Chapter 4
Day 5
I woke up that the sun was already high. The previous evening I didn’t want to set the alarm clock of my mobile phone in order to sleep as long as I wished. I stood up, turned the Tv on and tuned it on a music channel. Soon I’ve got ready and I went downstairs to have breakfast. The hotel itself hasn’t a restaurant and to have breakfast I had to go to a restaurant next the same hotel. The breakfast was buffet style and, expecting to have a long day of walking around, I took many things to eat, from scrambled eggs, to sausages, bacon, fruit, coffee and milk. I took my time and I glanced at the pictures on a Chinese newspaper. All around me there were what looked like badge-wearing business people and employees. I wondered if maybe those people with tailored suits were hosted in the hotel and heading to some convention while the people in white shirt and badge were simple employees having breakfast before going to work. Anyway, all of them looked Chinese.
Soon after my Chinese-newspaper-gazing and breakfast-eating-people considerations, I came back to my hotel. Time to brush my teeth, pack my small backpack, and I was ready to move. First stop, the Petronas Towers.
Soon after my Chinese-newspaper-gazing and breakfast-eating-people considerations, I came back to my hotel. Time to brush my teeth, pack my small backpack, and I was ready to move. First stop, the Petronas Towers.
Kuala Lumpur – Petronas Towers – The hugging giants
It was half morning, the streets were empty and it was pleasant to walk from my hotel to the beginning of Jalan Ramlee via Jalan Sultan Ismail. This street, the Jalan Sultan Ismail, runs under the line of the monorail and it’s decorated with many trees and green spots. In spite the pavement that every now and then is cracked, it’s quite a nice place to walk. It takes only few minutes to go from the Raya Chulan Station to the beginning of Jalan Ramlee.
Once reached Jalan Ramlee, I entered it and I followed it up to the Petronas Towers. I already did that way two nights before, when I went to see the towers by night, and now I wished to go and see them in the daylight.
It was three days before, when I was on the plane from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur that I met Tim, the British expat. While on the plane, he asked me what I was planning to visit in Kuala Lumpur and, among all the other things, I named the Petronas Towers, so he felt obliged to give me a suggestion. He said that to visit the Towers I’d have to wake up very early as the numbered free tickets for the entrance, the only way to enter the Towers to see the observation deck, were given in the early morning and loads of people would stand in line to get them. Moreover he said that, beside the fact that it’d be nice to visit the Towers, the panorama isn’t that great. In fact, the best view is from the bridge that connects the two Towers, but it gives just a small view and it’s not so high. So, his suggestions were two. The first was to not enter the Towers and to go to the “Sky Bar” on the top floor of a building on the opposite side of the park at the base of the Towers. He said that the bar is rather expensive, but I could enter it with the excuse to check it before taking my friends there. The second suggestion was to not enter the Towers and to go to visit the Menara Tower, which had an entrance fee, but no queue and a much better panorama than the towers as it was circular, so it had a panorama that covered the whole city, and the panoramic deck would be much higher than the Petronas Towers bridge. I made a note in my red booklet and I scheduled a long sleep for the day of the visit at the Petronas Towers.
I followed Jalan Ramlee, and the street itself looked very quiet. If I didn’t visit it at night, I’d be guessing that the club were closed after a sleepless night of parties, music and drinks. But few nights before I was in the same street and now I wondered if all that quiet, both at day and night, was connected more at the low season more than it was just morning.
Few workers were on the street. Some cleaners were wiping the pavements and some workers were remaking the cracked pavement on the top of the street. Few cars were passing by and crossing the street was quite easy even out of the crossing lines.
I arrived under the towers. The day had a very bright light and the sky was of a deep blue color shaded only by few clouds. I couldn’t expect a clear sky after the previous evening storm. I sat on the same stairway where I sat few evening before and I gazed at the tower. They were two shining hugging giants. In the daylight they looked different than at night, but they were the same, incredible, beauties. I went to the entrance as I wished to see if there was still queue to enter, and I discovered that the panoramic decks were closed for works. So, it was good luck that I didn’t wake up early to go there, as they were closed. I took out the cameras, both the wide angle small one and the long zoom bigger one. I started to picture all around, but I noticed that, to take a good picture of the whole structure of the towers, I had to go a little further, on the other side of the square where some girls were standing and taking pictures.
I made my way across the square and I went down the following stairway, then, I took my camera, pointed the towers and… Damn. I couldn’t take the picture. The Asian girls were in the middle of it. I had to wait what looked like an endless time as they were about ten, and each of them wanted that the others took her an infinite number of pictures. Many with “V shaped” fingers. From this position I still could take pictures, for example, to the top of the towers using the long zoom. Then, seeing that I was using a camera, what a weird thing for a tourist in front such a beautiful landmark, the girls came closer and asked me if I could take a picture to them. I agreed but at the condition that one of them had to take me a picture with the Towers.
