Kuala Lumpur, Day 1: Long bridges and tall towers.

28th June 2015...yes I am aware how far behind I am. I also apologise in this advance for the quality of writing in this blog. I am finding it exceedingly difficult to find time for blogging in Cambodia, and currently I have friends messaging me as they are waiting for me to go out.



Penang was a wonderful city, but after three full days, it was time to leave. My next destination was Kuala Lumpur, somewhere I was rather ambivalent about. I wanted to see the Islamic Arts Museum in the city, as one of my papers I had studied at university was on Islamic art and architecture, but aside from that there was little in the city I was 'mad keen' on seeing. It was rather one of those occasions where I travelled to somewhere because it was convenient and I felt I should visit the capital and largest city in Malaysia.


Well, as it turns out, Kuala Lumpur was fun, and I spent in total seven nights in the chaotic, congested, confusing city, and I honestly wished I could have spent more.

The city is fairly light on must-see attractions, but the food and atmosphere in each of its distinct neighbourhoods was addictive in its variety and appeal, and I found it incredibly difficult to wake up on my final day, pack my bag, and leave this city.


But before we talk about leaving Kuala Lumpur (affectionately abbreviated as 'KL'), I need to explain how I reached the city.


I reached the city by bus.


Exciting eh?


Well, I did have the front seat on a luxury bus, and so had my own small armchair surrounded by huge glass windows on three sides.

This view was appreciated when after around 90 minutes of waiting at various bus stations and negotiating extensive industrial estates, we emerged onto the new Bridge No.2 which connected Penang to the mainland. 

The bridge just disappeared into the distance, took around fifteen minutes to traverse, and was the only distraction on an otherwise uneventful 360 kilometre journey to Kuala Lumpur. I took advantage of this time to listen to Taylor Swift, browse what few BBC news articles my snail-slow mobile data could load, and serenade my fellow passengers with my sonorous snoring.


Eventually, the scenery passing the bus began to change: the roads widened, the trees grew less frequent, and the buildings multiplied and grew in height. I was in Kuala Lumpur.


I was unceremoniously dumped outside the KL Sentral rail and metro terminus, and walked inside to investigate my transport options. I wanted to reach Kuala Lumpur station on the KTM Komuter line, but one look at the monstrous ticket office queues, and I walked away in disbelief. I assessed a metro map, and decided to instead use the MRT, whose queues were much more manageable, to reach the nearby station of Pasar Seni, and from there walk to an area I knew held plenty of cheap hostels. Yeah...I did not book my accommodation in advance...again. 


There's a reason I did so much organising in advance of this trip: I am doing next to no organising whilst on the trip!


The MRT station brought right to the outskirts of KL's Chinatown, which is the focus of backpacker accommodation and bars. Within two minutes I had spotted the name of a hostel I had looked at earlier on Hostelworld, and had organised myself a bed for the night. The hostel Fernloft KL, which seemed OK when I was shown around, soon appeared far more grim than I had imagined. There were mould stains washed into the bedding, and there were fees and surcharges for everything. I just remained happy that I had only booked into it for one night, and...ahem...I never actually slept in the disgusting dorm room.


After I had ditched my main bag, and grabbed a quick bowl of noodles on the street corner, I was ready to explore Kuala Lumpur. I thought I would start local, and get to know the polluted, dirty, awesome Chinatown area.


On first sight, it had some features that were reminiscent of Penang.

But KL's city centre, not constrained as much as Penang by the need to conserve heritage and colonial-period architecture, felt a little more urban and...developed, in that the buildings were much taller and narrower than those in Penang.

I stopped by a Hindu temple, which was disappointingly closed (one local suggested it could be because it was Sunday, but seeing as that is a Christian day of rest in a Muslim country, I was not convinced), so instead ducked into the Chinese temple which squatted just across from it. 

The ornate outside of Sri Maha Mariamman temple.

The fortunately-open Guan Di temple. I loved how dwarfed it was by the surrounding buildings.

Yarg...there be dragons...everywhere...yarg....retreat!

Just one street away stretched the epicentre of old Chinatown: Jalan Petaling. If you had forgotten you were in Chinatown, the local authorities had thoughtfully strung up red Chinese lanterns everywhere to remind you.

