Week 13: Langkawi

Per the suggestion of my coworkers, I spent the weekend on the tropical island of Langkawi, soaking in the sun and remembering how to relax for a change. Like most islands near the equator, this one was absolutely beautiful, but its special claim to fame is that it is duty free. This meant lots of cheap chocolate and drinks on the beach for me! Upon arrival Friday night, my hospitable hostel owner convinced me that I should stick to a manual bicycle for transport, as the island was too far for walking and taking a taxi would be expensive by Malaysia standards. I took his advice, and spent the day Saturday biking to a gondola that is famed to be one of the steepest in the world. This took me up a mountain and gave gorgeous views of the surrounding islands and beaches. Unfortunately, the top was shrouded in clouds so I did not get a clear view at the top, but it made walking along the most curved bridge in the world less nerve wracking!

After descending, I went a little ways to a nearby waterfall, which was also accompanied by great views and a cool breeze that was much needed at the time. I enjoyed my lunch on the outskirts of the jungle in a restaurant that looked more like someone’s extended porch. The flora and fauna gave a nice change of scenery from the city setting of KL, and the monkeys are always entertaining. Once I had seen it all, I made my way back to my hostel and the beach, to enjoy a glass of wine during sunset.

Sunday I ignored the advice of my hostel keeper and decided to try my hand at driving a scooter. (My backside was the key decision maker here, as bicycles have never been my chosen mode of transport.) After a hair-raising start, I got the hang of driving and had a lot of fun driving around the island and checking out otherwise unreachable sites. These included the famed tomb of Mahsuri, a woman who was a beauty among the people of Langkawi and was murdered following vicious rumors of her infidelity. While I have trouble believing that she bled milky white, it was interesting to read about the legends of the island.

In the afternoon I kept up my adrenaline rush by going parasailing, an exhilarating experience. While the time in the air is dismally short, it’s an amazing feeling to be flying through the air and see the island and surrounding sea spread out before you. Definitely worth the time and money, that marked the end of my adventurous time on Langkawi. The rest was spent enjoying the beach and warm water and trying to remember how to act when you are relaxing, before heading back to Kuala Lumpur for the normal Monday workday.

Week 12: Kuala Lumpur Part 2

After my whirlwind tour of Singapore I decided to take it easy and spend a weekend in Kuala Lumpur. To make the most of this time, I headed out to the Batu Caves on Saturday to see what all the tourist hoopla is about. These “caves” are natural caverns that have been converted into Hindu temples. I say “caves” because they were not actually fully enclosed: rather, it was like an extended archway in the rock up in the sandstone cliffs. In one cave they had figures representing different major events in Hindu lore, illuminated with artificial light and enjoying a natural waterfall within the same cavern. The other had over 200 steps leading to it and required proper leg covering for women who were wearing shorts. The kicker is that the leg coverings were because of the sacred nature of the site, yet there were countless tchotchke salesmen and obtrusive music at the top, eliminating all feeling of serenity and making me wonder how sacred the site truly is. Either way, the monkeys were quite amusing!

In the evening I visited the Heli Bar, a site that is a helicopter landing pad by day and hopping bar by night. While it was not the most thrilling hour of my life, I did enjoy some incredible sunset views of the Kuala Lumpur downtown area while appreciating the aerospace themed interior.

Sunday my boss from the US and coworker from Australia flew into town (to spend a week on site with a client in KL.) In an effort to entertain them (and myself) we went on a walking food tour in the Chow Kit area of Kuala Lumpur, an old section typically scoffed at for its history of prostitution. We did not see anyone engaging in such degenerate activities, and instead ate our way through an outdoor food market, fruit/vegetable market, wet market, and meat market. The fruit market was a nice change because I got to sample fruits I would not otherwise know how to eat, but I was successful in avoiding the dreaded Durian fruit. (The slinkiest of foods, rivaled only by stinky tofu.) The meat market was also a bit shocking, as you may see in my photos!

Week 11: Singapore

This week I ventured out of Malaysia to the Southern port land of Singapore. Known for its extensive expat population and huge ports, it was a cool place to be and was reminiscent of the United States. My first day there began with a trip to the Marina Bay Sands hotel, famous for its rooftop pool and boat shape. While only guests were allowed to bathe, I enjoyed a view of the nearby ports and city, an interesting juxtaposition. Singapore is one of the few remaining city-states, and because of the limited size, the city is packed with tall skyscrapers and small public parks. However, they also have room for a large zoo and Universal Studios, so it’s an interesting mix to see.

