Sunday (2004-04-13)

On Sunday after a good nights sleep it was time for the first back packer breakfast that Karl Johan had, white bread and water, safe for stomach illness. In Malaysia you don't eat breakfast the way we do. I thought that maybe we should go down to Star Buck Coffee again for a coffee and a croissant! Said and done, another debauchery. Cost like a dinner!

We sat at Star Buck thinking and looking in the Guide book what to do today and we decided to go to Shah Alam, the Blue Mosque on bus distans. We found the local busstation in the warmth with all the polution from cars and buses and we also found the right bus. We were riding out of Kuala Lumpur and arrived after a rather short journey to the place for the mosque. We left the bus and went thru a shopping mall, where we were the only foreign people. Interesting to see all the small shops. We continued thru another quite large shopping mall where we had a soft ice and a coke. The hot weather made it important to drink a lot so we always carried bottles of water.
The Mosque was gigantic with a great green area, a smaller lake and church administrative buildings. Apart from taking off our shoes we had to dress in ankle-length blue gowns in order to get permit into the big hall and the other parts of this very beautiful mosque.

We returned thru the shopping malls and bought some fruit and we could watch an entertainment of a woman singing beautifully with lots of listening people. I had some problem with my sandals that chafed. We were then lucky that the bus left almost directly after we left the shopping mall. 

When we got back we found out that there were some Chinese Temples that we ought to see. The first were very noisy with begging, screaming and the incense was like a close fog.  We left for the next Chinese  tempel that were much more quiet and not so crowded. Karl Johan talked to a young Chinese woman and they went out when I saw that in a side room ladies were dancing Wiener waltz and they waved for me. Afterwards I regret tat I didn't joined them and danced with them. Instead I went to Karl Johan and we went to our room in the back packer place.

The Chinese Temple

After a short rest we went to the metro and away to the twin Towers for shopping. The evening came and the area was very sophisticated with ponds, water organs and lights and lots of people were walking or sat in the restaurants. 

We took the metro back to visit little India and an outdoor restaurant where we had dinner. It had a great deal of charm to sit out and the food was good. Then we went back, tired after all the experiences during the day and we fell asleep nicely. We had already booked tickets for the bus taking us to Cameron Highlands next day and we looked forward to get up to 1500 m level and a little more chilly climate. 

Dinner in little India                                                Twinn Towers at night

Kuala Lumpur Saturday morning (2003-04-12)

I arrived at KL Sentral Station 05.15 in the morning and sent a sms to Karl Johan. The Station was empty apart from me and a police. I asked for a coffee house on the way to the small house outside the station I heard that Karl Johan opened his mobile phone and shortly after he called me. He took a taxi and then we took the train to the old beautiful Sentral Station, built in old English Colonial Stile.

We went thru China Town and the morning market had already started. We went thru a smal passage in the market where they necked chickens and the smell was ineffable.

We came to Back Packers Inn at a street with heavy traffic and small business in the house and a lattice door and we rang the bell and they let us in. Karl Johan had slept one night in a dorm, but now we asked for a double and we had to walk three stairs to get to the room. A fan in the ceiling should make the 30 degree hot more bearable. In the corridor was the toilets and showers. Western toilets and pretty cleaned. We unpacked and I got to learn that in the big back pack you had no valuables. They were in a smaller back pack and a safety belt around your stomach. In the room were two beds with sheets, walls that ones was white and a window towards the corridor.

Back Packers Inn

I wanted a cup of coffee we went down to Star Bucks Coffee in China Town. For the budget, this was as expensive as a whole dinner, but we took each one a latte and a croissant.

After this luxury and after checking Lonely Planet and my Swedish Guide, we started our walking in Kuala Lumpur thru China Town towards the old Sentral Station. A very beautiful building and next to it was the likewise beautiful administrative building for the Rail, though it had been damaged by a fire and lost some of its patina. Around the corner was the beautiful Blue Mosque that we visited bare foot the muslim way. We went on passing the Islamic center on a street with very nice railings, poles and street lights on the way to the City park. There was one of the worlds largest bird parks covered by a net and we could hear and see lots of different birds.

