Kuala Lumpur: City of Scents (Day 2)

The morning was very cold and mist partly shaded the Kuala Lumpur skyline. There were 3 little turrets jutting out of the Petronas Towers tips where 2 long wires or ropes hung from the opposing turret points. We pondered what these were for while chewing on peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich around 7:30 AM local time. Perhaps they were bunjee jump cables, they opined. I suggested they were cables that supported the scaffolding where the maintenance staff hung on while cleaning the building windows. Just the other day, Barry and I saw them industriously brushing and wiping the glass walls just beside the bridgeway. For me it all made sense how the city looked so new, as if all the buildings had decided to just sprout out from the ground on the same day. It had always been tedious maintenance! The skyscrapers had to be squeaky clean all the time, the island plots had to have flowers all year round, the waterways and sewege should never have any trash clogs or floating algae. Kuala Lumpur is the city for obsessive-compulsive people!

Two Gardenia bread sandwiches later and a warm shower, Janice had already fled the room to attend the convention. The 3 remaining giddy travelers began planning the day ahead. Next stop: the Hop-on/Hop-off city tour.

The hotel concierge (who had neatly cut fingernails and a very professional demeanor) had given us directions and discount vouchers for the Hop-on/Hop-off bus stop. We started walking toward the Kompleks Kraf, which was the city's gift shop for tourists. We sorta lost our way and had asked for directions from cartographers (I think) who were measuring the roads and stuff. The bus stop was right inside the Crafts Complex with the sign facing the building entrance. All this time we were looking for it outside along the streets. We waited on the carved wooden benches while looking at the other travelers who were waiting for their private tour buses. On the side of their buses read Bas Persiaran. I don't really know if this meant "Persian Bus" or "Bus Pasyalan" in Tagalog.

After about 30 minutes, the bus finally arrived. We paid MYR35.00 each (a MYR3.00 discount) and hurried to the 2nd floor of the double decker tourist bus. The aircon was very cool and everything looked new. The conductress told us there were around 6 buses in operation (which explained why we had to wait 30-minute intervals per station). Our first stop was Bukit Bintang (Bintang Walk). We decided not to go down because it was near the hotel and we decided we'd eat dinner there with Janice later in the evening. We had our pictures taken by the conductress before the bus started filling up with people. We passed by China Town, the Central Market, and then the National Palace. We were given 5 minutes to take pictures so we quickly went down the bus and had our pictures taken in front of the bus. Hehe Agong's Palace, this time, had lots of tourists, some had color-coded shirts (of course they were Chinese!). We had our pictures taken with the guards again because this time they were mounted on horses. After that, we rode the bus again and passed by KL Sentral and then were dropped off at the National Museum. There were old trains outside, kinda like Tutuban Center. We took some pictures with the cars -- I found out then that Malaysia manufactures its own brand of cars, Proton, and the Saga was the first to come out in 1981, if I recall correctly. There was a Chinese woman who pretended she was pulling the horse cart and moaning "Oh! Oh! Oh!" T'was hilarious. I regret not having filmed it.

Ingrid was starving by this time so she ran toward a small stall that sold steamed corn. We were supposed to use the tandas but it would've cost us MYR0.20. (Yes super cheapskates that we were. I calculated that amount and it's far cheaper than paying P20.00 at Shangri-La mall) The entrance fee was a measly MYR2.00 and we hung out the souvenir shop first where I bought myself a stainless steel ring at MYR9.90 I think. Outside the shop, a stairs led to a beautiful receiving hall split by a nice wooden staircase with marble steps going both directions. To the left was the Modern Malaysia museum and to the right was the Old Malaysia exhibit. We went to the right.

The museum, unfortunately, was rather empty. We were a bit disappointed because we were expecting a lot of archaeological artifacts or historic memorabilia. We believed these were hidden somewhere else. Our own national museum has more stuff in it.

We quickly went back to the Hop-on/off stop and passed by the Parliament Building, the Lake Garden (we weren't really interested to see orchidia), and the Bird Park (not into birds too). Our next stop was the National Mosque. It had a very slim bell tower beside it (as all mosques do) and the roof had a turquoise-blue color and folded somewhat like origami. We had to take our shoes off and leave them on a shelf. Women and children were required to wear a lavender robe, complete with hoodie, before going up the stairs. Ingrid refused to do so because she thought it was sexist. Barry and I went upstairs to see the vast hallway. There was a rectangular fountain pool that housed the bell tower. To the right, there was a huge open area lined by thin columns and to the northeast was the prayer hall itself.

