Petronas Towers, obv.Then, all of a sudden, there's a rush, the queues break down, and the whole platform makes a mad scramble for the doors. It's an empty train, which swiftly becomes a sardine can.
I find it surprising that women who are decorous and modest in dress don't mind being pressed up against men. I suppose that if they, or their husbands, really minded it, they'd stay at home. Malaysia doesn't seem like that kind of place, although there are lots of women in hijab.
***
I queue some more at the Petronas Towers. Apparently, one just must ascend to the skybridge and take photos of the surrounding city. The queue is long and wearying, and the ticket is timed, so here I am at Starbucks waiting for my turn. I am in the KLCC Suria shopping mall, which is enormous (yes, even bigger than Garden City). It's somewhat reminiscent of Whiteleys (many of the same shops even) but on a far grander scale.
KL seems to have several "city centres". I think it's like Singapore in that there is no one CBD. This is the district that's called KL city centre, but that's a vanity thing afaik.
The centre is beginning to wake up. When I first walked in, about 9.40, it was close to deserted, with most of the shops closed. KL is obviously not an early-to-rise city.
***
The woman at my hostel says there is no checkin till two, so I go to look for something to eat. Which is harder than you’d think. Malays seem to have no confcept of food without meat. To be fair, most of the rest of the world doesn’t either.
I am caught in a rainstorm, and, tiring of waiting in a shelter for it to pass, I walk through the rain to the Indian quarter. Here there is what might be veggie curry if it wasn’t for the bones.
I walk back through the colonial district. KL is curiously muted as far as monuments go. I suppose this is an outcome of being a British colony. We were basically in it for the dollar, and didn’t like to waste too much on buildings.
Outside Puduraya bus station, I stop to rest. Two men in a tie approach me. They are Mormons. I am not in the mood for a discussion of theology, but it seems neither are they. Maybe they have grown tired of trying to sell their hokum to the natives. Oddly, they say their names are Elder Crane and Elder Osborne. I resist the temptation to make a crack about what a coincidence it is that they have the same first name. I mean, Mormons are crazy, right? They believe some seriously crazed bollocks. So best not rile them.
