A side trip to Kuala Lumpur

The brilliantly floodlit Petronas Towers

A few weeks ago, when Khamma was staying with me in Singapore, we decided to go for a weekend to Kuala Lumpur the capital of Malaysia , or KL as it is colloquially known as. Singapore is separated from Malaysia by a narrow stretch of water but the contrasts between the two countries is obvious. We travelled on Friday afternoon by special chartered bus for the five hour journey. It was very comfortable and relaxing and it allowed us to see the lush banana and rubber tree plantations for mile after mile on the highway travelling north.

In my coolness as a seasoned traveller I decided the best way to get Malaysian money, which is known as the 'Ringgit', was to wait until I saw the nearest ATM. This wasn't a bad idea except where the bus stopped wasn't the exactly the middle of town but we found a machine eventually and then set about trying to get to the Renaissance (thanks Clare) on the monorail. We could have jumped into taxi, but where is the fun in that? The monorail was very easy and the hotel was a short walk across a busy highway from the station. It felt exciting to be a new place together for the first time.

Most of my travel, with notable exceptions on the trips I have done with Dave, have been solo efforts. I don't mind travelling on my own too much but I do get severely underwhelmed when I cannot share a discovery with someone. For example mootching round New York on your own isn't brilliant, neither was exploring Latvia and Estonia much fun with just my own thoughts for company. But this was different. KL was new to me and an exciting new experience for Khamma as well, who, don't forget, hadn't been out Thailand until twelve months ago. She put all her trust in me (foolish girl!) and just laughed and smiled with sheer joy and wonderment.

It was a distinct pleasure to accompany this beautiful lady throughout the weekend!

The hotel was opposite the famous Petronas Twin Towers which are 452 metres high with stainless steel and glass cladding on the walls. They are spectacular when lit up at night and represent the Malaysian national oil company with the same name. The design is detailed on Islamic geometric shapes, and the significance of this was not lost when comparing the building with other Twin Towers that no longer exist.

The view from half way up the Petronas Towers

Malaysia is predominantly Islamic and this is noticeable in the way the Malay women are dressed in traditional head scarfs, the ubiquitous mosques and the Halal food stalls, but it is also very friendly, relaxed and in some areas very modern. The juxtaposition of Islam and Walkman is interesting amongst the youth travelling on the monorail but we were not made to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.

We visited the Petronas Towers and were lucky to be given a couple of tickets to visit the observation Skybridge on the 41st floor. The tickets are limited to 800 per day and they are free. We also visited the excellent aquarium and now we have to have one back in Thamuang as Khamma found them fascinating. I'm not against this idea actually as long as the cats can't get at it!

We visited the China Town market which is a raucous place that feels as though it is edging on the very dodgy and seamy side of KL, and just below the surface it is easy to imagine an underworld of activity that is best left alone if you have any sense. But having said that there were plenty of bargains for Johnny Foreigner ranging from fake LV bags to Puma trainers.

We also visited a mosque where I made Khamma wear a headscarf and cover her shoulders to respect the etiquette of the faith. She aged about thirty years in a comical appearance of half 'bag lady' and half of something like a 1960's teddy boy's girl friend. I couldn't help take her picture but promised to delete it later. (Note: I must get around to doing that one day). We found a pleasant indoor bazaar / market and I bought Khamma a beautiful white woolen shawl that really suited her with the Indian cotton dress and top bought in Singapore.

All too soon we had to return on the bus to Singapore but we both commented as we crossed the border how much cleaner Singapore is and somehow brighter and more confident.