120. Going Home

Returning from taking photos of the dawn, I had toast and tea (breakfast doesn't start until 8.00 and I would be gone before then). The pre-ordered taxi came just a few minutes late - I was almost hyper ventilating at the thought if the taxi missed the bus, I'd miss my plane! Well it didn't happen I did catch the bus and I did catch the plane.

There are people who say it's cheaper to get the bus to Melaka Sentral, but me? If I had to scrimp and scrimp to save a few ringgit it'd be a pretty deplorable situation. No - I'd rather travel in comfort and go by taxi.

 

Above: Melaka Sentral
The taxi arrived here and for all my worrying, the bus didn't leave on time anyway! The bus terminal is quite large with good facilities - banking, food stalls, clothing and a host of other items - it is in fact a small shopping mall and inside a bus station! How neat is that eh?

 

Above: Plaza Toll
One of the toll booths that are prevalent on Malaysian roads. As you can see, there are many lanes.

 

Above: KL Airport
On the way we passed an army truck complete with soldiers and weaponry, but the photos all came out very blurry so I haven't put them up. After around two hours, we arrived at KL LCCT airport. I like this airport - it's my favourite. I like the way you can just step outside, go for a gander, there's greenery outside, to the left is a very large eatery and the Air Asia kiosk has some good souvenir items.

I like too, Marrybrown's - their fish is really good. (I am not a McDonald's person - yuk, dreadful stuff).

 

Above: T 18 - Waiting for the flight home waiting for Flight D7 2722
Well now, here we are - waiting for our flight in the departure lounge. People were going up to the counter to go through, but were told not yet. And every time an Air Asia person came along, up would jump several people.

 

Above: No, the door is still locked!
This lady tried to open the door. It was still locked!

 

Above: Our plane - 30 minutes later!
Finally, the doors opened, and we are walking on the tarmac. The time was around 12.30pm and the weather was very hot.

 

Above: Watching movies - MASH
As this was a daytime flight, I paid the $10 to watch movies for the flight. Watching the re-run of M*A*S*H. Soon it was meal time - eating always helps pass the time doesn't it? It breaks up the journey. I fell asleep later to find it was dark outside - night had fallen. Remember, Melbourne is two hours ahead of Malaysia, but being daylight saving time, it's three hours ahead.

 

Above: Tullamarine Airport
Back home, and it's 12.15am (9.15pm in Malaysia). I walked outside, lit up a smoke and shivered in the cool air. Had to ring my son who was supposed to be here to pick me up. I had to catch a taxi.

I came back with wonderful memories of my time in both Cambodia and Malaysia. This was my first overseas trip to Asia and it was a wonderful experience. Since then, I have been back to Kuala Lumpur, but the memory of this first trip stands out in my memory.

Below are two poems, one is a Khmer poem called "Angkor Wat II" written by Dan Haag which was inspired by Vikram Prakash's 4-15-03 Angkor Wat lecture. The second is a Malaysian poem called "Fairytale" by Malaysian poet Xin jo Ng.



ANGKOR WAT IIby Jan Haag
No matter how you succeed
in pushing back time and oblivion
No matter what new knowledge
you may find circulating about the universe
No matter what exquisite perfections
the architecture of your civilizations may obtain
The jungle lush and green stealing carbon
pumping oxygen comes back for Angkor Wat's splendor
Until the sun in her omnivorous beneficence and warmth,
in her perpetual greed for growth, for incineration swallows up the earth.




FAIRYTALEby Xin jo Ng
Turn around and walk away
It’s nothing but a dream far away
The laughter and the tears and the memories
The truths and the lies and the fantasies
When all mistakes were done and made
Loosen your grip and let it fade
What was never yours will never be
Open your eyes wide and see
There is no beginning there is no end
Only a fairytale woven by hand

finis

35. Kuala Lumpur Central Market

I made my way back to the bus stop and it was at this point I found I had gone the (very) long way around. Cutting through a side street on my left and using a large building as a sort of landmark, I found myself back to not far from where I started. Next on my "must do's" was the Central Market. The photo below isn't all that great but it's the only one I have - there are so many cars and people walking it isn't easy to get a shot without them.

