El Muchos Stoopido

Si, that's what I should be called. El Muchos Stoopido. Why? Because I got to the KLCC (= Petronas towers) yesterday only to find that it was closed to visitors on Mon. Well, ok. That's an easy enough "overlook" anyone could make. What happened next qualifies for the title. So KLCC is also a mondo shopping centre. So I figured I'd just wander around for a bit, possibly find a dress to wear to my friend's wedding in a couple of weeks. Of course, if I was not El Muchos Stoopido, I would've had a dress made specially at Hoi An by one of the master tailors. Instead, I go and get 3 other dresses made while I was there, none of which are remotely suitable for a fancy occasion being held at Blenheim Palace. I then proceeded to buy a pair of sandals. Yes, sandals. It's not like I have enough footwear as it is. And now I go and buy a category of footwear that will only be of use for like what? 7 days of the year in England. Smart move bozo. I then wandered to Zara, determined not to be sidetracked and then zoned in on this gorgeous canary yellow handbag. Oh oh you say? Well yes, for a whole 15 mins. I even did the whole exchange rate thing and finally realised that there was no way ever I would've forked out 80 quid for a handbag from Zara. I placed the handbag back on the shelf, stroked it longingly and gave it one last glance before exiting the store. Sigh. There is something wrong with me.

According to my Unc, the last time I was in KL was in 1997. That's almost 12 years ago! I don't remember much from then but the current KL has surprised me. I have a good feeling about this place. As a modern city with high rises and too many shopping centres, it's really quite pretty. And despite the numerous signs reminding you to be aware of pickpockets, I feel safe wandering on my own. This city is a haven for shoppers. From the cheapest and tackiest, to the most overpriced and covetted, KL has it all. And the food is delicious! Apart from the rubbish brownie I had yesterday. That was a let down. Joma! I miss your brownies! So after getting bored with window-shopping and getting disappointed by the brownie, I headed to the Islamic Arts Museum. It was such a treat. The building is super modern with sharp angles and wide white open spaces, fused with Islamic blue tiles and carved in domes. 

                                                                                                                                                                          

            

For anyone interested in Islamic history and art, it's the perfect place to get educated. For anyone looking for a place to chill and get away from all the noise, the outside space is the perfect place to unwind and listen to the chirps of the birds from the neighbouring bird park and the tinkling of the water from the decorative fountain. I contemplated dropping by the bird park but then thought better of it. Last place you wanna be during an Avian Flu pandemic is somewhere with a high concentration of birds.

It is already 1:15pm. My plan for today: KLCC and KL tower. Later tonight I am taking an overnight train to Singapore. The journey will take me 11 hours. I hope I'm not sharing a cabin with a psycho killer. Not sure how I will entertain myself. No GAPpies. No laptop. No Yatzee. I may actually have to read a book. Or sleep for most of it. And I've decided, no Oreos. This trip is looking to be a lot of fun already.

From KL with love

It's official. My Indochina adventure has ended. Waahhh!!! Why God? Why? I nearly missed check-in yesterday (and quite possibly my flight) due to my automatic presumption that I was taking a domestic flight to Kuala Lumpur, until Steve pointed out that KL was in fact in Malaysia, a different country, and under every circumstance flying there from Thailand is always classified as an international flight. I replied with, "But it's in Southeast Asia!" He looked at me like I was one of those slow kids he may have had the misfortune to teach in Taiwan. Why am I such a bimbo sometimes? So I jumped into a taxi with only 3 mins to spare before the counter closed, wasted 35 Baht for a sealed bottle of mineral water which I had to throw into a bin 10 steps later because somehow it was potentially dangerous even with the seal on, and finally be informed that my flight was delayed after running to the gate. Aaahh!! If that bottle wasn't dangerous, I definitely was. The flight was uneventful, apart from witnessing a lightning storm. In the sky! On the plane! How cool is that?

I am now in KL, suffering from a mild bout of food poisoning. After having eaten from dodgy street stalls and even dodgier restaurants in countries that I doubt ensure that all food preparation outlets abide to HSA/FSA conditions, I am struck by waves of intensely painful stomach cramps in KL. Thankfully, it has only been that, stomach cramps. I tried not to double over as each wave of pain hit me while wandering around the UNESCO heritage site that is Melaka. I think I may have to write to UNESCO and request that they review this status, because apart from a few buildings, which I have to admit were very beautiful old buildings, there wasn't much to the rest of the place.

 

My 10 year old cousin informs me that Melaka was first colonised by the French (?), then the Dutch, then the Portugese. He mentioned dates as well but seeing as remembrance of historical dates has never been something I like to do, you will have google this info if you're particularly interested. I also asked him for tips on how to be an ace teacher. He suggested that I be firm but not too strict, fair but not too nice, and to always listen to both sides of the story. Yeah baby. I'm going to be the most coolioso teacher in Germania.

Tomorrow I'm free to explore on my own. Tristan suggested the Petronas towers and the Islamic Arts Museum. I might also squeeze in the Colonial District and Chinatown. Or I may just hang around my Uncle's and Aunt's and watch some DVDs. Ooh what to do?