Kuala Lumpur

Posted under Deja vu Asia 2010

One thing about plan B from Lombok, was that we got to spend a bit of additional time in Bali — at the airport mind you, but Bali none the less. On our taxi trip from the “fast boat” to the airport, I had occasion to study animal husbandry at its finest. I believe that I mentioned last year, that the Thai people had managed to skillfully breed the common dog to its lowest life style. I must reconsider this previous observation, as I have now come to the conclusion that the people of Bali, have exceeded this low point. The dogs of Bali seem to fall into about the 20 pound range and  resemble absolutely no breed what so ever. Their coloring is generally mottled, at best, and judging by the raised hackles, most closely resemble some form of Hyena. The hot climate has given them a similar degree of ambition to that which I also possess, and so, they can most generally be found lying about, doing nothing. No one seems to care for them, so the height of their ambition seems to be spent digging through the garbage, in search of something edible. It is just a good thing that they have yet to find out that fat-folk don’t move too fast.

About five hours of loafing about the airport and we were KL bound. This, of course put our arrival at about 11:00 PM, and thus our hotel arrival after midnight — and so to bed.

Daybreak showed Kuala Lumpur to be the vibrant city that it is portrayed to be. Although the economy has been adversely affected, it has not apparently spilled over into the construction industry. There are new sky scrapers being built everywhere. Of course, one cannot speak of sky scrapers without a visit to the Petronas Twin Towers.

These were a tribute to the oil and gas industry of Malasia, and was built by a consortium of world players in the industry, and includes not only the towers, but a very high end shopping mall and a world class auditorium for the symphony. The towers, themselves, have been surpassed several times as the worlds tallest, but are still a marvel in their general construction and appearance. The entire outer surface that is not window, has been clad in stainless steel, giving a boater fits of drooling, as ones imagination runs rampant.

Now, as there are a limited number of tickets given out each day, to go up to the viewing platform, and as it is imperative to get there at least 1/2 hour prior to opening, that one might be the lucky recipient, Bonnie appointed me as the official procurer of tickets. In addition, it was suggested that I get there more in the neighborhood of 1 hour early to positively ensure the acquisition. The fact that it would allow Bonnie some additional undisturbed sleep, was totally secondary, but she took advantage of this bonus anyway. It is good that I was very early, as I was about the middle of the pack. It is a delight to be standing on a marble floor for an hour and a half , in close quarters with about a gazillion sweating bodies. Did I mention that it is hot in Malaysia?

After our tower tour we managed to wear ourselves to a frazzle, strolling about the very fancy mall. There is obviously some money somewhere in Malaysia.

After the development of the Petronas complex, the downtown area was designated KLCC, or Kuala Lumpur city center, and so buildings in this area have their name followed by the tell tale KLCC.

Took a city tour via the “hop on, hop off” bus. This allows you to get on and off as many times as you like each day, for one set price, and allowed us to see a variety of different sights and areas. As we were strolling through Afghanistan, I happened to snap a picture of a young refugee girl, with haunting eyes.

Well, maybe it wasn’t me who was strolling through Afghanistan, but those of you who are older than DVD’s, might recall seeing the above picture in the National Geographic, back in 1982. The original picture was actually taken by freelance photographer, Steve McCurry, and we were fortunate to be able to view his exhibition which is showing until April 8th. He is an incredible photographer, and many of his pictures are totally awe inspiring. And, oh yes, I did actually take the above picture, as I snapped this view of a display poster.

On the topic of pictures one could fill a book with pictures of unique buildings, displaying both the old and new of  KL today.

There is much activity throughout Malaysia at this time, in preparation for Chinese New Year. It is an exciting time, and holds great importance for the Chinese population. For those of you who were unaware, this is the year of the Tiger. Sorry ladies, that is not the year of the “Cougar”. I guess that you will just have to wait.

There is a lot to see, in both Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding area, and where another day may take us is still undecided, but I’ll try to keep you updated from time time time. In the meantime — take care!

T