A long weekend in Kuala Lumpur

Henry and I just got back from a long weekend in Kuala Lumpur with one of my friends who is wrapping up a 4 month around-the-world trip.  We missed Scott immensely but he had to go to India for a work trip and couldn't make it. At least he was able to plan the trips to overlap a bit.

I heard from many folks in Dhaka that Kuala Lumpur is a great place.  When asked to explain further they would say that there is tons of shopping, good food, and nice green space to enjoy.  Before going I assumed there would be street markets galore filled with colorful fabric, fragrant teas, crafty jewelry, etc, much like other cities in SE Asia.  Boy was I wrong.  KL is full of malls of all sizes a couple of which claim to be the biggest in SE Asia.  Wow.  Warm up the credit card for the latest name brand items... or decide that the hottest fashion trends are under-apprecaited in Dhaka and time would be better spent walking outside and exploring culinary opportunities - two things I miss.

As you'll see from the photos we spent a lot of time walking around, exploring some of the shopping venues, eating all kinds of treats, and having a great time.  Henry did amazingly well.  People in Malaysia LOVE babies and didn't hold back in trying to get Henry's attention and make him smile.  He sampled some of the food and loved it all. Whenever he had to take a nap we put a towel over the stroller and tilted it back on the back two wheels.  Amazingly he would pass out within minutes (perhaps because he was just a bit too overwhelmed by what was around him).  I must admit, we happily used him as our reason to take tea breaks. 

Here are a bunch of photos from the trip:
The first day we walked to the Petronas Towers, the worlds tallest twin building.  The day we went tickets were sold out to visit the 41st floor observation bridge so we looked at it from below and thought about what we would have seen if we had been so lucky to go up.

 Our first shopping adventure was to Chow Kit.  It ended up being 7 floors, each with 3 or 4 belt shops, 3 or 4 purse shops, 2 or 3 barrette and other bright jewelry shops, and a few tshirt shops.  I really don't understand how all the shops stay in business:

The tea break for Henry at this shopping mall led us to a basement Karaoke bar complete with a full sized stage.  Too bad it was only 10:30 am and my voice wasn't warmed up yet.  I sang a little from my seat though.

The next day we explored Chinatown.  For months now I was craving a "hong-de-dousha baozi" or red bean paste bun.  I just love red-bean-paste! I bet if I had it more often, i.e. more than once a year, I would realize that it's rather plain and shouldn't be the recipient of such devotion.  As it stands, when the opportunity presents itself, I get my fill of the stuff.  Henry tried it too!  It's basically just mashed up beans but they do put sugar in it.  That's okay, if Henry's first sugary "treat" is bean paste, I'm pretty excited.
Henry was sleeping when we first arrived at China town and when we first sat down for a cup of tea.

 But, with talk of baozi for a snack he woke right up

We didn't know Anika was taking the photo otherwise we would have surely documented our excitement. Or perhaps we were just focusing on the magnificence we were about to enjoy.

We walked around a bit more and then were on our way at which time Henry decided it was time for another nap.

We also spent an afternoon walking around a bird park, orchid garden and lake. It was so fantastic to spend a day outdoors!  Such simple pleasures on a vacation from Dhaka.

On our second of four nights we found a great food court near to the hotel that offered all sorts of rice and noodle dishes and special "oriental" desserts.  We ended up eating there the rest of the nights trying something new each time.  The last night we brought our cameras

 They are cooking up our noodle dish in the above photo.

Finally on the last night we tasted the famous dessert...  From far away it looks pretty fun but then you have to take a closer look...

Are those corn kernels you might ask.  Well yes they are.  There were also a few peanuts thrown in there.  The rest of the stuff I can't explain  Luckily I could be sure about one thing, the structure was made out of ice.  Just think of a super Snowcone - with corn.  As we ate Henry showed his interest to sample the fare.  Luckily the middle of the mound was clear of toppings and Henry could sample the treat, i.e shaved ice, and feel satisfied.   

 This dessert just kept on giving.  As we neared the bottom we found more goodies!

You can imagine that finding wiggily, slimy green things at the bottom was a bit scary.  You never know, maybe the description on the Chinese menu said "Try this refreshing rainbow Snowcone with earth worms to fill you up and a little corn and peanut for exciting crunch".  After the shock passed we remembered that SE Asian cuisine, in general, includes a lot of gelatin and squirmy shapes.  Jell-O Jigglers Asian style.

After 4 fun days it was time to go home.

Now we're back in good old Dhaka.  Scott gets home in a few more days and we can't wait for the reunion.  The power is out and, for the first time in awhile, the generator ran out of fuel.  Mosquitos are enjoying a feast and I'm having a good time hunting them with the electric racket.  Ahhh, I choose to see these perks as Dhaka's way of keeping me on my toes.