renewing my visa

After three lovely days in amed, I drove back to kuta…I needed a lot of time on the internet, and I needed a connection where I could have skype conversations…and I needed access to a scanner…as much as I love amed, it’s not the greatest when it comes to internet…I wasn’t thrilled to be back in kuta, especially after amed…kuta is obnoxious, it’s only redeeming factor is a giant beach…

Sometime very recently, Indonesia has changed it’s immigration laws so that visitors can extend a tourist visa without leaving the country…in the past they were pretty strict, and you pretty much had to leave the country and come back if you wanted to stay longer…the extension process takes a few days though, and I completely forgot about  it until I didn’t have time to do it anymore…so I booked a round trip to KL (kuala lumpur)…easy enough I suppose…my flight out was at 0600, which meant waking up at 0400 and walking out the door around 0415…yippee…I didn’t get much sleep the night before, only about 3 hours…and I woke up before my alarm, at 0340…I was a bit anxious about finding a cab at that hour, but it wasn’t difficult at all…the flight took off on time…

The awesome part of the flight was looking out the window on the other side of the plane as we took off…it was sunrise, and I could see the amazing colours of the sky behind the volcanoes I’d already visited on this trip…pretty cool to see a red, orange, purple, etc, sky, and the dark profile of the volcanoes in front…AWESOME…

Landing in KL was easy…I’ve been in that airport quite a few times…it’s the terminal they call LCCT (low cost carrier terminal…basically totally for the use of air asia) which is nowhere near the terminal for the “regular” airlines…the bus into the city is easy, and cheap, and I knew where I wanted to go…straight to Chinatown…I chose a hostel layna had stayed at when she went through KL, mainly because it had free wifi connection…I wasn’t in KL to see the sights, I’ve already done that…

I did leave the room, though not a whole lot…a trip to the supermarket got me oatmeal, two packets of looseleaf paper, (narrow ruled of course, that way I can fit more writing on each page) tea, and Tupperware…a random assortment, I know…I ended up eating dinner at a random street stall, it was awesome…eating with my hands, just like everyone else there, though they did give me silverware…and it was really cute to see the daughter of the lady tell her mom what the price was for me in English…the second day in KL I went to the post office…in addition to getting another visa to Indonesia, the post office in Malaysia was my other big goal…mail in Malaysia is sooooo much cheaper than bali…if I’m doing my math correctly, it’s about 17cents to mail a postcard in Malaysia…in bali it’s about $1.30…when you mail as many postcards as I do, that adds up, really fast!!

My second day in KL, I walked, just for the sake of walking…first I went to a temple I hadn’t seen before…a hindu temple, it was being renovated each time I went through KL a couple years ago…as with most hindu temples, it was really bright and colourful…I loved it…perhaps the best part of the visit was a guy telling me the story behind one of the pictures at which I was looking…it was really nice to talk to someone w/out wondering when I was going to be asked to sign up for a tour, or asked for a donation…I’m so used to that sort of conversation that I’ve realized I don’t talk to many locals like I should…I kept walking, through a market, and little india…

I headed toward the petronas towers, which were the tallest in the world (I think) when they were built…not so much anymore…the first time in KL I queued up really early one morning to get tickets to go up and see the view from the walkway connecting the two towers…it’s not that great, and I didn’t need to repeat that experience…though it is free, which is a rarity when it comes to going up big tall buildings for the views…I figured I could wander around the mall that takes up the bottom 5 floors of the towers…i recognized the streets I started out on, but for whateva reason, they didn’t connect the way I remembered, and somehow I ended up on a highway that runs through town…whoops!! Fortunately, there was a small sidewalk, so I wasn’t walking on the highway itself…close enough…I got quite a few honks from cars driving past, I’m sure they’re not used to seeing anyone walking in that area…the highway took me right past the towers, but there was an exit just after, and I knew that particular bunch of streets…so I did get to the towers, it just took a bit of a detour…lol…

Shopping was fun, though more for the people watching experience than the shopping itself…I find I’m not keen to buy things like clothes when I’m traveling…I don’t need them…and I don’t really have room for them…it’s hard to get excited about much of anything when you don’t even know when you’ll have a job again, or where…buying clothes, then shipping them back to IN isn’t much fun…the aircon in the mall was nice too…the weather is the same as bali, but because it’s a city, with no beach it doesn’t feel so great…walking back to the hostel I was on roads I knew, and got back easily…without any detours…