They were a huge group, they cameras hadn’t a wide angle. This means that I had to lay on the floor to take those pictures and fit them all, along with the Towers, in those pictures. First the camera of a girl, then the camera of the next, then one again... Five or six cameras later, I was free to picture my Towers. It was that time that the girls came to me and asked if I wanted to take a picture with them. I felt somehow, like a superstar. It was simply silly. Why should they want a picture with me? Was so strange that a Westerner would take them a picture? Or do we Westerners look so bizarre? Anyway, soon they introduced themselves as a group of girls from Indonesia that came to Kuala Lumpur for a visit and they they’d leave for Singapore. The leader of the group was a certain Ina, then there were Linda, Hana, Rini and some more. They asked me if I was there for tourism, and on that point, I wished to give them one of my sarcastic answer, like “No, I’m here to save the codfish of the planet, starting rescuing those of the Towers restaurants”, “No, I’m picturing the Towers as I need to rob the vault above the bridge where is kept a crown full of diamonds”, “No, I’m just curious to count how many floors has each tower, to see if they are really Twins or just Sisters”, but in the end, I just replied “Yes, I’m here for tourism”. They asked me if I was planning to visit the city
“No, I’m here to learn all the sewage blueprints and to stuck them with an huge cork”
Of course, I told them that I planned to see some places of the city, like Menara Tower and few more that I missed the days before. They spoke among themselves in “Bhasa Indonesia” and then the leader asked me if I’d mind if they came along with me to the “Menara Tower”. I said that it’d could be nice to have some company. So, I started to walk down the street with Ina next to me and the group that started to follow us, and that soon, more than a group became a long line depending on the speed of people. Ina asked me if we could take a Teksi, and I replied that I wished to go on foot, but I’d help them to find one if they needed. She asked me if the Tower was far and I told her “It’s walking distance...”, “How long?”, I took out the ragged map out of my back pocket and I shown were, between a stain of sweat and a piece of broken paper, that the Tower was about a kilometre as the crow flies, on the street, maybe one and half, that means, more or less, 20 minutes walking. She said in Bhasa the same thing to the girls, which, some of them, complained. I told them again that they were free to take a Teksi, but then, in the end, they decided to follow me. Few minutes later Ina asked me “Is this the street?”, yes, keep going, then second star to the right, and straight on till morning.
Peter Pan teaches. I always dreamt to say that quote.
“What?”, “Nothing, we keep on Jalan Ramlee and we arrive under the Tower”, “Are you sure?”, “Not quite, but the map says so... But few days ago I got lost with it, did I tell you?”. We kept on walking. Ina introduced herself properly, saying that she was working for a shipyard in Indonesia, that she was from wherever-it-is and moved to live in Jakarta. She already came in Kuala Lumpur some time ago, and that’s why she took her friends and her mom in this trip with her, but they didn’t see much around, while I looked like I knew what I wanted to visit in town. Good luck that I’ve met Tim.
Once reached Jalan Ramlee, I entered it and I followed it up to the Petronas Towers. I already did that way two nights before, when I went to see the towers by night, and now I wished to go and see them in the daylight.
It was three days before, when I was on the plane from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur that I met Tim, the British expat. While on the plane, he asked me what I was planning to visit in Kuala Lumpur and, among all the other things, I named the Petronas Towers, so he felt obliged to give me a suggestion. He said that to visit the Towers I’d have to wake up very early as the numbered free tickets for the entrance, the only way to enter the Towers to see the observation deck, were given in the early morning and loads of people would stand in line to get them. Moreover he said that, beside the fact that it’d be nice to visit the Towers, the panorama isn’t that great. In fact, the best view is from the bridge that connects the two Towers, but it gives just a small view and it’s not so high. So, his suggestions were two. The first was to not enter the Towers and to go to the “Sky Bar” on the top floor of a building on the opposite side of the park at the base of the Towers. He said that the bar is rather expensive, but I could enter it with the excuse to check it before taking my friends there. The second suggestion was to not enter the Towers and to go to visit the Menara Tower, which had an entrance fee, but no queue and a much better panorama than the towers as it was circular, so it had a panorama that covered the whole city, and the panoramic deck would be much higher than the Petronas Towers bridge. I made a note in my red booklet and I scheduled a long sleep for the day of the visit at the Petronas Towers.
I followed Jalan Ramlee, and the street itself looked very quiet. If I didn’t visit it at night, I’d be guessing that the club were closed after a sleepless night of parties, music and drinks. But few nights before I was in the same street and now I wondered if all that quiet, both at day and night, was connected more at the low season more than it was just morning.
Few workers were on the street. Some cleaners were wiping the pavements and some workers were remaking the cracked pavement on the top of the street. Few cars were passing by and crossing the street was quite easy even out of the crossing lines.
I arrived under the towers. The day had a very bright light and the sky was of a deep blue color shaded only by few clouds. I couldn’t expect a clear sky after the previous evening storm. I sat on the same stairway where I sat few evening before and I gazed at the tower. They were two shining hugging giants. In the daylight they looked different than at night, but they were the same, incredible, beauties. I went to the entrance as I wished to see if there was still queue to enter, and I discovered that the panoramic decks were closed for works. So, it was good luck that I didn’t wake up early to go there, as they were closed. I took out the cameras, both the wide angle small one and the long zoom bigger one. I started to picture all around, but I noticed that, to take a good picture of the whole structure of the towers, I had to go a little further, on the other side of the square where some girls were standing and taking pictures.
I made my way across the square and I went down the following stairway, then, I took my camera, pointed the towers and… Damn. I couldn’t take the picture. The Asian girls were in the middle of it. I had to wait what looked like an endless time as they were about ten, and each of them wanted that the others took her an infinite number of pictures. Many with “V shaped” fingers. From this position I still could take pictures, for example, to the top of the towers using the long zoom. Then, seeing that I was using a camera, what a weird thing for a tourist in front such a beautiful landmark, the girls came closer and asked me if I could take a picture to them. I agreed but at the condition that one of them had to take me a picture with the Towers.
