Hi everybody, my trip is almost over and I’m really looking forward to getting home and seeing you all again. I came back to KL on the bus on Saturday and have had an enjoyable time with Geoff and Leslie over the last couple of days. Included in the list of activities:
- the Canopy walk at FRIM (Forest Research Institiute of Malaysia) which is a suspension bridge type of thing way above the floor of the rainforest just west of the city. Very interesting but also VERY hot and sweaty! We were fortunate to get in because it’s closed for maintenance for a month from today. Judging by some of the frayed ropes and cracked boards it’s a bit overdue, I’d say.
Geoff on the canopy walk
- Dinner at a Chinese roadside eatery in Jalan Alor, a street which is completely lined with low-cost family restaurants offering very authentic meals at a pretty low price. It reminded me of similar places in Cambodia
- Seeing the staff band play at a Japanese restaurant in town – a lot better than a certain staff band I was once associated with! The drummer (who can play anything!) wanted to be a professional jazz musician in New York but couldn’t get the break and decided to teach instead.
- Attending a dinner at the home of the manager of KL airport – a very nice part of town. The dinner was for a lady who was retiring after 40 years service at the school where Geoff works (ISKL). She’s Canadian, but is married to a Malay and has made her home here, as have quite a few of the staff.
- Getting some photos of the Petronas Towers in downtown KL – very pretty at night time. They are built of stainless steel and gleam quite magnificently.
Petronas Towers at night
Soon Leslie is taking me down to that area (KLCC) again to see the park and towers in daylight. The towers don’t open on Mondays so I won’t be able to go up, but the viewing platform, which is in the bridge between the two, is actually lower than the KL tower where I was last Tuesday. For some reason a lot of things aren’t open on Mondays.
And did you notice that KL tends to have more four-letter acronyms?
I’m flying out at 9:10 pm tonight, but have to leave here at 5:45 to get to check in on time. I hope there isn’t a traffic jam like the one on the way home last night, where the motorway was blocked up for several km, all because of some random – looking police roadblock under a bridge!
I’d like to give a huge thank you to Geoff, Leslie, Emma and Sam for allowing me to stay with you over the last week or so. You’ve been very generous and it’s been great to be able to meet your colleagues and enjoy exploring this very interesting city of KL. Thanks heaps.
Geoff, Leslie, Emma and Sam
