Kuala Lumpur!

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur today.

My last day in Melaka was pretty uneventful. I explored some more of the city. Had a good lunch of chicken rice balls. I didn't do anything too crazy, chilled out some.

This morning I boarded the bus to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital. It was about a 2 1/2 hour ride, not bad at all. I arrived in the early afternoon and walked over to the hostel from the bus station (about 1 km). The place seems alright, there's definetely a lot more backpackers here than there have been in the previous hostels I've stayed in. I'm in a 4-person dorm.

I went for a walk around the city with another person from the hostel. Lunch was at an Indian place, very good. We headed over to the Petronas Towers. Those things are HUGE. In fact, they're the second tallest buildings in the world (after Tapei 101). You can't go up to the top, only half way up to the skybridge that connects the two. I didn't go up, supposedly you have to get there really early in the morning for tickets, and I hear its not really worth it. Nonetheless, it was really cool to see. The whole downtown area is very busy, and very modern.

Dinner was in Tampong Bharu. It's a neighborhood in/next to downtown Kuala Lumpur. It's kind of a strange place, because its a tradtitional Malay neighborhood. The neighborhood has small houses, and other things such as chickens. But strangely, its right next to big skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of KL. Very strange indeed, it feels like walking through a portal. Supposedly the area is worth over $1 billion or something. But the local elders refuse to sell it, trying to preserve the culture. It's awesome that a place like that exists amdist the growing city.

Anyways after searching around for a bit, we had a few skewers of satay (sate). I had it a few times in Melaka but failed to mention it, I don't know why. It's got to be one of the most amazing foods. Its not like the American version of satay at all. You know the kind, big chunks of meat on a skewer served with what is essentially melted peanut butter. These are little skewers of meat (pork or chicken), with little bits of meat on them. They're cooked over these long troughs of charcoal, close to the coals, imparting an awesome flavor. The cook fans the meat as it cooks. The meat is marinated, and is awesome on its own. But when paired with the also awesome dipping sauce, it becomes phenomenal. The sauce is peanut based, but not sticky. Its got fine bits of peanuts, some sugar, chili, and a lot of other stuff, not too sure what it is, but it's fantastic. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite foods. And at about 15 cents US a skewer, they're a steal.

We also had a legitimate dinner in the same area. I had what was like a stir-fried rice with all sorts of meat and vegetbles inside a large, but very thin omelette, drizzled with this sweet sauce, very good.

That about sums up the day. I don't know where I'll be heading tommorow. There is a lot to do in the area. I'll probably figure something out tonight.

Until next time,

Mike