The prayer hall was huge! The floor was carpeted all throughout, the walls were heavily embellished with prints, the upper deck was made of wood carvings and above that was a very intricately patterned stained glass window of blue and yellow that stretched horizontally across the dome. Above that was a clock with Arabic numerals and a triangle window, also of stained glass. We had our picturetaking from outside the velvet rope because tourists weren't allowed inside. Before the entrance to the chamber, there were 2 stairways labeled "Perempuan." The women had separate entrances to the wood-lined chamber.

We took some more pictures and went downstairs where Ingrid had already been waiting on the bench under a huge tree. The bus was due anytime now. Unfortunately, we weren't able to visit the Muslim art museum or the old railway because it was already lunch time and we were hungry. But before that, we decided to check out Titiwangsa Lake where the Eye of Malaysia was just to take pictures. It was very hot already, but the view of the lake was very refreshing. We took the cab going back to KLCC Suria for lunch.

I swear, KL taxis are the worst! During our stay there, we only got to use the taxi meter once. Everything else had to be bargained for. The minimum charge is MYR10.00. And here I thought Manila cabs were pretty bad...

I had Sarawak Laksa for lunch. At MYR15.65, it came with a local pink-colored tea drink that had gelatin strands. The laksa was spicy but delicious and the drink had a weird, medicinal taste to it at first, but after a few more sips it was ok. We had Ingrid try the super delicious Daily Express brewed coffee. If you order take away, they use a bigger paper cup and you'll have more coffee to savor!

We took the cab to KL Sentral and rode the LRT going to the Putra Terminal, which was the last station to the left (if you look at the list of stations. I dunno if that's north or what). The train was a bit crowded (it was a Tuesday after all) and I fell asleep after the first few terminals. I realize now why they didn't build subways -- Mahathir probably wanted to showcase Malaysia. And who wouldn't? All the tall residential condominiums were situated outside the country. This greatly reduced traffic in the city. During our taxi trip going to the Batu Caves, Ingrid saw on an ad that a unit costs around 12 million Ringgit. Pretty expensive. One teksi eksekyutif driver we spoke to said the typical salary is MYR2,000, where Malaysians living within Kuala Lumpur usually get MYR3,000. He said it would be difficult to live on less because the rent is very expensive there. I would imagine. Maintaining the city probably cost the government a lot of money so everyone's milking out the tourists who bring the money in. Perhaps we should do that here too (or aren't we arleady?)

It was drizzling a bit when we arrived at the Batu Caves. The facade was gorgeous! It had a golden buddha standing near the entrance where more than a hundred steps paved the way to the 3 huge caves inside the limestone mountain. There was an elementary school to the left, a parking space, and the entrance to the water falls, which had a hefty entrance fee. We didn't bother. To the right were a few shops and eateries. Further front was the entrance to the caves.

Going up the steps wasn't easy. Our hamstrings began to hurt and we had to stop a few times under the drizzle just to rest. It was a magnificent view of the city on the horizon, one of those rare places where a natural heritage site is right beside a sprawling residential complex.

I urged my companions to try the Dark caves tour because I felt they would enjoy the type of adventure I experienced with the Tabon Caves and the Underground River. The entrance fee was MYR35.00 for the tour guide and helmet with headlights. It was actually closing time already but Yan, our tour guide, agreed to show us the cave 1 more time. I sprayed on our unscented Off lotion pray, on my arms, my nape, behind the ears -- any place a mosquito might dare to bite.

The City of Scents also found its way outside of the city. The cave reeked with the smell of guano (bat droppings) but it wasn't as bad as with the Underground River in Palawan. There were only a few fruit bats left in the cave. There were tiny white snails on the ground and where there was guano, there was an entire community of cockroaches on the cave floor. Yan was joking how he loved scaring prissy tourists each time he waved his flashlight toward the cucuarachas. Of course he and his assistant already figured out we were Filipino by our accent. At one point, Yan's assistant came calling him from the entrance. He left us there and told us he'd come back for us in a few minutes. I didn't like surprises so I told the gang to stand back-to-back and check our surroundings for any hiding pranksters. It was a bit of a long wait and Yan came back like he promised. No tricks. He said there was an Arab family wanting to take the tour also but backed out at the last minute. Hence we continued.

The cave was very humid despite the cold weather outside. We were shown the basic stuff -- stalactites and stalagmites, columns -- and eventually reached a spot where cool air blew form some part of the cave (I think all cave complexes have this) and it was very refreshing to stand there with the wind blowing agianst my moist shirt. I couldn't help thinking though where the wind came from or if it was blowing guano debris unto my face.