My second stop was the famed “Gardens by the Bay”, complete with a special orchid exhibit in their indoor, temperature controlled dome. This facility is maintained at the correct temperatures and humidity levels to allow flowers to bloom all year round. More exciting than this dome was their facility dedicated to recreating an indoor cloud forest, complete with a waterfall. The live exhibit showed the different flora and fauna found at various altitudes in cloud forests, complete with a nice escape from the humidity outside. Like so many other parts of Singapore, they dedicated the exhibits inside the mountain to displays on conservation, an important message especially for such a small country.

I decided to pass the afternoon away in the Museum of Asia Heritage (or something like that) and was treated to performances by students participating in a choral concert that weekend in Singapore. There were some amazing singers from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, and probably others. It was very enjoyable to see the coming together of cultures through music. I also enjoyed their displays on the history of trade in the region and how the passing of history affected the different routes used and types of goods being traded. This topic was especially pertinent because trade plays a huge hand in keeping the country so prosperous these days and shaped the country.

My busy day ended with a trip to the night safari at the Singapore zoo. This exhibit has nocturnal creatures for visitors at night. They are lit by lights that match the shade of moonlight so it does not disturb them, and because they are nocturnal, most were actively up and moving, which is not always seen in day zoos. The biggest problem the park has is preventing tourists from using their flash while taking pictures. Overall I thought the tourist trap was very well executed and it was cool to see a few different types of animals from the norm.

Sunday brought a trip to the Mustafa mall, a sensation my taxi driver had told me about. He explained the complex was at least a kilometer long, so I was intrigued to see what it was all about. Contrary to my expectations, this was not a typical swanky mall, filled with nice consumer goods in brands I’d recognize. Rather, it was like a cross between a multi-level Costco and a department store. Each of the 4 floors was dedicated to a specific type of product: the bottom floor was electronics and household machinery (washers, microwaves, etc.), the middle was a storehouse of shoes and sporting goods, the third floor pharmaceuticals and toiletries, and the top floor was a grocery store. What made it stand out even more was that the second building (also the Mustafa mall) contained the exact same goods and the exact same layout, but was separate.

After my adventures in the mall, I spent some time touring Chinatown. After living in Shanghai for 2 months it was a bit anti-climatic, but it’s always fun to see what kinds of gadgets they have for tourists like me. I also had the pleasure of touring and eating in Little India, which was like a 2 street bazar with ample restaurants and storefronts. Thus concluded my brief time in the country, as I needed to go back to Kuala Lumpur for work the next day. 

Week 10: Kuala Lumpur

Since my last blog post I have changed locations to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I will be spending several weeks continuing working and learning about new cultures and places. For starters, the food here is AMAZING. Contrary to my experiences in China (where I still don’t like to go to a sit-down restaurant on my own) I cannot wait to keep eating in this new country. This may not be so good for my physique, but it’s good for my soul. The variety of food is enormous: over the span of 2 days I have eaten Indian, Thai, Malaysian, and Saudi Arabian food, all of which was delicious. The people in the city are similarly diverse: rather than standing out here, I can blend in with the blend of cultures: there are a large number of Chinese, Indian, Western foreigners, and Malays living in Kuala Lumpur, and the diversity is more reminiscent of New York City than any city in China was.

My company has me staying in an area within 2 minutes of my office walking, so that’s a perk! Consequently, it’s also a suburb of the city that contains a resort/water park, filled with wave pools, waterslides, and all sorts of other aquatic fun. Thankfully, this area is fairly quiet throughout the day, missing the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. However, with Malaysia being a primarily Islamic country, I am treated to regularly timed prayer ‘announcements’ from the local mosque. These are not so bad- I would describe them as “Arabic Gregorian Chant”, except for the fact that the first is at 5:45am. Not an altogether unpleasant way to wake up, but definitely not my first choice of time.

Other than checking out the water park and eating more than I should, I spent some time looking around Kuala Lumpur. It’s not a very historic city, but I managed to see the square where Independence was claimed from the British as well as a popular marketplace and the local Chinatown (go figure!). To top it off, I got a look at the iconic Petronas Towers, marking my first weekend in Malaysia complete.

Week 9: Goodbye Shanghai

This is my last week in Shanghai, before leaving for my next adventure. It was bittersweet, as I am excited to see and experience new places, but I have also made some amazing friends here that I’m not ready to say goodbye to. However, I tried to make the most of the time by seeing a last few Shanghai attractions and enjoy the wacky food selection with those friends.

For two consecutive Thursdays I was treated to some traditional Chinese meals with my coworkers: the first was a hotpot meal, which is essentially a meal where you are given a pot with soup and a small flame underneath, and you boil your selection of food and eat immediately. This usually includes some thinly cut beef or lamb, some vegetables and mushrooms, tofu, and a variety of options that would never be served in America. The craziest one ordered at our table was frog legs, still moving a bit when delivered. My last night in Shanghai we got some traditional Nanjing food, and I was convinced to try a bit of congealed duck’s blood, but abstained from the pig’s feet. There are some foods I will miss in China, but I have to admit I’m excited for a less adventurous menu selection.

