Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur
2 Sept 2010

Jalan (Street) Petaling -- a.k.a. "The Gauntlet" -- and one of the entrances to Chinatown

Arrived late (around 9) in KL. Took the KLIA express train from airport to Central Station. Was very impressed by all of the helpful people at the airport and train platform that pointed us in the right directions and even helped us lift bags (Our bags are sooooo heavy.  We have to shed some stuff. But what?) into the rail car. Because I’m in “Westerner-Expecting-to-be-Scammed” mode (which is an unfortunate but healthy attitude), I kept waiting for the catch but it never came. Even the taxi from the train station was relatively painless: you buy a voucher from a special counter at a set price, and away you go. This easy-going, no hassle atmosphere would change once we got to Chinatown, but more on that shortly…

Sze Ya, a magnificent Taoist temple in the heart of Chinatown. There was so much incense burning in this place it looked like it was on fire!

Our taxi took us to the Monkee Inn, our budget accommodation, located in the heart of Chinatown. It was about 10:30, and already the area was buzzing with activity – but after the 8-hour flight from Sydney we were just too wiped out to do anything other than hit the sack. Thankfully, our room reservation was fine and they were waiting for us. 

KL's Chinatown comes alive at night and *everything* is for sale

Before going any further, I want to say that this was an overall delightful place to stay and also acted as an oasis of peace (and air con) during our two days in KL. But, initially, I wasn’t so sure.  Put simply, this is our first backpacker/budget experience and I was frankly not prepared for the size and Spartan nature of our room. It was about 8’x12’, with a double bed, a single chair, and that’s it. To be sure, this was the first test of our ability to be ‘backpackers’. We silently looked at each other in horror, and then quickly crashed in the bed, just thankful to be horizontal.  

Sri Maha Mariamman Dhevasthanam, built in 1873 and the oldest of KL's Hindu temples, is hidden in alleys of Chinatown

The morning gave us a chance to explore both Chinatown and the Inn in more detail, and we were pleasantly surprised by how overall clean and nice the facilities were at the Inn. They had a nice common room with free internet, TV and DVDs (the younger backpackers were glued to the tube watching bad movies) and decent shared bathrooms/showers. The breakfast was simple – an assortment of breads and spreads, with coffee/tea, and was in the lower bar area where they had Al Jazeera news (which Stacey appreciated since she is a news junky and hates to be out of the loop about what’s going on – it was on there that we first heard about the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand).  The owners of the Monkey Inn are (I think) expat Americans who had a very matter-of-fact quality about them that I found refreshing – and they gave us great advice on using local transportation, which was very helpful for our budget.

 

The beautiful central rail station (Stesen Keretapi) in Kuala Lumpur

But enough about the Inn – the room isn’t where you want to spend time anyway! - what about Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown???  Well, I have to be honest and say that what keeps springing to mind for me is a rather famous quote by Obi-wan Kenobi used to describe Mos Eisley in the movie Star Wars: “A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy”.  Sorry. That’s what it reminds me of!  And it was indeed a hive, filled with masses of people buying and selling all manner of goods – alive and dead, real and counterfeit, junky and…junky.  At every corner, you are assailed by “salespeople” pushing pirated DVDs, fake brand name items (purses, sunglasses, shoes, watches, clothing).  Caucasian tourists are apparently their target market, too, so they come after you with a vengeance. No matter how many times you say “no, thank you” they stay on you like a sniper with a laser beam. Haggling is not only expected here, it’s mandatory.  You’re a complete pushover if you don’t. Cautiously, I waded in to the fray to get a new pair of “Ray Ban” sunglasses. To my horror (and mild amusement) my salesperson opponent was a 10-year old Asian girl who was cute as a button. A tactical sales approach to be sure, putting children in such places. I’m sure the shop owner was nearby smirking at his/her genius! Needless to say, haggling with her was a hopeless endeavor. But I did get her to come down from 45 ringets to 12.5.  Sounds pretty good, but I assure you it could have been lower. 

 Vegetarian fare in Chinatown included assorted "meat" dishes!  The "chicken" was surprisingly yummy.

One of the main reasons people go to Chinatown, beside shopping, is the food – and it’s pretty amazing.  The streets are filled with drifting smells that are delicious, strange, disturbing and intriguing (enough to make you seek out what is causing it). Trolleys and carts line every lane, roasting stations, portable grills and steamers. Want a 10” giant prawn? No problem. Have a hankering for pig’s face?  It’s there. Fruits both exotic (e.g Durian and Jackfruit) and mundane (e.g. watermelon, apple) are pounded into smoothies and icees and juices (very nice in the heat) while sugar cane stalks are ground into a sweet nectar. Beer is another way to beat the heat and Tiger (Singapore) and Carlsberg (Dutch, I think) appear to reign supreme. Overhead, casting a strange otherworldly illumination on the entire scene, are colourful lanterns, flashing neon and glowing giant LCD signs. Bakeries and tea houses are hidden gems in the nooks and crannies of the hive, offering Moon Cakes and Red/Green Bean-filled pastries. Walking further back into the dark alleys is where things get really interesting, as this is where the locals gather and the work of preparing the food happens. Outdoor butcheries dealing in everything from soy “meat” to cats and chickens and beef. It was enough to reinforce our vegetarian tendencies – and fortunately we did discover a really good vegetarian vendor offering a huge range of vege options.

 

Sugar Cane Dude says "Peace Out!"

In hindsight, we were incredibly naïve to think that a couple of days in KL Chinatown would be relaxing and non-stressful. The smells, colors, sounds, people – it’s all a barely controlled chaos that bombards the senses from the moment you enter it. We came to refer to walking down Jalan Petaling (the main Chinatown strip) as “running the gauntlet”.

Interior prayer rooms of Masjid Negara, the National Mosque of Malaysia

One brief moment of escape came during shorts trips to see the National Mosque and Batu Caves.  This is probably a good time to mention, in case anyone out there didn’t know it, that Malaysia’s official state religion is Islam (the others – such as Hindu, Buddhism, Christianity, etc., are here but in the minority). At the mosque, we donned our robes and removed our shoes before entering the interior. The mosque itself was quite modern in terms of architecture, and frankly a bit underwhelming in that regard, but that’s not really important to the congregation I suppose. As a guide informed us, the determination of a good mosque is it’s size. “The more people, the better.” He also offered us some helpful brochures that further explained such things as Islam and the historical relationship between the major world religions. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to hear about all of the Prophets in complete detail (though he was enthusiastically prepared to do so) and we had to head back over to Chinatown and get some rest for one last night before heading out of KL the next morning.

A giant golden statue of Murga and 272 concrete steps stand between us and the dark caverns of the Batu Caves!

I leave you with this photo from the Batu Caves, another most interesting must-see destination for anyone visiting Kuala Lumpur.  Simply put, it's an amazing spectacle of a place and unfortunately my internet time for the day is done so I can't describe it fully.  I hope you will follow the link provided above and read more, it really is a neat place. 

Next stop: Melaka (also spelled Malacca) - one of SE Asia's most ancient and noteworthy port cities!