Wandering, Sky-Scraping, and Not Drinking
Trip Start
Jan 16, 2006
1
82
102
Trip End
Ongoing
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Monday, July 2, 2007
After a few hours of uninterrupted ceiling staring and desperate sleep attempts, I gave in. "Let's go for a walk. That area I saw on the tube looked good; I'll go there."
"No. You'll try and go there and you'll get lost again" said that same voice born in Bangkok. Damn that voice. It's always right.
But I had the best walk ever! Walked past the area I was looking for, round some big dual carriageway loop and found myslef at the national museum. Of all the galleries I could have entered, I pick the bloody 'Malay History of Textiles' museum, or something equivalent in nature. At least it was air-conditioned.
Left ther, saw a sign saying 'Planetarium', thought "Why not?" Saw a sign saying 'Closed'. Still thought "Why not? Sod it, it probably has a good view up there."
Not really. But it wasn't bad. And I got my first sighting of the mighty Petronas Towers from up there. They look a) big; b) cool and c) fookin miles away. How far have I walked? I don't wanna know the answer to that since, however far I've walked I've gotta walk back the same distance. Wro-o-ong. By the time you've got yourself lost 8 times and spiralled round the centre of Kuala Lumpur for hours, you've got a whole lot further to go. Damn that voice with it's clairvoyant pearls of wisdom.
I even got lost walking around the outside of the Planetarium. Saw a random reproduction of Stonehenge, had a strange guy ask to have his picture taken with me. This picture is no doubt on his travelogue, titled: " Me with Alcoholic English Vagrant. He Smelt Ugly" to the amusement of his peers.
Then I found an Orchid Garden. Cool. That'll be relaxing. Let me tell you now, there is nothing relaxing about paying nigh on 20 quid to look at some flowers. So I sacked that off.
Then I found 'The World's Largest Covered Bird Park'. So I went to the cafe next to it, obviously. I figured that would involve less walking, offer more refreshment opportunity, and - most importantly - be cheaper. So after a cup of hot tea, accompanied by the obligatory strange look upon ordering: "hot tea? Don't you know it's bloody boiling today? Stupid Englishman, he come here want hot tea" and a fruit "platter" I figured I'd attempt to get back home before dark. Cue voice: "Fat chance. Get a taxi, dickhead"
Never!!!
Lost as one can get. I could find every attraction, guesthouse, drinking area from the lonely planet, but not chinatown. Got an egg butty and cup of tea for 25p (how very English of you. Yeah? So?) and then continued on my quest to be the most lost person in Asia.
About 4 hours later, knackered, starving and sweating like a p-i-g, I finally arrive at my humble abode. Shower, Chinese food, bed. At last. Hallelujah.