They were a huge group, they cameras hadn’t a wide angle. This means that I had to lay on the floor to take those pictures and fit them all, along with the Towers, in those pictures. First the camera of a girl, then the camera of the next, then one again... Five or six cameras later, I was free to picture my Towers. It was that time that the girls came to me and asked if I wanted to take a picture with them. I felt somehow, like a superstar. It was simply silly. Why should they want a picture with me? Was so strange that a Westerner would take them a picture? Or do we Westerners look so bizarre? Anyway, soon they introduced themselves as a group of girls from Indonesia that came to Kuala Lumpur for a visit and they they’d leave for Singapore. The leader of the group was a certain Ina, then there were Linda, Hana, Rini and some more. They asked me if I was there for tourism, and on that point, I wished to give them one of my sarcastic answer, like “No, I’m here to save the codfish of the planet, starting rescuing those of the Towers restaurants”, “No, I’m picturing the Towers as I need to rob the vault above the bridge where is kept a crown full of diamonds”, “No, I’m just curious to count how many floors has each tower, to see if they are really Twins or just Sisters”, but in the end, I just replied “Yes, I’m here for tourism”. They asked me if I was planning to visit the city
“No, I’m here to learn all the sewage blueprints and to stuck them with an huge cork”
Of course, I told them that I planned to see some places of the city, like Menara Tower and few more that I missed the days before. They spoke among themselves in “Bhasa Indonesia” and then the leader asked me if I’d mind if they came along with me to the “Menara Tower”. I said that it’d could be nice to have some company. So, I started to walk down the street with Ina next to me and the group that started to follow us, and that soon, more than a group became a long line depending on the speed of people. Ina asked me if we could take a Teksi, and I replied that I wished to go on foot, but I’d help them to find one if they needed. She asked me if the Tower was far and I told her “It’s walking distance...”, “How long?”, I took out the ragged map out of my back pocket and I shown were, between a stain of sweat and a piece of broken paper, that the Tower was about a kilometre as the crow flies, on the street, maybe one and half, that means, more or less, 20 minutes walking. She said in Bhasa the same thing to the girls, which, some of them, complained. I told them again that they were free to take a Teksi, but then, in the end, they decided to follow me. Few minutes later Ina asked me “Is this the street?”, yes, keep going, then second star to the right, and straight on till morning.
Peter Pan teaches. I always dreamt to say that quote.
“What?”, “Nothing, we keep on Jalan Ramlee and we arrive under the Tower”, “Are you sure?”, “Not quite, but the map says so... But few days ago I got lost with it, did I tell you?”. We kept on walking. Ina introduced herself properly, saying that she was working for a shipyard in Indonesia, that she was from wherever-it-is and moved to live in Jakarta. She already came in Kuala Lumpur some time ago, and that’s why she took her friends and her mom in this trip with her, but they didn’t see much around, while I looked like I knew what I wanted to visit in town. Good luck that I’ve met Tim.
Kuala Lumpur – Menara Tower
It was late morning, the sun was high in the sky and it was shining bright between the tall buildings of the city. Along the quiet streets, shade was provided by the many trees. The Tower is on the top of a small hill and the most challenging part is the last climb as it’s without trees and in full sun.
I thought to arrive at the Tower in about 20 minutes, we took even more than double the time as we reached there after an endless number of stop to let the girls to recover from the walk in the heat of the day.
The Tower itself is very tall, painted in white and so thin with the large flying-saucer shaped observation deck. It’s simply elegant. I liked it. It reminded a white huge sceptre. Or an huge, very tall, fairy tale mushroom. We went at the entrance and we had to pay the small entrance fee. Some girls complained the visit at the tower as it’d cost money to go up there. So, I turned at them and said “Ok, I’ll go in, will you come or not?”, they spoke in Bhasa and in the end, after such a long bargain, they decided to enter too. So, we took the ticket, we were asked to group near the elevator where a camera-holding-guy came and took us some pictures. Then, we were free to enter the elevator. In short, the super fast elevator, took us at the top floor where is placed the observation deck. The panorama was amazing. From up there we could see the whole city. Above the windows there were pictures that explained what people could see there. For example, were the names of the buildings, the station, some palace, etc... I was amazed by that. The first consideration was that from there Kuala Lumpur looks much smaller than it really is. Second, it has a lot of green. Third, the day was so clear that I could distinguish most of the places that I visited. I took many pictures, and I made two times all the tour around the observation deck. Some of the girls just sat down, quite uninterested at the scenery on some deckchair. I kept on photographing like a crazy. Again, I was using two cameras at the same time. I think that I might look silly at the eyes of the other people.
In this point, as I was again alone, I had to sort the things up. I could go and visit the “Forest Reserve” or go to China Town and then to the Merdeka Square. The time was running fast, and it was almost midday and I had much still to visit. In the sky were coming more and more clouds and it meant that I should decide fast as the next day I’d leave Kuala Lumpur for Hong Kong. After Hong Kong I’d go to Thailand and there I could have some trekking in the real rainforest, so I decided to skip the “Forest Reserve” and head to Merdeka Square.
I thought to arrive at the Tower in about 20 minutes, we took even more than double the time as we reached there after an endless number of stop to let the girls to recover from the walk in the heat of the day.
The Tower itself is very tall, painted in white and so thin with the large flying-saucer shaped observation deck. It’s simply elegant. I liked it. It reminded a white huge sceptre. Or an huge, very tall, fairy tale mushroom. We went at the entrance and we had to pay the small entrance fee. Some girls complained the visit at the tower as it’d cost money to go up there. So, I turned at them and said “Ok, I’ll go in, will you come or not?”, they spoke in Bhasa and in the end, after such a long bargain, they decided to enter too. So, we took the ticket, we were asked to group near the elevator where a camera-holding-guy came and took us some pictures. Then, we were free to enter the elevator. In short, the super fast elevator, took us at the top floor where is placed the observation deck. The panorama was amazing. From up there we could see the whole city. Above the windows there were pictures that explained what people could see there. For example, were the names of the buildings, the station, some palace, etc... I was amazed by that. The first consideration was that from there Kuala Lumpur looks much smaller than it really is. Second, it has a lot of green. Third, the day was so clear that I could distinguish most of the places that I visited. I took many pictures, and I made two times all the tour around the observation deck. Some of the girls just sat down, quite uninterested at the scenery on some deckchair. I kept on photographing like a crazy. Again, I was using two cameras at the same time. I think that I might look silly at the eyes of the other people.