The streets were crowded with stalls selling tacky souvenirs and knock-off watches, whilst in the stores and lanes behind stood local restaurants and produce sellers. The tourist stalls felt very much like a veneer which allowed occasional glimpses at the authentic local life that continued behind the scenes.


I explored the various lanes, and ignored the various hawkers, and after stopping for a few local snacks (well, I would be a bad tourist if I did not sample the local dishes), I walked back towards my hostel to seek out my guide book, and a plan for what I should do later.

Some little friends I spotted in a store.

As I perused my carefully-curated lists of what I should do in Kuala Lumpur, I was increasingly aware of how late in the afternoon it was becoming, and how I really did not have the time to effective explore any of the areas I had listed as worth visiting.


But then I realised I had missed an obvious, easy attraction: the Petronas towers. I had decided when planning for KL that I would not bother ascending the tower to see the view, as the tickets were expensive and necessitated queuing early in the morning to purchase one before they sold out. Furthermore, the one building that I would want to see from a high vantage point such as the Petronas towers would be glaringly absent from the skyline, as I would be standing within them. So all I wanted to do was go see the towers, take a few photographs, and return home. Easily achieved within the remaining two hours of daylight. 


After a brief journey on the free GO KL bus service, and then a short walk along raised walkways and through a mall (seemingly everything in the Golden Triangle is 'through a mall', as every time I went there, I took shortcuts through malls), I emerged in KLCC park, which was flanked by gleaming, piercing skyscrapers.


KLCC stands for Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, which is nearby/under/around/in somewhat proximate to the Petronas Towers. 

I soon easily spotted the towers among the urban jungle, and decided as the sun was setting roughly behind them, I should find a quiet spot and wait out the sunset with a cold bottle of water and some BBC new articles. 


Yes, I am boring, but I am also poor and so that is all the entertainment I can afford. If this were Thailand, there would be hookers and beer without a doubt.


Soon enough, I became bored, so indulged in some selfies.

The sunset was slow in coming, and did not really produce the picture I wanted to take, but I still enjoyed relaxing in the park, and admiring the gleaming, steel towers as the sky was burnished orange behind them. 

After several uneventful hours in a park (travelling for me is always action-packed and glamorous), I had to rush off as I was running late for a date. 


Yes, I went on a date. With a Malaysian guy from Melacca. We went out to grab some local food near to his neighbourhood, and I had a really delicious meal whilst he berated me on not having eaten enough of Penang's local food, and educated me about his culture and life.


It was nice, he was pleasant, but he was not my type. 


However, seemingly, I was having a good night that night, because upon returning to my hostel, I got talking to a Spanish guy in the common area. After chatting for a while, it transpired we were both interested in guys, and he invited me out for a drink.


It was nice, he was pleasant, and he was my type. 


...



DSP


PS: I may have bought myself a late birthday present in the form of a larger-than-life, 2ft tall plush Pikachu. Yes it was a stupid idea, but it cost only Rm30 (£5) and is amazing in every way.

Useful Information:

Transport:

• My luxury bus (I did not ask for luxury, it's just what I'm given) cost Rm41 (£7) which included a transfer from the hostel.

Accommodation:

• For my first night, I stayed in Fernloft KL, which was a dump. It cost me RM28.50 (£5), which was far more than advertised on Hostelworld, as they don't include tax, fees, towel hire, and the charge for being permitted to breathe their air in their quoted price. It looked alright initially, as they make you pay before giving you mould-spotted linen. Gross.
• On the days when my gracious Couchsurfer was not able to host me, I stayed at Grocers Inn on Jalan Sultan, which was so cheap at RM15 (£2.50) for a fan dorm, but was reasonably clean and the staff friendly. 

Attractions:

• Sri Maha Mariamman temple is on Jalan Tun H S Lee, and is free to enter, when it is open. Nearest metro station is Pasar Seni LRT.
• Guan Di Chinese temple is also on Jalan Tun H S Lee, and is also free. Nearest metro station is Pasar Seni LRT.
• Petronas towers are expensive to climb but free to photograph. Accessible via KLCC