| | Jan 31, 2006 - Kuala Lumpur - Our first Asian Stop | (click to enlarge)
 |  | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | Waiting for our room at the Renaissance
| | The Petronas Towers
| | Looking up the Petronas Towers
| | Inside one of dozens of KL shopping malls
| (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | KL Skyline
| | "Where did I put my ticket so I can get out of here?!?"
| | Heading into China Town
| | Purchasing my 'TAG' watch for only $6
| (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | (click to enlarge)
 | | Historic architecture of the Train Station
| | Hawker Food Stalls
| | Enjoying traditional Malay Satays on a banana leaf with watermelon juice
|
|
| Segment 4 Begins - South East Asia
Kuala Lumpur - Our First Asian City
Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, a new chapter in our trip and our first stop in what we have called Segment 4 - South East Asia. A new continent serving up completely different cultures, landscapes and experiences. Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is called for short, we were welcomed by their modern and user friendly airport and in no time had cleared customs, withdrawn Malaysian ringgits, collected our luggage, and just as the morning sun was rising, boarded a contemporary high speed train whisking us into the city centre.
Although our budget for Asia is low (perhaps not by backpacker standards) at about $75 CAD per day, we were spending more in KL and staying at the beautiful Renaissance Hotel whose gorgeous pool area served us well in the steamy, humid tropical weather. Typical to Marriott run hotels, the service was incredible and our room had all the comforts of home making our first stop in Asia relaxing and incredibly comfortable.
My expectations for KL were not high and basically wanted to accomplish two things: secure our Vietnam Visa required for the cruise and sample some of the delicious Malaysian satay I love so much. This second objective was easily accomplished as we filled ourselves with excellent Malay food from local food courts and street hawkers at incredibly low prices. However, achieving the Vietnamese Visa for our upcoming cruise was not quite so easy.
We first called from the hotel to the Vietnamese Consulate looking for some information. The employee on the other end of the line was none to friendly, provided minimal advice and proceeded to bang down the phone on the hotel concierge who was assisting us. With service like this we thought we best get to the Consulate ASAP despite being tired and jetlagged from our overnight flight. It was about 9:30 AM and hopped a cab to the Vietnamese Consulate that was housed in classic, old British colonial mansion, on a quiet side street not too far from our hotel. Arriving inside we sensed an air of tension and quiet gloom as four or five other travellers waited silently outside the counter and glass wall separating them from the two sombre looking consulate staff on the other side.
Striking up conversation with some of the other travellers our fear in getting a Visa in the short time frame we had began to grow. "It took 5 full business days to get my visa," says one and as another overhears our conversation and adds, "Typically it takes a week to process, but I think you can pay extra for a rush service of 3 days." That was a bit more reassuring to hear. We were in KL for only 3 days before moving on to Singapore for a few days and then off to Hong Kong to catch a cruise for which we needed the Visa to be able to board.
Then we heard the worst rumour of all from a nice British lady who was patiently waiting for her passport and Visa - "The Consulate closes today at 4 for almost a week as it is Chinese New Years." A wave of panic trembled through us. The thought had never crossed our mind about the Lunar New Years holidays. In fact, we didn't even really think about the fact that it was a Thursday and the consulate would be closed over the weekend. Travelling for so long now days just flowed into each other and the day of the week doesn't mean anything to us anymore. All we need to know is if it is a travel day and when we have to catch a flight, train, bus or some other scheduled event - otherwise why do we care what day of the week it is?
We proceeded with filling in the paperwork for our Visas and approached the curt, short Vietnamese man sitting behind the counter wearing his oversized 1970's style glasses that seemed to project the air of tension that was filling the room. As we explained our dilemma, he told us there was a rush fee and we could get a Visa in 3 business days, however, they were closing for the holidays at 4pm and would not reopen until Wednesday. We asked the earliest we could get the visas and he again stated they were closing for the holidays but did not answer our question. I started to think that he didn't understand our request. However, more than likely he just did not care, after hearing sob stories and pleas like this on a daily basis with everyone in a rush to get through the red tape have their freedom to move on.
