HKKL#2

HKKL#2

Time flies when you are experiencing so many new things at once. I can't believe I have been in Malaysia for 10 days now. I had a very full week of work this week and know I will be very busy with project work for existing and potential clients.
Only two days left in the gorgeous KL Hilton and this morning I had to move to a different room as my reservation had expired and hotel is full tonight. This room has a fab desk area so taking some time to update the blog.

I know I need to start taking pictures but my little Canon has a battery problem that I have not resolved yet. I am actually going to take the opportunity to look at cameras next week in Singapore after looking at prices here in KL this weekend and get myself a new DSLR camera.

More of the culture and surroundings in KL to date. I have already become fairly versed in the art of the major public transit. The LRT (light rail) and monorail are quite good and easy to understand. They can become very packed during rush hour. The other day I was on the LRT and was standing and realised (still on the UK spelling as that is favoured in Malaysia) that I towered over almost everyone on the train. Looking down the train car, I saw two young guys that towered over everyone even more than me. They had to duck down to avoid hitting their heads on the overhead hold bars. It was pretty funny because we made eye contact, above most folks heads, and just smiled.

Malays are very small people. Many Malay women dress in the baju kurung which is a long flowing tunic with a long skirt underneath. The diversity of colours of the traditional dress is amazing. Walking around the city or on the LRT is a rainbow of colours. Malaysia is a Muslim country and most of the Muslim women wear the tudung (headscarf) here. The typical dress is the baju kurung and tudung. The tudung normally matches the baju kurung and is very colourful. Many Muslim women wear the tudung with western clothes as well. More conservative Islamic dress has come into favour in the last 20 years.

I am still learning about the food and the variety seems endless. I had some typical southern Indian food the other night and it was delicious. The curry was a spinach base with the home made Indian cheese and I had some dahl (lentils) with it. Indian food in Malaysia tends to incorporate chicken, fish, and seafood. For you curry neophytes, this is NOTHING like what is passed off as curry in most of the USA. Curry is really just a mix of foods that is typically served with rice, dahl, or noodles of various types. The Tamil meaning of the word is "mixed vegetable stew." With the endless variety of spices and meat/fish additions, the variety of curry is endless. Most Malay food and many restarants in KL are Halal, which is Islamic food preparation and means permissable in the Islamic religion. Muslims do not eat pork and have strict rules about keeping pork separate from anything they would eat. For example, the breakfast buffet at the Hilton has beef bacon, chicken sausage, and turkey ham but no pork.

I am also enjoying all the new and different varieties of fruit, some of the names I am not too sure of yet. Yes, I have had durian, the big prickly skinned stinky fruit that has gained lots of exposure in the western press recently. It has a nice smooth texture and mellow flavour but the smell is pretty foul. I have preferred the guava, longon or lychee (laici), star fruit, and some melons that I have never had before. I remember thinking the papaya in Hawaii was awful, but I find it delicious here. Are you hungry yet?

Those of you who know me well won't be surprised that I am adjusting to all the new foods in many interesting ways. I think it is actually quite good for your body to react to all the new stuff you put in it and develop tolerance. No doubt there are some interesting natural bacteria in food here that I haven't had before. Even the things to drink are different. The coffee (kopi) is delicious and the basic western drinks are available as well. I have had a bit of a challenge finding my beloved sparkling water that I became so fond of living in the UK. Fortunately, the Hilton has it readily available. The most interesting drink I have had so far is the homemade air laici in Chinatown. It is a tea made from lychees, very sweet with lots of cooked lychees in the cup. Very refreshing. There tons of iced teas of various types available at stands and bottled or canned at stores. The iced green tea, chrysanthemum tea, and milk tea are all delicious.

Saturday...time to get out and explore. Selamat! (all purpose Bahasa Malaysia greeting)