"Where is Home? Is it where my friends are waiting - on the face of a half-fried eggplant, inside a pot of beef 'rezala', next to the ashtray with its half-lit cigarette, the house with our old furnitures, the garage with our lifelong belongings packed in 12 boxes, where our old car is parked, in the lenses of our old canon 550D?
Or is it in my mum's every home-cooked meal, the piano that does not sing, in the laughter of all family weddings, in the crinkly smile of a long-lost friend, in the rusty paint of the old school building?
Or is it here - in motion - inside the static train that is taking my partner and I to discover the unknown?Mostly I think it exists somewhere between whatsapp messages and skype chats."
Or is it in my mum's every home-cooked meal, the piano that does not sing, in the laughter of all family weddings, in the crinkly smile of a long-lost friend, in the rusty paint of the old school building?
Or is it here - in motion - inside the static train that is taking my partner and I to discover the unknown?Mostly I think it exists somewhere between whatsapp messages and skype chats."
This was the first junction, amongst other randomly selected cities, of my four months self-anointed sabbatical. I say junction because two of my friends flew in on the same night from Singapore to spend a couple of days with us here before giving us the big heave-ho to see the rest of the world. This was not my first visit to Kuala lumpur or as locals call it KL(pronounced 'Kay El') and definitely would not be the last.
I just want to mention something here (without wandering off too much from the main course of events that I very often tend to) but this city really does hold a special place in my heart - one that of warmth and adoration. I love the entire package – pollution, humidity, lack of hygiene in the street food – the works. I could never explain the unfathomable sense of belonging with the filth of old Dhaka, dinginess of the old town in KL or the creepy alleyways of old Delhi and why I would hold these places more dearly in comparison to the crisp picturesque sight of any European city I explored later. But like an old friend had once said – it is all about a deep-rooted familiarity and nostalgia that majorly reigns over our subconscious and that for a slum dog millionaire there is more mysticism and solace in the slums rather than the millions acquired much later!
My first proper trip to Malaysia was that full of hesitation and trepidation and even though it was the longest I had spent in the country, it did little to arouse any emotion. I was meeting my in-laws-to-be on a family-focused trip at that time and though geographically covered many locations, the five or six trips made later in KL was when I truly breathed in its surroundings.
What struck me most when I first embarked upon this bustling city was the speed with which it was growing, expanding and on the verge of being completely transformed. This is the best part about travelling in a city that is still far from being developed. When I started travelling through Europe much later, this was the one nagging comparison that never left me in peace. The lack of a heartbeat, the lack of a bloodstream that intercept with your own in a developing country and pumps adrenaline every so often. But I shall get to that comparison later. KL’s heartbeat lies in its dynamic skyline, the proliferation of the skyscrapers and the metamorphosis from old to new that the landscape seems to hang between.
There are many things about KL that most people who have visited seems to agree on however, only one or two others beside me seems to have discovered it’s amazing potential as a shopping paradise. After touring around Malaysia’s neighbouring countries for several years, particularly Thailand, I have come to this conclusion that the value for money is incomparable. If your shopping expedition in any Asian countries is focused on fake items, that do not even resemble the original in an acceptable fashion and would give up on you within months, then by all means go to Thailand and the likes. However, if you want to step into the biggest mall in the country, secure in the company of thousand travellers like yourself, under air-conditioned conditions, walk into actual retail outlets of Chanel and Burberry and still come out paying 40-50% less than anywhere else, now that’s what I call a bargain! One of many reasons why we frequented our visits to KL from Sydney was so I could reap the full benefit of this opportunity, resulting in 90% of the shoes, bags and other branded accessories in my wardrobe to be Malaysian purchased. This seems to be the best kept secret of KL.
Like any of its other Asian counterparts, the freedom of being able to roam around the city and most importantly to succeed to find an activity, after what is known to the rest of the world as an acceptable hour in the night, is a feat on its own. I have always considered sleeping as one of the most fatal weaknesses of mankind and furthermore with a strange tendency to feel most alive after midnight always expose me to different levels of frustration in my daily life. It is probably not recommended or the safest thing to do, however, we have taken our little walkabouts in the dead of the night and found the spirit of the city tamed and almost extinguished however not completely diminished.
