Malaysia Part I - Kuala Lumpur

Is Malaysia “Truly Asia” as the tourist ads for it claim? Read on and find out! I was quite surprised by how “western” Malaysia is, especially Kuala Lumpur (KL). As this was more of a relaxing vacation for us we were only in KL and a couple of islands, Pangkor and Langkawi, and I imagine small town Malaysia is not so “western” (but I haven’t the slightest clue). One thing is for sure, you can’t go wrong at the Hilton KL.

One more thing before I start. Saw Clapton on January 15th in Bangkok. He puts on a really good show – had never seen him before. But it was weird, as there was no alcohol (food and bevies weren’t allowed in the seating area) and the crowd was seated the entire time (I hear concerts in Asia are usually quite subdued like this). Clapton is a man of few words. He said thank you about six times and nothing else. Didn’t even go for the normal how is (enter city name here) tonight? Our usher sat us in the wrong row twice. The poor girl had no idea what she was doing. I even asked her the second time if she was sure we were in the right place and got the usual yes. We weren’t. Margaret is the big Clapton fan (she plays guitar). I really wanted to hear “’Round Midnight” and the real version of “Layla” – only got one of the two so I guess I will have to see him again. Anyway – I think I must be psychic because I felt Layla coming on and I turned to Margaret and vocalized the beginning (“baa nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah ”) a second before they launched into it. Sweet. Oh – and I hear Axl (oops, I mean Guns n’ Roses) has set a March release date on “Chinese Democracy”, meaning it won’t be a full decade late. Maybe Gn’R will play Bangkok!

Facts and Figures
Malaysia isn’t an easy land to describe as it consists of two distinct regions. First is Peninsular Malaysia, which extends south from Thailand. This is where we were. At the very south lie the islands of Singapore, which is separate from Malaysia – one of those nation-state things. The other part of Malaysia is Malaysian Borneo – the northern part of the island of Borneo, which lies to the southeast of Peninsular Malaysia. The southern part of Borneo belongs to Indonesia. Now if that isn’t confusing enough, along comes Brunei. Brunei lies in the northern middle part of Malaysia Borneo (on the coast), but it doesn’t belong to Malaysia either – it just happens to be one of the smallest countries in the world. Got that?

It would take me pages and pages to get into the history – but just a few tidbits. Malaysia was colonized by the British of course. This came after periods of domination by the Portuguese and then the Dutch. During WWII the Japanese invaded and did what they did everywhere they invaded. After the war the Malaysians had to deal with a guerilla war against the Malayan Communist Party – their formal surrender occurring in just 1989. Peninsular Malaysia is made up of nine states/provinces, each with its own Sultan. So which Sultan is in charge of the whole deal? In August 1957 when independence was declared, they came up with a unique solution to this problem: each Sultan is the federal ruler for five years on a rotating basis. Currently the rise of the fundamentalist Islamic party, PAS, is as worrying as it is rapid. Their goal is to install an Islamic government in Malaysia. The PAS currently rules two state governments.

Malaysia’s population is 22.7 million with approximately 85% living in Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysia is a very diverse place, both culturally and religiously. The population is mainly Malays, Chinese and Indians. Islam is the state religion of Malaysia, but it is important to note that freedom of religion is guaranteed. But don’t go thinking the government allows a totally open society, as it tightly controls the media. And before you think it is a completely enlightened country, those traveling on an Israeli passport are not allowed to enter the country.

Kuala Lumpur
KL is a very western city, in fact so western that I was surprised. Compared to Bangkok it seems almost like home. The infrastructure is so much better than Thailand. It almost feels like you could be on roads anywhere in the U.S. And when we ventured outside of KL, the roads remained good – and much better than I have seen anywhere in SE Asia. And the rules of the road are followed! There isn’t a crazy mass of traffic like in Bangkok. There are not as many mopeds and motorbikes, and those that there are don’t drive the wrong way or on the sidewalk. And joy of joy, there aren’t any soi dogs in Kuala Lumpur! We thought maybe there weren’t any in all of Malaysia, but then we made it to the islands.

I think KL gets a bit of a bum wrap because it is so western. I think a lot of people come to KL not expecting that and are a little turned off by it. I loved it though – it was like a western country, but with culture! It was weird to come to an Islamic country and feel so at home and comfortable. And so many more people speak English than in Thailand – and I know it isn’t fair, but it makes things so much easier. A few things about KL:

• A shopper’s paradise – from malls to markets. The malls are upscale and better than most I have been to at home (not that that is any great sample) and they are crowded (note we were there around the holidays). And there are markets all over the place – the main one we spent time at was Central Market – which was maybe my favorite market ever. It was inside, cool and not overly crowded. And they have some cool, cool things – a few of which we brought back with us.

