Multicultural Kuala Lumpur

Originally we had a bit of a sceptic attitude towards Kuala Lumpur. We expected it to be just another big city, which we would try to leave as soon as possible once the practical things, such as laundry and band-aids for blisters were taken care of. However, we ended up staying extra as the hostel was superb and the city itself had a lot to offer.

Kuala Lumpur (or "KL" among friends) has a rare ethnic mixture of Malays, Chinese and Indian people and they all appear to be co-existing nicely. This kind of variety means that one can see mosques, hindu temples and chinese markets in the same city. Not to mention that one can eat seriously good food anywhere with ridiculously cheap prices. However, a word of warning: Do not eat durian fruit - it smells and tastes like fart. Lesson: Not all local delicacies are worth it.

We did nearly all the classic sights, such as Sky Tower and Petronas Towers (not bad at all!). One of the most interesting sights we visited were Batu Caves, about 13 km from Kuala Lumpur. These holy hindu caves witness an annual event called Thaipusam, where hundreds of people pierce their bodies with sharp objects - cheeks with long, shiny steel rods - often a metre long - and chests and backs with small, hook-like needles in penance. I was looking at the festival pictures and thought "I can't believe I was ever nervous about getting my first pair of earrings."

Some people that I've met have asked me about the jellyfish scar. I so wish I could tell them some kind of a Tarzan story, like "oh this little scratch? I got it while I was fighting with a crocodile, while giving CPR to my fellow divers". It is not nearly as cool to admit the truth - that I was hanging on to the anchor rope and beeping like a five-year-old. I wish the scar would vanish already.