January 18, 2016: Kuala Lumpur AlteCocker is Here!
For the beginning of the Borneo blog, check here.
Plane was on time and Rosiah met me at the airport. Getting to her house involved the airport train and then another more local train. Ultimately, we got a cab. Since we arrived at night, can't say there is much to look at here. Lots of tall apartment buildings. Reminds me of the Bronx in NYC. Definitely not scenic. Perhaps it will improve in the morning. AlteCocker is thinking about trying to see the Bird Park tomorrow but who knows?
Dinner was at Satay Station near Rosiah's house. Food was OK. Satay sauce was a bit more spicey than what AlteCocker has eaten in the US. Malaysians seem to like sweet drinks. Best thing to order is water with ice.
Days that involve travel are always so exhausting. Time for bed.
Plane was on time and Rosiah met me at the airport. Getting to her house involved the airport train and then another more local train. Ultimately, we got a cab. Since we arrived at night, can't say there is much to look at here. Lots of tall apartment buildings. Reminds me of the Bronx in NYC. Definitely not scenic. Perhaps it will improve in the morning. AlteCocker is thinking about trying to see the Bird Park tomorrow but who knows?
Dinner was at Satay Station near Rosiah's house. Food was OK. Satay sauce was a bit more spicey than what AlteCocker has eaten in the US. Malaysians seem to like sweet drinks. Best thing to order is water with ice.
Days that involve travel are always so exhausting. Time for bed.
January 19, 2016: Kuala Lumpur Bird Park and Shopping
Ah, the first day of a new city is always a pain in the ass figuring out the public transport. This morning, AlteCocker bailed and took a taxi to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park. It advertises itself as the world's largest outdoor aviary. Whether it is or it isn't, AlteCocker has no idea. There were plenty of parrots, macaws, and, of course, hornbills. The array of different hornbills was better than anything else AlteCocker had seen in Sarawalk. They are very spectacular birds and, of course, on a holiday, you always want what you do not have at home—and there are no hornbills that AlteCocker knows of in the entire Western Hemisphere, so seeing more was fine. There are also some ostriches, a bird show (not the best one AlteCocker has seen) and an area where they raise chicks and explain what is going on—very good for children. AlteCocker did not buy any souvenirs at the Bird Park, but she did later (see below).
Meals were catch as catch can with too much ice cream today! The Bird Park does have a restaurant. AlteCocker was there too early to make the lunch buffet (starts at 12:30pm) sensible. She wanted to see hornbiill feeding at 11:30am and the 12:30pm bird show. After the show she decided to go to the Central Market—a place that is very difficult if you arrive with some cash. AlteCocker bought two small rattan purses because she couldn't decide on one and just took them both. Then she bought an inexpensive necklace with the Malaysian flower. Do not ask about the two Chinese salesladies who sold her a patchwork jacket she did not need for roughly $48. They were funny and AlteCocker caved. The price on any item in the Central Market is never the real price. Of course, with foreigners, we are probably taken advantage of anyway, but, AlteCocker figures if it only happens once a day, she is doing well.
AlteCocker no longer has a suitcase problem. Once upon a time her suitcase broke its handle in Australia. It was “replaced” by a really cheap purple suitcase that was what AlteCocker calls a “single use” suitcase. It has been on many trips since. When Rosiah and Shida visited AlteCocker in the US they had a bad case of shoppingitis and needed a suitcase. AlteCocker donated the purple suitcase to the cause and they were able to get their stuff home. The suitcase AlteCocker has with her in KL is a 22” suitcase. That created a lot of problems with the headhunter knife she brought in Sarawak. So, it is “Hello purple suitcase” for AlteCocker. The headhunter knife is nicely ensconced in Madame Purple. The smaller suitcase will be hand luggage—and today's excess purchases will also go home in Madame Purple. Who knows where that damn suitcase will turn up again? In Chiang Mai, AlteCocker hopes it will be large enough for the elephant painting she bought. If it is, Mary can have her old suitcase back and Madame Purple will do the job. If it is too small, Madame Purple will live at Mary's house in Chiang Mai. There are always luggage problems with these trips.
She got to the Central Market via a cab ride, but, when she tried to go back to the apartment the same way, none of the cabs wanted to go. AlteCocker supposes it was an issue about obtaining a return fare at that time of day (just before rush hours). Also, all the cabs are metered with a statement on the door “no haggling”. “No haggling?” They were all haggling. So she screwed her courage to the sticking post and took public transport—with the “help” of an elderly man who tried to give her very bad directions. Fortunately, AlteCocker had a map—always a good idea and knew he was wrong. A worker in the LRT (local rapid transport) confirmed that AlteCocker was not wrong. When she got to the correct stop, AlteCocker had had enough and took a cab the rest of the way home, as her apartment was a bit of a walk from the LRT. When it is hot and you are exhausted, time to throw in the towel—especially when cab fares are very cheap.