• There are two types of taxis – some are more expensive than others. These are supposed to be safer, newer and must follow some sort of guidelines. They are the only taxis allowed to pick up from the hotels, etc. We tried for the cheaper taxis every chance we got – there wasn’t much of a difference. Also – most cabs will try and get a flat rate (usually 3-5 times higher than the meter) at most tourist attractions. Just walk a couple of blocks and hail one on the street. Also interesting is what I call the sinner surcharge – from midnight to 6am there is a 50% surcharge on all metered fares. I guess they are trying to tell you that nothing good happens after midnight.
• The people in KL seemed really nice for the most part. I admit that I wondered if we would be getting the evil stare from a lot of people, but it rarely happened. Most people were all smiles and helpful. And again I have to say that children made a difference. A couple times it looked like a couple (obviously Muslim) were a bit wary of us, but once we smiled at their kids (and got smiles back) it seemed as if they relaxed and then were all smiles. Queue it up Whitney – I believe the children are our future . . .

Hilton KL
In KL we stayed at the five-star Hilton Kuala Lumpur, using points of course. All those nights out of town for work in Frederick, MD finally paying off!

It was an amazing hotel – and since I somehow still have “Diamond” status we got upgraded and use of the executive lounge, etc. Not a bad dealio. I can almost see how people can go to one of these hotels and never leave. There is so much to do and the restaurants are incredible. All the same, I still don’t understand people who book vacations in far off places and never leave their hotels/resorts. Crazy talk. Things I have to admit I liked about the Hilton:

• The executive lounge. Unreal – amazing view, great finger foods (including awesome sushi and an amazing cheese plate), unreal breakfast and free drinks in the evenings (we put a dent in their wine collection).

And the staff was amazingly friendly and helpful. Oh, and the king chairs rocked.

• The sushi restaurant. You can’t beat the food and the presentation there. We really wanted the plates. Not enough to, ahem, acquire them like we used to do honey bears at Denny’s. But they were sweet.
• The spa was pretty sweet too. Great massages and so relaxing – but it wasn’t cheap. Ye gods.
• The flat screen TV in my room, even though I saw the second half of the Rose Bowl on it.
• The bed was about the most comfortable bed ever.
• The shower – you could dial up the water to scalding and it came out at a billion pounds per square inch of pressure. And it opened to the bathtub, so was not enclosed so you could still feel the AC kicking while getting scalded by the shower. Awesome.
• NYE at the Hilton KL. We got back to KL about 4pm on NYE and we weren’t up for heading out and going hog wild. And we looked at all the events at the Hilton and they were just too expensive for how we were feeling. So we went up to the executive lounge for free wine as long as we could (8:30pm) and then went back to our luxury room, ordered room service, drank a couple of bottles of wine we got from the Duty Free at the airport and tried to stay up until midnight. We did. The best part was that the fireworks from the park across the street exploded right outside our room window – really – we sat by the window, feeling it vibrate, while watching the show. Awesome. Didn't catch the fireworks on camera, but this is the view from our room.

• One last thing – how can I describe something without a complaint? The concierge desk at the Hilton KL was less than helpful. In all fairness to them, they probably don’t get many people at their hotel that are asking about buses. But they had NO knowledge. The Lonely Planet said to definitely ask your hotel because they will have information and some will even book your bus for you. We were taking a bus from KL to Lumut (the port to get to Pangkor Island), but had no idea what the bus schedules were or if they would be busy around the holidays. So the lady we spoke to told us we didn’t want to take the bus and should take a taxi instead (a four and ½ hour ride) – and she could arrange that. When we pressed her about the bus she said we would have to go to the bus station and that it was a “hassle” to take the bus. Then she went on to say that at this time of year it will be really busy and that we may not get a seat. And then she added that the buses won’t leave on time because they don’t leave at their posted times, but wait until they are full to leave. So basically she said we wouldn’t be able to get on a bus because they will be full, but that these full buses won’t leave on time because they need to wait to get full. Huh? Another guy we asked later was about as helpful. I expect more from a 5-star place. So how did the bus pan out? You'll have to wait for Part II to find out.

Petronas Towers
Completed in 1998 at a cost of $1.9 billion, the 88-storey twin towers are an incredible sight to see. The towers were the tallest building (at 451.9 meters) in the world when completed. I believe that two buildings have now eclipsed the Petronas Towers in height (one in China I think), but I doubt in style. The twin towers floor plan is based on an eight sided star that echoes the pattern of Islamist art. The towers five tiers represent the five pillars of Islam.