A quick bus to the airport the next morning…(there is little to no traffic at 0700 on a Sunday morning)…the flight back to bali was smooth, and I was thrilled to see a volcano poking it’s crater up through the clouds at one point…this time I did get a photo…

a new passport

after the retreat in thailand, i came to malaysia again...my passport was nearing 6 months until it expired, and in many countries, if you wish to enter, your passport has to be valid for at least 6 months longer...so i needed a new passport...since malaysia and thailand are the only countries in that area with visas on arrival that are free, and i've seen enough of thailand for now, i decided to come to malaysia to have my passport renewed...
landing in kuala lumpur after the relaxation of the retreat was quite a shock...i like KL, but in comparison it was really really big and crazy and LOUD...
anywho, the morning after arriving, i made my way to the US embassy (which technically meant i left malaysian soil and spent an hour in the US) and dropped off my application and way too much money...go figure, i had turned in the wrong size photos, so i had to run to a kodak shop, have proper size photos taken, and turn those in...they accepted them, and told me to come back with my receipt in a couple weeks...
that night, i met up with layna and a friend of hers, we all boarded a bus that took us to a little town called kuala besut...there is no reason to go there, except to catch a ferry to the perhentian islands...there are two islands, besar (big) and kecil (small)...they're virtually the same in terms of physical appearance (other than size of course) so we went to kecil, because accomodation is cheaper...layna had stayed on kecil when she was last in malaysia, and really enjoyed it...we stayed in the same place she stayed the last time, and i loved it...my original plan was to stay on kecil for 4 nights or so...but i ended up staying 11 nights!!
the water was SUPER clear, and warm...the sand on the beach wasn't the greatest i've ever seen, but it was far from the worst...it was mostly white, and the beach was relatively quiet...there are two main beaches on kecil, coral bay and long beach...long beach is bigger, and much better for laying out...(and we all know i'm the queen of laying out)...you could hire an umbrella for the day, but since that would block all those harmful rays of the sun, i didn't do that...the water was warm, sometimes too warm...it was really really really clear, and absolutely lovely...there were small waves, but you didn't have to worry about being knocked over when the waves came in...during my days on the beach i saw several ladies sitting in the water reading!! more sun for themselves, i'm guessing...hee hee...

anywho, my days were filled with checking email, reading novels, talking to layna and a few other random travelers, and eating yummy pakistani food...nothing strenuous or stressful...in a way, it was nice to be back in the quiet mindset i had during the meditation retreat...

one of the books i read while on that beach was moby dick...it's always been referred to as a classic, but after reading it i have no idea why...i felt like i could've written it...and i'm not a good writer...the author got off topic as much as i do!!! A LOT!!! i know that if i had ever turned in a manuscript like that one to any of my english teachers, they would've covered it in red ink, and returned it to me and told me to rewrite it entirely...there is a lot in that story that has nothing to do with the main storyline...argh...they didn't even see the stupid whale until the last 30 pages of a 580 page book!! i definitely won't be recommending that one to anyone...

the islamic holiday of hari raya took place while i was on kecil...hari raya is the last two or three days of the fasting month of ramaddan...even on the island, which basically depends entirely on tourism, nearly everything was closed...there was only one place open to eat on each beach...i was lucky to be eating with the guys who ran the place i was staying!! during hari raya, friends and family get together and enjoy time together, and eat special foods...ramaddan itself is when muslims fast in order to prove their faith to allah...at least, that's the very general idea...during the month of ramaddan, muslims don't eat OR DRINK between sunrise and sunset...i know i could go w/out eating all day, but in the heat and humidity of malaysia, it doesn't seem healthy or safe to go w/out liquid...anywho...

anywho, after 11 nights on the island, i made my way back to KL...a day trip to the nearby town of seremban, which is easily reachable by commuter train...a very quiet town, especially considering how close it is to KL...i saw a couple churches, a couple mosques, a hindu temple, and met a british lady who had just moved there with her husband who worked on semiconductors...exciting stuff i tell ya...

