Sweet Singapore!

We got up at 4:30 am to get a cab to KL Central. We had the nicest cabbie ever. We liked his "no joking" phrase that he would say at the end of every other sentence. He told us how great the trains were - you can check into your flight from the train station and your bags get checked straight from train cargo. We took the bus to the airport though, because we weren't rushing and it was a lot cheaper. The lines at the airport took FOREVER. They were completely inefficient and it was frustrating.

After we finally checked in we had Old Town Coffee for breakfast one last time. They had perfectly soft boiled eggs on toast and a sweet bun with chicken ham (no real pork in a Muslim country) and melted cheese. We also had to have one more amazing cup of milk tea and white hazelnut coffee.


The flight to Singapore was a breeze, it took under an hour. Customs was equally easy. Our bags were waiting for us at baggage claim. If only all airport experiences could be so pleasant. We took the subway into the city - it was clean, easy, and quick. Our first impression of Singapore was that it is a very clean and nice city, but a lot of rules! We checked into our hotel - a renovated opium den! - and then went off to find some food. Maxwell Center has dozens of food stalls, all very cheap, and some of them are world renowned for their fantastic dishes. We scarfed down some delicious fried rice, egg, veggies, Hianese chicken and pork. We also had some refreshing pineapple juice with big chunks of fresh fruit in it.


After stuffing ourselves with delicious food, we got back on the subway and headed to Orchard Street, where all the big shopping is. Singapore is clearly a wealthy country. It was overwhelming. In less than a kilometer, we counted three Mont Blanc stores. How unnecessary. It felt very superficial in this area, so after a bit we decided to move on, after snacking on an ice cream sandwich - a chunk of mint chip ice cream wrapped in multicolored bread. Interesting.


It was a gorgeous day, and many areas were very picturesque. We went to the City Hall area, and saw the Supreme Court, Parliament, and many tall buildings (that are all quite close together). The Children Olympics is being hosted here, so many of the roads are closed due to parades and other events. We saw the new hotel that was just built with a giant cantilever on top - it is impressive, holding a bar, restaurant, and Olympic sized pool. Ironically, our only negative impression of the city is that it is TOO clean. It almost feels like Disneyland here. Cops are everywhere, and there is a general feeling that you need to ask permission for everything.


We saw the War Memorial, then were lucky enough to see the military practice a 21 gun salute for the upcoming parade. Afterward we thought we stop at a bar or cafe and have a cold one, but everything was closed! We decided to buy some brews and head back to Maxwell's to sit and nosh on some snacks. In a 7-11 we found a Singaporean beer called Baron's that was 11.8% alcohol in 50mL cans. Whoa. We sat in the outdoor section of the Maxwell Center as the sun went down, chowing down on some tasty dumplings and spring rolls, and after a couple Baron's, we called it an early night and headed back to get some much needed rest.

Last Few Days in Kuala Lumpur

Yesterday we got up early to go to the Sky Bridge at the Petronas Towers. We got there at 8:00 am only to find out they had sold out of tickets at SIX in the morning. WEAK. Our morning was completely shot. We wandered around for a few hours, then went back to Old Town Coffee at the bazaar near the river. Nick got a cold white mocha that was especially delicious. We got some more gifts and decided that today was going to be a relaxing day without much touristy stuff.


We had lunch at a reggae bar and restaurant. As much as we enjoy the Malay cuisine, we had a desire for some Western food. I had some pasta with chicken, pesto and Gorgonzola cream sauce, Nick had fish and chips. Both dishes were tasty, but nothing spectacular. We spent the afternoon drawing, writing post cards and staying out of the exhausting heat at our little table in the bar.

Dinner was at the same curry buffet we ate at the first night here. The men who run it are so welcoming and polite. We had huge plates of yellow rice this time with hard boiled eggs, spicy beef curry with cloves, and more orange fried chicken. We also enjoyed more of the milky teh tarik, the hot orange tea that is super sweet and deeply satisfying. We can't get enough of it.


Today we slept in and went to check out the orchid and hibiscus gardens. We were seriously disappointed - there were almost no flowers in bloom. There were some really beautiful paths and vines hanging off the trellises however. The few orchids they did have were vibrant orange and white with a dark yellow hue. We expected more. We did find a cute snail, though!


On the way back from the gardens, prayers started. We were captivated by the singing and praying that was blasted from the loudspeakers hanging outside the mosques. You could hear the echoes of similar songs and prayers being said all over the city. We were also stunned by the sheer amount of parked cars and motorbikes. Cars were quadruple parked on the streets and a sea of bikes took up the sidewalks and all available space.


I got serious heat exhaustion shortly after the prayers. It has been intensely hot and it was a little scary - I just physically and mentally shut down. It felt like my brain was melting. Nick got me back to the hotel, kept me hydrated, and made me eat some coconut so I wasn't totally depleted. I crashed and slept for quite some time. We spent most of the afternoon in the hotel as I recovered.

After the sun started to go down and it wasn't nearly as hot, we went out to get some savory Chinese noodles, roasted chicken, and greens from a stand off an ally on Petaling Street. The noodles were salty without being overpowering. The chicken was beyond tender and juicy. The greens were very fresh and crunchy! We also grabbed some more of the fried curry pies with egg. I can't wait to try to bake some when we go home. Then we went to the curry buffet place just to have some more of the sweet milky tea that we love. Today was a budget day - 23 ringgits overall for the two of us, which is roughly $8.00. We will miss Kuala Lumpur! Tomorrow it is off to Singapore!

