Kuala Lumpur and Singapore

kind of behind and about to catch up on this entire blogging thing.  

Flew from Bangkok airport to Kuala Lumpur, Maylasia.  The city is a lot cleaner and smells way better than Bangkok.  KL is more Islamic  dominated and I was entering near the end of Ramadan, there month of fasting while the sun is up.   To me, this simply means go out to eat BEFORE the sun goes down.  Learned that the hard way once.  Visited the Aquari and different areas of the town including china town.  Across from my hotel is a huge mall, in fact there are malls everywhere and these people love to shop.  While eating lunch in the food court, right below a Prada and a Gucci store,  I hear shrieking and women lifting their legs off the ground as a huge rat comes running through the food court.  Looking down at my bowl of food, I quietly wondered what I was eating.  The rat disappears and everyone goes back to eating like no big deal.  Definitely would not have the same response in America. 

Took a day trip to Malaccca, which is a city about an hour outside of KL.  Malacca is rich in Portugese, Dutch and British architecture.  Spent a lot of time at a shop called Raz Kashmir talking to the owner about his time trekking and climbing in and around K2 and Mt. Everest.  He is related to Tenzing Norgay, the famous climbing Sherpa who summited Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary.  His pictures of that region and Pakistan have spurred my interest to visit these places.

  

Took a three day side trip to Singapore.  Cleaner than anywhere I have ever been.  It is against the law to chew gum and if you protest the government, you will be arrested.  This is one of the richest countries(cities) depending on who you talk to,  in the world.  Singapore was made famous in the U.S. a few years ago by the 17 year old who got arrested for vandalism and they caned him.  Dayton Ohio representing at its finest. 

Crashed a wedding, not really but it would have been fun to but I think I would have stuck out just a little.

Took a long hike through a rain forest park and got caught in a monsoon which only lasted a half hour or so.  Saw some crazy monkeys and a snake. 

Ate wonderful Taiwanese home cooking and met a wonderful family with a very gifted young 8 year old child named Olivia. She plays the piano and violin to the tunes of Bach and Mozart.  The family cooked dinner for me and gave me a tour of the city. 

Home made dumplings was the first course.   Soooooooo goooood.

Little Olivia grooving

Went to the night Safari at the Singapore Zoo.  Can't use a flash and being in Singapore, I wasn't about to break any laws or rules.

This maybe the coolest hotel I've ever seen.  The top that connects three towers is a ship that was turned into a full length swimming pool.  In US dollars it costs anywhere between 300 and 500 per night.

After the few days in Singapore, I am headed back to Kuala Lumpur for a few days.
Cheers
From a beautiful place with beautiful people.