The good news is that Josh felt better, the bad news is that we no longer had a car. I had no idea what was happening and didn't want to press too much about what this meant for our plans that week. They had enough to deal with without some backpacker proclaiming, "What about meeeeeee?" I needn't have worried as Josh had a Plan B. Mummy De Souza entrusted Josh with her car. Hooray!
First on the agenda was sightseeing which meant travelling back to KL Central subsequently passing the danger spot that caught us out the night before. We were all a little nervy at that point but we made it to KL Central safe and sound. Phew. As we entered KL, the landscape transformed. Buildings sprouted from the ground and towered towards the sky. From where I was travelling in, the buildings appeared to conjugate in one area shunning their surroundings.
My view from the car.
Each building was an architectural treat to the eye. So many different shapes and sizes drowned my eyes but one building did stand out and it was our first stop.
The Petronas Towers.
This is the building with the sole function of cooling the Petronas Towers.
A funky alternative to a chandelier in the reception of the towers.
We weren't able to visit the observation deck inside the towers as it was closed for maintenance. It was still worth a visit though. Josh, who is studying architecture, informed me that this structure is famed for its friendliness. I asked what he meant by that and Josh added that the lower decks and support pillars at the bottom of buildings similar to this are usually encased. Here, you are able to walk around as you please. Soon after that we witnessed a friendliness of a different kind. We approached someone to enquire about visiting the observation deck. He confirmed our thoughts of it being closed but continued to chatter away. He thought that we were all backpackers and couldn't quite get his head around the fact that these guys were showing me around. He shook each of our hands and we departed. This guy had the firmest handshake ever. I was still bouncing. I understand that, in general, a firm handshake represents confidence but Josh says that in Malaysia, the firmer the handshake, the better. Anything less is a sign of weakness. This guy was far from weak!
After our encounter with heavy-handshake guy, we went for a stroll in the park nearby. The sun showed no sign of leaving and beat us into thirsty submission. Not before taking some photos of course...
From left to right: Noel, Kenny and Josh.
An alternative perspective of the Petronas towers.
The building in the middle - The Troika, luxury apartments - was designed by Fosters and Partners, the firm behind the 30 St Mary Axe AKA The Gherkin in London.
Josh was a walking encyclopedia of all things KL. It certainly put my level of knowledge of England to shame. I was asked whether I knew the meaning of Kuala Lumpur. I had no idea. It sounds quite exotic so was sure it meant something grandiose. It seems not. Kuala Lumpur translates to muddy estuary in Malay. Lovely. Well...I don't think I can top that moment!
With my injection of culture happily settling within my system, there was one more thing I needed to do before the day ended. For weeks now I have been trying not to succumb to my screaming desires but I just can't hold back any more. I need a device with wifi capabilities. It's not just to make updating my blog easier, but access to information in general. There are so many times when I have needed maps, hostel information or to book something but have had to go looking for an internet cafe and pay. I was looking for a good deal though. It was a good job I had someone who works at HP to seek out the best gadge then.
The guys took me to a shopping mall dedicated to gadgets - cameras, laptops, mobile phones, tablets...etc. It was slightly overwhelming but it didn't take me long to find a good deal. I got a nice little netbook/notebook in sexy red. Oh and it has 2GB memory and 500GB storage which is good enough for me. The guy also threw in a pack of goodies including a case, brushes and cleaner, USB hub, headphones and a mouse. I was very happy and looked forward to trying it out. Unfortunately, when we got back home, it turned out that the wifi wasn't connected so no fun for me.
Walking back to the car, I remembered something that I wanted to ask for a while now. I kept seeing VIP stickers stuck on peoples' windscreens and was curious as to what it meant. Noel's car and the family car both have these stickers.
What the hell is a McDonald's VIP?