In this point, as I was again alone, I had to sort the things up. I could go and visit the “Forest Reserve” or go to China Town and then to the Merdeka Square. The time was running fast, and it was almost midday and I had much still to visit. In the sky were coming more and more clouds and it meant that I should decide fast as the next day I’d leave Kuala Lumpur for Hong Kong. After Hong Kong I’d go to Thailand and there I could have some trekking in the real rainforest, so I decided to skip the “Forest Reserve” and head to Merdeka Square.
Kuala Lumpur – China Town – Central Market
I started to go around, getting close to the elevators. I lost the bored-looking girls some minutes before so I was feeling again free, when I bumped into Ina. She said that they were wishing to go down. I told them that I was thinking the same thing. We went down together and when we arrived the hall outside the elevators room, some girls vanished as they wished to buy the pictures that were taken to us while entering the tower.
Ina asked me what my plans were. I told her that I’d go back to Jalan Sultan Ismail, I’d take the monorail and I’d go to China Town. She turned around and spoke in Bhasa with the girls. She said that they’d like to make the same route, and if I’d agree to take a Teksi.
No, I don’t, it’s expensive.
Then, after a long bargaining, we agreed to take a big one and to share the cost, that would be about 5 Ringgit each that means a bit more than 1 Euro. So, I accepted, we waited for the Teksi and we entered it. As soon as we were inside, Ina asked me if I’d complain if we stopped on the way to the “Chocolate House”, a Choccolate factory.
No, I’m not interested at all.
I agreed and we left the tower. We went down the street, we got stuck in the traffic, we moved a bit, we got stuck in the traffic and 20 minutes later we arrived the “Choccolate House” that was exactly under the Tower, on foot, it’d take much less time.
We entered the “Choccolate House” where a chilly wind came over us. The air condition was at its top to prevent the chocolate from melting down. A board kept written “No cameras”, so I stored the big one in the backpack. We went first through a very short explanation on how the chocolate is made. The first corridor has a glass wall that let people see how they make chocolate. Then, after this very short corridor, through what look like a flameproof air-sealed door, people enter the chocolate shop, where a huge amount of different types of chocolate are in display for sale. Here the main attraction is the chocolate tasting. That means that you can try small pieces of the chocolate that is sold. Ina followed me most of the time and we tried many different kind of chocolate, from the milk-chocolate that tasted like cardboard, to some very good cashew-nut and pepper kinds. The one that impressed me the most was the Durian chips covered with milk chocolate.
How is this Durian guy? The Durian is the fruit of plants belong at the Durio genus of the Malvaceae family. The fruit size is about 30 cm in length and 15 cm wide. The husk, of the fruit is covered in thick thorns and has a colour that ranges from green to different shades of brown according to the different species. The peculiar thing of the fruit is its flesh, which can have a colour from yellow to red. The taste is described by people from SEA as something amazing, like a heavenly taste belonging at the King of Fruits, while Westerners have a different opinion. Some westerners described it as similar to almonds, or like rotten onions or even used gym socks. I wonder who tasted the used gym socks to compare them with Durian. Like the taste, this fruit has also a peculiar strong scent that can be felt from very far. In SEA can be common to spot in the hotel or close places boards that, along the forbidding of smoking, there is also the forbidding of introducing Durian. There are many beliefs around this fruit, and one that is very interesting is that people shouldn't drink alcohol with Durian or just after it, as they could feel very bad or have even fever. The reason would be that Durian has a very high content of Sulphur that could inhibit the aldehyde dehydrogenase, reducing the toxin cleaning ability of the body.
I tried the Durian chips covered in milk chocolate. I already tried Durian in past, but it’s always the same effect, probably because eating it so rarely I can’t get accustomed at it. I remember that I’ve put that Durian chip in my mouth and chewed it, and then, an explosion of taste. It’s hard to describe the taste of Durian as, for me, it’s like a thousand of tastes concentrated in the same thing, blending, mixing and becoming a single one. For me, it’s like to take a slice of a very ripe melon covered in a mix of very smelly kinds of spreadable cheese. In this case, it’s up to think at the cheese dipped melon slice also covered in a layer of milk chocolate. I guess that could be a challenge not for everybody. Anyway, I liked it. I’m not against Durian, I just mean that it’s far different from European fruits.
While I like Durian, the native Ina had problems with the Chilli-Pepper chocolate. I’m used to Chilli, so for me it wasn’t so bad. When she had put that piece of chocolate in her mouth, she looked like her head was about to explode, so, my reaction was to ask her if she needed some water from my bottle, and with my surprise, she took it. I guess that she was living a chilli-hot nightmare to accept my bottle of water. In the meanwhile, the other girls were standing in cue in order to pay for an outrageous amount of chocolate. Ina went next to one of them and gave her also her chocolate in order to go out of the shop while her friend was queueing to pay. The waiting was long, but then, finally, after the last heavy-chocolate-bag carrying girl arrived, we were ready to leave. The next stop was Chinatown.
