Take 2 spoonfuls of 'different', add a bucket of culture and a pinch of spice

2 days in KL

Mentally preparing ourselves for the blast of hot air as we stepped out of the terminal, we walked outside only to find... That it never came. We were expecting the weather to be heinously hot- sticky and humid like trying to wade through honey haziness. The rain was a relief.

Close to Petaling street I think- we got a little lost trying to look for a good currency exchanger

The next two days gradually got hotter- made more stifling by the fact that we were walking through open air markets saturated by the smells of human and animal occupation alike. I know this may sound strange but every time I travel to Asia I take a first big gulp full of air; thick, dusty, slightly sweet like bananas left out in a basket for one day too many and altogether a scent that reminds me with every lungful exactly where I am.

The smell of the markets...

There is also no comparison to the food and the lush greenery incorporated into the inner city. Concrete pavements are broken up by giant tree roots circumnavigated thoughtlessly by daily motorcyclists and pedestrians, old folk dry up in their hut-like hawker stalls selling drinks out of strong plastic bags and nasi lemak out of cardboard reinforced parcels of banana leaves and on every street corner sits a dingy Kopitiam; a sort of Malaysian diner if you like, serving staples such as Hainan chicken rice and wanton noodles in chipped, plastic dishes; the best place for breakfast in my opinion.

Me- eating Ipoh fried noodles and teh tarik at a kopitiam. Breakfast :)

It all sounds bizarre but I absolutely love it. More so in fact than the giant shopping complexes we visited, boasting such names as Emporio Armani, Miu Miu, Louise Voutton, Prada... The list goes on. While my mum and sisters ‘oohed’ and ‘aahhhed’ over shoes, bags and clothing that were much too pricey to even think about buying, I was wistful for less extravagant market places where a good fake pair of Nike shoes look the same but cost me 1/3 of the real price... Ah, still haven’t found it yet.

Petronas towers- full of expensive designer brands

We ended up eating one night at a very interesting hot pot restaurant. Whoever came up with the idea had a stroke of brilliance and is now raking in the chips every day. The principle is like a buffet- pay one price per person and eat as much as you want (take anything/ everything from the huge sushi-train-like conveyor belt that comes around), cooking your own food and only eating what you can fit in. Too bad if you don’t like something or you’re too full and accidentally grabbed another dish; there’s a surcharge for wastage too!

The restaurant is HUGE- 3 levels. Unfortunately you can't see the hotpots down on the benches but that's where the steam's coming from.

It feels weird to be in a city full of Asians where nobody bats an eyelid at you for putting “lah” on the end of every sentence and top end shopping malls have just as many muslim clothing shops as designer labels. I’m not sure if I can ever get used to this crazy/ exciting? city but I’m enjoying my stay so far... Just wait till I meet the relatives! >__<