Soaking up cool temperatures and some culture

A few sub-topics here, I've been keeping busy so I'll try and share bits and pieces of what I've seen and done lately.

GENTING HIGHLANDS
The day after returning to KL from island heaven, my roommate invited me to go to the Genting Highlands with her.  This destination is a little bit hard to describe, so I'll try not to sound too much like the Malaysian version of the chamber of commerce.  It is an "integrated resort" located a little over an hour from KL.  I mostly agreed to check it out because its at a higher elevation than the city, located at about 1860m (~6100ft) so the temperatures were guaranteed to be cooler.  We bought bus tickets ahead of time because with the holiday it would definitely be crowded.  Unfortunately, we missed our bus...twice (on the way there and the way back).  We thought we were going to be stranded on the mountain at the end of the night because all the buses were full, but thankfully we were saved by a very helpful transportation manager.  We waited in a long line to catch the gondola (once the world's fastest and SE Asia's longest mono cable car system) to the "integrated resort" perched atop the mountain.  Its attractions include 6 hotels, indoor and outdoor theme park, lots of dining and shopping, night life, casino/gambling, etc.  I was more interested in the gardens, Chinese temple, enjoying the view, and relaxing in the cooler climate.  It was super crowded because of the holiday, so in all a little overwhelming, but at least I can say I've been there!

Heading up the cable car.

View from the cable car.

View of the outdoor theme park.

GOLDEN TRIANGLE CITY WALK
Friday I ended up with a free day, so I took the opportunity to explore Kuala Lumpur a little more.  When I walked out of my apartment, was in Little India.  Then I hopped the LRT (light rail) one stop and was in Chinatown.  A few more stops down the line I was back in Malaysia in the Golden Triangle- the commercial hub of the city where the Petronas Towers are located.  From there I explored my way to Menara KL (or KL Tower) which is a huge (421m/1381ft) telecommunications tower building that looks similar to the Space Needle.  From the top I was able to get a better grasp on my quickly evolving understanding of the city's geography.  The tower is surrounded by the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve; reserved in 1906 it is the country's oldest protected piece of jungle, and a rare slice of nature in a city of skyscrapers.  I took the free guided nature tour and learned all about bananas, monkeys, snakes, soft and hardwood trees, and that the cicadas in the jungle there make noise if it is not going to rain.   

Menara KL.

A view of the tower from the forest reserve below.

A small part of the jungle preserved in th city.



General view in the direction of my neighborhood.  They sky was pretty hazy in the afternoon, maybe I'll try and go up in the morning sometime.

 From there I wandered through an area of the city known as Bukit Bintang which is full of shopping, restaurants, and tons of hawker stalls.  I had just eaten and wasn't daring enough to dive into the street food yet, but it was fun to explore and see what unrecognizable creations they had to offer.  I also stumbled on to a fantastic little yoga studio on a quiet street with a great organic/artistic restaurant next door, so I look forward to practicing there! 

Street stand with Durian fruit, a favorite in Malaysia, most people either love it or hate it.  I tried  a small bit of it and definitely thought it was OK, I'll have to try more in the future.

Just when I thought I was anonymous in a big city, I was aimlessly wandering down the street and got a tap on the shoulder.  Turning around I was surprised to see a familiar faces.  It was a family that had been staying at the same beach resort on the Perhentian Islands.  I hadn't talked to them much, and assumed that they were on holiday from Europe, but it turns out that they live just outside of KL and are from Spain.  Just random to be walking down a very crowded street in a city that I barely know and get recognized by someone that I barely know.  Indeed a small world.

MALAY WEDDING
I was invited by a Rotarian to attend a Malay wedding on Saturday.  I felt a little strange because I had no idea who was even getting married, but they insisted that I go and I was glad to witness this part of the culture.  It turns out, the eldest daughter of one of the Rotarians was getting married.  I was unclear on a lot of what was happening, if it was more traditional or modern, and if it was just a wedding, or a wedding combined with a Hari Raya (Muslim New Year) open house.  No one had clear answers to my questions, so sorry for the lack of insight, but I'll attempt to share what I partook in.

I was invited to partake in the Bersanding which is literally "sitting together of the bride and bridegroom on the bridal couch."  This took place inside the home of the parents of the bride, so only the close family was invited in to attend (there were probably about 200 people in the park outside across the street enjoying a feast and beautiful setting).  I guess I'm special because I was invited in as well.  The guests all sat on the floor and the bride and groom proceeded in to be seated on a couch in beautifully decorated stage setting.  Individually the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles where invited to the 'stage' to sprinkle yellow rice and scented water on the palms of the wedding couple as a sign of blessing.  I was surprised to be invited up to participate!  Each guest is given an egg flower, a decorated egg with fabric flower, as a sign fertility.

Back outside in the park, the newly married couple joined the festivities and there were Malaysian dance performances and a group of orphan children that played violin music and sang.  This reception setting was similar to an American wedding with white tents, cake, and a mixing of friends and family.  It reminded me of Alaska in the sense that the attire of the guests spanned the range from jeans to beautiful gowns and traditional Malay outfits.



They newly weds.  I believe he was originally from Somolia and she is Malaysian.



Malaysian dancers.

Traditional Malay dancing.

I don't know how they were able to sustain dancing in all those clothes, it was so very very hot outside, even in shade I could barely tolerate it. The heat sucked all of the energy out of my and immediately upon my return to the apartment, I had to sleep it off.