Josh informed me that McDonald's is the most common food eaten in Malaysia. He went on to tell me that some people eat it every day or at least three times a week. Josh said that if he called McDonald's (call them?!) then they would know straight away who he was. You get extra fries and free upgrades with being a VIP. You can call ahead and ask for a meal to be ready for when you arrive and queue jump. Ha! Of all the places in the world where you would think that queue jumping would be an option, McDonald's would be my last choice! This is madness!
We didn't have McDonald's that night, instead, we had meatballs and chips at Ikea. Random but pretty good actually. I got to know Josh's mum a bit more and became very jealous as she works in a bakery and brings home goodies at the end of her shift. As always, it's all about the cake.
As there was no internet at home we went to an internet cafe. I was a little bit grouchy as I'd just bought a netbook and I couldn't use it yet. The place was filled with teenage boys who were still there when we left in the early hours.
*****
I ended up doing absolutely nothing the next day. I think Josh was out at college and I had no idea where Noel was. I didn't really know where I was or what there was to do around the immediate area. Instead, I had a forced lazy day. I think it was this day that Josh showed me his family photos. It was such a sweet moment. As Josh was the first born, there were lots of photos of him as a baby. His brothers and sisters were all cute little children. I also got to see photos of his father who is no longer with us. Josh spoke openly about his father and the rest of his family which was surprisingly kind.
*****
We went to a lower market mall with cheap clothes. This is exactly what I needed. I know that my clothes aren't going to last very long seen as I wear each item so much. What's the point in buying something high street when I can get the same for cheaper elsewhere? At first I couldn't find anything I wanted. The shops were full of party outfits and dresses, lots and lots of beautiful dresses. I did get distracted. I love dresses. But no. I had a list and I needed to stick to it. I found some basic tops soon enough but buying leggings was surprisingly difficult. Each shop I went to refused me entry to the changing rooms with leggings. The shop assistants proclaimed that the leggings will fit and that one size fits all. With that, they'd stretch the leggings out to an unhealthy width as if that was meant to convince me. I think we've all seen the girls who wear leggings of the wrong size. The first sign is the thinning of the material so it becomes almost see through. The next is the elasticated waistband which digs into your sides creating a very unflattering look. I want to hide my love handles, not quadruple them!
I almost gave up when we stumbled across a very odd looking shop. It was definitely my last resort. Could a shop that contains the following outfits hold leggings? And by leggings, I mean plain black leggings. No glitter, tassels or crazy patterns. Please?
Noel showed an unhealthy attachment to this outfit.
The perfect outfit for a night out in KL?
This was just the display outside. What was on the inside was a whole world of weird. It was like a cross between Ann Summers, a fancy dress shop and a vintage New Look. Somehow they had leggings. Nice, normal leggings. What's more, the shop assistant was lovely and let me try them on. They were a perfect fit and made up of good quality material. I decided that I needed to explore this shop further. However, for some reason, the shop assistant decided to follow me around. From the fluffy negligee and man-thongs to the crazy fancy dress/role play outfits (these guys had more than just maids, coppers and nurses, wow!). I decided to pay for my leggings and go as this place was freaking me out!
So that was that. A crazy end to a lovely week spent with the De Souza family. It was nice to be around a family and feel somewhat settled for once. I felt incredibly welcomed despite the fact that I was a complete stranger to all but one of them.
Noel and Josh escorted me to my next destination, Reggae Mansion in Chinatown. Noel carried the beast with ease which was impressive. I had to carry it up two flights of stairs though when I arrived. Reggae Mansion is massive. It's only two months old so it stood out like a flower amid a bed of wilting weeds. Not to be too harsh on Chinatown but it was, as a friend so aptly put, a nut job. It is very busy and worn down. The hostel was fresh, inviting and swarming with backpackers. I had my own cubicle with a locker below my bed with enough space to fit the beast and its offspring. I dumped my stuff and went downstairs to meet Josh and Noel. We had lunch at the adjoining restaurant which was cheap and tasty. We were going to venture out further but...
Crazy town.
Reggae Mansion by night.
The rest of the day flew by and it was time to settle down and think about what I need to do before I head out to Australia.
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