There being a beauty shop adjacent to Rosiah's apartment (where AlteCocker is staying), she walked in and got a cut and shampoo. As in Thailand, she got the neck and head massage. The haircut was a lot better than the one she had in Chiang Mai (assisted by the fact that the people in the shop spoke English). Then she found Rosiah's apartment, turned on the computer and did the blog for the day. It will be posted after Rosiah comes back and turns on the internet. She is going to take a shower and go to bed early as she did not sleep well last night at all. Just all the stress of a day where her location was changed probably. Tomorrow perhaps the going up in the Petronas Towers to get it off the list.
Meals were catch as catch can with too much ice cream today! The Bird Park does have a restaurant. AlteCocker was there too early to make the lunch buffet (starts at 12:30pm) sensible. She wanted to see hornbiill feeding at 11:30am and the 12:30pm bird show. After the show she decided to go to the Central Market—a place that is very difficult if you arrive with some cash. AlteCocker bought two small rattan purses because she couldn't decide on one and just took them both. Then she bought an inexpensive necklace with the Malaysian flower. Do not ask about the two Chinese salesladies who sold her a patchwork jacket she did not need for roughly $48. They were funny and AlteCocker caved. The price on any item in the Central Market is never the real price. Of course, with foreigners, we are probably taken advantage of anyway, but, AlteCocker figures if it only happens once a day, she is doing well.
AlteCocker no longer has a suitcase problem. Once upon a time her suitcase broke its handle in Australia. It was “replaced” by a really cheap purple suitcase that was what AlteCocker calls a “single use” suitcase. It has been on many trips since. When Rosiah and Shida visited AlteCocker in the US they had a bad case of shoppingitis and needed a suitcase. AlteCocker donated the purple suitcase to the cause and they were able to get their stuff home. The suitcase AlteCocker has with her in KL is a 22” suitcase. That created a lot of problems with the headhunter knife she brought in Sarawak. So, it is “Hello purple suitcase” for AlteCocker. The headhunter knife is nicely ensconced in Madame Purple. The smaller suitcase will be hand luggage—and today's excess purchases will also go home in Madame Purple. Who knows where that damn suitcase will turn up again? In Chiang Mai, AlteCocker hopes it will be large enough for the elephant painting she bought. If it is, Mary can have her old suitcase back and Madame Purple will do the job. If it is too small, Madame Purple will live at Mary's house in Chiang Mai. There are always luggage problems with these trips.
She got to the Central Market via a cab ride, but, when she tried to go back to the apartment the same way, none of the cabs wanted to go. AlteCocker supposes it was an issue about obtaining a return fare at that time of day (just before rush hours). Also, all the cabs are metered with a statement on the door “no haggling”. “No haggling?” They were all haggling. So she screwed her courage to the sticking post and took public transport—with the “help” of an elderly man who tried to give her very bad directions. Fortunately, AlteCocker had a map—always a good idea and knew he was wrong. A worker in the LRT (local rapid transport) confirmed that AlteCocker was not wrong. When she got to the correct stop, AlteCocker had had enough and took a cab the rest of the way home, as her apartment was a bit of a walk from the LRT. When it is hot and you are exhausted, time to throw in the towel—especially when cab fares are very cheap.
There being a beauty shop adjacent to Rosiah's apartment (where AlteCocker is staying), she walked in and got a cut and shampoo. As in Thailand, she got the neck and head massage. The haircut was a lot better than the one she had in Chiang Mai (assisted by the fact that the people in the shop spoke English). Then she found Rosiah's apartment, turned on the computer and did the blog for the day. It will be posted after Rosiah comes back and turns on the internet. She is going to take a shower and go to bed early as she did not sleep well last night at all. Just all the stress of a day where her location was changed probably. Tomorrow perhaps the going up in the Petronas Towers to get it off the list.
January 20, 2015: Petronas Towers is off the List; More Shopping
So, as you might have guessed, AlteCocker screwed her courage to the sticking post and, well, she took a taxi to Petronas Towers. The local rapid transit here is not well integrated with lots of changes of trains due to poor structuring of the system. Taxis are not too expensive by American standards and AlteCocker is, after all, an AlteCocker, so no need to kill yourself with the public transit when an air conditioned taxi costs no more than $10—not to mention the savings in time when you get there and the taxi driver drops you right where you need to be rather than wandering around looking for it.
AlteCocker had not prebooked Petronas Towers and, since they limit daily tickets, she was worried about getting into this one attraction all the tour books tell you you have to do. No problem. She did not meet anyone who had prebooked and it is not a busy time of year. AlteCocker waited merely a half hour to go up. It is like everyone of the other tall building deals: You go up and take some photos largely not knowing what you are looking at. You first go up to the 41st floor from Tower 2 and walk across a sky bridge to take photos. You are on the lower tourist skybridge. There is one right above that is used by the office workers to go back and forth between the towers as needed for work. We were told that the sky bridge is not actually attached to the towers but is constructed in such a way that it controls the sway and provides safety in wind. Thankfully, we did not feel any swaying.