The car went again deep in the Kuala Lumpur traffic, but this time it was less intense than near the “Chocolate House”, and soon we arrived in China Town. The driver left us just in front of the Central Market. The Central Market rises in the place where once there was the Grand Bazaar of the city. In our days, the modern structure hosts hundreds of shops, mostly oriented to a touristic target. So, it’s easier to find stuff to buy as souvenirs more than really useful things. We entered the market and we started wandering around a bit. Then, Ina asked if I was hungry, and I answered that I was starving, so we looked for a place where we could all eat. At the second floor there is a very tourist restaurant, but still quite interesting. In that place there are many small restaurants that make it look it like a huge self-service. You grab your tray, you go to the stall, you place your order, they cook, you take you food and pay, and then you look for a seat in the common area. Many of us went at the same shop and then we sat all at the same table. My menu was a very tasty vegetable clear soup, fish that was first fried then spread with mustard and then grilled, salad, steamed rice, kidney skewer that was first roasted and then deep fried. To drink, I took Mango Juice. The food was fabulous, and I loved it.
While seating at the table both Ina and Linda told me that the same evening they’d leave with a Pullman for Singapore, but they had some problems. First, they needed to contact the agency that had their tickets and they needed to find a public phone, second they had to reach the agency. I told them if they had a map, but they hadn’t. They had just a piece of paper with written an address and a note with a bigger street that should be near. So, I suggested them to take a Teksi to go there, and they said that it’d be their best choice, but still they had to communicate with the agency.
So, we stood up and we went downstairs. The most of the group decided to stay in the Central Market, while I’d help Ina to find a public phone outside. Easy to say, not so easy to do. Outside the market there was a line with many phones, but, unbelievably, all but two were broken. One of the two was from a company that didn’t let her to make the call, while, finally, the last one worked fine. In the end, Ina spoke with the agency, and they confirmed her that they had her tickets and they’d wait for them in the evening. This time we came back to the Central Market, and I was ready to go. I took a pen and I drew a map, copying mine, how to find the agency in case they had problems, then I told them that there near there was the Jalan Petaling market, and I said my Good Bye to them.
Free at last.
Ina asked me what my plans were. I told her that I’d go back to Jalan Sultan Ismail, I’d take the monorail and I’d go to China Town. She turned around and spoke in Bhasa with the girls. She said that they’d like to make the same route, and if I’d agree to take a Teksi.
No, I don’t, it’s expensive.
Then, after a long bargaining, we agreed to take a big one and to share the cost, that would be about 5 Ringgit each that means a bit more than 1 Euro. So, I accepted, we waited for the Teksi and we entered it. As soon as we were inside, Ina asked me if I’d complain if we stopped on the way to the “Chocolate House”, a Choccolate factory.
No, I’m not interested at all.
I agreed and we left the tower. We went down the street, we got stuck in the traffic, we moved a bit, we got stuck in the traffic and 20 minutes later we arrived the “Choccolate House” that was exactly under the Tower, on foot, it’d take much less time.
We entered the “Choccolate House” where a chilly wind came over us. The air condition was at its top to prevent the chocolate from melting down. A board kept written “No cameras”, so I stored the big one in the backpack. We went first through a very short explanation on how the chocolate is made. The first corridor has a glass wall that let people see how they make chocolate. Then, after this very short corridor, through what look like a flameproof air-sealed door, people enter the chocolate shop, where a huge amount of different types of chocolate are in display for sale. Here the main attraction is the chocolate tasting. That means that you can try small pieces of the chocolate that is sold. Ina followed me most of the time and we tried many different kind of chocolate, from the milk-chocolate that tasted like cardboard, to some very good cashew-nut and pepper kinds. The one that impressed me the most was the Durian chips covered with milk chocolate.
How is this Durian guy? The Durian is the fruit of plants belong at the Durio genus of the Malvaceae family. The fruit size is about 30 cm in length and 15 cm wide. The husk, of the fruit is covered in thick thorns and has a colour that ranges from green to different shades of brown according to the different species. The peculiar thing of the fruit is its flesh, which can have a colour from yellow to red. The taste is described by people from SEA as something amazing, like a heavenly taste belonging at the King of Fruits, while Westerners have a different opinion. Some westerners described it as similar to almonds, or like rotten onions or even used gym socks. I wonder who tasted the used gym socks to compare them with Durian. Like the taste, this fruit has also a peculiar strong scent that can be felt from very far. In SEA can be common to spot in the hotel or close places boards that, along the forbidding of smoking, there is also the forbidding of introducing Durian. There are many beliefs around this fruit, and one that is very interesting is that people shouldn't drink alcohol with Durian or just after it, as they could feel very bad or have even fever. The reason would be that Durian has a very high content of Sulphur that could inhibit the aldehyde dehydrogenase, reducing the toxin cleaning ability of the body.
I tried the Durian chips covered in milk chocolate. I already tried Durian in past, but it’s always the same effect, probably because eating it so rarely I can’t get accustomed at it. I remember that I’ve put that Durian chip in my mouth and chewed it, and then, an explosion of taste. It’s hard to describe the taste of Durian as, for me, it’s like a thousand of tastes concentrated in the same thing, blending, mixing and becoming a single one. For me, it’s like to take a slice of a very ripe melon covered in a mix of very smelly kinds of spreadable cheese. In this case, it’s up to think at the cheese dipped melon slice also covered in a layer of milk chocolate. I guess that could be a challenge not for everybody. Anyway, I liked it. I’m not against Durian, I just mean that it’s far different from European fruits.