We were permitted to take some photos at one point and then we went back to the cave entrance. At this point, the 3 of us were giggling -- if for me Kuala Lumpur is a city of scents, Yan would be it's king by the force of his uttered words alone. Hehe

My hair was wet with sweat but we we were happy we took that tour. By this time the rain was stronger. Ingrid and Barry wanted to go down already but I convinced them we're already near the top, might as well go visit the main Batu temples. There were Indians at the entrance and a group of Chinese men. The temple was huge! It was beautiful. The 2 were tired though so we didn't bother exploring any further.

Downstairs, we saw that the whole walkway entrance was flooded to our horror! I wasn't wearing waterproof shoes, and had I wet them, I wouldn't have any shoes to wear for the next day. Barry said we should start going down the steps already. For sure the water would go down by the time we reached the ground floor. It didn't so we waited by the shed and watched an Indian man fill his bucket with water and throw the water toward the drain. Didn't help much. After a few more minutes, the water was significantly lower so we decided to walk at the side. Barry took pictures of this tragic uncomfortable incident and I posed well of course! Hehe

It was difficult getting a cab that would bring us back to the Putra Terminal. It was already traffic at that time and Indian school children were being fetched by their parents at the side of the gate. A pubilc bus came by. The conductor was shouting "China Town! China Town!" We asked if it would pass by Putra Terminal, the man said no. We chose to ride anyway because going down at China Town was certainly better than being stuck there.

The fare cost MYR2.00. The bus was dirty, Del Carmen dirty, but it was more spaceous. There were other Indian men riding in the front and a Chinese couple who followed us. The trip was quick because there was no traffic on our side of the road, and the conductor was right, we wouldn't be passing through any LRT station along the way. We ate our junk food along the way. I wonder why we didn't take any pictures. Haha

We went to Central Market afterwards to look at stuff to bring home. I bought some taro chips (sliced really long and deep fried to a crisp, dipped in sweet n' sour sauce). Didn't really find anything though the shops were loaded with nifty souvenirs. I bought a magazine out of curiosity, being an account executive bombarding local magazines with cosmetics ads. Yes, my clients were indeed global and had a budget for spending. I texted Janice to meet us there after her convention. She came by after an hour or so. We took the cab to Titiwangsa Lake and rode the Eye of Malaysia for MYR15.00. There were more people now and the ferris wheel was colorfully lit. Inside the air-conditioned ferris wheel car, Janice began squirming and laughing. I didn't know she was afraid of heights! We all started laughing and shaking the car and taking videos and talking about our day without her. I had to delete some pictures because my camera memory went full at the last movie clip.

After watching the light and water show (there were 2 mist-makers and projectors on both sides of the lake), we rode the cab going back to KLCC. We decided to eat at Tajine, a Lebanese restaurant. There were 2 Pinoy waiters there, one had a Transformers belt buckle (give-away Pinoy if you ask me) and the other was half-Malaysian. We ordered so much -- mixed grilled beef and chicken with onion-garlic sauce and chapatti, mutton with carrot and garbanzo couscous, a seafood platter, and another viand I forget. I'm generally fond of Mediterranean food however this one we ate was too dry. Each of us paid MYR36.50 plus tip. On the way home, Janice, Barry and I wanted to walk going back to the hotel since it was rather close to where we were. Ingrid wanted to take a cab so she took one. The 3 of us walked right beside the Pavillion mall and reached Prince Hotel in no time. At room 2808, Ingrid opened the door and was asking us where we went. Apparently, she didn't see us continue walking when she got herself a cab. She said she texted us frantically. Haha

For the rest of this entry and for Day 3, you readers should know that I'm basing my thorough account of this vacation on budget accounting notes I made at the end of the day. The next entry written says "Coffee Bean" but I'm totally confused now if we went out again after dinner to go to Coffee Bean, or was it yesterday when Janice treated us to gelato at Bukit Bintang. Yeah, I think we went to out for coffee tonight because I remeber we went back to the hotel around 11 or 12 pm already. Tama ba guys?? I'm so confused.

We slept past midnight already because I remember the lights to Petronas were already shut off and we were all tired. The housekeeping moved the beds a bit. We moved the 2 twin beds to the left beside the window and Ingrid's rollaway bed was on the right beside the closet space.

It was a good night's sleep. Ü

The Prince Hotel: Also fit for Princesses