Thursday 26 March 2009

First night in KL.

Hi, Kelly here, giving Alan a rest from blog duties.

So, here we are in Kuala Lumpur. It took a 5 hour bus trip to get here - the bus seats were more like reclining armchairs and very comfy (Alan slept like a baby!). The toilet on the bus, was a little less desirable as it was like a small dirty metal sauna, and your wee went straight out onto the road… Alan managed to attract the attention of another male companion today, who insisted on talking to him when we stopped for a leg stretch and toilet break. Back on the bus, Alan put his i-pod on, so I had to pretend to fall asleep to avoid spending the whole journey talking to our new friend, his wife, sister, cousin and other family members, who were all a little odd. I also got to sample Alan's music tastes and spent a delighfull few minutes listening to 1990's euphoric trance before turning that crap off.

The first look I have had of Malaysia has consisted mainly of trees. It’s seems very lush and green, sunny and nice. We are looking forward to getting out to the beaches now and getting some sun on our pasty white skin.

Our hostel is located in China Town, which was described in the guide book as the “old commercial centre” which actually means where the market is with all the fake designer stuff. It’s really busy and there are loads of handbags, purses, sunglasses etc etc … If I had room in my case (and the money to buy them) I would be out there haggling now!!! There is also a huge array of food on offer from the street stalls. This hostel is more “traditional” than the others we have stayed in so far, as it has the following amenities – small rooms, fluorescent lighting, paper thin walls, noisy people and a strong smell of glue – lesson learnt about booking at the last minute. The reception staff are really helpful though, and we will be getting info from them to help book the rest of the Malaysia section (the next 3 weeks) of our trip tomorrow.

Tonight we followed in the footsteps of many other backpackers before us, and headed for a wander around China Town and ended the night with a few beers and food at the Reggae bar. Tomorrow we head for the twin towers and other sights of KL before hitting the road again and travelling further north into Malaysia.



And finally, there seems to be some controversy over Alan’s views on Singapore. I liked the look of Singapore, it was very green and neon which gave it a rich and vibrant feel. We did do the tourist things, (but we are tourists!) and these things cost money, just a lot of money in some cases. We will be heading back, before flying off to Oz, so will be able to experience the $5 food and beers too. I think starting off in Japan spoiled us as we really enjoyed it there.

That’s all for now. Thanks to those who have left comments, it’s great to hear from you and know that you are reading, keep it up!

Kelly x

3 comments:

  1. loving the blog, keep it up. keep away from the handbags !!!
    love from josh, jake and sophie xxx
    and gemma and mum xx
    mum said where are the bananas ?

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  2. Weirdos on buses... there's always 1. My favourite was a chat with a bloke who smuggled drugs and people over the US/Mexico border. I was scared.

    Enjoy the 90's euphoria. I'm off to the Waterfront tomorrow night for 90's night... hopefully I'll hear some too. I'll dust off the glow sticks!

    Peace.
    Tommy
    xx

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  3. Yay! I've been in the reggae bar! What did you think of all the transexuals who worked there? Or did you do what I did, and not realise who they were till half way through the night and go 'ooo!' quite loudly?

    If you are going to Langkawai, GET THE CABLE CAR! Even if it does proclaim in a big banner that it is working TOWARDS it's safety standard (you would hope it would have got there before they let people on it, but oh well!)

    Alex x

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