It took us two visits to get up to the sky-bridge. We decided to head to the Petronas Towers on our first day after we were done at the Thai Embassy (keep reading). It was about 11am when we go there. Our first view of the towers up close wasn’t awe-inspiring as we could only see one tower. The whole complex is actually three buildings, all connected. It includes a huge mall. We went inside one of the towers and walked around until we found signs for the sky-deck. When we found the ticket counter all the tickets had been sold for the day. Our book mentioned this possibility, but we thought we would try it anyway. We were told to be back here tomorrow by 8:30am. Then we decided maybe we should pay for the buffet up at the restaurant on the top floor, and forget the sky-bridge. We couldn’t figure out how to get to the restaurant. And there was a good reason for that. When we asked the lady at the information desk she kind of smiled and said there is no restaurant and that the sky-bridge on the 41st floor (only 146 meters up) is the only public area. It turns out we mixed up our Lonely Planet info – the restaurant is at the top of the KL Tower, not the Petronas Towers. Doh! So we walked around the grounds and checked out how impressive the towers are. Wow.

The next morning we did make it to the towers at 8:30am. And there was a substantial line, and we were in the back of it. We talked to this pretty cool family next to us – guy and his wife from Sudbury, Canada (Margaret knew where that was) who now live in Indonesia – and their son and his girlfriend visiting from Canada. We outnumber the Canadians like 10-1, but I swear there are more of them out there traveling. Go (or Oh) Canada! So after an hour and a half in line we got to the ticket booth and got our free tickets for 10:30am. And before we went up the tickets were done for the day. So we head up with our group and get about 10 minutes in the sky-bridge. It isn’t much time (actually makes me think about amusement parks – wait two hours for a 2 minute ride) but I guess that allows them to get a lot of people through. And you can’t really complain at the price of free. I guess I should explain that the sky-bridge connects the two buildings – it is really cool.

And the views are amazing – even though you wonder what it would be like at the top.

Visa Renewal
So remember when I said to NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER listen to anyone in Thailand, even ex-pats? Ok, I am going to rephrase that a little bit. NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER listen to anyone in Thailand, especially ex-pats! People read one thing or hear one thing and they take it as gospel. Thailand changed their visa rules in October (I got here the end of September) after the coup. And I think it may have had something to do with that Jon-Benet not-killer creepy guy. And even though he had nothing to do with it, they should have locked him up day one just because he looks creepy enough. So basically you can come to Thailand without a visa for 30 days. If you want to stay longer you need a Tourist Visa, which allows you to stay for 60 days (and you can extend that visa another 30 days once in Thailand). Well, at least you are supposed to get a Tourist visa. What people started doing a long time ago was come into Thailand without a visa for 30 days, and then just run to the border every month. So every month you cross the border, then turn around and come back in and you have another 30 days. Some people did this for years (it is called a “border run”).

So the Thai government decides that they want a little more information about the people in their country. If someone comes in the country without a visa you don’t have that much information about them, especially if they are crossing the border by land at certain lax border crossings. So in October the new visa rules went into effect which limit the number of times you can re-enter the country without a visa. Basically they are trying to make people who want to stay a long time get a Tourist visa – so they have information about them. I’ve actually heard that the new rules were put in effect to keep people on a blacklist out of the country. Again, what I have heard – not sure there is any truth to it.

So why do I tell you all this? Well when the new rules went into effect people freaked about it. Mainly because they didn’t understand what the rules were. People thought a lot of things and weren’t afraid to voice them. More than one person told me emphatically that I would not be able to get another Tourist visa when my visa was up after 90 days. They said it as if it were fact. I had to leave the country after 90 days (one of the reasons we went to Malaysia – we heard the Thai Embassy in KL was good) and we were freaked that I wasn’t gonna be able to get back in. But from what I had been able to find out by myself I figured that the Thai government was trying to stop the 30 day border runners, not the people renewing Tourist visas. And I was right. I got another visa no problem. But people went to great lengths to tell me how screwed I was. For example: one person found whatever job they could to get a work visa to be able to stay; another person told me the rule was that after 90 days in Thailand you had to spend 90 days out of the country before you could come back; and another said you could only get one Tourist visa. And I figured they were all full of shit, but it still made me uneasy when I went to get another visa. This is why you don’t listen to anybody! NEVER! Although you can feel safe listening to me.

Ok – so getting another Tourist visa was no problem, but was it a long wait and lots of red tape? Not really. We ended up having to go to the Thai Embassy three times (which is how we noticed that there are two types of taxis) but that was my fault. We went there on the day we arrived, but didn’t get there until 1:30pm, and it was closed for visas by then. They processed visas from 9am-11am and then visa collection began at 11:30am (it isn’t a same day process). So the second day we got there early like they told us to (maybe 8:30am) and there was a pretty big line already. It took no time to get through the initial line and get my paperwork done – maybe by 9:15am (again, opening at 9am). But then we had to go inside and wait for our number to be called and that took until 10:45am, so a bit of a wait, but not really that horrible. And of course the third visit came the following day to pick up my visa (no wait). A one day turnaround for all those visas ain’t so bad.

