Kuala Lumpur (aka KL)

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur around 4:45 in the morning after a night of sliding around the bus as it sped through the windy roads of the center of the country. Overnight buses always seem like a good idea, but the reality is that it typically means that I just get a few hours of sleep and arrive groggy in an unknown city early the next morning. I talked to a few people at the crowded bus station, finding that the subway didn't start up until 6:30 or 7 and not wanting to pay the 50% surcharge on taxis after midnight, I decided to just find a seat and wait it out, deciding that once the prices went back to normal at 6, I'd take a taxi in town and hope to find a place to relax for a while. Predictably, the taxi drivers still tried to scam me, refusing to use their meters, and I eventually gave in, not wanting to wait around another hour or two to find an honest driver, though I only paid about a dollar extra - another instance where it's not so much the amount of money but just the whole concept that really annoys me. Stepping out of the taxi to my potential hostel, I found a narrow stairway and a sign pointing to the third floor, though I quickly thought I'd find a different place, as there was a homeless guy sleeping on the concrete threshold of the entrance, meaning that I'd literally have to step over him to get to my place, thinking that might not be the best sign. Fortunately there was another cheap hotel just a few doors down, and I got a private room, deciding it was worth it, as I took a nice nap in the comfort of the dark, air conditioned room.

Not knowing what to expect, I explored the city in the next few days, finding a mix of a few colonial style buildings, interesting Indian and Chinese influences and Arabic-inspired architecture all contributing to the look and feel of the city. There are not of lot of major sites in the city, but I did take a bus tour to get an idea of the layout of the city as well as providing quick transportation to each of the spots. Winding through crowded streets filled with buses, walkers, cars and incredible amounts of scooters and motorcycles, we passed a few key attractions, with the mosques and domes catching my eye along the way. The city is also linked by a series of subways, trains and monorails, all having been developed separately and thus not linking all that easily to each other, though taxis are really cheap, so that's the easier way to get around anyway. By the way, the name Kuala Lumpur means "Muddy Confluence," as it originally developed as a trading center at the meeting point of two muddy rivers.

Overall, the city had a decent feel, but I was more excited about doing a few day trips to the outlying areas and sampling the exquisite food. Even more than Singapore, I was really, really impressed by the food in KL. A mix of Chinese, Indian, Thai, local curry, noodles, rice and even a bit of Arabic, the offerings here are full of flavor and variety, all at very cheap prices. I had assorted noodles, soups and curries, usually for about $2 a plate. There was even a night market street just two blocks from my hostel where they literally stack plastic tables and chairs out into one lane of the two lane road, filling up with tourists and locals until the early hours of the morning with any variety of fresh seafood, curry, noodles and fresh fruit. The putrid smell of the durian, the "King of Fruit", was also present around this area. The durian, a large, spiky, hard brown fruit about the size of a large cantaloupe is iconic in Southeast Asia. The smell is described as something of a mix of disinfectant and vomit, being so strong that it is even banned in some hotels, taxis and restaurants. I spoke to some locals who despise the odor, but there are just as many, if not more, that absolutely love the fruit, purchasing it from the markets or roadside stands selling just this that line the backroads of the country. I even gave it a try, watching the vendor chop open the hard casing with a machete and prying it apart to reveal a few large pockets within the thick white inside. The pockets are a custard yellow color, looking a bit like a chicken breast. The fleshy part, covering a large pit, is probably most like the texture of a dense avocado, not really sweet, and obviously not tasting like anything I had ever eaten before. I chomped down the few pieces that I bought, actually not falling into either of the two polarizing groups that love it or hate it.

(The colorful colonial buildings of an area near Little India backed by a modern skyscraper.)

(One of the government buildings on the side of Merdeka Square...I think Merdeka means independence or freedom or something.)

(An incredible version of the Thai dish pad kee mao. This is a spicy basil noodle dish with vegetables and ground chicken. I went back twice for this, and it was only $1.67. I regret not sending a few of these back home via the mail.)

(A fragrant display near the Hindu temple in Little India.)

(Incense coils in a Buddhist temple in the area between Chinatown and Little India. I call it Littletown.)

(The Sultan Abdul something something building. Nice enough to take a picture, not nice enough to look up the proper name.)

(One of the guards at the government house, trying to stay awake.)

(More interesting buildings along Merdeka Square. This place was probably the most interesting area in the city in terms of buildings.)

(Once again in Merdeka Square, with the KL Tower in the back left of the picture.)