MARCH 7, 2017

Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

I had a good quick breakfast at the hotel before I started my city tour.It is interesting to see what the world eats for breakfast. Everyday they have an Indian line, Chinese line, Japanese, Western (US), and it is nice to take a little from all of them. I had dragonfruit which tastes like kiwi. One station had steamed vegetables so I had steamed broccoli with my eggs. I don’t think I have ever had broccoli for breakfast before, but why not? Maybe in a quiche but not as a stand alone dish.

They had vegemite on the bread bar. I am not sure if I am that brave but I did take a container of it. I know my boyfriend, Hugh Jackman loves it but I'm not so sure. Speaking of him, more later!

Weather is humid with a slight breeze and feels like it might rain. The hotel concierge did warn me to try to be back by 4pm because they have been getting a lot of early evening storms. I am excited to see the city and hope to tour the Petronas Towers in the afternoon. The concierge recommended the city tour on a double decker bus called “Hop On Hop Off” but I am calling it the “Hop on Pop Tour”.As I waited for the HOP bus, I saw Jason Bourne drive past several times- that was for my brother, if he reads this.

I have noticed that there are a lot of police around. There are officers on the streets, in the stores, everywhere I look. I didn't find this to be intimidating but it was nice because I felt like if I needed help, I could find an officer on every street corner.

On a super random note, I had "One night in Bangkok" stuck in my head all 30 minutes I waited for the bus. I guess I don't know any songs about Malaysia. The bus picked me up at 9:00am. I was relieved to find that there was air conditioning on the bus. I knew I had 2-3 hours round trip on the bus so it would be nice to cook down. When I got on the bus, there was only one other person on the bus and he asked to have the AC turned down. Stupid American! :)

So traveling the US alone has prepared me for this trip. I am used to eating alone at restaurants and for finding my way around a city. Not that I am a pro but I certainly don't mind eating alone. The hotel concierge advised me to ride the bus for an entire loop and then decide what stops o wanted to make. So that is my plan! I recommend taking the city bus in a new place. It is often free or nominal price and you get a sense of the city and its people.

I took a lot of pictures and some video on my tour. It was a very relaxing way to see the city.

I got off at Petronas Towers. I walked around the parks in front and behind the Towers and then went inside. It really seems like something out of a futuristic movie. Unfortunately, the tickets for the Skybridge between both towers was sold out. So I continued to walk around and there was 6 story mall connected to the Towers. I'm not a big shopper but it is nice to window shop. It was odd to be in a mall where half the stores aren't closed down. Not to mention that these stores were not exactly Walmart! Stores like Ferragamo, Prada, Michael Kors, etc. It was like the Ross Park Mall in Pittsburgh on steroids!! Plus there were several of these malls that all have these high end stores. Again I say, "Business Is Booming". I noticed a movie theater in the building and decided to see Logan. Nice theater- reserved stadium seats. Not as nice as the recliner chairs in Ocean City, but better than most. The movie was good too and when it was over, time to jump on the tour bus again.

I waited 10-15 minutes for the bus loop and continued to finish my city tour. When I got back to the hotel, I feel asleep for 45 minutes. I guess I'm still dealing with jet lag and a busy day. So, I decided to get room service. Fish and chips and a fruit platter. Good end to a good day!

Well, I have to actually do some work tomorrow, which I guess is why I came here so I won't complain too much! Leaving the hotel at 7:00am to travel to several high schools to talk to high school counselors and students. Time for bed!