Thumbs up for Popiah, Thumbs down for durian.

7 July 2010 – 8 July 2010 Author: Nick and Rachel

As I write this post the train car jerks its way into northeast Malaysia, screetchhhhhhhhhhhhh! Yes, there it is another tropical tree branch scraping the side of our sleeping compartment on what is so-called the “Jungle Train.” We boarded the train late last night and are headed for Kota Bharu on the east coast just south of the Thai border; this region is the heart of Malyasia’s conservative Islam and the gateway to the Perhentian Islands.

If I had to choose 3 words to describe yesterday they would be: food, cave, and monkey (no, we did not eat monkey in a cave). In the morning we hopped on a bus to the Batu Caves, located just outside of KL. The Batu Caves are a massive opening in jungle-clad hills, officially discovered by a British explorer more than 120 years ago. Since then the big hole in the limestone mountain has been colonized by Hindu shrines, a more than 100-foot golden statue of the god Muruga, and hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of monkeys. The whole place is pretty spectacular, with 272 steps leading to the highest portion of the cave. The climb takes you past dozens of shrines and cathedral like cave ceilings, well over 100 feet above. The real stars of the show, however, are the monkeys. They greet you immediately as you start walking up the steps and are pretty shady creatures (what would you expect from fellow primates?). They beg for food, scratch themselves, pose for pictures (really!), and clap their hands. In the meantime, they climb the caves vertiginous slopes, fight (I swear if they had weapons they would use them), make baby monkeys, and bear their teeth to tourists that get too close for comfort -stay back.

Back to KL, it was time for lunch. Oh glorious popiah how do we love thee? Popiah are a traditional Malaysian cross between a crepe and an eggroll, and they are delicious. Picture a thin, crepe-like wrap in the form of a sushi roll filled with hot sauce, cucumber, carrot, sautéed onions, peanuts, deep-fried egg whites (popiah are kinda crunchy), garlic, and delicious sauces. How the popiah (and Malaysian food in general) is not popular abroad is a mystery to me. Feeling full, adventurous, and in need of dessert we decided to try durian for the first time. Durian is a large, spiny, tropical fruit, common in SE Asia, and famous for its exquisite flavor and horrid smell. We decided to try our durian in the form of a cream filling inside a pastry. I bought two, we finished ¾ of one. Durian comes as advertised. The taste is quite good as long as you can get past the smell. I think they smell like either dirty diapers, or that wonderful odor that emanates from a full garbage truck on a hot day. Enough said.

And, so it is on to NE Malaysia. After spending the day in Kota Bharu we head out for a 7 night stay on the paradise-like Perhentian Islands, where it is nothing but sand, sun, snorkeling, and, for us, scuba diving certification.

Oh, and yes for you weather freaks out there, we are now the proud owners of 2 brand new umbrellas (about $3 each). Starting at about 1 pm yesterday it started raining cats and dogs and it hadn’t stopped when we left town. Also, I will eat a little crow. KL, you are as hot as the sun.

Jungle Train View – Rachel

Waking up before sunrise after a good night’s rest on the “jungle train” we awaited the scenery that we could hear through the night as it scraped the sides of the train. As the sun rose my heart swelled with joy as we peered out over miles and miles of seemingly pristine rainforest and the meandering Kelantan River below! From our first class berth on the train, we watched as dozens of species of trees carpeted with vines whizzed passed our eyes. We took in hot pink orchids, bright green ferns, pendulum birds’ nests, and monkeys jumping from tree to tree. We discussed the possibility of seeing a glimpse of the rhinos, elephants, leopards, and tigers that reportedly inhabit these forests and imagined them peering out at us as we longingly looked for them. We were shocked as large limestone outcrops, so high that the tips were shrouded in the mist, appeared in front of us. Alas, we soon learned that our 9:30am arrival time was merely a suggestion as we pulled into the station at around 12:30pm.

Continue Reading...

Hot and Steamy in KL

6 July 2010 Author: Rachel

We are really getting a feel for KL! Or should I say, it is infusing our pores with its diesel soaked humid air. And what can I say – I like it! We started off early today in hopes of making it to the Lake Gardens, Chinatown, Merdeka Square, and Little India, with a quick stop over to get Nick one of those doughnuts he saw yesterday. Our first stop was to the “sentral station” to purchase tickets on the overnight “jungle train” we will be taking on Wednesday (7/7) to Kota Baru. After that we wandered over to Lake Gardens – a large forested park – and were instantaneously lost. Luckily, this area houses the National Mosque which was relatively easy to locate because it is a very large building.

