I was being driven around the streets of Kuala Lumpur. My taxi driver was lost. I knew it and so did he. If I didn’t have someone to meet, I wouldn’t have minded this little tour of the city. But I was now late for a meeting with Azlan Azwan Tahir, the sales and marketing manger of the Cititel Express Hotel. I was told it shouldn't take more than ten or fifteen minutes by taxi from the Boulevard Hotel in mid Valley, where I was staying.
When I inquired with the first driver at the taxi stand he said he wasn’t sure where the hotel was, and smartly declined the fare. The second driver was a little more sure, or at least he said he was. As we made our way into the city, it became clear he had no idea where the hotel was. He stopped to ask a fellow cabbie, and then carried on. Then he called someone on his cell phone. He stopped twice more to ask for directions. Finally after an hour driving through the city, he arrived at the hotel. Fortunately taxi fares in KL are reasonable. It cost me 15RM ($5).
After a quick tour of the hotel, Azlan invited me to join him and two of his colleagues for a traditional Malaysian lunch. On the way, we stopped at a sidewalk fruit stand, and sampled some Rumbitan, a small red fruit, with a sweet jelly-like centre. With an impish smile, Azlan asked if I had ever tried Durian—that infamous odorous fruit. I told him I hadn’t. “We shall have some after lunch then,” he said. “Some people say it smells like hell, and tastes like heaven.”
Lunch was served in an open-air restaurant, although not the type of place that immediately comes to my mind when think of a restaurant. This was an open air structure, covered with a corrugated metal roof. These eateries are common throughout Kuala Lumpur. Rows of portable tables and chairs lined the floor, giving it a camp like feel. It was self-serve, and an assortment of dishes filled large metal trays. Before digging into the large vat of rice, I wondered if my stomach would make me regret the offer of lunch. I heaped the rice on to my plate, and topped it with some curried fish, chicken, and bamboo shoots.
I returned to the table, and noticed that everyone was eating with their hands, a Malaysian tradition. Azlan brought me a fork, but I chose to eat the local way. Someone at the table asked if I had ever eaten with my hands before. Not since I was about two years old, I told them. Like using chopsticks, there seemed to be an art to eating with your hand.
With the tips of your fingers, you collect the rice and meat together, and then scoop it into the palm of your hand. Then comes the tricky part. Without dropping your food, you use your thumb to push it into your mouth. It took sometime getting used to. My hosts said I was a quick learner. I think they were being gracious.
After a delicious lunch, we found a street stand that sold durian, and sat at a small table. Durian is a large tan coloured fruit, with a spiky outside. When cut in half, a light yellow fleshy fruit about the size of a palm is revealed. I bit into it, and didn’t expect the creamy texture. It wasn’t as bad as I anticipated; however, after finishing one, I came to realize that it is probably an acquired taste. My hosts gobbled a few down, before taking the rest in a take-away container.
When I inquired with the first driver at the taxi stand he said he wasn’t sure where the hotel was, and smartly declined the fare. The second driver was a little more sure, or at least he said he was. As we made our way into the city, it became clear he had no idea where the hotel was. He stopped to ask a fellow cabbie, and then carried on. Then he called someone on his cell phone. He stopped twice more to ask for directions. Finally after an hour driving through the city, he arrived at the hotel. Fortunately taxi fares in KL are reasonable. It cost me 15RM ($5).
After a quick tour of the hotel, Azlan invited me to join him and two of his colleagues for a traditional Malaysian lunch. On the way, we stopped at a sidewalk fruit stand, and sampled some Rumbitan, a small red fruit, with a sweet jelly-like centre. With an impish smile, Azlan asked if I had ever tried Durian—that infamous odorous fruit. I told him I hadn’t. “We shall have some after lunch then,” he said. “Some people say it smells like hell, and tastes like heaven.”
Lunch was served in an open-air restaurant, although not the type of place that immediately comes to my mind when think of a restaurant. This was an open air structure, covered with a corrugated metal roof. These eateries are common throughout Kuala Lumpur. Rows of portable tables and chairs lined the floor, giving it a camp like feel. It was self-serve, and an assortment of dishes filled large metal trays. Before digging into the large vat of rice, I wondered if my stomach would make me regret the offer of lunch. I heaped the rice on to my plate, and topped it with some curried fish, chicken, and bamboo shoots.
