Kuala Lumpur
Capital City Cool-Down
Wealthy, clean and impersonal, Kuala Lumpur followed India like a just-in-time decompression chamber.
On our first full day in Malaysia we caught up on missed sleep and television downloads, not leaving the guesthouse until mid-afternoon.
When we did leave, we didn't venture far. We didn't have to. Even a short a walk was a reminder that we were once again in a country where poverty and suffering didn't choke the streets.
After Ben left the next day, Dheiu and I started exploring what there is to KL other than its distance from India.
Over the next few days we posed in front of towers built with reinforced concrete and Malaysian petroleum, wandered through gargantuan shopping centres, climbed countless stairs to the Batu Caves and ate our way down Jalan Alor's open-air restaurants and stalls.
With its trains, monorail, crowds and even its engineering, Kuala Lumpur was a capital city that seemed more parts efficient than exciting. It didn't so much blaze with life as ensure the streets stayed lit at night.
Far from being a let-down, this was just what we needed: to be anonymous in a frictionless technocracy where even the humidity-breaking afternoon showers seemed to run to a schedule.
Suitably restored, we arranged the storage of our bikes and most of our kit with the impossibly friendly staff at Classic Inn, booked last-minute flights and packed for the beaches of Thailand.
On our first full day in Malaysia we caught up on missed sleep and television downloads, not leaving the guesthouse until mid-afternoon.
When we did leave, we didn't venture far. We didn't have to. Even a short a walk was a reminder that we were once again in a country where poverty and suffering didn't choke the streets.
After Ben left the next day, Dheiu and I started exploring what there is to KL other than its distance from India.
Over the next few days we posed in front of towers built with reinforced concrete and Malaysian petroleum, wandered through gargantuan shopping centres, climbed countless stairs to the Batu Caves and ate our way down Jalan Alor's open-air restaurants and stalls.
With its trains, monorail, crowds and even its engineering, Kuala Lumpur was a capital city that seemed more parts efficient than exciting. It didn't so much blaze with life as ensure the streets stayed lit at night.
Far from being a let-down, this was just what we needed: to be anonymous in a frictionless technocracy where even the humidity-breaking afternoon showers seemed to run to a schedule.
Suitably restored, we arranged the storage of our bikes and most of our kit with the impossibly friendly staff at Classic Inn, booked last-minute flights and packed for the beaches of Thailand.
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