On arriving at this beautiful umbrella domed building, we saw that it was open to visitors! Because I was inadequately dressed, I donned a very stylish lavender hooded cape and was allowed to view the outer portion of the mosque.

From Kuala Lumpur

We had a very nice tour and learned a few things about Islam. The most interesting to me -- which has nothing to do with Islam specifically-- is that they had posters up with a family tree showing how the Torah, the Bible, and to Qur’an are all reporting similar stories and are actually one story. But of course every group thinks they are correct. Why can’t they all just get along? Anyway, those hooded capes are pretty hot, so we moved on to Chinatown.

Walking from place to place in KL is not the easiest task. It appears as though you are heading in the right direction and then you hit a six lane street with no crossing in sight. There are two choices in such situations: one is to walk up or down the street until you find a delegated cross walk or pedestrian overpass while the other is to wait for the right moment and RUN!!! Both methods work fairly well, though one is safer than the other.

After a longer than expected walk, we made it Jalan Petaling, the main street of Chinatown. This covered pedestrian street is full of Luis Vuitton, Prada, etc. etc. knockoffs. The side streets are packed with dark food stalls, meat and vegetable markets, and other random shops. This whole area is saturated with a strange mixture of delicious and disgusting smells. After eating a yummy spicy noodle dish, Nick and I made our way up to Little India via the Central Market and Merdeka Square. At the edge of Merdeka Square we discovered that there is a giant fountain made of sculpted carnivorous pitcher plants! Nick and I rested on a bench by this fountain for quite awhile, so long in fact that we were videotaped as part of some game show…? Trying to escape the video cameras, we made our way to Little India. This area was similar to Chinatown, however it appeared to sell more practical items and was less touristy. We were pretty tired at this point and began thinking about heading back to the hostel for some rest.

Before making it back after our 7 to 8 mile trek, we stopped at the doughnut shop and Nick got himself a German chocolate doughnut - I was happily drinking an iced coffee from The Coffee Bean. By the way, KL is a very diverse city where the integration of Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and American cultures have produced delicious food, outdoor markets, tall buildings, clean streets, packs of motorbikes, and more shopping malls than I have ever seen!

Highlights? We went in our first mosque, I saw my first “wild” monkey roaming the streets, and I learned that I really like Persian kittens.

Continue Reading...

Kuala Lumpur, Day 1

6-July-2010 Author: Nick After setting foot on Malaysian soil yesterday afternoon we took a taxi (curiously cheaper and faster than taking the train) to our hostel, located in the central part of the city. After trying to decompress from the day in the air and jet lag we set out to get our first taste of the city.

Before we talk about the first tastes, how about some first impressions. Okay, so it is hot and humid (it is supposed to be these two things), but, surprisingly it is not too bad. I expected worse. Second, KL is really modern, clean, and seems pretty prosperous.

Okay, onto the food. We headed straight to a food court located at the bottom of a mall recommended by the guy at the front desk of the hostel. Food stalls and courts are reputedly very popular with the locals and this place was pretty crowded. Basically, you have your choice of just about any Asian food you can (or can't) imagine. Needless to say, it was hard to choose and our stomachs are going to have to work hard to do the cuisine of KL justice. We both settled on spicy soup/noodle dishes. Mine was a traditional Malaysian chicken laksa with spicy, coconut broth and both known and unknown spices. Rachel's was very similar but without the coconut or chicken. So, so delicious! So spicy! Being full and tired we resisted the urge to try one of the many durian (large spiky fruit with famous smell and taste) flavored deserts and marveled at a donut shop with more variety than imaginable. You are probably thinking, "what more can they do with a donut." My answer to you is think of both sweet and savory, and eastern and western flavors. We will be back to partake. How much did this dinner cost? $4 for the both of us!

After dinner we walked in a jet-lagged haze to the city center to gaze at the massive, twin Petronas Towers, which at over 450 meters tall are two of the tallest buildings in the world. At some point we found ourselves back at the hostel and collapsed.

Today, it is off to explore more of KL, its sights sounds and tastes. Little India and Chinatown here we come.

Continue Reading...