29 October 2006 - A new Taylor and John?!?! - Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After not nearly enough sleep, I woke up knowing that I had to make a decision where to go next, as I wanted to move on from Singapore. Decided for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and decided to take the 12:45pm bus there for about US$20. I would like to see the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world and until 2004 when Taiwan completed their Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world. As much as I want to get out of the big cities, Malaysia is cheaper than Singapore (though still more expensive than most other S.E. Asian countries here - Thailand, Vietnam, etc) and would be a good hub to move on from. Currently thinking I would like to head north in Malaysia to some nice beaches (which are still rumored to not be as beautiful as those in Southern Thailand). The islands on the east of Malaysia which were supposed to be amazing are currently closed for Monsoon season, so I will have to come up with an alternative. Some of the west coast beaches should be nice, but less unspoiled. I am thinking I will still head to Cambodia and see Angkor Wat and some other sites before going to Europe.

On the bus to KL, the bus driver kept coming back and making people switch seats. I am not sure what the reasoning for this considering the whole front of the bus was empty. After switching seats only once compared so some people who he made move several times, I ended up sitting next to a wonderful Scottish couple, Rachel and Scott, who just finished 10 months working in Australia as well. We chatted almost the whole bus ride (except the last hour which we all decided to try to nap). Honestly, the bus ride could have taken 3 hours from Singapore, but ended up taking nearly 7 with all the stops. We stopped several times for lengthy periods for unknown reasons before finally stopping to cross the border at Singapore and then again to clear Malaysian Customs. Customs did not look at, scan, or ask about our bags, somewhat odd. Then we stopped again at a market for lunch. When we arrived, the market was completely empty and dead looking, but as soon as all the tourists get off the bus, the place opens as I am sure they see dollar signs (or Malaysian Ringgit signs).

Arrived to KL around 7:45 pm and headed with Rachel and Scott to the hostel they had found in China town. We got a triple room with bunk beds and air conditioning which cost about US $11 total, so about $4 each, good for my budget!! Headed off for some dinner, and as much as Rachel and I really wanted TGI Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, or Hard Rock Cafe, Scott made us eat in China town and we ended up with a good meal - lemon chicken was actually quite nice, different than home, but still tasty. It's Taylor, John, and I all over again!!! In Thailand, all Taylor and I wanted was some pizza!!!

We then headed to the Rasta Bar and got a drink while paying homage to Bob Marley. Strangely enough, as much of a shrine of pictures and memorabilia as the bar was to Bob Marley, they were playing bad 90's American music. Funny.

We then walked through China town where Scott decided to buy 'Snakes on a Plane' - ok, so maybe not my first choice. Of course when we got back to the hostel, the disk wouldn't play in his computer, even though he made the sellers check it when he bought it. So we ended up watching an episode of 'The Long Way Round' - the Ewan McGregor documentary where he and a friend traveled the world on their motorcycles. Last night's episode was their struggles in Mongolia - as Mongolia only has 80 miles of paved roads!! They kept getting stuck in muck and ditches and wanted to give up. A good documentary, but I fell asleep through the second episode we watched.