After talking photos on the sky bridge you return to Tower No. 2 and go up to the 86th floor where there is more photo taking. You have plenty of time for photos and almost everyone was done before his group was called to go down. When you go down there is a stop for you to purchase photos of yourself that were taken when you entered. They photoshop in the Towers. Since AlteCocker requested not to have a photo, she didn't have to stop there. She didn't see anyone buying as it is the usual price gauging of that sort of activity at all attractions. Then we were done. The tour went very smoothly.
There was a huge shopping mall next door. AlteCocker had lunch at an “Irish” themed restaurant that did not serve liquor (This is, after all, a Muslim country where Muslims can be publicly admonished for things like eating in public during Ramadan, so there is not a lot of liquor around that you see. AlteCocker assumes that the people who want it know where to find it.) After lunch there was more shopping mall exploring. At 1:00pm some people came out in Chinese “happy face” masks, passed out candies (AlteCocker got peach and pineapple). People posed for photos with the people in costume—all part of the preparation for the big Chinese Lunar New Year Festival—which, thankfully occur after AlteCocker leaves). AlteCocker eventually had a mediocre piece of cake at a small Harrod's outlet. She briefly considered buying a marked down Christmas teddy, but she really doesn't need one—even if it does say “Harrod's”. Suffice it to say the piece of cake was less than it would have been in London.
Then AlteCocker went looking for the adapter plug she is missing for her netbook—which is why the blog has been delayed in posting. She was afraid to connect to the internet and possibly use up all her internal battery time. The old adapter plug might be in Kuching. Who knows? In any event she stopped at a camera kiosk and asked if they knew where she could find one—assuming they did not have one. Wrong assumption. They sold her one for about $5. Problem solved.
Then AlteCocker went off to the Central Market again—a very dangerous place for those watching their money. This time AlteCocker changed some of her emergency stash of dollars. There is no sense of carrying that much cash around now as the trip is winding down. In Thailand she really has enough cash that more ATM extractions should not be necessary. In the Central Market she went back to a shop where she thought she had seen some small Chinese lacquer “screens” with flower pictures painted on. She found what she thought was the shop but the item must have been sold. So, once again, she wandered around—which could be considered a huge mistake from the saving money end—and, of course, ended up with something she did not need—a huge painting with a similar motif and some birds as well. It had to be rolled up and will have to be hand carried to Thailand because even the purple suitcase is not large enough. There is another suitcase in Thailand that hopefully can handle it. AlteCocker never learns. Well, the painting was only about $80. Don't ask about the framing that will be necessary or where she is going to put it. AlteCocker has absolutely no idea on that one. Perhaps something will have to come down. Nice painting. Didn't cost too much. Of course, the lady who sold it to me turned out to be quite a character as well—it is always the same.
Exiting the Central Market, AlteCocker's intent was to take public transport home, but a cab driver (one in one of the “no haggling” cabs offered to haggle. She took the cab and was back at the apartment at about 4:00pm, stripping off her sweat soaked clothes and throwing herself into the shower. Tomorrow, perhaps Batu Caves. There are almost 300 steps that must be climbed there and AlteCocker has some concerns about her aging body, but, if she doesn't make it all the way, she doesn't make it all the way.
With her computer recharging with the new adapter, AlteCocker plays catch up on the blog and edits some photos from the past few days. She will have to wait for Rosiah to return to hook up the web and post the blog. Another day down. Hard to believe she will be home complaining about cold weather in less than a month!
AlteCocker had not prebooked Petronas Towers and, since they limit daily tickets, she was worried about getting into this one attraction all the tour books tell you you have to do. No problem. She did not meet anyone who had prebooked and it is not a busy time of year. AlteCocker waited merely a half hour to go up. It is like everyone of the other tall building deals: You go up and take some photos largely not knowing what you are looking at. You first go up to the 41st floor from Tower 2 and walk across a sky bridge to take photos. You are on the lower tourist skybridge. There is one right above that is used by the office workers to go back and forth between the towers as needed for work. We were told that the sky bridge is not actually attached to the towers but is constructed in such a way that it controls the sway and provides safety in wind. Thankfully, we did not feel any swaying.
After talking photos on the sky bridge you return to Tower No. 2 and go up to the 86th floor where there is more photo taking. You have plenty of time for photos and almost everyone was done before his group was called to go down. When you go down there is a stop for you to purchase photos of yourself that were taken when you entered. They photoshop in the Towers. Since AlteCocker requested not to have a photo, she didn't have to stop there. She didn't see anyone buying as it is the usual price gauging of that sort of activity at all attractions. Then we were done. The tour went very smoothly.
There was a huge shopping mall next door. AlteCocker had lunch at an “Irish” themed restaurant that did not serve liquor (This is, after all, a Muslim country where Muslims can be publicly admonished for things like eating in public during Ramadan, so there is not a lot of liquor around that you see. AlteCocker assumes that the people who want it know where to find it.) After lunch there was more shopping mall exploring. At 1:00pm some people came out in Chinese “happy face” masks, passed out candies (AlteCocker got peach and pineapple). People posed for photos with the people in costume—all part of the preparation for the big Chinese Lunar New Year Festival—which, thankfully occur after AlteCocker leaves). AlteCocker eventually had a mediocre piece of cake at a small Harrod's outlet. She briefly considered buying a marked down Christmas teddy, but she really doesn't need one—even if it does say “Harrod's”. Suffice it to say the piece of cake was less than it would have been in London.
