2. Kuala Lumpur Day 1

The city name is Kuala (confluence) Lumpur (muddy).  The city is working hard at rebranding itself and one of things it's been doing is to refer to itself as KL.  I guess muddy confluence just isn't cutting it with their marketing team. 

This morning we woke up to an alarm set at the crack of 9.  It was great to finally get in some sleep.  The breakfast buffet finishes at 10:30 so we planned to be there in time for a leisurely meal.   This is the view from our hotel room this morning.  

The breakfast buffet was huge, with a wide selection of Western, Japanese, Arabic and Malay foods.  Yum, I get to go again tomorrow. 

The smell of cigarette smoke was pretty heavy in the room when we returned from breakfast.  This prompted Judith to go and check with the front desk to clarify our room issues.   She said she was already to use the voice that she has to use when dealing with Bell Canada but since the service manager was so accommodating, her Bell Canada persona remained hidden throughout her entire discussion. 

With the original reservation straightened out and promise of a new replacement room we left explore the city.  First stop was the concierge.  There we were discouraged from going to the KL Bird Park, a 21 hectare park with large outdoor exhibits, because of a 30 minute taxi ride and the potential for rain. Instead he directed us to the closest mall and Aquarium.  

We walk there through the large KL Convention Centre.  I loved the huge expanse of this building which was built in 2003.  The BioMalaysia 2017 conference was on which was to promote development of bio based industries.  

Suria KLCC is a large multi-level shopping centre under the nearby Petronas Towers. This mall had all the designer brands you would find in the mid to high end malls.  It ranged from Adidas and Under Armor to Prada and Fendi.  

 In the basement of the mall is Aquaria KLCC, the aquarium displaying the natural land and aquatic animals in Malaysia. The highlight is a 90 metre meandering underwater tunnel.  You're propelled through it via a moving sidewalk which allows you to concentrate on the view above and beside you rather than to look where you were stepping.  I'm a sucker for aquariums so this one was enjoyable.  The stingrays were particularly magnificent. 

We decided not to buy the goofy souvenirs pictures that are taken at various points in the viewing galleries.  We did however stop to look at how the pictures turned out for Judith being eaten by a large shark.  Let's just say she wasn't a convincing victim as she found the experience somewhat amusing.  

After the aquarium we explored the mall a bit.  We then decided to grab a small bite (not so nutritional) and head back to the hotel for a nap before our food tour.  

The food tour was great.  We decided to take a taxi directly there.  We were dropped off at Merdeka Square where Malaysia independence from British rule was first declared back in 1957.   There was an enormous flagpole on site, with the flag at half mast to recognize the death of a former king.  Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy that elects a new king every five years as its head of state.  

First was a tour inside the old printing building used by colonial Britain. There were some information boards outlining the history of KL and our guide, Cyndie filled in a lot more. The city only began in the mid 19th century as tin was discovered there.  The history discussion was good, but then we went into a audio visual presentation of recent and proposed skyscraper developments.  It was presented on a large room filled scale model of the city together with music, laser show and text beamed onto the far wall. I thought it was somewhat hokey.  The tour also showed other scale models made by craftsmen.  The models were incredibly details, reminding me of the fine paper cut you see in markets except these are made from thin veneers.  

Our next stop was the Petaling Street Market.  This is a night Market that sells fake designer goods.  I guess the Malaysian government doesn't crack down on illegally produced goods.  All the regular designer labels are represented.  Neither of us bought anything.  

We then walked over to the actual confluence, where the Gombak River meets the Klang River and how KL got its name.  The area is no longer muddy as the rivers have concrete sides and is surrounded by the city.  There is a billion dollar effort being made to clean up the river known as the "River of Life" project.  They have a long way to go as it includes educating people not to throw their garbage in the river.

Our food tour involved visiting a few roadside eateries.  The first stop involved a unleavened bread dish Roti Canai with curry sauce.  

Definitely Indian inspired.  Mmmm.  Our next dish was Doufu Hua, a tofu dish with a sugary molasses flavoured syrup poured over top.  It reminded me of a dessert my mother made (that very few of my other siblings would touch) that used rock sugar for the syrup.  

Next up was a hole in the wall eatery.  Truly sketchy.  The floor of the restaurant was uneven concrete, probably unswept for the past month.  We sat at the back of the room at a round white plastic table similar to the patio dining furniture from the 1990s.  I think this table was purchased then, I was afraid to touch it as it seemed dirty with the buildup of crud that works its way into this type of plastic.  It looked as if it had never been thoroughly cleaned.  The washing station was on the ground with a hose coming out of the wall.  I didn't notice if there was a second tap for hot water--I'd be surprised to learn that there was one. 

My first thought as I was seated was "What would Susan say?" referencing a mutual friend that does not travel to third world countries because the standards can be different than what she's used to and enjoys.   It was a line that Judith and I used a lot in India.  

Only this time I would have agreed with Susan in terms of sketchiness.  We did end up sharing a Hokkien Noodle dish.  I did recognize liver as the main meat in it and it had thick noodles flavoured with a thick dark savoury sauce.  I'm used to liver because it was a dish we had growing up.  The noodle dish was OK but nothing that I would need to have again. It looks unappealing and the fact that it contains liver I suspect would seal its fate for most.  

We followed up with cheesecake flavoured soft ice cream for Judith and I had the Matcha favoured cone.

Then it was back home on the subway.  Although our hotel was only 4 stops away it involved a complicated transfer so our guide came with us to the transfer stop to make sure we made the connection correctly.  On our walk back to the hotel we stopped to watch the light and water show at Symphony Lake.