Are we there yet? Wait, where is "there"?: kuala lumpur

Talor: The kindness of strangers... after three hot soggy days in Cherating, headed to the bus stop and got a ride with a guy who was driving to Kuantan. He asked for nothing more than our company and the opportunity to practice English during the 40 minute ride to the next town where we needed to catch the bus to Kuala Lumpur. This was the third time we were given lifts by kind strangers in Malaysia, and we were grateful. As we got in his car, the AC felt heavenly! He dropped us at the bus terminal in Kuantan, and we offered

him some money for gas, the least we could do. And the timing worked out perfectly... within a few minutes, we had tickets in hand and boarded a bus for a 4-hour ride to KL.

We arrived into KL and guess what? Just our luck, it was raining... again. We managed to make our way back to the Hotel Lok Ann, where we were greeted with smiles by the old men who ran the place. Settled in and took it easy for the rest of the day to rest up before taking care of business... a trip to the American Embassy to get additional visa pages for my passport, and then to the Indonesian Embassy to apply for an extended visa. We were figuring it would only take a couple of days to get those two things taken care of and we'd be on our way. Well, we were wrong...

The trip to the American Embassy was a bit of a hassle because it was the first time we had to deal with rush hour in KL. We took the LRT, but had to wait for three trains to go by before we could board because they were so crammed with people. Finally, pushed and forced our way onto the fourth train that pulled in and rode like sardines to Ampang Park. Once there, we had a long, hot, shadeless walk on broken sidewalks on a major street with cars whizzing by us way too fast. We didn't know which side of the street the embassy would be on, but after walking what seemed like forever, we realized we needed to be on the other side. But there are no traffic lights and no way to cross so we had to walk a mile back to cross over on a pedestrian bridge. By the time we got there, we were embarrassingly soaked in sweat. Then the fun really began...

Getting the extra visa pages for my passport was no problem, it took just a few hours, but when we showed Erik's decrepit passport to the official behind the desk, she basically shook her head and said he'd need a new passport, and it would take two weeks! We pleaded and pleaded and finally she agreed to expedite it, but it would still take a week. And the visa photos we had been carrying around with us for months were not to the specifications of the passport so we had to walk back to the mall by the train station to get new photos for E. After he submitted them, we went back to the hotel feeling absolutely exhausted.

The next day we did exactly the same thing, but with an even longer walk to the Indonesian Embassy to pick up visa applications and to find out what we would need to submit with the application. You would think for such a poor country, they would welcome Western tourists and their dollars, but strangely, they make it hard... they only issue 30-day visas on arrival for $25 that is not extendable, and you have to show proof of exit. Indonesia is a big country and we knew 30 days would go very quickly so we wanted to try and get a 60-day visa for about $50 to save us the hassle and expense of having to leave the country and return again for another 30-day visa. So we left with the applications since there was nothing to be done until we got Erik's passport back in a week.

As we left and walked back to the train station, we passed a medical center and I talked E into stopping in so we could have the growth on his shoulder checked out. He had had it for a month or so and kept promising to go see a doctor, but never did. So here was his chance. As we approached, we saw valet parkers with traditional attire and inside it was super-fancy, shiny glass, steel and marble. We were feeling a bit intimidated and thought for sure it would cost a fortune, but we figured we could at least get a referral and move on. The friendly lady at the information desk directed us to the Dermatology Department on the third floor so we took the glass elevator up looking out open-mouthed into the seriously elegant interior that looked more like a 5-star hotel lobby than a hospital. The accommodating staff at Dermatology were not fazed that we didn't have an appointment, and said the doctor could fit him in in about an hour. And the real kicker was that it would only cost a fraction of what we'd pay in the U.S. in an overcrowded clinic where you're more likely to catch something than get healed. So after much deliberation, we decided to stay and waited while using their free wi-fi. Soon, E had his biopsy, but we needed to return in eight days to get the stitches out so now our short stay in KL was turning into a much longer one... o well. The good news is that the growth turned out to be nothing to worry about... whew!

With eight days to kill, we could have gone back to the East Coast to the popular island of Tioman or even closer was Lumut, just four hours away, where we could take a ferry to another popular island. But we thought we're always “just passing through” KL, and we've never given it a chance. Why not stay and get to know it? So over the next few days, we not only got to know it, but grew to really hate it!