On a bright and sunny day, while the occasional drizzle plays tug-of-war with the sun unsuccessfully, we love to venture out to Bukit Bintang. Now this is probably my favourite hang-out spot in all of KL owing to the buzz in the air, the layout of the place and the experience. For me, when I choose to travel to an Asian country, this is what I sign up for – the hawker style eateries! The entire place is laid out on either side of a massive street lined up with rows and rows of stalls with plastic chairs and tables sprawled across and colourful blown-up pictures of every possible culinary delicacy (both Malay and Chinese) on offer from pipis in xo sauce, calamari, mussels, whole steamed/grilled fish, giant prawns to other common local items like tom-yum soup and chicken satay. I would strongly recommend at least one piece of a freshly cut fruit, in particular if you can stand the strong sickly odour then definitely try Durian. The best part about these hawker-style food joints is that it gives you the same feeling as sitting at a sushi train or going to a Chinese restaurant for yum-cha - completely changes the definition of a culinary experience by making the meal a lot more than just about food. Imagine you grab a table at random just about anywhere, choose food from practically any of the stalls and get the same person to fetch it for you and pay as you go!
One time my Malay-Singaporean friend, who I mentioned earlier, and I were wandering inside the KLCC Petronas tower when I noticed a lot of heads turning twice in my direction in a fashion that caused neither flattery nor offence. When I turned for a more local opinion on the matter, I realised both the advantage and disadvantage of having an Indian appearance in countries like Malaysia (and from my experiences later in Dubai) for the risk of being mistaken for and judged as a local. While travellers with Caucasian appearance are expected to dress and act in a certain way, my appearance indicating one and mannerism another, seemed to throw them off a little. Beside the large number of mosques around the city and the blaring prayer calls originating from them as a result, it was the only other reminder to the fact that I was in fact in a Muslim country. In general, however, Malaysians make me feel exactly the same way as any other Asian nation. While they may not be as welcoming and happy-go-lucky as their Indonesian counterparts, they have the same no-nonsense, not-interfering attitude as say in Singapore or Hong Kong, which I find really comforting. It is liberating being you, asking silly questions without being self-conscious or be at a risk of getting swindled. 'Little India' however, the area vastly populated by South-East Asians mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh was a little distressful as I constantly attracted the wrong kind of attention from shopkeepers. In fact my very good friend in question almost sold me to one of them, too absorbed over the negotiation of a hand-bag!
One time my Malay-Singaporean friend, who I mentioned earlier, and I were wandering inside the KLCC Petronas tower when I noticed a lot of heads turning twice in my direction in a fashion that caused neither flattery nor offence. When I turned for a more local opinion on the matter, I realised both the advantage and disadvantage of having an Indian appearance in countries like Malaysia (and from my experiences later in Dubai) for the risk of being mistaken for and judged as a local. While travellers with Caucasian appearance are expected to dress and act in a certain way, my appearance indicating one and mannerism another, seemed to throw them off a little. Beside the large number of mosques around the city and the blaring prayer calls originating from them as a result, it was the only other reminder to the fact that I was in fact in a Muslim country. In general, however, Malaysians make me feel exactly the same way as any other Asian nation. While they may not be as welcoming and happy-go-lucky as their Indonesian counterparts, they have the same no-nonsense, not-interfering attitude as say in Singapore or Hong Kong, which I find really comforting. It is liberating being you, asking silly questions without being self-conscious or be at a risk of getting swindled. 'Little India' however, the area vastly populated by South-East Asians mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh was a little distressful as I constantly attracted the wrong kind of attention from shopkeepers. In fact my very good friend in question almost sold me to one of them, too absorbed over the negotiation of a hand-bag!
When you watch the tourism advertisements for Malaysia, it hardly gives you any inclination to what KL is really like except for the breath-taking sight of the twin-towers perhaps but for me this fond little city has so much more to offer than what meets the eye in a jiffy. It is one of those places you must visit for new experiences all in culinary, olfactory and perceptible terms. Two things pending on my must-do list for KL includes experiencing the more unconventional ‘Underground supper club’ that has created raging waves in recent times, revolutionising the dining scenario and taking it homebound - just may be not your own. Second on my precious list is to try the authentic ‘Beggar’s chicken’ somewhere in the outskirts of KL. This clay-encased chicken dish is dug up from a smouldering pit and served in a wheelbarrow after which the waiter has to hammer through the clay covering to unearth (quite literally!) apparently the most beautiful, aromatic chicken! These and so much more is waiting to be discovered - cannot wait to revisit!
