Boy it’s hot in Kuala Lumpur!
But somehow it’s quite a pleasant hot, the sun isn’t beating down on us as it does in a Queensland summer, the sky is mostly overcast here and it’s very easy to get around the city using shady covered walkways.
But it’s still hot, humid hot, I guess around 34 C. It doesn’t feel like our Port Douglas summers at all, it’s different, I’m finding it easier.
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So, what does one do on one’s first day in Kuala Lumpur? One wakes up stupidly early because one’s body clock is two hours out, and one waits for breakfast to be served at 7am, giving the kids a cuddle in bed before resorting to laptops and tablets.
This is a seriously nice hostel!
No fancy breakfast, just toast, peanut butter , jam and coffee, the boys are more than happy with that. I’m trying to shift 7Kg, so I’m happy with free, unlimited coffee, all day. We’ll go out for breakfast sometimes, but a peanut butter protein hit for the kids is fine by me.
I’m no expert, I’ve only spent 24 hours here, but it seems that public transport is excellent. We took the monorail yesterday, that was great and cheap. Today we took the totally free GO-KL bus service. The buses run every five minutes on a non stop circuit around China Town, our hostel and all the big shopping malls ( plus, no doubt, other areas we are yet to discover). You just find a stop and jump on. The buses are airconditioned, comfortable, but crowded, avoid peak hour, it was still standing room only on parts of the journey in the middle of the afternoon. People are lovely here though, ladies have given up their seats for Boo (6) to sit down, it’s so kind, and constant smiles and fuss.
Today we thought we’d explore the malls, take advantage of their air-con and find this rollercoaster-in-a-shopping-mall that Kuala Lumpur is famous for.
We had to find the Berjaya Times Square Mall, which we did, after getting lost and walking way further than we needed to. A decent map would have sorted that problem out. I should have learnt that lesson yesterday after making my children cry trying to find the hostel.
Times Square doesn’t open ’till 10am, we were early, forcing me to have a long overdue Starbucks coffee while I waited, I’ve so missed Starbucks in Port Douglas!
At 7MYR (under $3 AU) it was a bit pricey, but I needed reacquainting with my old friend. For the record, Australian coffee, which is basically espresso, is way too strong for me, I take my coffee black, no sugar, an Americano hits the spot. Brumbies in Port Douglas was the best substitute that I could find.
Hello old friend, I’ve missed you!
At 10am, after petting the splendid golden lions, we walked through the doors of the biggest shopping mall I’ve ever seen. No rollercoaster in site. Did we get it wrong, was this the right mall?
The rollercoaster in a shopping mall is actually not just a rollercoaster, it’s an entire theme park. It’s on the fifth to ninth floors, approximately, it sort of sprawls up and down the back of the building, I’ve never seen anything like it, not even in Vegas. The kids were blown away and a bit scared, it was all very big, noisy and fast. The kids area was probably a bit young for them, so we skipped that too.
Instead we found something better, archery!
The archery place was on the 9th floor, right next to the ten pin bowling. For 18 MYR About $6AU, we bought 24 arrows splitting them between the two kids, both got leather finger and arm guards, bows and personal instruction.
It was so cool we’re going again!
They officially voted me best mum in the world, they’ve been obsessed with bows and arrows for ages.
That’s what we’ve been doing for the rest of the time, hanging out at the hostel, washing a few clothes, trotting up to the 7-11 for snacks and laughing hysterically together as we dodge mopeds overtaking on the pavement. Rushing home before the heavens open, showering, computers and watching the rain fall outside, the time soon passes. It’s nice, simple. We’re happy.