While I like Durian, the native Ina had problems with the Chilli-Pepper chocolate. I’m used to Chilli, so for me it wasn’t so bad. When she had put that piece of chocolate in her mouth, she looked like her head was about to explode, so, my reaction was to ask her if she needed some water from my bottle, and with my surprise, she took it. I guess that she was living a chilli-hot nightmare to accept my bottle of water. In the meanwhile, the other girls were standing in cue in order to pay for an outrageous amount of chocolate. Ina went next to one of them and gave her also her chocolate in order to go out of the shop while her friend was queueing to pay. The waiting was long, but then, finally, after the last heavy-chocolate-bag carrying girl arrived, we were ready to leave. The next stop was Chinatown.
The car went again deep in the Kuala Lumpur traffic, but this time it was less intense than near the “Chocolate House”, and soon we arrived in China Town. The driver left us just in front of the Central Market. The Central Market rises in the place where once there was the Grand Bazaar of the city. In our days, the modern structure hosts hundreds of shops, mostly oriented to a touristic target. So, it’s easier to find stuff to buy as souvenirs more than really useful things. We entered the market and we started wandering around a bit. Then, Ina asked if I was hungry, and I answered that I was starving, so we looked for a place where we could all eat. At the second floor there is a very tourist restaurant, but still quite interesting. In that place there are many small restaurants that make it look it like a huge self-service. You grab your tray, you go to the stall, you place your order, they cook, you take you food and pay, and then you look for a seat in the common area. Many of us went at the same shop and then we sat all at the same table. My menu was a very tasty vegetable clear soup, fish that was first fried then spread with mustard and then grilled, salad, steamed rice, kidney skewer that was first roasted and then deep fried. To drink, I took Mango Juice. The food was fabulous, and I loved it.
While seating at the table both Ina and Linda told me that the same evening they’d leave with a Pullman for Singapore, but they had some problems. First, they needed to contact the agency that had their tickets and they needed to find a public phone, second they had to reach the agency. I told them if they had a map, but they hadn’t. They had just a piece of paper with written an address and a note with a bigger street that should be near. So, I suggested them to take a Teksi to go there, and they said that it’d be their best choice, but still they had to communicate with the agency.
So, we stood up and we went downstairs. The most of the group decided to stay in the Central Market, while I’d help Ina to find a public phone outside. Easy to say, not so easy to do. Outside the market there was a line with many phones, but, unbelievably, all but two were broken. One of the two was from a company that didn’t let her to make the call, while, finally, the last one worked fine. In the end, Ina spoke with the agency, and they confirmed her that they had her tickets and they’d wait for them in the evening. This time we came back to the Central Market, and I was ready to go. I took a pen and I drew a map, copying mine, how to find the agency in case they had problems, then I told them that there near there was the Jalan Petaling market, and I said my Good Bye to them.
Free at last.
Kuala Lumpur – Merdeka Square
When I took Ina back inside the Central Market the girls asked if I’d take them at the agency, but I said that they’d go there with a Teksi and I needed to go. They asked where I was going, and I told them that I needed to go to Merdeka Square, without specify why. Then, I was ready to go. I said Good Bye, turned around, opened the door and went into the hot sunshine.
As soon as I went out of the Central Market I went up north. The heat of the day was very strong. In a few minutes, I was already sweating. At the first crossroad, I turned left, and I found myself on the bridge where I went two evenings before, the one on the “Muddy Junction”. I crossed the street, I took a few more picture at the “Muddy Junction” in the daylight. Now it really looked like muddy water. The name says all. This time for real.
I followed the bridge and I passed by the palace that I called, few evening before “the Beautiful Building”. This time I checked the map and I discovered that it was the Textile Museum. The building was in a very beautiful Moorish architecture in white and orange stripes. I liked it and it became a subject of many of my pictures.
Once reached the Textile Museum, I crossed the street and I was already in Merdeka Square, that translated means “Independence Square”. This square is made by a concrete ground from where rises the 95 metres tall flagpole with the Malaysian flag, and also a huge green square that is, more or less, the size of a football field.
Looking at the flagpole, on the left of the field, across the street, there are the Textile Museum and also the Sultan Abdul Samad Building which is a fantastic structure in the same style of the Textile Museum.
I arrived at the square that was almost empty, but soon arrived two Pullmans that unloaded two huge groups of tourists. The first was a herd of voicy Indians, while the second was a swarm of Japanese people. I had to rush to take some good picture without having people standing in the middle. Maybe people standing int he middle of my pictures with “V shaped” fingers. I went just near the flagpole, on a side and I sat on a wall to relax. The sun had a strange silvery bright light. Thick clouds were gathering upon us, while a small wind started to rise. My camera was in my hand and was ready to picture some tourist in some silly pose, while a pack of triple-chocolate-layers biscuits was open next to me. All was perfect. I was enjoying that light and the breeze. Then I found the occasion, my camera turned on, zoomed fast and clicked as fast as a biting snake. I had the picture that I wished. Two perfectly idiots were now in my memory card, ready to be part of my collection of people picturing around in strange poses.
I spent a little longer on Merdeka Square. It was too good to leave so soon. I kept on looking at the bright green field then at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and back. Then, it was time to keep on exploring. I went through the field and I reached the so called “Fountain Monument”. This monument is like a huge fountain that the falling water becomes like the walls of the same monument. Just behind of it, there were the indications to reach the Orchid and Birds Park, but as far as I’ve seen two factors were against the visit of that place in that day. The weather was worsening and I had to pay a fee to enter. I didn’t want to make all that way, to pay a fee to enter and then getting drenched. So, I turned around and I came back toward Petaling Street passing under the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. At this point, the sun was hitting the building, and from below, it looked like sparkling against the dark cloudy sky. I couldn’t miss the chance to picture this amazing scene.