Above: Central Market

The market was lovely, full of umbrellas over the outside stalls, and going inside the building was ---Ah, air conditioning! It was welcome after the heat (remember I had only arrived that morning and was still adjusting to the change in climate) and I found after five or ten minutes the body gradually cools down. I wanted to buy something from here - a momento of Kuala Lumpur and I knew just the thing - a fan!

Above: Silk Fan
A friend back home had recommended I take a fan with me to combat the everlasting heat. Walking around Central market I saw many lovely things - bracelets, embroidered silks, clothes, knick knacks, object d'art, beautiful jewellery, and - fans. There were many at this particular stall but I had eyes only for one - the fan you see above. It is made of silk and bamboo and I loved the colours and timelessness of the picture.

On asking the price, the lady said MYR35. Here was my very first experience at "haggling" - you know, where the seller says one price and you say a lower price, then the two of you go back and forth until a price that is acceptable to both parties is agreed upon. Anyway, the lady looked at another lady who nodded her head slightly and we settled on MYR20. The proprietaries had been preserved and nobody had "lost face". I was very happy with my purchase and it came in very handy over the coming weeks.

Above: Silk Fan - back
These Chinese characters are on the back of the fan.

Above: Kuala Lumpur scenes
It was time to head back to the airport, and crossing over the road I waited for the Tourist bus. Above are some scenes I saw from the window. Arriving back at Sentral Station, I made my way downstairs to get the bus back to the airport.

Above: The Air Asia Bus
The Air Asia bus which runs between LCCT airport and Sentral Station. Traffic was pretty heavy and after a long day walking around it was good to finally sit back and relax.

34. Foot Master Fish Spa

Above: Foot Master Fish Spa
One of the things I really wanted to do in Malaysia was have a fish spa. Foot Master Fish Spa is on the 6th floor in the Berjaya Time Square Shopping Mall in Bukit Bintang. I was led in (no booking required) and I was told my feet had to be washed. You put your foot over this bath, the man hoses your foot and lower leg, then squirts some type of soap/detergent then washes it off. This is repeated with the other foot. He explained about Garra Rufu Fish Spa (foot skin aqua bio-therapy treatment) - there are three tanks and you start off in the first one. There's around 500 fish per tank. These Turkish male "fish doctors" secrete Dithranol which is an enzyme that renews and repairs the dead skin area. Hesitantly dipping my feet in, not knowing what to expect, it doesn't hurt at all, but feels very strange and ticklish. The tickling feeling wears off after a few minutes and I was given a cup of Chinese Tea which was refreshing as you start to relax.

After some time you are led to the second tank and then the third. After this, a lady took me to one of the rooms and rubbed some lotion into the heel of my right foot, then scrubbed it off. She showed me and advised I have some hard skin removal I think it was - the cost of this is MYR78, (AUD$26) the fish spa costs MYR28, (AUD$9.30) making a total of MYR106, (AUD$35.30). I agreed to this and since it was very relaxing I fell asleep lying back. I do hope I didn't embarrass myself by snoring - Quelle horreur!

Foot Master also offer Ancient Traditional Acupressure therapy and have a range of products for sale. It was a most relaxing experience and I recommend it to anyone going to Kuala Lumpur.

33. Berjaya Times Square

I may not have had the time to see as much as I'd have liked, but - I did get to do the one thing I really, really wanted to. A fish spa, I wanted a fish spa and this was tops on my list of things to do. I had asked the lovely ladies at the Malaysian Information Centre could they recommend a place, and the general consensus was - "There's a place in Berjaya Times Square" near Bintang Walk. Tourist bus stop no 6. Now this, I knew, was a bit of a hike from where the bus stop was, and I asked were there any other places. (Back home there had been a few recommendations for places in/near Chinatown). The ladies told me, yes, there are other places but the one they would recommend was the Berjaya one. It was a big place, and had a good reputation. So - Berjaya Times Square it was.

Above: Bread History
When I stepped off the bus, I looked at the little map and Berjaya didn't seem too far away - just walkd straight down here I was told and it's on your left just after the big red building. I walked along the street - and walked, and walked, and walked. But the big red building I'd been told about didn't make an appearance. So, I checked the map again. Keep on walking, weaving in and around the multitude of shoppers, here was a spot for a coffee, with some lovely palms. Sitting on the fence/ledge around the palms, I sat and had a smoke. A few other people had the same idea - obviously overseas visitors like myself.