He took our passports and paperwork and began looking them over and once again repeated they were closing for the holidays when we asked when the earliest was we could get the visas. For a moment I thought he was planning on keeping our passports for the week, which was not possible at all for us. We could extend our stay until Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest to wait for the Visas but he just keeps telling us they are closed. If he could not get us the Visas by Wednesday, we would have to hope to get them in Hong Kong before boarding the cruise, which would really be cutting it too close for comfort. Again, I wondered, did he really understand when we needed them or was he reviewing our forms planning on keeping our passports for week?
Suddenly out of blue as he is going over the second form he tells us to come back at 3pm the same day to pick them up. We were shocked. What a stroke of luck on our part. As icy and abrupt as he was, he did seem to have some compassion to our situation after all. As we left all smiles and feeling relieved, a somewhat grubby looking backpacker, with dirty blond dreadlocks hanging down over his tank top said to us with a hint of bitterness, "You guys are lucky...I did everything to try to get my Visa quicker and have wasted a week here in KL as it eats away at my budget. Must be nice to be you. I should be in Borneo right now." It was indeed our lucky day.
After our visa was in order, the next few days we spent exploring KL as the sweat ran down our backs soaking our shirts and dripping from our brows in the humid, tropical heat. We ventured through China town and delighted ourselves with bargain music CDs, DVDs to watch on our laptop and a lovely new 'TAG' watch for myself - all knock offs, cheap as dirt and of questionable quality but inexpensive, fun shopping. We explored the malls, Hawker food stalls for our meals and spent some time enjoying our hotel and incredible pool area that was a blessing in the heat and humidity.
Our Asian stop was interesting and so different from anywhere we have previously travelled on our journey but not a destination that got me too excited. I enjoyed the Asian aspect, but feel no need to return to Kuala Lumpur itself, with the exception to catch our flight to Sydney in May. From here we are off on a 5 or 6 hour bus journey to Singapore for 3 days there before flying to Hong Kong to board our cruise and put that Vietnamese Visa to good use!
Ten Travel Tips for Kuala Lumpur
1. Located almost on the Equator, be prepared for the heat - humid and steamy all year round. Make sure you pack light cotton clothes comfortable for the hot weather and recommend booking a hotel with pool to cool off after a day on the streets.
2. If you want an authentic dining experience, visit the street vendors called the hawkers. Hawker stalls offer delicious food at very cheap prices. Dinner for 2 of us including drinks and a desert was only $8 CAD.
3. A similar dining experience can be had at some of the food courts in the numerous shopping malls throughout the city. Many of the nicer malls have two food courts one with more Westernized options and the other traditional Asian options. The Asian food courts sell excellent food at cheap prices.
4. KL is a big and busy city where renting a car and driving is NOT recommended. Public buses, trains, and monorails are inexpensive, efficient, easy to use and will get you pretty much anywhere you need to go. Taxis are also readily available and are quite inexpensive.
5. KL makes an excellent central gateway for travellers to South East Asia. If you fly in or out of KL you can use their modern high-speed express train that runs between the central station in town and the airport terminal and takes only 30 minutes.
6. You can't miss them, but the Petronas Towers are a focal point on the city's horizon from just about any vantage point. Visit them up close to further explore their architectural beauty.
7. KL has a thriving China Town worth a visit for the historic buildings and atmosphere. Vendors sell anything from food and clothes to knock off Rolex watches and Oakley sunglasses all at bargain prices.
8. Beware of any brand label shopping. Counterfeit products are everywhere so if the price seems to good to be true, the product probably isn't real.
9. Like most large cities in South East Asia, they very much have a mall culture with shopping malls everywhere. Visit the malls for shopping, to take in the local mall culture, for the food courts or just to beat the heat like the locals and enjoy the air conditioning.
10. The old KL train station is the city's most famous historic building built as a hybrid of colonial British and indigenous architecture. It is worth a look for those who appreciate historic buildings and architecture.
www.carlhenderson.ca
www.imagestoframe.com
|
| |
| |
