Kualar Lumpur

After 6 days in the jungle arriving in a city again feels like a shock to the system. Real contrast. We get more than a couple of second looks from hotel staff as we turned up in our jungle gear. Won’t speak for Jenn but I was very definitely still in my sweaty mess persona!

Mixed feelings about arriving in KL. Not going to lie – missed having access to the internet. I’m so used to being able to look things up instantly that I found it frustrating not being able to get instant answers to the stupid questions I had in Sukau – such as ‘what’s the difference between greater and lesser apes.’ If you know the answer – good on you. But otherwise, the city feels far less inspiring than the places we’ve just left behind…

However, just as I might feel inclined to miss the jungle, I realise that it has imparted a final, and very personal gift. I had been pretty amazed at surviving 6 days in the jungle, including three days in a mangrove swamp, without incurring a single bite. But alas as I dress for dinner – I realise that I’ve been bitten multiple times in an unspeakable place! I’m not going to speculate for too long about when they got me – but needless to say – I would have been sitting down! Is nothing sacred? Little sods!

Not going to say too much about KL – partly because my last blog was so long – and partly because cities are far less interesting to write about.

The skyline is impressive – boasting several of the worlds tallest buildings. The latest addition, the Merdeka, boasts 118 floors and stands 2,227 feet tall. Looks to me like Voldemort’s wand (not sure that’s what the architect had in mind when planning). As an aside, not convinced that credit should be given for a 520 foot spike!

That said, the Petronas Towers are impressive and the view is pretty special as skylines go.

Few lazy days floating around the enormous shopping malls. Bought some noise cancelling earpods for a tenner. How does one even make such a thing for ten quid?

Visited a couple of temples within spitting distance of the centre – one hindu (Batu Temple), one budhist (Thean Hou Temple) – both pretty interesting. The Batu Temple is particularly impressive – built into a natural cave system.

One small cameo. The Malaysian equivalent of Uber is called Grab – exactly the same concept. We hailed a driver to take us to the Thean Hou Temple. Let’s just say the driver was one of life’s characters. As we got in, his phone starts ringing. It’s his wife. We tell him to answer it – not a problem. He doesn’t answer, but gets super animated – explaining that she wants help with the school run. She does it every day he says – how hard can it be? Quote of the trip so far – ‘I wonder sometimes whether I’m married to this woman – or married to the devil.’ All said in good humour. Maybe a tad harsh but made us smile!

For the rest of the trip he launches into a monologue about western travellers who have quit their jobs. They just quit exclaims in astonishment! Who would do such a thing – outrageous!

With that – it’s a three hour flight and back to the countryside – this time in Indonesia. Java awaits!