In Search of Chili Crabs
I read in the Lonely Planet book about a place called Pelabuhan (Port) Klang. Here is what it says about it: “Though not a particularly attractive place, Pelabuhan Klang is renowned for its excellent seafood, particularly chili crabs.” This would probably not attract many people, but of course it was the ONE thing I really wanted to do. Margaret was not as excited about it, but she was willing to give it a whirl even though she mentioned it seems like it might turn out to be “one of those trips.” You know, where you go out of your way to go and do something and it either doesn’t work out or you get there and are like this is what I came all the way out here for? So was Port Klang one of those trips?

The LP also mentions the following: “Pelabuhan Klang is at the end of the KTM Komuter line and the station is just a stone’s throw from the wharf.” Now as this was in the same section as the description of the chili crabs, I took it that you could jump off the train, walk to the wharf and get your crab on. I think most people would assume that from the LP description. Keep this in mind. So we go to KL Sentral (main train station) which is right across the street from our hotel (so awesome).

And I go to the automatic ticket machine to get our tix to Port Klang, but they aren’t working (or I don’t know how to work them).

So I have to get in line at the main counter to get the tix. I think the roundtrip tickets were $8 (Port Klang is 41km southwest of KL).

We waited for maybe 10 minutes for the train to arrive.

We then hopped on and had quite a long ride – somewhat over an hour. The train was packed when we got on and thinned out at every stop along the way. At some point a seat opened up next to this woman and Margaret was able to sit down. The woman was there with what I think was her son and some of his friends or other family. Anyway the woman spoke with Margaret, wanting to know where she was from, etc. And the kids were kind of laughing and making the “I can’t believe my mom is doing this” face. She told Margaret she was from Borneo and visiting KL for the holidays. Right before her stop she gave Margaret a piece of paper with her name (Dorothy Timothy), phone number and address on it (she is from Sarawak province in Malaysian Borneo), in case we ever travel there. Dorothy was so sweet.

The train was ok – nothing like the newer light rails and monorail system that serves part of the city. This train was older and not as efficient – but it was safe, fast and had AC.
It had one of the best “No . . . .” signs I have seen in a long time.

I love it. Especially notice the “No Chewing Gums” - remember that Singapore is where the “caning” of that American kid for chewing or littering gum happened. I still remember the public outcry and commotion there was over that. If you want to know my feelings about it, I thought the kid got what he deserved and I was shocked (not really) that people even cared about this “non-story.” Oh, and Max notice that much like at O’Hare you are not allowed to bring along cans of gasoline. Hopefully this isn't considered "Indecent Behavior".
So we get to the final stop and walk out, and there is a wharf there, but it is run-down and there aren’t any places to eat there. It is run-down and gritty enough to actually make you feel a little uncomfortable. A couple of cab drivers yell at us “seafood?” and tell us we have to go to “seaside” to get seafood and that there is nothing here. We want to make sure for ourselves, so check out the little strip on the water (this is an industrial port area) and see nothing. We decide to walk down the main street and check out the town. All I can say about that is the LP was right on this one, not a particularly attractive place.

So now I am a little pissed b/c I thought I would get of the train and get some crabs. So we decide to get a taxi, and it is the oldest taxi I have ever been in (excluding Myanmar and Laos) and you can’t open the doors from the inside – just a little unnerving.

But the cab ride is only about 10 minutes and we are at “seaside” which consists of many restaurants on the water (again, industrial port area so it isn’t a great view).

We walk into one restaurant and no one greets us, so we head to a second one. The manager of this one greets us, but they don’t have a menu. I say “chili crabs” and he nods his head and says “yes, not so expensive here.” After some indecision we decide to grab a table. The restaurant is huge – just a large almost warehouse looking place that has tables set up in it. I assume during the day they must unload fish here or do something else.

Anyway the place is not enclosed and it is hot and sticky out. The manager comes to get our order and we have a little trouble with no menu. The chili crab is ordered and Margaret orders some boiled veggies but he indicates we need something else. So he suggests “honey fried squids” and we say sure. The squids came first with some Tiger beer. They were ok, but it was hard to get past how they looked.

Then came the veggies and chili crab. Now I’m not sure it was worth how long it actually took us to get there and back, but those chili crabs were damn good. And as you can see Margaret and I were using some muscle to get at ‘em!

It was also a little messy and good thing they had a sink.

The ride back (cab to the train) was uneventful and long. In the end I think it turned out to be “one of those trips” but also a good story (I hope).

Ok - that wraps up Part I! Stay tuned for Part II, where we will explore the islands: sand, sun, monkeys, crocs, Malaysia by bus, "7151" and much more!