On my quest to hit 4 continents in 9 days I have arrived (and will soon be leaving) Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.I sensed that I was slightly overdressed in my jeans, longsleeve shirt, and down vest after my long and arduous plane ride from Sweden. To my excuse, Sweden was really cold and winter clothing was necessary. It was NOT necessary in KL however, as the temperature at 7am was easily 90 degrees, total humidity.
I arrived to a distant friend, Eric, who greeted me in the Sentral Train Station. As we loaded my bags into his car, I casually walked in stride to the passengers door. He stopped me midway and asked me where I was going. Than he quickly informed and reminded me that they drive on the opposite side here, and what is known as the passenger side is the driver. Oops. My bad. Good start. Feeling slightly silly with a person I've only known for 6 minutes.
Kuala Lumpur is the meeting point of cultures. The diversity is tremendous and this is apparant as you stroll around the city streets. Malay's, Chinese, and Indians all pack the street as they coexist in Malaysia's capital city. Muslims, Buddhists, and Arabics all have their seperate worshipping sites in a variety of locations. If the United States is known as a "melting pot" of races a
nd religions, KL is up there in competition for their diversity in culture.2 things that will come to the immediate attention of a new arrival into KL are the abundance of malls and shopping centers, and the KL twin towers.
There are about 7 malls within a 10 minute walk from my hotel. And these aren't small malls. They are enormous. Overwhelming. Obtrusively large. These monstrocities are asking you to get lost. 7 stories and endless turns and nooks to walk through. How does anyone have money here? It's tempting to indulge yourself in retail therapy.
The other site, which is still somewhat obtrusive but much more pleasant on the eyes are the KL twin towers. These are the largest twin towers in the world. There is a quick recognition upon first glance. This is because you have seen them in movies such as "Entrapment", with Sean Connery and catherine Zeta-Jones. They try to cross the two towers via cable-wire on newyears. Not so smart.
At night the city lights turn on and the streets are filled with noise and glowing neons. It's actually quite beautiful to look at. The hustle and bustle never stops which sounds worse than it is. Although it can be somewhat overwhelming, its actually quite a spectacle.
And than there is the food...
This is not a place to go if watching your waist. As the diversity in culture is wide, so is the availability of different types of food. Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Malay.... you name it, they have it. It's beyond delicious and the food alone could keep you here for days on end.
But I don't have days on end. And it's probably a good thing. Tomorrow I leave for Australia. The land down under is my next stop in this quick 9 day trip that has already landed me from New York to Sweden, to Malaysia...and now to Australia.