First of all, the heat and humidity is seriously unbearable... that is, when it's not raining, and it rained alot. And when it rained, it wasn't a happy welcome “thank you” rain, it was more like a torrential downpour of biblical proportions that made everybody run for cover as the streets get absolutely flooded. This would happen two or three times a day... everyday! And when it wasn't raining, it was so hot, we wished for rain. It seemed we were perpetually soaked, either by rain or sweat. Yes, I sweat in Malaysia... not glow, but sweat... like a man!

Second, it's really overcrowded, noisy, stinky and has way too much car traffic. And walking around town is a frustrating experience... sidewalks are broken down with gaping drainage holes and when it rains, the worn-down tiles are super slippery. The few decent sidewalks there are are taken up by vendors, food and drink hawkers and parked cars. So you find yourself walking in the street half the time and the drivers of KL are not very kind, they are aggressive and do not give way to pedestrians.

Every time we set out to go sightseeing, it would either rain (like the time we went to the garden district), be too crowded (like when we tried to go up the Petronas Towers) or would be closed even though we were there during published visiting hours (like the time we visited Masjid Jamek). After awhile, it became too frustrating so we gave up.

After much searching, we finally found a peaceful place by the river to have a run, but we had to brave the stink of the dirty polluted river that people chuck their trash into. KL, and most of what we've seen in Malaysia, has a serious litter problem. There is garbage everywhere! It's really infuriating to see people toss garbage into the river, the street, everywhere but into the garbage cans that are found throughout the cities. The “No Littering” signs are completely ignored. It's no wonder the streets are thoroughly infested with fat rats and giant cockroaches.

KL does have a couple of saving graces... the people and the food. We met up with Chuong, who we knew on the Corn Islands in Nicaragua back in June when he was a Dive Master helping Erik get his Rescue Trainer Certification. Now he's all “respectable” with a cushy marketing job in KL. He and his girlfriend, Stephanie a native of KL, took us to dinner at a cool Arabian restaurant, where we sat on cushions inside a tent and gorged ourselves on delicious food. That was definitely a highlight. In fact, mention KL, and I'll always remember the food... the warm soft tofu with brown sugar, noodles of every shape and size cooked every which way, whole steamed fish, herbal pork stew, rice porridge with raw fish, veggie dumplings, rotis, tandoori chicken, amazingly sweet mangos... the list goes on and on.

One other thing... we have always been “chain snobs” and turned up our noses at all the Mickey-Ds, KFCs, 7-11s and, especially Starbucks, we see everywhere because they are so formulaic and also because they tend to drive Mom & Pop shops out of business. But, in KL, we sought them out because they turned out to be peaceful havens for us to escape the chaos and enjoy AC and free wi-fi, and the always friendly staff never ask us to make a purchase. Plus, from what we have seen, it seems Starbucks and the small coffee shops can co-exist peacefully, probably because of the huge price difference... coffee at Starbuck's are at NYC prices, which is about 5x the price of a coffee in a kedai kopi. I'm not saying we're converts or anything, but if the monks like it, it can't be that bad.

Anyway, once we had passports and visas in hand and E's stitches taken out, we were, for once, glad to be leaving a place...

Erik: Not much left for me to say after all that! KL is an aggressive city, and definitely not set up with pedestrians like us in mind. Our timing was just unlucky as well, as this is not supposed to be the rainy season. Oh well...

The highlight was our great Arab meal with Chuong and Stephanie. It was great to see Chuong again, and what a change – from dive master beach bum to marketing executive – well done! We hope to see you both again on our way out. (And Stephanie, please don't take offense at our harsh words about your city – we just had a really hard time while we were there!)

The worst thing that happened while in KL was learning that our friend Gerry, who had been fighting cancer the last few months, was in hospice. I called and spoke to his mother, who relayed to him that T and I loved him and were thinking of him all the time. (I could hear his voice, full of morphine, in the background say, “What a nice guy!”) I was shocked and hurt to find out that he was in hospice and I couldn't help crying on the phone with his mother. Two days later I received news that Gerry had passed away. We miss you, buddy. We'll be passing through some great surfing destinations over the next few months, and so dedicate the rest of our trip to you. RIP.

T and I were at a loss as to how to react to such shocking news. I insisted that we go to the bar downstairs and raise a glass to Gerry – an ex-bartender. Much “arak” was poured on the ground and tears shed in Gerry's honor that evening.

