round the city, before dropping me at KLCC park in time to see the fountain light show next to the imposing lit up twin Petronas towers.

In an early start the next day I took the train to the Batu caves on the outskirts of the city. While they were never going to be particularly peaceful with tourists everywhere, it was novel to see two temples built inside a cave. It felt a little Indiana Jones. I also enjoyed the fearless monkeys clambering about and asking locals for fruit on the long staircase up. After heading back in to the city I visited the national mosque, the national planetarium, the KL bird park, the orchid garden in the botanical gardens and visited a mall to buy a long sleeved t-shirt to protect me from mosquitos on my next stops. A group of us from the hostel headed out for food and drinks together, and ended up in a bar with a band playing rock covers - some classics, some local tunes we didn’t. By chance I ran in to someone I’d met in Melaka, and also ended up playing a drinking game with a group of locals out for the night. Our groups combined in to one big chaotic party and we drank and danced into the early morning. Not bad for 36 hours.