Time to get moving, I eventually came the the end of the street - it was either left or turn right. I went left. AFter a few stops and starts, and asking for directions, I finally found it. (Funny thing, on my way back, I realised I had gone the long way - I couyld take a short cut to the left and walk up a street and voila! There I was, back on the main thoroughfare in only a few minutes.)

This is the entrance to Berjaya Times Square, there's a hotel on the right, I mistakenly went there and was nicely directed to the shopping centre next door. I rather liked this sign "Bread History" with what I thought was a cup of steaming hot tea next to it. but on closer inspection is in reality a loaf of bread just out of the oven - hence the steam arising from it.

Above: Berjaya Times Square
Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as these classic lines? The swoop and curves if each level around the escalators and the colours used made it feel warm and inviting. I rode up, then down, the escalators trying to find the shop.

Above: Let's go shopping
Looking down upon the shoppers here, I just had to take a photo - they reminded me of the Queen Vic on a Saturday afternoon. (The Queen Vic is the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne)

Above: Cosmo’s World Theme Park
Ever wished for a theme park and a shopping centre all in one? Well, at Berjaya Times Square, you can do just that. I could hear what sounded like rides, laughter nad music all rolled into one and wondered where it was coming from. Imagine my surprise at seeing this! It was just wonderful - colouful and vibrant.

I was fascinated by the shapes and design. Just think - you can drop the kiddies off here for a couple of hours, go shopping, take the weight off your feet and have a cuppa, then all sit down and watch a movie later at one of the cinemas! wow! That's what I call a great fun day out.

32. Scenes around Kuala Lumpur

The following photos were taken from the Tourist bus. I have done some as a collage rather than post too many individual ones - somehow it seems more interesting this way.

Above: KL Tower
Sitting in the bus I could see this tall striking looking tower looming up on the left hand side of the bus (lucky for me I was sitting on the left side wasn't it?) and thought how simply wonderful it looked with dark green foliage around it.

Above: Tower close-up
If you enlarge the photo you can see the detail in the underneath part of the pod. The tower (officially known as Menara Kuala Lumpur, but everybody refers to it as the KL Tower) was built in 1994 and it is used for telecommunication.

There's stairs and lifts to the top where you can enjoy a meal in the revolving restaurant. Each year so a lcoal told me, there's a race to see who can run up the stairs and get to the top first. You'd have to be very fit - it's like, 420 metres of stairs to run up!

Above: Coffee shops and strange shapes
Had I not been pushed for time, I'd really like to have stopped and had a coffee at this place, then taken a stroll around the Honolulu Club - I wondered why there was a the Totem Pole there. The three strange looking bark things made me think of the three wise monkeys for some reason. Taking a closer look they could be huts.

Above: Petronas Towers
I was really disappointed at not being able to spend time here or at least stand outside these magnificant towers and get a really good photo. Alas, I have to content myself with a silver coloured fridge magnet! (The magnet looks good I might add and each time I go to the fridge I am reminded of the great trip I had.)

You could say that the Petronas Twin Towers are to Malaysia what the Eiffel Tower is to France - an instantly recongisable symbol. They're one of the world's tallest buildings.

At a cost of $1.6 billion that's a lot of tower! They were designed by César Pelli and Djay Cerico, have 88 floors and are the tallest twin towers in the world.

Above: Fountain and foliage
Some more scenes of KL I saw from the bus window. The fountain is outside Pusat Konvensyen where major events are held. The bridge in the lower right hand side is an elevated viaduct for the KL Monorail while the Romanesque stone object on the middle right is.... an ashtray for smokers! I stood here later and thought how ingenius were the architects of this - so much nicer than a plain public rubbish bin.

31. KL Hop on bus

Above: Double Decker Tourist Bus
Coming out from the Tourism Centre there is a stop for the KL Hop-on/Hop-off Tourist bus just to the right of the entrance gate. The fares is MYR38 (approx AUD$12.50) I didn't have time to do a circuit so alightred at stop 6 as suggested by the ladies at the Info centre. The bus is comfortable and you climb up this narrow stairway to the top. There are headphones for translation, but I didn't use them I couldn't hear anything and it didn't bother me.