Then AlteCocker went looking for the adapter plug she is missing for her netbook—which is why the blog has been delayed in posting. She was afraid to connect to the internet and possibly use up all her internal battery time. The old adapter plug might be in Kuching. Who knows? In any event she stopped at a camera kiosk and asked if they knew where she could find one—assuming they did not have one. Wrong assumption. They sold her one for about $5. Problem solved.
Then AlteCocker went off to the Central Market again—a very dangerous place for those watching their money. This time AlteCocker changed some of her emergency stash of dollars. There is no sense of carrying that much cash around now as the trip is winding down. In Thailand she really has enough cash that more ATM extractions should not be necessary. In the Central Market she went back to a shop where she thought she had seen some small Chinese lacquer “screens” with flower pictures painted on. She found what she thought was the shop but the item must have been sold. So, once again, she wandered around—which could be considered a huge mistake from the saving money end—and, of course, ended up with something she did not need—a huge painting with a similar motif and some birds as well. It had to be rolled up and will have to be hand carried to Thailand because even the purple suitcase is not large enough. There is another suitcase in Thailand that hopefully can handle it. AlteCocker never learns. Well, the painting was only about $80. Don't ask about the framing that will be necessary or where she is going to put it. AlteCocker has absolutely no idea on that one. Perhaps something will have to come down. Nice painting. Didn't cost too much. Of course, the lady who sold it to me turned out to be quite a character as well—it is always the same.
Exiting the Central Market, AlteCocker's intent was to take public transport home, but a cab driver (one in one of the “no haggling” cabs offered to haggle. She took the cab and was back at the apartment at about 4:00pm, stripping off her sweat soaked clothes and throwing herself into the shower. Tomorrow, perhaps Batu Caves. There are almost 300 steps that must be climbed there and AlteCocker has some concerns about her aging body, but, if she doesn't make it all the way, she doesn't make it all the way.
With her computer recharging with the new adapter, AlteCocker plays catch up on the blog and edits some photos from the past few days. She will have to wait for Rosiah to return to hook up the web and post the blog. Another day down. Hard to believe she will be home complaining about cold weather in less than a month!
January 21, 2016: Batu Caves, Butterfly Park
With much doubt about her ability to conquer Batu Caves due to her bad back (she had a spinal fusion--that she should have had year's ago--as soon as she returned home), AlteCocker is happy to report success! It was 272 steep steps up (which means 272 steep steps down when you are done). The key is that, as with the tortoise, slow and steady wins the race. AlteCocker stopped a lot. Lots of Hindu men and male babies with shaved heads were going up for blessings. All the Hindu devotees (men and women) had bare feet. Given that the steps were in bad need of cleaning with garbage all over them, it is not something AlteCocker would fancy. So, she wore shoes and a sarong to hide her shorts and meet the rules of the site (you pay a small rental fee if you have to cover your shorts--part of which is refundable when you return the sarong/schmata at the end. So, up she went.
No one should feed the monkeys, but people do and the monkeys are very good at hustling fruit and soft drinks. It is not very good for animals to become dependent on human garbage. It is also not good for the site to have the remains all over, but Asians often see things differently and it is their temple. People get all excited when they see the monkeys for the first time, but, believe me, you will see enough monkeys before you come down and have plenty of monkey begging photos. The monkeys favor any sort of food and they love soft drinks. The soft drinks get spilled by them all over and they lap up every last drop from the ground.
At the end of the cave are a couple of Hindu shrines and people, often in yellow clothes. were walking up the stairs with offerings (the women often had metal containers on their heads). What this is all about was beyond AlteCocker's ken but she just watched it for all it was worth and continued until the trek up and down had been completed. She was glad she went today as tomorrow there is a huge Hindu festival beginning called Thaipusam. People walk up with huge piercings. While it might be interesting to see, AlteCocker would rather avoid this. The piercings are not analogous to getting your ears pierced. See photo here; look down the page; you will know when you've found the photo.
AlteCocker did take a taxi to the site for 30 ringgit. Coming down the blue taxis were hustling customers for 55 ringgit to get back to central Kuala Lumpur. Heck, AlteCocker paid less than that for her ride to Batu--which was from considerably farther than central KL. So, AlteCocker asked a policeman if there any red taxis (ones with meters and "no haggling" signs that are generally cheaper than blue taxis but all the drivers haggle next to their "no haggling" taxis). He suggested using Uber and called a taxi for AlteCocker. Then it turned out that he was going to be billed on his credit card! Not good for him. AlteCocker did a estimate and gave him more than he thought the fee would be. Unbelievable how nice Malaysians are--over and over again. In any event AlteCocker got where she wanted to go--and hopefully paid a fair fee to the policeman. What she wanted was the air conditioned shopping mall KLCC where she could stop and wring herself out after the trek up to Batu Caves. She had lunch at a San Francisco themed coffee shop and just hung out until her sweaty clothes dried. Then it was out the door for another taxi negotiation with a "non haggling" taxi for a ride to the KL Butterfly Park. Haggling is just not AlteCocker's favorite thing.
