Kuala Lumpur

Mmmmmmmm ...
After Lee's last few posts, you might think that Kuala Lumpur has been only about doing taxes and chasing after mirage FedEx offices (by the way, the other day while sitting at an outdoor cafe, we saw a FedEx van drive by!). But that is far from the case; we've definitely experienced a lot of what KL has to offer.

Saturday we went to the district of Little India to check out its famous Saturday night market. The place was amazing! Picture several city blocks of tables laden with food, drink, snacks, desserts, etc. We feasted on such items as fried chicken breast, a beef sandwich, murtaback (similar to a samosa), chocolate cake, nasi lemak (which is really supposed to be for breakfast), and a tasty 'frappucino'-type iced mocha. All for under C$3 (the frapuccino was only C$0.60 -- take that Starbucks)! Well-stuffed and tired from looking at all the colourful stands, we decide to walk the half hour back to our guesthouse. After a few blocks we came upon a makeshift stage in a little plaza. As we got there, the MC (this very flamboyant, Liberace-inspired gentleman) who seemed to be introducing the next act spontaneously, and to much cheering, broke into song! He was actually quite good but Lee, cynically, believed he was lip-syncing. His act was followed by a local band called Master Clan. Part gangsta rap, part boy band, and part hip hop, they were dressed in the usual uniform of baggy clothes, trucker hats, headbands, etc., and they played it up with all the right rap/boy band/hip hop moves. They worked hard to get the audience to "feel the love ... it's all about the love, baby," but they just weren't buying. Probably because the audience consisted primarily of older couples, young families, and middle-aged men. They were actually quite good, and we felt a bit bad for them. Next up was a young Asian girl who was more to the audience's tastes. She sang a number of Hong Kong classics (including a famous soap opera theme song). It probably also helped that she was young, cute, perky, and wearing an outfit that was both demure and sexy (a look that has been mastered in the Muslim countries we've visited). We also saw a couple of traditional dances before we decided to head home.

During the last couple of days we've taken in a few other of KL's sights. First was the KL Tower, which is similar to the CN Tower in Toronto although shorter. The view from the observation deck was quite good despite the bad weather moving in. Afterwards, we managed to beat the rain to the Petronas Towers, the highest twin buildings in the world, and KL's most famous landmark. They really are quite stunning. While the KL Tower is rather plain and uninspiring to look at, the PTs are a marvel of classic and modern islamic architecture in glass and steel. At their base is a giant mall, Suria KLCC, and although we couldn't afford anything from the posh stores (think Gucci, Hermes, etc.), we did treat ourselves to some really tasty watermelon gelato.

Statues at the entry to the Batu Caves Hindu shrine.
Next on the agenda were the Batu Caves. This Hindu shrine is the site of the annual Thaipusam festival, an orgy of colours, dance, music, and skin pierced with metal hooks (apparently to show repentence). Alas, we missed it (it's in February), but the caves were rather impressive nonetheless. A stairway with 272 steps leads to the maw of the cave, and it's lined with monkeys waiting for handouts from tourists and devotees. While most of the older monkeys just sat around, the younger monkeys were a bit more playful and aggressive. Indeed, one little guy kept trying to grab at peoples feet and bags. On the way down the steps, we saw what was likely the cause of this behaviour. We saw a family teasing the monkeys with candy (it should be noted that the candy was still in its wrapper). And we were effectively ignored when we pointed out that not only could the monkeys choke on the wrapping, but also that candy is not good for them. And we later saw a woman waving a shirt in a monkey's face; I assume to get it to 'do' something. Why are people so ignorant?

Despite all the 'hard work' we've had to do in KL, we've enjoyed our time here. But it's time to move on ... next up, Taman Negara and, hopefully, a trek up Gunung Tahan.

For more photos, see our Malaysia photo album.