Cousin Gary’s House, Kuala Lumpur- July 4, 2011
Malay Words/Sayings I've picked up so far:
- Selamat Datang! (Welcome/Goodbye)
- Bahaya! (Danger)
- Keluar (Exit)
- Kahlua (Stairs)
- Tarimakase (Thank you)
I woke up in a dreary state at 8:25am this morning that lasted all day. My legs and arms were sprawled across a queen sized bed in an air conditioned room and I wondered where I was. Everything just felt so surreal. On the bottom right corner was my sister wrapped in a blanket sleeping, but I first thought she was a pile of pillows. So when I poked the blanket to see what the bump in the bed really was, I accidentally poked her bum. She rolled over and groaned, “Hey!” she said. Oops.
My parents were already downstairs laughing with the rest of my family. A few minutes later, we were out the door heading for breakfast. I didn’t feel talkative at all even though I wanted to be. I wanted to know more about my aunt and her family, but I just had no interest in talking because I was so suppressed by the drowning heat that was making my head dizzy. We walked to the nearby marketplace and sat in an Oriental smelling restaurant open to the streets. I ordered a barley drink with a lemon wedge and ice to drink along with the greasiest, smokiest, meanest Chow Mein I’ve ever eaten. After breakfast, my family starting packing for Australia and Gary left for Singapore. Gary’s sister, Jean, came to visit all of us in the afternoon while my sister and I were taking a mid-morning nap.
The tall jokes continue. The second Jean saw me, her face showed utter shock. Her second comment towards me was, “Wahh! Eli, you’re so tall!” as she analyzed me from head to toe. Downstairs, my mom discussed how my feet hung off the bed I was sleeping in last night. Real funny, mom. For lunch, the family drove to Mid Valley shopping centre, which was one of the largest shopping malls in KL. On the way there I noticed that beside the highway there were sidewalks especially built for motorbike riders. Bikers were riding faster than drivers on the highway. An impulsive notion sprouted in my mind wanting me to experience this. Your body cutting through the wind in this hot weather, plus the adrenaline of racing sounded like a brilliant idea to me. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll get to try it sooner or later.
The first floor we entered had around 40 unique and stylish restaurants built into the long walls enclosing the broad walkway. The family and I ate in this restaurant called “Little Penang”. Oh, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this, but most meals you buy here are a maximum of $3CAN. My sister and I shared two dishes: one consisted of coconut rice, Malay curry chicken, roasted peanuts and ikan bilis (tiny crispy fishes); the other one was regular Cha Quay Tao (stir-fry flat noodles with eggs, shrimp, and lup cheong [a chinese sausage]). For dessert, we had ice ka-chung, which is essentially a snow cone in a bowl with unique toppings. It’s considered cheaper to eat out than to make your own meals at home. It was today I started worrying about the cleanliness of the places I was eating at… I began to regret not taking my Hepatitis A shot.
After our feast, Jean, Ashley, and I went shopping around the mall. We stopped at one of the Malay department stores, like the Bay in Canada, and checked out their shoes. It was quite demoralizing for me. Although my feet are Size 9 I could barely fit into their Size 10 shoes. Jean tried to cheer me up by saying that people’s feet usually swell when they visit Malaysia. I noticed the clothing style is much similar to what Canadians would wear, except with a twist… whether it be fabric cut out in places where they should be or a crazy pattern that I’m less than acquainted with at home. Clothing is fairly cheap here but Gary left us with a piece of advice saying that Singapore is where it’s at.
Tomorrow is a mystery. Tonight, I’m sleeping on Gary’s couches in his living room underneath a ceiling fan and blasting air conditioning. Amen sistah!
Good morning, Canada and Good night, Malaysia. I’ll update you soon!
Love,
Elle. xoxo
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