I enjoyed my time in KL (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia more than I would have thought. I usually can only stay in cities for a day or 2 and then need to go somewhere thats quiet and has more trees and grass than concrete and buildings. However we spent almost 4 days in KL and I could have stayed even longer.
One night we went out to dinner at a vegetarian Indian restraunt with 2 seasoned travellers we met at our guest house(in Malaysia you more often find Indian and Chinese food than Malay, I have tried all 3 but Indian is by far my favorite). We were the only white people in the restaraunt and sat beside 2 Indian women who starred wide-eyed at us the entire meal, I didn't mind their starring and only wished that I too could feel so comfortable starring back at them. Ocassionaly I would see the cook peek out the back door and watch us and our waitor didn't take his eyes off our table, coming over every few minutes to see if we needed anything, a bit overbearing, but good service.
Our Finland friend who has been travelling around the world for the past 30 years explained to us how we think they're primaive-eating with their fingers and wiping with no paper (using the left hand in the bathroom and the right hand at the table) and they think we're barbarians-eating with both hands after we dont't get up to wash them in the restraunt sink and only using tissue in the toilet. Here there is often squat toliets (which is quite natural) and then either a hose to clean yourself with or a bucket of water with a smaller bucket inside...no toliet paper-even going to the bathroom is interesting here!
The food was delicious, I could eat Indian food every day for the rest of my life. Eating is one of my new hobbies and one I can finally afford. A meal costs anywhere between 1-8 Ringetts which is .30-2.80 U.S.
The hostel we stayed at in KL (Le Village) had a bohemian air to it and I felt at home even though I got a few bed bug bites my first night. The walls were full of art, the floor falling apart, the people there were travellers rather than tourists, and the steep narrow stairs leading up to the hostel were full of shoes (it is custom to take your shoes off here).
Never before in my life have I enjoyed cold showers so much and I'm trying to figure out how to eat my ice cream in less than 10 seconds so it doesn't melt in my hands. It's hot here and there's only a few hours in the day, if you're lucky that you don't sweat(between 4am and 7am).
Yet I love it here, I love the people, I love being somewhere that is so different from what I'm used to. So I think I can manage the heat for the next 5 months as we travel around SE Asia.
That night before falling asleep I thought about all the different people in the hostel-both old and young and I wondered what all our reasons for travelling are-and then if there can be one reason-I can't say I have one reason-to me right now its not simply a choice I made but a lifestyle I am living out, a dream coming true and I like to think tonight as I fall asleep sticky with sweat in this 4 storey building thats falling apart that we're all here together, united by the simple fact that we're each living out a dream, stepping out of a box-into a beautiful diverse world that's ready to swallow us up in all her secrets and wonders.
I'm ready.