Above: Bus Route
This is the route for the Hop-on/Hop -off bus. Don't be fooled and think you'd be quicker than walking - it isn't true. It is a long way between stops. My stop was Number 6.

30. Malaysia Tourist Information

Walking a short way to the Information Centre I was struck by the lovely trees.

Above: Entrance Gate
The Information Centre was pretty and the entrance was welcoming. There were lovely plants and nice gardens.

Malaysia Tourism Centre
The building was white with columns and colonial type windows at the end of a path flanked by sculpted trees and timber seating. And was deliciously cool inside after the heat of the day. I asked the ladies there for advise on where to get a fish pedicure. Fish Spa is the correct name and they directed me to Berjaya Times Square. I did ask were there any others (I remember people back home had mentioned a few in and around Chinatown). Their response was yes, there were others, but the one in Berjaya was the one they would recommend - it was a big Spa and very clean.

Above: Tourist Gardens
This is just a small section of the beautifully laid gardens that surround the Info Centre.

Above: Water Fountain
This fountain was to the right in the building towards the front and you could hear the tinkling of water as it gently flowed.

Above: Bullock Cart/Kereta Lambu
The sign nest to the cart reads - The bullock cart which at one time was the main mode of transportation for the rich in Malacca, is unlike those found elsewhere. The carts are beautifully decorated, with bright colours and trappings and have the shape of a pointed roof, similar to the horn of a bull. The bullock carts are believed to have been introduced by the Indian merchants in Malacca Sultanate around the 15th century.

29. Kuala Lumpur - Getting Lost

Wasn't overly fond of KL, to me it was just a big, sprawling city. Then again, had I spent say four or five nights there, it may have been different. Arrived at KL Sentral on the bus from the airport and got lost finding the train I'd been advised to catch, finally found it - I had to travel four stops. And promptly became hopelessly lost again. So I legged it to a bus stop and ended up back where I was before. (KL Sentral)

Had I just caught the tourist hop-on/hop-off bus at Sentral, I'd have had more time, and I'd recommend for anyone who hasn't been there before, to get that bus and do the full circuit before getting off at any stops. I didn't have time for that. The driver told me the ticket was valid for the next day as well, but as I was flying out the next morning was unable to make use of that.

You see, one of the problems with KL Sentral is the roads are on different levels. The bus lets you off at one level, then you have to go up (or was it down) to the next level to catch the Tourist bus. Same with the trains, they aren't on the same level either. Very confusing, a little like Alice in Wonderland.☺

Anyway, on with my travels...


After becoming hopelessly lost for the second time, I found myself in a h u g e shopping complex - I declare there is nothing back home here in Oz that is anywhere near as big.

Above: Where Am I?
I almost had a crick in my neck as I gawped at the beautiful lines and floors above. What I thought amusing - here was I, an Australian from Australia, with New Zealand our nearest neighbour, thousands of miles away in Malaysia and there, right in front of me was... the New Zealand Natural shop! It is a small world isn't it?

Above: Suria KLCC
Finally, after exiting thie shopaholics delight and wondering where on earth I was, as I turned around, there right in front of me was the name - Suria KLCC.

I still had no idea where I was. I had wanted to see the Petronas Towers and get a pass to go to the bridge for the 360º view and was told you need to get there early for a pass and catching the train from Sentral would be far quicker than catching the Tourist Hop-on/Hop-off Bus. What with all the time I spent in limbo (read being lost) it was too late for that. So I abandoned that idea and decided to go to the Tourist Information Centre. Easier said than done. Here I was in a strange country, in a place I'd never been before with no knowledge of where I was or how to get to where I wanted to go. (Hence me saying earlier it's wiser to get the Tourist bus.)

Finding a bus stop and asking how to get to the Info Centre and being told to wait at bus stop number two, I did just that. The third bus that came along went there so I hopped on, and found they didn't have change so ended up getting a free ride! I asked the lady if she could let me know which was my stop. She did. I was relieved I had finally found where I needed to be.