Butterflies and Frog Soup

We woke up late-ish. Another great breakfast at the hotel. This time they had scrambles with big slices of yellow peppers. We decided to go to the butterfly park. We got stuck trying to cross the river by foot and almost got trapped on a freeway. We had to double back. We found an old train station. Nick was pleased. It's close to the hotel, too. Figures. We got across the river, checked out the tracks, then found the KLRT headquarters. It is an amazing, gothic building. We love all of the British influence.

We then went to the National Mosque. I had to wear a lavender robe with a hood, Nick did too. We discussed how once you cover up a woman, they get seductive eyes. The people at the mosque were so polite and welcoming. It was breathtaking, but the sounds of jackhammers as they fixed the fountains detracted from the “holiness” of the experience. I loved the feeling of the large, cool slabs of marble under my bare feet.

We finally got to the butterfly gardens. Awe. 120 species, over 6000 butterflies. We were like kids in a candy store with our cameras. We enjoyed all the little paths and dense foliage – even though there were other people there, we felt isolated. It was magical with all the water features and fluttering insects. Such vibrant colors! I found a part of a butterfly wing that we kept as a souvenir. We chased butterflies for over an hour. I freaked out over the poor mouse in the monitor lizard's tank – he just sat there shivering as the giant lizard watched him, biding his time. I couldn't stick around to see him get eaten.

Next, we went to the Islamic Art Museum. Such a great design for the building. Very open, LAEGE spaces. Immaculate domes. Lots of white stone surfaces. Great lighting. We were mind boggled by the Qu'arans, the calligraphy, the sultan's thrones and royal objects. I want to be an Indian princess. They had incredibly large detailed models of all the important mosques in the world. I wish we could visit them all. Nick loved the weapons – intricate, carved bone handles, wicked twisting blades, weathered battle axes and even a mace. Again, the people were overly polite and so welcoming. We felt like honored guests, not sweaty tourists.

As we left the museum our stomachs rumbled, so we had street food for lunch. We devoured some chicken schwarma in a bun with crunch cabbage, mayo, and a sweet and spicy red sauce for 3 ringgits. Back on Petaling Street we also had some fried curry dumplings with hard boiled egg – flaky, hot, savory, and utterly delicious. We bought 4 for 5 ringgits and some change from an older Chinese lady with a great voice and warm eyes. Got some interesting fruit pudding. Nick had kiwi and I had pineapple. It was like milky fruit jello. Odd, but refreshing.

The afternoon was lazed away as we napped. For dinner, we had to try the frog leg soup with mushrooms, greens, and large flat egg noodles that was around the corner from our hotel. It was served in clay pots in this alley that had rats crawling underfoot. I squirted lime juice and spooned chili paste into the soup to make it tart and spicy. The frog soup was made by a nice lady and daughter working together. The frog was chewy and salty. The broth was fulfilling. I enjoyed the noodles the most though.

We're in love with the dried coconut. We've gone through three bags and also bought brown sugar toasted coconut tonight. We are coconut fiends and completely addicted.

MONKEYS MONKEYS MONKEYS

WE PLAYED WITH MONKEYS!


The day started at about 10:30 am (we enjoy not having to wake up for work!). We took a bumpy bus ride to the Batu Caves around 45 minutes outside of the city. At the bus stop we met a cool Brit named Mike. He became our friend for the day :)

At the caves, we saw a gigantic golden statue of Buddha and several hundred steps to climb. We could already see some of the monkeys on the stairs. The monkeys have no natural food in the area and depend completely on tourists or those making the pilgrimage to the temple at the top. We bought a bunch of bananas to feed the monkeys. Almost immediately as we climbed, we were approached by monkeys. They were not shy, and occasionally aggressive. I was frightened at times. We fed them all of our bananas as we climbed, and then some Zec's crackers Nick had in his pocket.


When we got to the top, there were beautiful, immense caves. Some water dripped down. We could hear bats, but not see them. Pigeons were everywhere. The monkeys continued to hound us for more food. We gave them some coconut shavings, and were quite delighted to watch them ask for more. We all decided to buy more peanuts, a bag each. We all fed the monkeys again, the boys now allowing the monkeys to climb on them to get food from their hands. While taking the camera from Nick, I got my peanuts stolen by a cheeky monkey! We went to the end of the caves again, and finished giving away the peanuts. The monkeys were wild. One larger monkey rushed at Mike, causing him to drop his peanuts, and the monkey savored the spoils. All in all this was beyond fantastic. KL could have nothing left to show us, but would still be an ultimate success thanks to Batu Caves. Score one for the monkeys!

After we returned, we went in search of more delicious cheap food. 16 ringgits for two plates and two bottles of water. The beef was fantastic and spicy, although we noticed several cockroaches on the walls. Afterwards, we went on a walk looking for the train station from the movie Entrapment. We walked for a LONG time, with no luck. I ended up getting a bit of heat exhaustion; it was very hot and sunny outside. We found another swanky mall to cool off in. Nick had a coffee, I had a scoop of coconut ice cream. We found wifi – why could we not find the train station? Because in Entrapment, they used a totally different station, and switched the signs to say “Pudu LRT.” Totally uncool. No matter. We headed back at the hotel to rest.

After I cooled down, we had Chinese for dinner. We savored the fried flat noodles with beef, squid and egg. We adored the sizzling chicken in a sweet brown sauce with lots of red onions, corn, carrots, and peas. We loved the savory crispy friend chicken with strips of basil and scallions. Consider dinner INHALED.

Then we had hookah with Mike, it was fun. We had 2 pitchers of Carlsberg, but it took FOREVER to get the beer. It was crowded. We sat inside. Mike got a HUGE red circular chair – he looked like a king. We tried some more double apple hookah. We had lots of fun conversations. We couldn't help but laugh at all of the men belly dancing with each other – no women and no booze, why go to a bar? We also saw a monstrous rat on the way home from hookah. Ew.