I returned to the table, and noticed that everyone was eating with their hands, a Malaysian tradition. Azlan brought me a fork, but I chose to eat the local way. Someone at the table asked if I had ever eaten with my hands before. Not since I was about two years old, I told them. Like using chopsticks, there seemed to be an art to eating with your hand.
With the tips of your fingers, you collect the rice and meat together, and then scoop it into the palm of your hand. Then comes the tricky part. Without dropping your food, you use your thumb to push it into your mouth. It took sometime getting used to. My hosts said I was a quick learner. I think they were being gracious.
After a delicious lunch, we found a street stand that sold durian, and sat at a small table. Durian is a large tan coloured fruit, with a spiky outside. When cut in half, a light yellow fleshy fruit about the size of a palm is revealed. I bit into it, and didn’t expect the creamy texture. It wasn’t as bad as I anticipated; however, after finishing one, I came to realize that it is probably an acquired taste. My hosts gobbled a few down, before taking the rest in a take-away container.
Azlan suggested I meet them later that evening for some dinner. In the meantime I needed to get a closer look at the Petronas Towers—known locally as the twin towers. The towers are probably the most beautiful buildings I’ve seen. Completed in 1998, and rising nearly 1,500 feet, the Petronas Towers held the distinction of being the tallest building in the world, before being eclipsed by Taipei 101 in 2004.
I decided to walk toward the towers through the Kampung Baru neighbourhood, an older part of KL. I wandered past market stalls and traditional homes. The silvery towers glistened in the afternoon sunlight, acting as a beacon. Soon I came to a dead end. How to get past a highway overpass and across the Klang River, I wondered? I asked someone for directions, and soon found myself walking along a narrow sidewalk on a freeway. I kept thinking that maybe I should have listened to Azlan’s suggestion of taking the monorail. In the distance, the sky rumbled with thunder, and shafts of lightening broke free from the dark, brooding skies. For a moment, I thought I could cheat the rain, but then drop the size of small coins poured from the sky, as if someone was emptying a bucket of water from above. I took refuge for a short time under an overpass, and then found a single lane car tunnel that I hoped would lead to the towers. After nearly an hour of walking through the moist tropical afternoon, I came to the towers, which stood like giants above me. But I couldn’t stay long to marvel at this structure, as the afternoon was wearing on, and the clouds opened up once again.
Kuala Lumpur is an attractive city by day, but it really comes to life at night. Awash in white light, the Twin Towers looked stunning. The KL Tower sparkled with blue lights, and throughout the city, merchants were setting up market stands. In one part of the city, farmers from outlying areas brought fresh vegetables and fruit to the city to sell each night.
I met up with Azlan and Siti, and after navigating through the busy streets, which get jammed with traffic during rush hour, we found a little street-side restaurant known for its satay, a Malaysian tradition.
I decided to walk toward the towers through the Kampung Baru neighbourhood, an older part of KL. I wandered past market stalls and traditional homes. The silvery towers glistened in the afternoon sunlight, acting as a beacon. Soon I came to a dead end. How to get past a highway overpass and across the Klang River, I wondered? I asked someone for directions, and soon found myself walking along a narrow sidewalk on a freeway. I kept thinking that maybe I should have listened to Azlan’s suggestion of taking the monorail. In the distance, the sky rumbled with thunder, and shafts of lightening broke free from the dark, brooding skies. For a moment, I thought I could cheat the rain, but then drop the size of small coins poured from the sky, as if someone was emptying a bucket of water from above. I took refuge for a short time under an overpass, and then found a single lane car tunnel that I hoped would lead to the towers. After nearly an hour of walking through the moist tropical afternoon, I came to the towers, which stood like giants above me. But I couldn’t stay long to marvel at this structure, as the afternoon was wearing on, and the clouds opened up once again.
Kuala Lumpur is an attractive city by day, but it really comes to life at night. Awash in white light, the Twin Towers looked stunning. The KL Tower sparkled with blue lights, and throughout the city, merchants were setting up market stands. In one part of the city, farmers from outlying areas brought fresh vegetables and fruit to the city to sell each night.
I met up with Azlan and Siti, and after navigating through the busy streets, which get jammed with traffic during rush hour, we found a little street-side restaurant known for its satay, a Malaysian tradition.
Two days in Kuala Lumpur gave me a delicious taste of Malaysia, but with little time to savor it, I woke early this morning, and made my way to KL Central Station, where I climbed aboard the fast and convenient airport express train for my flight to Singapore.
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