Missing Home

Having half my life in Myanmar and half in Canada, I never thought coming back to Asia would have such an impact. I really believed that Kuala Lumpur was close enough to what was once my home (and in a way still is) called Toungoo.
It really did not hit me until two weeks in that I really miss home. That's either Myanmar or Canada. I miss my friends. In this self-discovery, I also noticed that I really am a social and like familiar things. Having new and exciting things make me feel good and exhilarated, but in the end I seek the same old things.
So, here I am on my adventure...going around and visiting places where my friends are. My first stop was Bangkok (last week). And, leaving Bangkok was harder than I thought. I enjoyed staying there despite the remnants of the protests visible in certain part of the city.  This week, I plan to squeeze Singapore into my weekend. 

Weekend 2

KL welcome me with a refreshing rain this morning as I woke up. Not so refreshing were the slumming doors and the wind that came from no where. Met a new friend at work from Australia. So, at least I no longer sit in a lonely cornor trying to finish work and trying not to dooze off basked in afternoon sun.
Maluri station, the LRT station about 5-10 mins walk away from where I stay has this amazing view of the twin tower and the place called Jusco where I normally buy food. The rail station is a nice change of scenary from Canada since wherever I go is surrounded by lavish greens.  Last weekend, I managed to venture out into the Batu Caves after getting lost trying to find a bus. The buses are not always easy to find. Apparently, they had a restructuring of the station I went to. After getting lost for about 1 hour, I was approached by a taxi driver. Not wanting to sweat out anymore than I did (already drenched in sweat at that time), I decided to get in and pay the 15 ringgit fare.
Being a major tourist attraction, I saw many people holding their camera. Of course, by the time, I've climbed up all those stairs, I was in no better place. Both my camera and I were drenched in sweat. I was a bit disappointed when I got to the top since I expected something more grand and more beautiful.
Being afraid of height, coming down was a challenge. Without much support in addition to the uneven steps, I ended up hugging on whatever railing I could find and proceeded my journey down from the mountain.

Weekends in Kuala Lumpur-1

Jalan Petaling- a trouist attraction in Kuala Lumpur. What it is popular for-Desinger imitations. After crossing the street bravely in the midst the unstopping cars and motorcycles, I did manage to arrive at the location in one piece.  Once I set my food in there, I was greeted by the shop keepers asking me to buy their items... yelling out LV, Gucci. I saw some buying their desinger imitation watches for a few dollars. The market really was a pleasant sight, so alive with the local and tourist. I also did venture into some dark corners for the street and from the smell I knew it was the meat and fish market. There were not a lot of tourist but the locals buying their food. Before I left, I went to this stall to buy soy milk. The shop keeper asked me where I was from...learning that I was from Canada, he departed this knowledge to me..."these soy beans are from Canada" 

Introducing Kuala Lumpur

One of my friend just brought up a great idea....write about Kuala Lumpur. He said my blog is becoming a food blog. Sigh! What can I say... I love food... love to smell...look...and EAT!
My first thought about Kuala Lumpur..."WOW EVERYTHING IS SO GREEN". I managed to handle the heat and I am still experiencing Cultural Shock. I haven't really picked up the language because English is so widely spoken over here. I have however managed to say a few words of Chinese to my landlady.
Whenever I step out in Kuala Lumpur, I see a mosaic of people, of different color and different backgrounds all blending in and going on about their days. I see greens everywhere. It rains at least once a day for about 30 minutes to an hour and everything cools down. The humidity itself isn't all too bad except for the fact that I cannot keep my hair frizz free (that's an understatement). People drive on the left and almost zero traffic signals are followed. Motor cycles are especially notorious. They drive on the side walks, in any places they can squeeze through. Drivers have to be aggressive or else they will not reach their destination which means I will be stuck in traffic all day long if I were to drive here. Taxi drivers are not as notorious as I have read. Lesson learned is...do not take the luxury blue taxi. Their rates are higher than the regular ones. I ended paying 30 ringgits for a trip from the KLCC to my place which would have cost 10- 15 ringgits.
(About food again) Over here, they call the ice water sky juice. They eat a lot of sugar and fatty food. There are little to non nutritional labels (finally, I can eat in peace). But, I did look at one label that said... four tiny crackers had 8 grams of fat of which half are saturated fats (sigh). They have all kinds of food... and yes, I look like a little kid who hasn't eaten for days in front of all these food stalls. You name it, Western, French, Italian, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, KFC, Nando's Grill... I mean everything. Of course, I prefer eating the local food.
There are a lot of places to explore in Kuala Lumpur. But, I still am a bit scared to go out at night. Many has been warning me to be careful of snatch thieves. Just yesterday morning, a man from the motor cycle approached me, pointed to something and started speaking in Malay. After I told him I am not from here without looking away..he made a remark and left. I was told he may have been wanting to snatch my bag and was disappointed (but thank god, I will never find out). But, I did managed to get to certain places like Petaling Street on the weekend, a colleague's house party with lots of food, KLCC, Mid valley mall. On this weekend, I plan to venture out to the Batu caves by bus. And, this means I will be updating my blog soon with more exciting pictures....

Foodie Friday

My day started out as usual. Excessive perspiration and uncontrollable frizz. By the time I got to the office, I looked as though I have travelled on foot and done hard labour for half a day. Lunch time was better. I knew not to eat too much (irony). I got all those in the picture plus two more pieces of liver, ice tea, and a sago drink for $3.00. Of ourse, I didn't finish eating all the rice nor did I touch that plate of chicken sitting in the back.

Dinner: Went to this fancy mall with same co-workers. I got to see a bit more of Malaysia and saw how the traffic flows. You have to be aggressive in KL or else you won't get anywhere. No one really follows the traffic laws and mortor cycles will whizz through any free space and red light if they can. Got Udon for dinner. Chicken wasn't cooked properly so I ended up wasting the four pieces of chicken entirely. Ate the livers from lunch and the two pieces of chicken in the package. Japanese food in comparison with others are pricy. This udon alone cost $3.00. Again, I couldn't finish the food. And, you can't exactly pack in Malaysia. You either pack the thing entirely or you don't at all. Of course exceptions do exit.

Temptations: As we were browsing through the mall, we came across Haagen Dazs store. They serve cakes as well as icecream. I went in to try one of their ice cream cakes but ended up ordering this sushi platter instead. Pricy? Yes! But, definitely worth it. Fresh fruit and delicately hand crafted pieces of ice cream with assorted nuts and flavors...who wouldn't want to try them? Over all, this dish alone cost $10.00 but they were having a promotion and therefore got two free scoop of ice cream for my friend that would have costed about $6 on its own. They have so many more exciting presentations but for the sake of my budget and my wasteline, I really have to start watching out and stop giving into my temptation to try anything new.

I am not a true Hakka

This is called Lei Cha. It's a type of soup made from mint leaves and coriander. The most unpleasant soup I have ever had. It reminded me of this medicinal after taste from when I was a kid. It's a Hakka (Chinese) food where people eat with noodles. I guess it has to be an acquired taste just like my acquired taste for Durian.

Toungoo

Shwe San Daw Pagoda- A landmark of Toungoo.

Bells like these ranging in sizes can be found all over pagoda. This one in particular is small but some are (I am guessing) over 10 feet tall.

This is a typical "Pwe Zay Tan" or street sale where shops are set up on the street.

This picture was taken at the Toungoo Bazaar. Shampoos anyone?