The Butterfly Park is very close to the Bird Park and, wouldn't you know, AlteCocker got a taxi driver who tried to drop her at the Bird Park. Seeing him go there, AlteCocker tried to tell him to go the other way because there WAS A SIGN that said "Butterfly Park". Obviously this was a FNG (those in the military will know what this means; for those who don't, suffice it to say that he was a new guy on the block; he did not get a tip after the detour). The Butterfly Park is a relatively small place but AlteCocker has never seen so many huge and beautiful butterflies in the same place--even in Costa Rica. AlteCocker had the devil of a time getting photos. Everything seemed to come out blurry and then she tried her flash. Then she got a few nice shots (maybe one good one for every 5 she deleted). The Butterfly Park was definitely worth doing and she is glad she chose it over the Botanical Gardens--which probably had a lot of plants similar to what she had seen in Thailand.
Then, yes, there was another taxi negotiation for the ride home. Really a pain in the ass, but that is the system. This one did not turn out so badly. The taxi driver and AlteCocker came to an agreement about a schlep to the Genting Highlands Cable Car for manana. One advantage of the highlands around KL is they are C-O-O-L-E-R and that is a good thing. She has wanted to do the cable car rid up ever since she heard about it at the top of Petronas Towers. So she will. She probably did not haggle enough to get the price down to Malaysian price, but, if she only gets cheated once a day, she figures she is doing fairly well.
AlteCocker did not return to the Central Market because shopping is OVER (famous last words). She went back to the apartment to do the blog now that she knows how to turn on the wifi and prepare her laundry for doing after Rosiah gets home and can show her what buttons to push and how much detergent to put in the washer. Rosiah, bless her, has a dryer. Any dirty clothes after tonight's laundry fiesta will be taken care of back in Chiang Mai.
No one should feed the monkeys, but people do and the monkeys are very good at hustling fruit and soft drinks. It is not very good for animals to become dependent on human garbage. It is also not good for the site to have the remains all over, but Asians often see things differently and it is their temple. People get all excited when they see the monkeys for the first time, but, believe me, you will see enough monkeys before you come down and have plenty of monkey begging photos. The monkeys favor any sort of food and they love soft drinks. The soft drinks get spilled by them all over and they lap up every last drop from the ground.
At the end of the cave are a couple of Hindu shrines and people, often in yellow clothes. were walking up the stairs with offerings (the women often had metal containers on their heads). What this is all about was beyond AlteCocker's ken but she just watched it for all it was worth and continued until the trek up and down had been completed. She was glad she went today as tomorrow there is a huge Hindu festival beginning called Thaipusam. People walk up with huge piercings. While it might be interesting to see, AlteCocker would rather avoid this. The piercings are not analogous to getting your ears pierced. See photo here; look down the page; you will know when you've found the photo.
AlteCocker did take a taxi to the site for 30 ringgit. Coming down the blue taxis were hustling customers for 55 ringgit to get back to central Kuala Lumpur. Heck, AlteCocker paid less than that for her ride to Batu--which was from considerably farther than central KL. So, AlteCocker asked a policeman if there any red taxis (ones with meters and "no haggling" signs that are generally cheaper than blue taxis but all the drivers haggle next to their "no haggling" taxis). He suggested using Uber and called a taxi for AlteCocker. Then it turned out that he was going to be billed on his credit card! Not good for him. AlteCocker did a estimate and gave him more than he thought the fee would be. Unbelievable how nice Malaysians are--over and over again. In any event AlteCocker got where she wanted to go--and hopefully paid a fair fee to the policeman. What she wanted was the air conditioned shopping mall KLCC where she could stop and wring herself out after the trek up to Batu Caves. She had lunch at a San Francisco themed coffee shop and just hung out until her sweaty clothes dried. Then it was out the door for another taxi negotiation with a "non haggling" taxi for a ride to the KL Butterfly Park. Haggling is just not AlteCocker's favorite thing.
The Butterfly Park is very close to the Bird Park and, wouldn't you know, AlteCocker got a taxi driver who tried to drop her at the Bird Park. Seeing him go there, AlteCocker tried to tell him to go the other way because there WAS A SIGN that said "Butterfly Park". Obviously this was a FNG (those in the military will know what this means; for those who don't, suffice it to say that he was a new guy on the block; he did not get a tip after the detour). The Butterfly Park is a relatively small place but AlteCocker has never seen so many huge and beautiful butterflies in the same place--even in Costa Rica. AlteCocker had the devil of a time getting photos. Everything seemed to come out blurry and then she tried her flash. Then she got a few nice shots (maybe one good one for every 5 she deleted). The Butterfly Park was definitely worth doing and she is glad she chose it over the Botanical Gardens--which probably had a lot of plants similar to what she had seen in Thailand.
