KL

A new country!  Descending into Kuala Lumpur, the lush, green hills spread in every direction. Upon closer view, the green is mostly rows of palm trees which become visible as far as the eye can see and gives credence to the stories about Malaysian environmental irresponsibility. Over 60% of the county's rain forests have been destroyed through logging and much of that has been re-planted with palms for the production of lucrative palm oils. We took a bus from the airport to Chinatown and it took the better part if an hour in the rain to find our hostel. We happen to hit Malaysia at the start of monsoon season, meaning a few hours of downpour twice a day and unfortunately the end of the tourist season on at some of the most beautiful parts of the country.

 

Petaling Street

Our hostel was nestled into east side of Chinatown and conveniently located next to the bustling Petaling street, home to the black market for everything from knock off handbags to Nike running shoes and Fauxlex watches.  The hostel ended up being a nice, cozy place to escape from the rain. It gave us time to get to know the guy working reception.  He is one of those people that always has a smile on his face and a very positive attitude about everything.  Which is why I was surprised when we got to know him better that he is a Syrian refugee.  He left his country about 18 months ago and has been traveling since, trying to find work and wait out his hearing with the UN to officially get refugee status.  He is a single Syrian guy who decided to leave his house and good job as a jewelry designer because of the unstable environment he found himself in.  We were fascinated and in our conversation we asked him how he felt about what was going on the Middle East and what it is like to leave under those circumstances.  He gave us honest candid answers.  He also showed us how to design rings on his computer.  It's nice to talk to someone who has lived there. It gives you a better understanding of the situation and more of an insider perspective than the weekly article on CNN.

This Hindu temple is literally next door to our hostel

Out for a walk to find the laundromat!

The food in the area wasn't too shabby either.  Andy's personal favorite was the meat squares comparable to tender beef jerky.  Malaysia offers a wide variety of Asian food like Indian curries, delicious Indonesian bakso soup, spicy sambal sauces, malay dishes, and my favorite...the steam stall.  You basically choose to steam, BBQ, or fry your stick of seafood, meat, or vegetables.  The color on each stick represents the cost of the item and by the end you are left with rainbow colored pile of sticks and a meal for two under $6.  We shared this culinary experience with a gregarious group of Egyptians.  Andy talked them into the octopus stick.

Meat Square Store

Tastes meaty!

Best bakso soup in Asia made guy wearing a shirts that says,  Sorry Girls, I'm Taken!

Rambatan - Lychee like fruit

Steam Stall

Mini Octapus Stick

New friends

The trademark of KL is the Petronas Towers. It's an impressive display of architecture with two towers raising 88 stories into the sky inspired by Islamic art and connected by a bridge. Being the budget travelers that we are, we opted to view the towers at the neighboring hotel skybar and order happy hour beers at a fraction of the price to visit the observation deck of the towers.  The towers are in the middle of the financial district or Golden Triangle part of town and surrounded by a park, numerous fountains, and a mosque.  This part of the city is full of foreign businesses and foreign business professionals, half of which joined us at the Friday night happy hour. This truly is the only way to see these massive structures.

Petronas Towers

Petronas towers with a Tiger :)

Asia is home to A LOT of temples but the Batu Cave Hindu temple outside of Kuala Lumpur is one of the more extraordinary ones.  The temple is built into limestone stone caves with an enormous statue of Murugan (42.7 Meters) in front.  To enter the caves and reach the temple, a stair climb is necessary.  When you reach the top, it is a haven for macaque monkeys.  They keep a steady population thanks to with pockets heavy with bananas, Pringles, yogurt and almost anything else you could buy at the 7eleven.  If you have food, it is wise to hand it over or risk the tooth baring growls of the monkeys.

Murugan Statue

Inside the enormous cave

Hoofin' it up the stairs

Yogurt Monkey

Temple inside the temple

View of the city

KL is a modern metropolis where futuristic high rises are next door to old historical buildings, mosques and temples.  We found it to be a remarkable place where you can enjoy modern conveniences and observe a variety of different cultural traditions, religion, and food. It also shows that the most interesting person you may meet is the guy working the front desk at the hostel.

Chinese Tea House

Huge coils of incense burning at a temple

National Mosque

Andy finally gave into the heat!!  Haircut montage....

Goldie Locks

Kramer?

Hey there good lookin'!