We like to think that life at home stands still while we're away. Obviously that's not the case, but it's rare that you take notice of it on shorter trips. When you've been gone 15 months, though, it seems that everything back home is speeding by without you. I've missed a good friend's wedding, and may well miss the birth of their first child. Now losing Gerry, I can't help feeling sad, and almost a bit selfish at being so far away for so long. Here we are, gallivanting at our leisure around the world, when important things are happening to people we care about back home. Are we being self-centered? I don't think so. This trip had been a dream of ours for years. Finally making the leap was a major decision and involved a great deal of work, planning and sacrifice. I'm glad that I was able to relay a message to Gerry before he moved on, and I hope he understood (understands?) that we think about him every day. I hope that all our friends and family know how much we love and miss them, and that they are happy that we're finally able to live our dream. We're lucky to have a couple of friends coming to join us in Bali next month, which will be great.

Anyway, enough of the maudlin introspection. We do care about you all, and really look forward to seeing everyone when we get home. For now, with passports, visas and strange skin growths taken care of, we're off to to the world's 3^rd largest island, Borneo.

More photos of KL...

Kuala Lumpur (2), Malaysia

Talor: I was really looking forward to Kuala Lumpur. We had been there before, but only for a couple of days going to and returning from Vietnam. I remembered Chinatown, where we had stayed, to be a fun and lively place with plenty of good cheap eats. That was two years ago when we weren't on a “budget”...

We had a nice comfortable flight on Air Asia, and took a bus to the outskirts of Chinatown. Got off the air-conditioned bus, and we were immediately reminded of how brutally hot and humid it got there. In just the few minutes it took for us to get our bearing, we were already soaked in sweat! And compared to laid-back Laos, the congested streets, the noise, the smells and the traffic was overwhelming, but we needed to find housing so we took a deep breath and walked towards the heart of Chinatown.

There were no shortage of accommodations, but unfortunately, what we found in our price range was pitiful... tiny windowless cells with shared baths for about $15 and rooms with a window that looked out into a dark alley and a skanky bath for $20... UGH! Even when we decided to up our budget and look at nicer hotels, the rooms were claustrophobic and musty. We finally settled on the Hotel Lok Ann where the gruff old man at the front desk showed us a decent-sized room with a window, a bath and AC for $18. It wasn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination and the plumbing was iffy, but it also had some funny retro furnishings that made it kinda fun.

Went out and visited our favorite noodle shop for a curry laksa (noodle soup in a spicy curry broth with pork, fried tofu and clams), and it was just as good as we remembered it! In fact, Chinatown and, especially Petaling Street with all of its vendors selling knock-off everything, hadn't changed a bit. There was something nice about being in familiar surroundings. We snacked on pork buns, curry puffs and fruit as we walked around in the heat remembering...

From our window, we looked out onto a liquor store/bar right across the street. We had wanted to go have a drink the last time we were in KL, because it seemed like a cool divey old man bar right on the sidewalk, but we didn't get the chance. So when it rained buckets the following night, we ran across, grabbed a couple of seats and ordered a bottle of Chinese rice wine, which was cheaper than beer. Booze is expensive in Malaysia because it's mostly Muslim and gets heavily taxed. Anyway, we settled in and spent a fun evening chatting with some of the shady characters in the joint, and watched the interesting array of kooks, drunks and tranny hookers walking by. The sour owner, who turns out to be a nice old man, was always either throwing someone out or keeping someone from coming into his bar, while his wife rang up the purchases. It was a fun night.

After another day of unbearable heat and torrential rainstorms, we decided to head to the East Coast where it supposedly has beautiful beaches, great diving, a relaxed vibe and a lot less traffic. But first, a quick stop in the town of Melaka, a couple of hours south of KL...

Erik: KL was a bit of a shock to the system. As happy as were to be out of smoky northern Laos, we weren't ready for the noise, heat, traffic and prices in this big city. KL's saving grace is the great variety of cheap street food to be had, and we weren't disappointed on that front. I was quite frustrated at the price of beer, though. It costs about three times the price of a big bowl of noodles for a small bottle of beer! The rice whiskey at the liquor shop/bar was an affordable alternative, and a fun diversion. Definitely some iffy characters in there, though. We spent a good hour chatting and buying alternate rounds with a couple of indian guys who in the end refused to tell us their names – as if that were on a need-to-know basis.

After a couple of days, we were ready to leave, but first we had to brave the gauntlet of Puduraya bus station, where you must dodge and weave through the thousand of fellow travelers and bus hawkers grab you as you search for buses going to your destination, trying to get a commission off of your ticket – and all the while your ears being assaulted by other hawkers screaming out bus destinations at the top of their lungs. We were definitely looking forward to a more quiet and peaceful Melaka.