Soon I made my way back, but first I had to say a “See you again” to Merdeka Square. Now I planned to come back to Petaling Street for shopping and then, maybe to see some temple. This time I reminded the way quite well and I found Petaling Street without any more need to check at the map. I entered the “Petaling market” where I bought some silly T-shit and then I mixed in the crowd. Was in that moment, when I turned into that street that I didn’t make before that I bumped again in Ina and the girls. They were wandering around trying to find a way to find a Teksi. I told them that, if they needed to go to Imbi station, they could take the monorail as the station was quite near, about 10 minutes walk. Ina spoke in Bahasa and the girls, now thinking that I really knew where they should go, agreed to follow me at the station. In that moment, it started to pour.
As soon as I went out of the Central Market I went up north. The heat of the day was very strong. In a few minutes, I was already sweating. At the first crossroad, I turned left, and I found myself on the bridge where I went two evenings before, the one on the “Muddy Junction”. I crossed the street, I took a few more picture at the “Muddy Junction” in the daylight. Now it really looked like muddy water. The name says all. This time for real.
I followed the bridge and I passed by the palace that I called, few evening before “the Beautiful Building”. This time I checked the map and I discovered that it was the Textile Museum. The building was in a very beautiful Moorish architecture in white and orange stripes. I liked it and it became a subject of many of my pictures.
Once reached the Textile Museum, I crossed the street and I was already in Merdeka Square, that translated means “Independence Square”. This square is made by a concrete ground from where rises the 95 metres tall flagpole with the Malaysian flag, and also a huge green square that is, more or less, the size of a football field.
Looking at the flagpole, on the left of the field, across the street, there are the Textile Museum and also the Sultan Abdul Samad Building which is a fantastic structure in the same style of the Textile Museum.
I arrived at the square that was almost empty, but soon arrived two Pullmans that unloaded two huge groups of tourists. The first was a herd of voicy Indians, while the second was a swarm of Japanese people. I had to rush to take some good picture without having people standing in the middle. Maybe people standing int he middle of my pictures with “V shaped” fingers. I went just near the flagpole, on a side and I sat on a wall to relax. The sun had a strange silvery bright light. Thick clouds were gathering upon us, while a small wind started to rise. My camera was in my hand and was ready to picture some tourist in some silly pose, while a pack of triple-chocolate-layers biscuits was open next to me. All was perfect. I was enjoying that light and the breeze. Then I found the occasion, my camera turned on, zoomed fast and clicked as fast as a biting snake. I had the picture that I wished. Two perfectly idiots were now in my memory card, ready to be part of my collection of people picturing around in strange poses.
I spent a little longer on Merdeka Square. It was too good to leave so soon. I kept on looking at the bright green field then at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and back. Then, it was time to keep on exploring. I went through the field and I reached the so called “Fountain Monument”. This monument is like a huge fountain that the falling water becomes like the walls of the same monument. Just behind of it, there were the indications to reach the Orchid and Birds Park, but as far as I’ve seen two factors were against the visit of that place in that day. The weather was worsening and I had to pay a fee to enter. I didn’t want to make all that way, to pay a fee to enter and then getting drenched. So, I turned around and I came back toward Petaling Street passing under the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. At this point, the sun was hitting the building, and from below, it looked like sparkling against the dark cloudy sky. I couldn’t miss the chance to picture this amazing scene.
Soon I made my way back, but first I had to say a “See you again” to Merdeka Square. Now I planned to come back to Petaling Street for shopping and then, maybe to see some temple. This time I reminded the way quite well and I found Petaling Street without any more need to check at the map. I entered the “Petaling market” where I bought some silly T-shit and then I mixed in the crowd. Was in that moment, when I turned into that street that I didn’t make before that I bumped again in Ina and the girls. They were wandering around trying to find a way to find a Teksi. I told them that, if they needed to go to Imbi station, they could take the monorail as the station was quite near, about 10 minutes walk. Ina spoke in Bahasa and the girls, now thinking that I really knew where they should go, agreed to follow me at the station. In that moment, it started to pour.
Kuala Lumpur – Finding the Durian stall
I crossed the Jalan Petaling Market. It was crowded from people from everywhere among the colourful and shiny stalls. Ina and the girls were following me. Then we went out of the southern gate of the market, and then again down the street until the Maharajalela Monorail. When we arrived at the monorail in the light rain, it started such a heavy storm. Rain was falling heavily down in the new chilly air and thunders were like explosions all around us.
From far appeared the monorail, like a ghost appearing in the mist, it arrived, we went next the rail, but it didn’t stop. We waved our hands as it passed by. One more waiting and later arrived a new one. This time it stopped. We entered the train and few stops later we were at the Imbi Station.
Rain was falling down hard. So, with the excuse of the heavy rain and the fact that the Imbi Station is connected via a coered passageway to the Times Square Mall, I suggested them to go there. As soon as they entered, most of they jumped on some benches and laid there like they weren’t resting for ages. But I had other plans. I needed to find a coffee. By good luck there near there was Starbucks where I could, partially, satisfy my need of caffeine.