My weekend included a trip to an indoor knock-offs market: selections included faux name-brand handbag, faux name-brand shoes, and all sorts of tourist trinkets. There was also a tailor shop across the way where a woman offered to make me a custom tailor-made dress for 350 yuan (about $50). Once I had my fill of people shouting after me with lower and lower prices while I walked away, I headed to Century Park, a huge complex in the middle of the city. This park is huge, including a small lake, several natural preserve trails, and periodically placed convenience stores. Unlike other parks though, I was required to pay a nominal fee to enter-something I did not expect or experience at other public parks in my stay. I had a pleasant afternoon walking around and enjoying the summer sun and breeze off the lake while other tourists quadracycled nearby.

That evening I took a coworker to a street I had heard about that was known for rowdy Western bars-so much so that there were threats to shut it down! I was not disappointed: it was like a busy bar-lined street in Europe, with more Westerners in one place than I had seen for two months. In that location, foreigners became the objects of tourist cameras, as a lot of Chinese people were wandering up and down the street, taking photos and videos of the revelry.

The final highlight of my week was a trip to the Shanghai Circus World, a famous and nightly acrobatics show swimming with tourists. It may have been a tourist trap, but the amazing skill of the performers rendered that aspect unimportant. The variety of acrobatics ranged from your standard trapeze artists and strong men to women jumping around on bicycles, human see-saw stacking, and motorbike tricks. It was spectacular, a must-see for anyone visiting the city!

Week 8: Nanjing

This week I braved solo travel again, to a city about an hour and a half by bullet train from Shanghai, called Nanjing. Upon arrival, I decided to explore the most touristy-looking area there, called Purple Mountain. I read somewhere that the name comes from the colors the clouds turn around sunrise and sunset, but declined to be in the vicinity of the mountain during either of those times during the day. My first stop was a pagoda up on the hill. To get there, I walked through nice shaded paths which helped assuage the pressing heat, and was rewarded with some gorgeous views of the city and surrounding mountains upon reaching the top. The strangest thing was that even though I was in a tourist area, I only passed about 20 other people during my walk-seeing as this is China, that is practically unheard of, but I enjoyed the solitude and little piece of quiet I had managed to find. After enjoying my fill of the view, I headed over to a famous mausoleum and was swiftly reminded that yes, I was still in China, as the throngs of tourists engulfed me and removed all sense of quiet. As everything was written in Chinese I can’t say much about the mausoleum itself, other than that it was grandiose and contained a lot of stairs.

Upon returning to the area where my hostel was located, I was determined to sample the local stinky tofu. (I’ve found that this delicacy is only found in tourist areas, it is not standard fare. Due to the language barrier, I had to gesture what I wanted by holding my nose and pointing. (Consequently, I found the tofu stand simply by smell.) Needless to say, a food that must be identified by holding one’s nose is unlikely to be tasty and unfortunately, I was not won over by the stinky tofu. I did however, get approached by a young guy who was traveling with a tour group from a Northern province and wanted to practice his English and get some food. At one point, I was worried I had stumbled unwittingly into a date, but it turns out that the language barrier was higher than I realized and he left to catch his tour group shortly after we had finished eating.

The next day I set off to see the presidential palace, and in typical fashion I ended up at a different destination. (I say typical fashion because my idea of navigation is to look at a map, figure out the cardinal direction I need to go in, and walk that way looking for landmarks. If I miss those landmarks, I usually end up somewhere completely different, albeit usually interesting. This is why all my nature trips are though a tour group!)
I had found the imperial weaving and cloth manufacturing building, left from years before. Though I could not understand most of the museum, I did enjoy looking at samples of “cloud pattern” cloth-an object of Chinese heritage recognized by UNESCO and originating in Nanjing. Upon leaving the museum, I managed to walk in the wrong direction and actually found the palace I had been originally seeking, so I decided to take a look. The main exhibits were similar to other historic buildings, with some information on the walls, various artifacts, and the unavoidable wax figures that are seen in almost every Chinese museum. What sets this location apart is the smaller exhibits in the outer rooms as you exit. They had been dedicated to an anti-drug museum, complete with propaganda, samples, historic significance (especially of poppy/opium) and specimens of babies born to drug-using mothers, suspended in jars. A bit grotesque, it was an unusual sight to see at the very least. However, with the hot sun and high humidity outside, the air conditioned exhibit was a welcome reminder that drugs are dangerous J