What was not so much fun was trekking through the heat, traffic and a 'mental' wet market to find our hostel in the 'Chowkit' district of KL. I admit it was mainly my fault for not following the instructions I had written down. By the time we made it to Hostel Cosmopolitan we were soaked in sweat and shattered. Luckily our hostel is a friendly, funky and clean place (can't say the same for two of our hostels in Singapore) - and a cold shower and a nap helped get us back on our feet.
The wet market...
Heading out for lunch, we passed through the wet market, a maze like series of canopied walkways lined with people selling just about everything including fruit and veggies, but also catfish, cows heads (whole, possibly boiled, decapitated cow's heads), cow's feet, live chickens and huge slabs of meat. The lanes got narrower and narrower and the smells more intense and pungent; it was quite a relief to get out of there. We found a little Indian market stall to have lunch - disappointingly dry fried chicken with rice, but delicious homemade lemon ice tea - served by an exuberant moustached Indian man (Is there any other?) delighted to have some tourists in his shop.
After lunch we caught the monorail and walked to the Petronas Towers, the amazing skyscraper that dominates the KL skyline, neo-art deco with an Asian twist (my interpretation of the architecture), and the third tallest building in the world.
OK, so this is not quite off the beaten track, but we must confess we went to a movie today. Saw a very funny film called "Kick Ass" in the shopping centre under the Petronas Towers. Movies here are very cheap (about $7 for two tickets) and we needed a break from the heat and humidity - for all those who think we've gone soft. The joke was it was freezing in the cinema!
Some pics from Singapore for you to enjoy....
They're very clear about their rules in Singapore....
Outside the famous Raffles Hotel, which did not disappoint
The 'Merlion'...
In the botanical gardens
Larna eating a mango ice cream wrapped in 'rainbow bread' (you can choose bread or wafers).
Larry! Look at that beard! Looks like you guys are having a blast. Loving reading the updates, can't wait to hear what's next.
ReplyDeletePS - we went soft after about a week and a half. Take the luxury of a cold cinema whenever you can get it!!