   The Blue Mosque

We continued thru Mercadda Square were we saw the 80 m welknown and tall flagg pole and the palace for the Sultan. We came to the Central Market were you could buy most of western gagets. Today was not a day for buying but to imbibe the atmosphere, the smell and the colorful things you could buy.

Outside the market was the place were the two rivers merge and has given the city its name, Kuala Lumpur. Right there between the rivers is a nice old mosque that we visited on our way to Little India. The commerce was great and the street salesmen tried to convince you to buy.

The Kuala Lumpur name!

We went further thru the town towards the more stylish part and its symbol, namely the Twinn Towers or Petronia Towers. It took us two hours to get there and to get a ticket to get up on the bridge between the two towers. Breathtaking view though we were only halfway up in the towers. Down in the bottom is a stylish shopping centre where you could buy most things. We got some rain and thunder a during a short time when the heaven opened up and the rain poured down. Almost every afternoon in Kuala Lumper we had a rain, but not on the other places during our journey.

We took the metro back to the Central Market and it was only a short walk to the Back Packers Inn. I laid down a few minutes on the bed and felt tired, but we decided to get out again to discover the city. 

We went thru China Town Market and did some shopping. I bought a Rolex Copy for 20 USD and a sunglasses Cartier for 4 USD. Karl Johan also bought a nice but cheap watch to use at home.

It started getting dark and we passed a Hindu Tempel with an ongoing ceremony. We were invited and it turned out to be a Hindu wedding. many beautifully dressed people, oriental music and smells that made it a very speciell experience for us.

The Hindu Wedding.

We continued our evening walk and came to the Sultan Palace that was lighted this Saturday Evening. A mighty and beautiful sight.

The night market in Little India was special with lots of people this Saturday Evening. We bought some rice and fish sause in a bambu blade in a street stall as an appetizer and sat down as some exotic people among the locals. They were very nice friendly. We learned to say thanks on Malay - ¨Terimakasih¨ and we were happy to pronounce it correctly to thank the chef!

We had dinner at a chines restaurant with some beer, chicken and rice. 

Now I was really tired and we decided to go back to Back Packers In to sleep - and I slept very good this first night, though the warmth!

On my way to the adventure (2003-04-11)

The plane is on its way to Kuala Lumpur International AirPort at four o'clock on Saturday morning and in the far distance the sky was lightened by lightning from a thunder storm between the clouds. On my way to the adventure as back packer at the age of 57 I'm looking forward to meet my son, Karl Johan, who is already in Malaysia since a week back. We are going to spend 16 days together in the country and travel on his conditions as back packers.
I left Sweden on a rainy and cold morning in a taxi to the Central Station for further journey across the bride to Copenhagen Airport. I had bought a small backpack and sandals and I had a minimum of clothes, walking shoes, pirat trousers. I had a t-shirt under a flees jacket on my way to the adventure.
As an experienced traveller and frequent flyer I went to the Diners lounge at Kastrup, but was rejected as I didn't had the card in original. I only had one credit card, ticket, passport and some travellers checks in US dollar and some Malaysian Ridget. I bought a small bottle of ¨Gammeldansk¨as medicin for the journey.
The plane was delayed as one passenger didn't appeared so they had to take out the luggage because of security. One hour late we arrived in Vienna to change plane. I got the chance to fulfill Karl Johans request and bring two small bottles of whiskey to have in the evenings.
When on the plane, I was lucky to have three seats by the window for myself. Lovely! A dicent meal and a Bond movie - Die another Day - and then a rest. The time differens of 6 hours made me arrive at 4 in the morning, but my body watch was 10 in the evening.
The touch down was perfect and with only hand luggage I was quickly on the new fast train to KL Sentral. On the wall in the train was a Swedish Poem in Swedish and translated into English.

Kuala Lumpur in the morning