12th May 2012

Heading home today. Started the morning with a hearty breakfast of lamb and chicken curry, plus a few other local delicacies I couldn’t even begin to pronounce. I decided it was safer to experiment with my taste buds here, where medical help is at least a short taxi ride away, rather than on some long-haul flight. Happily, there were no ill effects, unless you count the shock of realising I rather enjoyed a post-rugby celebration breakfast in place of my usual pre-bedtime snack.

Before heading out for a wander through Chinatown, we dutifully packed our suitcases. With a leisurely 2 pm check-out and an awkwardly timed 8 pm taxi pick-up, we had hours to fill, and no shortage of ideas. We hopped on the monorail to Maharajalela, the nearest stop to our target, and were soon admiring two rather charming Chinese temples just a short stroll away. From there, we dived into Jalan Petaling, the bustling shopping street, where we spent a couple of hours happily rummaging through stalls and shops, pausing only for a much-needed cold drink. As souvenirs, we picked up “authentic” T-shirts for Jamie and Suraj, complete with labels, which clearly proved their authenticity beyond all reasonable doubt.

We returned to Bukit Bintang and our hotel, the Park Royal, by train. After a much-needed shower, we deposited our luggage in the lobby for safekeeping and officially checked out.

With an entire afternoon to fill, we opted for the Aquarium. Our route took us up Bukit Bintang Walk and then onto the blessedly air-conditioned skyway to the Convention Centre. It may have been the scenic detour for those who like carpeted corridors, but in the heat, the cool air made it the obvious choice.

The Aquarium itself was utterly captivating, rather like the SeaWorld parks we’ve visited before, only grander in both scale and spectacle. We happily spent around three hours exploring, pausing now and then to gawp like goldfish ourselves.

 

 

 

 

 

On our way back, we decided to hunt down somewhere for a bite to eat. Unfortunately, our taste buds hadn’t yet agreed on what they fancied, so we made several half-hearted attempts to choose a restaurant. At one point, we even sat down and were served a hot peanut appetiser, before promptly changing our minds. I suspect the menu’s offer of fried field frog was a tad more “National Geographic” than either of us was prepared for. In the end, we played it safe with a Taiwanese restaurant, whose dishes featured ingredients we could actually identify without the aid of a field guide.

We returned to the hotel, reclaimed our suitcases, and made our way to the guest facilities on the sixth floor for a shower and a quick change of clothes.

By 8 pm, we were in the lobby, ready and waiting. Our taxi driver, like so many Malaysian drivers before him, was delightfully chatty and full of local knowledge, making the hour-long trip to the airport pass in no time. Being a Friday night, the place was heaving with people off on weekend getaways. Check-in took around half an hour, after which we made a beeline for the airport train to the correct terminal. We reached the gate early, which meant we were also among the first to board, always a small but satisfying travel victory.

The flight passed surprisingly quickly. Of the twelve and three-quarter hours, I managed a blissful eight hours’ sleep, squeezed in three films, enjoyed two meals, and kept well hydrated thanks to a steady supply of drinks. We touched down at 5:30 am, and after an unhurried wait at the luggage carousel, we were relieved to find the bus ready to whisk us to our car. Barely fifteen minutes later, we were on the M4 heading home.

We both agreed it had been a truly fantastic holiday. The orangutans were unforgettable, the Malaysians wonderfully warm and friendly, and Kuala Lumpur has firmly claimed the title of our favourite city. While Malaysian cuisine may not have completely won us over, the abundance of other dining options more than made up for it. Both hotels were exceptional; even if someone else had chosen them for us, we couldn’t have landed better locations or facilities.