Then, yes, there was another taxi negotiation for the ride home. Really a pain in the ass, but that is the system. This one did not turn out so badly. The taxi driver and AlteCocker came to an agreement about a schlep to the Genting Highlands Cable Car for manana. One advantage of the highlands around KL is they are C-O-O-L-E-R and that is a good thing. She has wanted to do the cable car rid up ever since she heard about it at the top of Petronas Towers. So she will. She probably did not haggle enough to get the price down to Malaysian price, but, if she only gets cheated once a day, she figures she is doing fairly well.
AlteCocker did not return to the Central Market because shopping is OVER (famous last words). She went back to the apartment to do the blog now that she knows how to turn on the wifi and prepare her laundry for doing after Rosiah gets home and can show her what buttons to push and how much detergent to put in the washer. Rosiah, bless her, has a dryer. Any dirty clothes after tonight's laundry fiesta will be taken care of back in Chiang Mai.
January 22, 2016: Genting Highlands Cable Car
So today AlteCocker had a taxi driver under contract to take her to the cable car and wait until after her expedition to the Genting Highlands was over. It turned out to be someone other taxi driver than the one she thought she had engaged because Taxi Driver #1 was busy with something involving his daughter. He sent his pal, Ashraf the Taxi Driver. Ashraf did fine.
The best part about about the damn expedition was the cable car. There are all sorts of hotels and amusements being constructed on the top of the hill. Don't expect to see a view. You can't. The construction blocks everything and then, for AlteCocker anyway, the clouds rolled in to add to the difficulties. Nothing was going on except in the casino where presumably people were losing money. AlteCocker really wanted some long shots of KL, but those were not about to happen, as you can see the Genting complex from Petronas Towers. The cable car ride up and back was very impressive, but what is going on on top is not. There were lots of places to eat and you pay less if you are a member--whatever that entails. At one point AlteCocker ordered an almond croissant and coffee and some guy shoved in front of her to save her 2 ringgit (and get himself some credit for prizes for wasting money at Genting Hinglands). There is a special shop for resuming points for that. Good luck to him. AlteCocker assumes the more money you waste, the more you get in prizes--whatever the hell that means.
And so AlteCocker has to say that this expedition was largely a waste of time except for the cable car ride--which is admittedly spectacular even with the clouds. The only highlight was the Rico Galleria store where you can buy surely some of the biggest assortment of real unadulterated Chinese crap in the world. Sort of like Chinatown in New York City but inside a store instead of on the street. Everyone goes in there for watches where you could pick up obviously Chinese crappy watches for 15-20 ringgit ($3-$4). AlteCocker bought six and hopes they can be distributed as gifts before they die. Most of them have an Eiffel Tower motif--very nice gift to bring back from Malaysia. One of those beauties is slated for AlteCocker's girlfriend Carole who lives maybe 4 blocks from the Eiffel Tower in Paris as her lovely gift from Malaysia. Hopefully it will make her laugh before it drops dead.
To salvage the expedition Ashraf the Taxi Driver (you can call him if you use him at 0129029034 if you have Malaysian local number), took AlteCocker to an overlook for photos without clouds but it wasn't a view of KL. So much for that. You have to laugh at stuff like that if you don't want to cry. Anyway, AlteCocker was bright enough to come early so perhaps she could elsewhere. Ashraf was bright enough to keep her happy by diverting her attention to other things she could see. A photo stop was made at the new Royal Palace (you can't go in to see the king--who rotates between various sultans every 5 years; AlteCocker has no idea who the current king is). You just take outside photos--and one of guards on a horse and guards in traditional costume. WARNING: You will have to get your photos in between those of people from Indian and Chinese tour groups trying to take photos with the guards on both sides of the palace. AlteCocker took a few snapshots and it was on to the last stop of the day she requested: the National Museum.
Of all the stops she made on this admittedly hilarious day the National Museum was a winner. She spent about 1 1/2 hours there learning about Malaysian history from prehistoric times to the present--including all the invasions of various foreigners who thought they could do things better for the Malaysians than they could do for themselves. Colonialism involved a lot of arrogance. The exhibits were very modern and well presented. The elevator did not work, so keep that in mind if you are an AlteCocker. There is an ethnographic museum next to the National Museum. AlteCocker wished she had had time for it, but she did not. The hop on/hop off bus does stop at the National Museum and AlteCocker recommends that you do as well.
Then it was time to end the tour with Ashraf the Taxi Driver. He passed by, gasp, the Central Market, and suggested that AlteCocker go in. "No, no, no," AlteCocker screamed. "Do not leave her anywhere near the Central Market!" AlteCocker was done with shopping there and had no desire for a third visit! Enough damage done to the pocketbook and she has no desire to shove more crap into her old purple suitcase. Then it was time for her to be dropped off at KLCC. The meeting point was the Swatch Store for her scheduled dinner with Rosiah and Shida later in the evening. Unfortunately, Shida got stuck in a major traffic jam on public transport and could not got get there. We ate at Serai in the Pavilion Shopping Center. To get there, we crossed a lot of overhead bridges on foot. AlteCocker would never have found it if Rosiah had not been leading the way! AlteCocker had some delicious chicken. One of the side sauces was very spicey but the chicken was heavenly. She enjoyed the drink--a honeydew melon based drink--best of all. It was so delicious it almost tasted as if someone had tipped in some gin. SE Asia has some delicious fruit drinks. AlteCocker has discovered that she doesn't really need alcoholic drinks in SE Asia the fruit drinks are so good--and there are so many varieties.