28. Kuala Lumpur Airport

Thursday 11th March

 

Above: Our plane
Our flight arrived on time at LCCT airport in Kuala Lumpur at 6.35am and I had my first taste of Asia, and my first sight of Malaysia. I can tell you it was a most thrilling moment. Many passengers were taking photographs and we slowly made our way across the tarmac. Going through customs it was exciting to see my passport finally had a stamp on it. Surprisingly, the luggage didn't take very long to start coming down the baggage collection area.

 

Above: Sunrise Skies
A most beautiful sky tinged with salmon pink and orange filled the early morning as the sun was about to rise. Even though it was very early I could feel the heat and humidity and being unnacustomed realised the importance of drinking water - and plenty of it. The only downside given the copious amount of water was the need to find the loo!

 

Above: Early morning breakfast
I went to a cafe which had eggs on toast on their menu only to find after a goodly wait that eggs on toast were "not on today" and neither was anything else on that page.

So I made my way to the Oldtown White Coffee place and ordered a coffee. A helpful gent explained the different types of coffee and recommended I try "this one" - the one listed at the top.

 

Above: Malaysian Police
On my way to catch the free shuttle bus to the Tunes Hotel, I asked these two policemen if I could take a photo. The chap on the left seemed very happy and stuck out his chest, cradled his weapon and smiled winningly.

A few tips
a) For those who haven't travelled to Malaysia before, make sure you have plenty of cash. Credit cards may be good for hotel bills and car hire, but you cannot use a credit card at the airport - everyone wants cash only. In most shops and businesses they do not take credit cards either, although one of the larger supermarket type places would take a credit card provided the amount was over MYR 10. Also, the duty free shop at LCCT airport will accept credit cards only if the amount is over MYR 50. The advice I had been given back home to take cash and pay for everything by credit card proved not to be very good advice at all.

b) Buy a large bottle of water, it works out far more cost effective. I had two or three smaller sized bottle (around 500 - 600 ml) and tipped water from the larger one into these.

c) Free shuttle buses are advertised as taking you to/from LCCT to Tunes Hotel, but the driver of the free shuttle (there was a large sign in the front window) refused to take me. I found this very annoying and waited for the next shuttle - the same thing happened. In the end I had to get on the non free bus and pay my fare to the hotel.

d) After depositing luggage at the hotel, you then need to catch a bus back to LCCT in order to get a bus to Kuala Lumpur.


During the flight, Air Asia crew sell bus tickets to Kuala Lumpur (from memory it was either MYR9 or MYR 13. Their buses are red and have Air Asia written on the side. Their employees wear red T shirts.

15. Food - Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Pondering the question of "What to eat in Malaysia which won't send me running to the nearest water well to rid the burning sensation in my mouth" saw me asking advice on this gastronomic adventure.

Grilled meats and fish was one of the first answers. Evidently Chinatown in KL is good and someone said they had very good Chinese in KL which was very fresh and that it was on a corner in the same block as the Swiss Inn hotel (not the market end), had very cold cheap beer plus a couple of "extrordinarily bad con men". This is good to know - just be on the lookout for the Swiss Inn hotel, people guzzling beer and some dodgy characters hanging around!

Northern Indian food so I've been informed, is less spicy than Southern Indian and Muslim Indian food. Methinks I'll just stay clear of any Indian food - went to a lovely Indian restaurant with friends a couple of years ago, was advised by Frank and Wayne who are great cooks, which dish was the least spicy. Ordered it and found that I still couldn't hack it. Picked out the bits of beef and tried wiping the sauce stuff off with my knife, but the taste - and heat - lingered. I did eat the roti bread though, or mabye it was naan.

So, Chinese cuisine, and if I do eat Malaysian foods stay away from sambals. This is good to know - don't go near the sambal. Hmm..."Don't go near the sambal" sounds like the name of a song.

The food at KL airport is said to be very good, something called Laksa at a noodle place. I'll have to look into this. Also Hainanese chicken.

You may recall I mentioned Ikan bilis - just found out it is dried anchovies.

Eating in Kuala Lumpur
a) Chinatown
b) Near Swiss Inn Hotel for noodles
c) LCCT airport - Hainanese chicken?
d) Buy food staples for emergencies.