KUALA LUMPUR:HEAT, MUTTON, GIRLS AND MONKS!

Eventually made it to the Travellers Palm guest house after an eventful thirty six hour journey.There were delays at Gatwick of course, problems with my ticket,further delays to take off,a four hour delay at Dubai and a worrying two hours at Malaysian immigration (where was Judge when I needed him!)

Anyway the flight itself with Emirate Airlines was superb but that is to be expected I suppose, given the calibre of the football team they choose to sponsor...! The service and the food was very good and it was definately worth paying a bit extra to fly with them.

I made a big mistake when I eventually left KL airport and ended up paying about three times the going rate for a taxi to the city; never mind I was hot and tired and was just glad to get here.

The temperature in KL was about 34 and very humid as is the norm but nothing really prepares you for shock to the system. At this time of year there is never much of a breeze either so it makes for a fairly uncomfortable time until you get used to it.

My room at the guest house is basic with just a mattress on the floor and two fans that are on full blast constantly. However the simplicity of the room is more than made up for by the wonderful host, Suzy, and the other travellers that are staying here. Suzy worked for Malaysian Airlines for 16 years and is a constant source of help to all her guests. In the late evening most of us meet up in the courtyard garden and have a drink or six!! There are a couple from Hong Kong, four Germans, two Swedes, an Aussie girl(dinner with her tonight) and myself. The advice I have already gained from these people has been extremely helpful; most of them have been to Cambodia and/or Vietnam and Laos and suggested a few things that I otherwise would not have known about. So the evenings have been great apart from the mozzys who have attacked my ankles relentlessly.

Ten yards across the road is a food stall run by a father and son from India.The father must be about 80 years old and he does all the cooking! The mutton curry with coconut rice and okra is the best I have ever tasted and all for the princely sum of 75p. Not only is the food outstanding but the hospitality almost embarassing. I've eaten there most lunchtimes and am now considered a local. Around the corner from Jalan Rembia is a street full of food stalls and the smells in the evening, walking along the street are wonderful. Every imaginable taste is catered for but you would need a few months to try them all. I knew before I came here that the street food would be good but I honestly cannot believe the quality and value of it all. Mutton seems to be the favoured meat to use in many of the Indian and Malay stalls and I've tried a few. The other really popular breakfast dish is nasi lemak, which is sticky coconut rice with an anchovy relish normally served with beef or chicken rendang!!! It beats cornflakes anyday and again the flavours, aromass and tastes are sublime. Needless to say I have not been disappointed by the food in KL.


After my arrival here I took a stroll around the area and found myself in a streetside bar having the first Tiger beer of many and was approached almost immediately by a lady (I think!)asking me if I was looking for company; before I could gracefully decline her kind offer she was moved on by the bar owner only to be replaced by another stunner. Anyway this carried on for about half an hour until they got the message that I was not for hire!! There are a few other 'ladies' just around the corner from I am staying but they are harmless enough and now after my third night here they even say hello Mr. Peter as I walk by. Apparently this area has become the new target area for the 'ladies' because of the vast ammount of travel hostels and backpackers dorms.

Anyone who has ever been to KL will probably have been appoached by a robed 'monk' offering a small good luck type charm, whilst continually bowing and saying 'peace, peace, peace'. They then ask you for a massive 'donation' to help their well being and karma in this and later life!! It is of course a scam and one that the authorities have been trying to crack down on for a long time. It can be a bit intimidating but a very firm 'No thank you' seems to do the trick. My general feeling about KL is that like any major city in the world it has its problems in various areas but in reality it is a fun, crazy, friendly, cheap and incredibly vibrant place to visit; a real assault on the senses!!