The best part about about the damn expedition was the cable car. There are all sorts of hotels and amusements being constructed on the top of the hill. Don't expect to see a view. You can't. The construction blocks everything and then, for AlteCocker anyway, the clouds rolled in to add to the difficulties. Nothing was going on except in the casino where presumably people were losing money. AlteCocker really wanted some long shots of KL, but those were not about to happen, as you can see the Genting complex from Petronas Towers. The cable car ride up and back was very impressive, but what is going on on top is not. There were lots of places to eat and you pay less if you are a member--whatever that entails. At one point AlteCocker ordered an almond croissant and coffee and some guy shoved in front of her to save her 2 ringgit (and get himself some credit for prizes for wasting money at Genting Hinglands). There is a special shop for resuming points for that. Good luck to him. AlteCocker assumes the more money you waste, the more you get in prizes--whatever the hell that means.
And so AlteCocker has to say that this expedition was largely a waste of time except for the cable car ride--which is admittedly spectacular even with the clouds. The only highlight was the Rico Galleria store where you can buy surely some of the biggest assortment of real unadulterated Chinese crap in the world. Sort of like Chinatown in New York City but inside a store instead of on the street. Everyone goes in there for watches where you could pick up obviously Chinese crappy watches for 15-20 ringgit ($3-$4). AlteCocker bought six and hopes they can be distributed as gifts before they die. Most of them have an Eiffel Tower motif--very nice gift to bring back from Malaysia. One of those beauties is slated for AlteCocker's girlfriend Carole who lives maybe 4 blocks from the Eiffel Tower in Paris as her lovely gift from Malaysia. Hopefully it will make her laugh before it drops dead.
To salvage the expedition Ashraf the Taxi Driver (you can call him if you use him at 0129029034 if you have Malaysian local number), took AlteCocker to an overlook for photos without clouds but it wasn't a view of KL. So much for that. You have to laugh at stuff like that if you don't want to cry. Anyway, AlteCocker was bright enough to come early so perhaps she could elsewhere. Ashraf was bright enough to keep her happy by diverting her attention to other things she could see. A photo stop was made at the new Royal Palace (you can't go in to see the king--who rotates between various sultans every 5 years; AlteCocker has no idea who the current king is). You just take outside photos--and one of guards on a horse and guards in traditional costume. WARNING: You will have to get your photos in between those of people from Indian and Chinese tour groups trying to take photos with the guards on both sides of the palace. AlteCocker took a few snapshots and it was on to the last stop of the day she requested: the National Museum.
Of all the stops she made on this admittedly hilarious day the National Museum was a winner. She spent about 1 1/2 hours there learning about Malaysian history from prehistoric times to the present--including all the invasions of various foreigners who thought they could do things better for the Malaysians than they could do for themselves. Colonialism involved a lot of arrogance. The exhibits were very modern and well presented. The elevator did not work, so keep that in mind if you are an AlteCocker. There is an ethnographic museum next to the National Museum. AlteCocker wished she had had time for it, but she did not. The hop on/hop off bus does stop at the National Museum and AlteCocker recommends that you do as well.
Then it was time to end the tour with Ashraf the Taxi Driver. He passed by, gasp, the Central Market, and suggested that AlteCocker go in. "No, no, no," AlteCocker screamed. "Do not leave her anywhere near the Central Market!" AlteCocker was done with shopping there and had no desire for a third visit! Enough damage done to the pocketbook and she has no desire to shove more crap into her old purple suitcase. Then it was time for her to be dropped off at KLCC. The meeting point was the Swatch Store for her scheduled dinner with Rosiah and Shida later in the evening. Unfortunately, Shida got stuck in a major traffic jam on public transport and could not got get there. We ate at Serai in the Pavilion Shopping Center. To get there, we crossed a lot of overhead bridges on foot. AlteCocker would never have found it if Rosiah had not been leading the way! AlteCocker had some delicious chicken. One of the side sauces was very spicey but the chicken was heavenly. She enjoyed the drink--a honeydew melon based drink--best of all. It was so delicious it almost tasted as if someone had tipped in some gin. SE Asia has some delicious fruit drinks. AlteCocker has discovered that she doesn't really need alcoholic drinks in SE Asia the fruit drinks are so good--and there are so many varieties.
January 23, 2016: A Muslim Wedding
Yes, AlteCocker went to a Malay Muslim wedding. It involves one of the children of one of Rosiah's friends. AlteCocker is bringing some stainless flatware from the US (very expensive in SE Asia and usually flimsy). Only service for 4 because it was too heavy to carry more. We all remember the overweight charges from Taipei to Chiang Mai if we have been faithfully reading this blog. We have been faithfully reading the blog, haven't we?
