These little fishies that have no teeth but work on your feet - it tickled soooo much!
I decided to take all of yesterday to walk KL and check out the city. I had a meet up at 5 pm with some other travellers I had met on a social network site (which I didn’t make but that comes later) so I thought I would slowly make my way to the meet up location. First stop though was to buy some flip flops because even my merrell sandals are too hot for this climate. I understand flip flops now. So I went to the Chinese market and bought a pair of Crocs for the equivalent of $10. Needless to say, in short order, I had a blister between my twos because these “knock-offs” had way too thick an in-between toe bit. I should have gone with the even cheaper ones at $4/pr – which I did later. Anyway, now I can’t where flip flops for a couple of days! But I went through the Central Market which has been around since 1888, and bought some bandaids and had a micro massage. This was cool. There was a tank of little fish. You put your feet in for 10 minutes and they work away on the dead skin and everything. It felts so wild. It tickled so much at first I couldn’t stop laughing and shaking. But eventually you get used to it. My feet were definitely softer after that.
Stalls outside the Central Market
Slowly I made my way up to the KL Tower, which Ididn’t go up because I didn’t want to pay the 55 RM. It was a tourist trap anyway. But I did wonder through the adjacent permanent forest reserve which was kind of neat. I don’t mind them charging for everything and I understand why, and it is afterall a developing country, but one gets tired of all the touristy things being charged for and there is still lots to see without paying for something.
A neat twisted vine in the permanent forest reserve
So I kept going, sore feet and all, to the famed Petronas Towers. Here is where you are now in the centre of modern KL. Bright shining buildings, very futuristic and top name shopping. Infact, shortly after Petronas is the famed Butik Bitang area which reminded me so much of Vegas – over the top hotels and shopping alongside cheap abundant knockoff items. The crowds of people, the traffic and the passenger trains combined with the heat – certainly felt like Vegas.
Two phallic symbols. What do you think the Prime Minister thinks of himself?
The funny thing is that I had no desire to buy anything in the shopping areas because as remarkable and spectacular each subsequent plaza was to the next, the costs of everything were marked up accordingly. It was not until I found the Sungwei Plaza (Chinese based I believe) that was a maze of discount, factory outlets etc… on multiple levels with multiple sections (I was totally lost) that I found really good deals. I bought two tops and shorts for $12CAD, freshwater pearl earrings for $13, and bra and underwear for $8. But it was a zoo as well. Sadly by this point, about 4 pm, my feet were killing me and my blisters were multiplying, so I decided to make my way back to Chinatown.
This was the mall attached to the Petronis Towers - Suria. Each mall has its own theme and tends to be at least 7 or 8 levels.
This was either the Pavillion or Starhill Gallery. Can't remember - they all blur after awhile - but they are air conditioned!
The other thing about shopping in a place like KL, whether it is the shopping district like this, or the many markets and stalls, is that there is so much junk. So many multiples of the exact same thing. Yes they might be cheap in the stalls, but there is nothing unique about anything. Now give the masses of Asians flowing through the areas, clearly there is a market for so much junk, but I don’t find any of it appealing or sacred when it is produced in such masses. Far worse than anything I have seen in NZ or Australia.
The busyness entering the shopping district
The other thing that I found annoying was the degree that you are hassled. If you are not in the swank highpriced shopping district, you are in the markets. There, squished in with as many stalls as possible, you slowly try to jostle yourself through the crowd constantly being bombarded with “Miss, take a look, want to buy watch, nice new handbag, wallet, you need movies” etc…. Of course I don’t need anything so I just keep saying, “No thank you, no thank you” But they are relentless. Perhaps that is why I like parks so much – the trees don’t bug you.
More modernism
But all in all, it was quite fascinating, and as I say, it is a big city full of contrasts – old and new – busy and abandoned. Definitely worth the visit.
On my way back to the hostel I pass the Jalan Stadium whose area and street is totally abandoned that I cannot tell if it is even used anymore
Well the garbage gets picked up but then seemingly left. Garbage does seem to be such a problem in these developing countries.
Again I have to say that I am surprised – not at all what I thought KL would be like – lots of cheap markets and high end shops. A little like Hong Kong.
HAPPY EASTER.
Well now I am just curious to know what you expected KL to be like. It is much as I expected. Not alot of Easter going on in a mostly Muslim country. But HappyEaster back at ya.
What I am consumed with in those markets is the life style of the people selling the ‘STUFF’. First of all, the stuff makes me sick as it becomes ever apparent of the waste of our consumer society and all the energy that goes into producing needless STUFF. But the people, and what their lives must be like? Growing up in a family and learning to make a life out of selling little trinkets or small packages of food. The human part of it, of course, is the part that entices me to wonder for hours in these markets. “No thank you” is much of my conversation too!
Love and miss you …
But often they have no choice and thus find themselves in such “profession”. Education can be a luxury. Love you too.
Oh – There they are, the Petronas Towers. Should have read old to new and not the other way around!
Gotta read them in order – nah – read ’em any way you want, upside, downside, any way you wantside.