Time passed and finally, the rain lowered until it came back to pour. We went out of the mall that was already dark. I wore my waterproof hat and I took the girls that were getting drenched, down the street. We left the nice broad street and entered in a smaller one. Only later I learnt that they weren’t two different streets, but it was still Jalan Imbi. We went down this street that was flanked by building that didn’t look nice anymore. I mean, it wasn’t a ghetto, but against the modern and shiny buildings at the sides of the previous section of Jalan Imbi, these were looking quite shabby. Then, all of a sudden, I felt something. A strange smell was in the air. I turned around and I told Ina “Isn’t this... Durian?” and she confirmed that she was feeling it too. We followed, like it was a sign of something, the scent of durian untill we found an huge stall selling fresh Durian. The air was filled with the smell of it. Just there, stopping a guy that was buying Durian, we asked if he knew the address of the travel agency, as an answer, he pointed his dirty finger into a direction, and there we seen the sign of the agency. We arrived.
I entered with them, and when I seen that all was well, I said one more time Good bye to them and I left them for the second time. I entered again the dark and wet street. I followed the same street that I took to get there, and soon I was again, first in the big section of Jalan Imbi, and then I followed it when it became Jalan Sultan Ismail until I arrived at my hotel.
From far appeared the monorail, like a ghost appearing in the mist, it arrived, we went next the rail, but it didn’t stop. We waved our hands as it passed by. One more waiting and later arrived a new one. This time it stopped. We entered the train and few stops later we were at the Imbi Station.
Rain was falling down hard. So, with the excuse of the heavy rain and the fact that the Imbi Station is connected via a coered passageway to the Times Square Mall, I suggested them to go there. As soon as they entered, most of they jumped on some benches and laid there like they weren’t resting for ages. But I had other plans. I needed to find a coffee. By good luck there near there was Starbucks where I could, partially, satisfy my need of caffeine.
Time passed and finally, the rain lowered until it came back to pour. We went out of the mall that was already dark. I wore my waterproof hat and I took the girls that were getting drenched, down the street. We left the nice broad street and entered in a smaller one. Only later I learnt that they weren’t two different streets, but it was still Jalan Imbi. We went down this street that was flanked by building that didn’t look nice anymore. I mean, it wasn’t a ghetto, but against the modern and shiny buildings at the sides of the previous section of Jalan Imbi, these were looking quite shabby. Then, all of a sudden, I felt something. A strange smell was in the air. I turned around and I told Ina “Isn’t this... Durian?” and she confirmed that she was feeling it too. We followed, like it was a sign of something, the scent of durian untill we found an huge stall selling fresh Durian. The air was filled with the smell of it. Just there, stopping a guy that was buying Durian, we asked if he knew the address of the travel agency, as an answer, he pointed his dirty finger into a direction, and there we seen the sign of the agency. We arrived.
I entered with them, and when I seen that all was well, I said one more time Good bye to them and I left them for the second time. I entered again the dark and wet street. I followed the same street that I took to get there, and soon I was again, first in the big section of Jalan Imbi, and then I followed it when it became Jalan Sultan Ismail until I arrived at my hotel.
Kuala Lumpur – Getting ready for Hong Kong
It had been quite a long day. In the morning I expected to relax a bit, but then, I did much. When I arrived in the hotel I undid my backpack, turned the Tv on a music channel and I took shower. It was so good to get cleaned again. Then it was time to concentrate and to pack my bags as the following morning I had to leave for Hong Kong. So, I decided to dress quite casually for the evening and to pack all the rest. The process of packing the backpack took surprisingly a lot of time, but in the end I was very satisfied with my work. Now it was time to eat.
I dressed with what I left out of the backpack, I took my small camera, and I went out. It stopped raining and was easy to walk around. First stop, the internet point, and then I searched for a place where to eat. By good luck, I found a small restaurant that was broadcasting a Liverpool football match. I ordered a dish of fried rice with shrimps and sliced red chili, chicken skewers with peanut sauce and a Tiger Beer. It was my first beer since the beginning of the trip. The match was quite nice and food was amazing. I loved everything of it, even the sliced pepper. The thing that I found so good in Malaysia is that food isn’t so spicy, even pepper is much less sipcy than the Thai one. Somehow, I missed the Thai chili.
It was my last night in Kuala Lumpur, but I didn’t want to come back at the hotel too late. The next morning I had to wake up early to go to the airport and I wished to have some good hour of sleeping and to not have a long day feeling twisted.
I made my way back, and surprisingly there were again the black street dancers making their show. I was nice to spend a little time listening at the Hip Hop that they were playing and watching them to dance. Then, the rain came again, and it was like a message. I had to come back at the hotel, and I did so.
Kuala Lumpur at night was shining. It was beautiful and I hope to come back to meet her one day. That night I told her my see you again.
See you again, my dear Kuala Lumpur.
I dressed with what I left out of the backpack, I took my small camera, and I went out. It stopped raining and was easy to walk around. First stop, the internet point, and then I searched for a place where to eat. By good luck, I found a small restaurant that was broadcasting a Liverpool football match. I ordered a dish of fried rice with shrimps and sliced red chili, chicken skewers with peanut sauce and a Tiger Beer. It was my first beer since the beginning of the trip. The match was quite nice and food was amazing. I loved everything of it, even the sliced pepper. The thing that I found so good in Malaysia is that food isn’t so spicy, even pepper is much less sipcy than the Thai one. Somehow, I missed the Thai chili.
It was my last night in Kuala Lumpur, but I didn’t want to come back at the hotel too late. The next morning I had to wake up early to go to the airport and I wished to have some good hour of sleeping and to not have a long day feeling twisted.
I made my way back, and surprisingly there were again the black street dancers making their show. I was nice to spend a little time listening at the Hip Hop that they were playing and watching them to dance. Then, the rain came again, and it was like a message. I had to come back at the hotel, and I did so.
Kuala Lumpur at night was shining. It was beautiful and I hope to come back to meet her one day. That night I told her my see you again.
See you again, my dear Kuala Lumpur.