We we finally hit the road or in our case the airways. We left Perth for Kuala Lumpur or as everyone calls it KL. The flight on Air Asia was enjoyable although there were a few too many kids on the plane to really relax, the noise level was pretty loud! We had a spare seat between us could comfortably stretch out.
We landed around lunch time in a very warm and humid airport, it was very busy almost chaotic but I guess this is what Asia is all about, we are a long way from sleepy Perth. We hopped on the coach to take us to the City as the airport is about an hour out of town, this was a good trip as you get to see some of the lush tropical country side and see the suburbs as you approach the city.
We were deposited in the city central station (KL Sentral) and immediately set upon by touts offering cheap taxis to our hotel. 50 Ringgit (17 AUD) was the going rate this sounded a bit high, we knew taxis were cheap in Malaysia as we used them a lot when we were in Kuching last year. We headed for the official taxi counter and only got charged 13 Ringgit (4 AUD) for the trip, this was more like it. Off to the hotel, what a busy city the taxi driver did really well.
The Fraser Place hotel is really nice, very new and modern and located in the "Golden Triangle" the best part of the city centre close to all the restaurants, bars and clubs as well as tourist hot spots. We are a stones throw from the Petronas Towers the famous KL landmark. We went for a stroll around the nearby area and had a late lunch at a cafe, yeah... real Malaysian food at last. Nasi lemak (coconut rice, chicken curry and anchovies, nuts boiled egg and spicy sambal gravy) Char Koay Teow (rice noodles stir fried with chili, prawns, chicken beansprouts and egg. This was all washed down with icy cold Carlsberg beer; total cost 15AUD what a bargain.
Day 2 was spent on a "hop on hop off" bus ride, this was great; you buy a ticket for this double decker bus and tour the city all day. The bus takes you past all the tourist spots, shopping areas and national building and monuments, you can get a real look at all that KL has to offer from the comfort of an air conditioned bus. It take 2 hrs to do the circuit, we hopped on and off a few times and really enjoyed a full day out.
The highlight of today was dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant, waitresses complete in Kimonos. Beautiful Negari Sushi, Temporah seafood, miso soup and yellow watermelon, all enjoyed with a big bottle of icy cold, yes icy cold, Saki. Boy this stuff sneaks up on you, beware. After a big day out and a great meal we were all done in.
Day 3 will see us shopping, the markets and China town, looking forward to all the bargaining.