So Rosiah, who has a 20 year old car, rented a newer model (with working air conditioning), to get us to the wedding venue. We got confused at one point, but the wedding venue has a well marked route and we had no difficulty after we noticed that. So, when we got there, Rosiah remarked that everyone likes to park under the trees to have a cooler car when the event is over. AlteCocker pointed out that that behavior was not unknown to her. People do similar things everywhere. We sort of got the edge of a tree and it was overcast anyway.
The Malays do not mess around when it comes to food. The wedding ceremony is actually private. What AlteCocker saw was the reception for friends (a separate one is held for close family later; we did not go to that). The mother of the bridge is a colleague of my hostess Rosiah so she saw a lot of office mates there. The moment you enter, just pick up a plate and chow down on the buffet. Lots of interesting food--some spicy, some not. AlteCocker tried a little of everything including some pickled fruit. It was all interesting and lots of new tastes. No assigned seats. People just sit anywhere, bring kids, come and go (sometimes to a second wedding), etc. It's all much less formal than such affairs in the US where you get assigned to tables to keep the warring relatives apart.
The clothes were every color of the rainbow. Even the little girls were dressed in outfits with headscarves. Little girls can wear those clothes quite young here, but, for the most part, they assume those clothes at puberty. For Malaysians getting dressed up includes headscarves--even on the little ones--for many people. It is just what people wear here.
The bridegroom and bride (both medical doctors) were dressed in matching peach outfits. The groom's clothing made him a sultan for a day--complete with the headgear. That had to be the highlight. It was clothing out of the mists of time. Some of you ask about photos. There are plenty, but they are hard to post when internet is slow. AlteCocker needs gobs of time to do them here. Most will go up back in the the US when she returns. After the newly married couple were seated on their bridal thrones, there was a blessing in Arabic--which sounded very much like one often intoned by the cantor in traditional Jewish services. Then the formal photos began. AlteCocker got some lovely ones as well.
Leaving the wedding, we were each handed a gift. Apparently, everyone here gets one as a thank you for coming. We got goblets with something in them. Rosiah is going to keep both of them because schlepping one goblet in luggage is a recipe for a lot of broken glass.
So Rosiah, who has a 20 year old car, rented a newer model (with working air conditioning), to get us to the wedding venue. We got confused at one point, but the wedding venue has a well marked route and we had no difficulty after we noticed that. So, when we got there, Rosiah remarked that everyone likes to park under the trees to have a cooler car when the event is over. AlteCocker pointed out that that behavior was not unknown to her. People do similar things everywhere. We sort of got the edge of a tree and it was overcast anyway.
The Malays do not mess around when it comes to food. The wedding ceremony is actually private. What AlteCocker saw was the reception for friends (a separate one is held for close family later; we did not go to that). The mother of the bridge is a colleague of my hostess Rosiah so she saw a lot of office mates there. The moment you enter, just pick up a plate and chow down on the buffet. Lots of interesting food--some spicy, some not. AlteCocker tried a little of everything including some pickled fruit. It was all interesting and lots of new tastes. No assigned seats. People just sit anywhere, bring kids, come and go (sometimes to a second wedding), etc. It's all much less formal than such affairs in the US where you get assigned to tables to keep the warring relatives apart.
The clothes were every color of the rainbow. Even the little girls were dressed in outfits with headscarves. Little girls can wear those clothes quite young here, but, for the most part, they assume those clothes at puberty. For Malaysians getting dressed up includes headscarves--even on the little ones--for many people. It is just what people wear here.
The bridegroom and bride (both medical doctors) were dressed in matching peach outfits. The groom's clothing made him a sultan for a day--complete with the headgear. That had to be the highlight. It was clothing out of the mists of time. Some of you ask about photos. There are plenty, but they are hard to post when internet is slow. AlteCocker needs gobs of time to do them here. Most will go up back in the the US when she returns. After the newly married couple were seated on their bridal thrones, there was a blessing in Arabic--which sounded very much like one often intoned by the cantor in traditional Jewish services. Then the formal photos began. AlteCocker got some lovely ones as well.
Leaving the wedding, we were each handed a gift. Apparently, everyone here gets one as a thank you for coming. We got goblets with something in them. Rosiah is going to keep both of them because schlepping one goblet in luggage is a recipe for a lot of broken glass.
January 24, 2016: And So Malaysia is over
It is time for the Malaysia leg of the trip to end. Ashraf the Taxi Driver arrives right on time. The airport is way over town. Rosiah comes with me and we meet Shida and her family at KLIA2--the airport AlteCocker is using to get "home" to Chiang Mai. Shida gives me a mug from Starbucks that says "Kuala Lumphur". She also gives me a souvenir from her wedding. More stuff in the suitcase. And so we have to say "good-bye" as AlteCocker goes through security and wends her way to gate L12.
For more on the trip, follow the last Chiang Mai blog here.
For more on the trip, follow the last Chiang Mai blog here.