Kuala Lumpur - The Second Coming

Back to Kuala Lumpur for the second of what will be three visits here in total, Kuala Lumpur was turning out to be the city of meetings – the first time we were here we met up with Jonny, this time we were meeting up with Kerry & Gus, on their way back from the Australian holiday they had postponed from Christmas time. Our respective flights arrived within an hour of one another, so we all met at the airport... great to see a newly pregnant Kerry and Gus, the beaming imminent father.

Another thing that Kuala Lumpur is becoming synonymous with for us is ill health... the first time we were here Claire was really ill with a suspected case of Dengue Fever, this time both Claire & Jonny were ill with sickness and nausea and Jonny was suffering a great deal of pain from an old war wound he has with his shoulder & spine, sparked off again from all the seriously uncomfortable long distance bus journeys & lugging around of his bags for the last few months. The curse of Kuala Lumpur strikes again...

Pulling into the city centre from the airport it was rather blatant who were the workers earning money & who were the jobless hobos out of the five of us – Kerry & Gus were dropped off at their 5 star hotel, the ‘Istana’, complete with ornate lobby, bars, restaurants & pool, while Jonny, Claire & I returned to the hostel we had stayed at previously, the ‘Paradiso’, which isn’t much like paradise at all. The slogan on the sign for the Paradiso says, ‘The Paradiso – For All The Comfort You Desire.’ As Jonny rightly pointed out, if this really is all the comfort we desire, we need to radically reassess our desires. Having said that though, the fellas that run the place couldn’t be nicer and they had just stored half of our luggage for us for the best part of 3 months while we done our lap of South East Asia without charging us. In terms of budget digs in Kuala Lumpur it is a pretty good option, right in the heart of Bukit Bintang, the main commercial district of Kuala Lumpur.

After a good night catching up over an Aussie Steakhouse meal, we ventured out the following day for the very touristy, but very convenient hop on-hop off open top bus tour of the city, taking in a whistle stop tour of China Town, the Petronas Twin Towers, the KL Communications Tower, a few key Mosques, the largest open air avery in Asia & few other key parks & buildings.

By late afternoon the 37 degrees & 80% humidity proved enough to force Kerry, Claire & Jonny back to all the comfort they desired, & have a bit of a rest. Gus and I made our way back down to China Town, Gus being in the market for a pair of fake Oakley’s. In true English fashion, Gus and Kerry had apparently done a pretty good job of bringing the British rain on holiday with them, having had more than their fair share in Oz, suffered a couple of days of monsoon rains in Singapore, & sure enough while we were strolling around China Town the rains had followed them once again and let out an almighty downpour. There being nothing else for it, Gus and I had to retreat to a little street side bar Jonny and I had drank in the last time we were in town, & sheltered from the storm with the magical waterproofing properties of a few Tiger Beers.

Sometime later, Gus and I returned suitably lubricated (from the rain naturally...) & we all made our way out to sample another of Kuala Lumpur’s many fantastic restaurants. Not dissimilar to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur is a real melting pot of cultural influences, very apparent in the wide choice of great food available. Gus being the undisputed King of food appreciation & eating, was naturally in his element...

While Gus & Kerry enjoyed a luxurious day lounging around their pool, the rest of us embarked on the next phase of travellers hassle & ridiculous bureaucracy while we attempted to arrange our visas for India. The Indian Embassy having followed the lead of most businesses these days and outsourced the visa application process to a third party, which without boring you with the details is now a bureaucratic nightmare.

Before we knew it the final night the 5 of us would be spending together until we were all back in Blighty was upon us and Gus very generously covered all expenses for a great night of eating & drinking. The following afternoon amid yet another monsoon rainstorm we all made our way back to the airport, Kerry & Gus flying back to Singapore for their connecting flight back to the UK, while Jonny, Claire and I made our way across to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The storm was so bad that all flights were delayed a few hours, the loudest thunder and biggest lightning storm we had seen for a while and flash flooding everywhere not really offering up much in the way of in flight confidence to us as we said our goodbyes. An all too short, but really good few days of catching up and by the time we are back the new family member will be well on its way!