i often miss what is written right in front of me...the receipt i got when i turned in my passport for renewal said to come back between 0900-1100 m-f mornings...somehow, i missed that, and showed up around 1230 when i came back...oooops...the security people took pity on me, and still let me in...being in that room all by myself was kinda eerie, because it's actually quite loud when everyone is there in the morning...and it's FREEZING when there are no other bodies in there to soak up the air conditioning...i was finally called up to a window, collected my new passport (i hate the picture, the guy taking it wouldn't let me smile...argh) and made my way back to chinatown, where i was staying...i stopped at coffee bean along the way for a much looked forward to chai latte, and they said they were out of the tea they use to make those...HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN???? definitely a disappointment...

after that, i went back to my hostel, picked up my stuff, and went to the aiport...i wasn't completely aware of it, but KL has two major international airports...one is the LCCT, the low coast carrier terminal...basically almost entirely filled with air asia flights...the other is the "normal" international terminal...fully modern, efficient, etc...this time i flew out of LCCT...

malaysia 2

kuala lumpur was next...a fantastic city...(well, mostly, but that comes a little later)...the capital of the country, in some ways very similar to singapore...but unlike singapore, which felt rather sterile at times, kuala lumpur has plenty of soul, and feels very lived in...i loved it...sure, it isn't as clean and orderly as singapore, but it's still a LOT cleaner than just about any other big city i've seen...it has great public transportation, plenty to see and do, lots of shopping, (including plenty that i'll never be able to afford unless i start playing and winming the lottery!) and fantastic food...it's also a great city for simply wandering aimlessly...
kuala lumpur is perhaps best known for the petronas towers...when they were built, they were the tallest buildings in the world...(and they take pains to point out that they are still the tallest twin towers in the world)...491 meters tall i think? 89 floors...there is a double decker skybridge connecting the towers at floors 41 and 42, this is as high as tourists are allowed to go...each day, 1400 lucky people get to go up to the skybridge...for free!!! the not so fun part is that you have to queue up at 0830 (preferably earlier) in order to snag one of the tickets...the ticket then tells you when you get to come back to actually go up the elevator...i got one for much later in the afternoon, then got on a bus and went to some hindu caves...(which were HUGE, but not otherwise impressive...only 272 steps - each of which is numbered - to get to the mouth of the first cave!)...when i got back to the towers for my trip up to the skybridge, i had to wait until my specific time was called...we were all herded into a theatre, given 3D glasses (which made everyone slightly dizzy/nauseous) and shown a video that basically promoted petronas, and tried to show what a great company it is...it's the malaysian national oil and gas company...after that, we put our bags through the x-ray machine, walked through the metal detector, and got on the elevator that whisked us up to the 41st floor...fast...everyone had to pop their ears a couple times...we only got to be in the skybridge for about 5 minutes...then another quick ride down, and they sent our little group into the exhibition room...the exhibition room shows a few of the physics behind building the towers, and shows how tall they are compared to other tall buildings in the world...there is also a little spot where a machine measures you, and tells you how tall you are against various buildings in the world...i'm 1/267th the size of the sears tower in chicago:)...
one day i took a day trip from KL, and took the transit train to putrajaya...it's a planned city, about 23km away, the administrative city of malaysia...most of malaysia's government ministries now have their offices in putrajaya...wide boulevards, pretty flowers, huge buildings, sidewalks everywhere...none of the buildings look alike, but somehow they all go with each other...i was there on a friday, and as i walked past the mosque, it was just before time for noon prayers...friday noon prayers are the one time of the week where muslims are required (by islam) to pray at the mosque...(the other 34 prayers a week can be done anywhere)...there were people streaming toward the mosque...after i got back to KL that day, i ended up at the national mosque...built in the 60s i think...since i'm non muslim, i was given a purple robe with a hood to wear before i could go in...and even with the robe, i wasn't allowed in the main prayer room, though i did get to look in...i love how mosques are always so open, so airy...there were a number of pamphlets available, in a number of different languages...titles included eating in islam, dress in islam, prayer in islam, sex in islam, becoming a muslim, and who is Allah? interesting reading...the one called dress in islam seemed to attack the west, but the others were all just giving information...
another day i took a day trip to two smaller towns...one is called shah alam, its the state capital of selangor, which surrounds KL...the state mosque in shah alam is called the blue mosque, and is the biggest mosque in southeast asia...it can hold 24000 people...the guy who showed me around (i was again given a robe, with a headscarf) said that during friday noon prayers, it's about 80% full...klang was the second town i visited that day, it had an art deco inspired mosque, but not a lot else...it was nice to wander around a town that hardly sees any tourists...
now, onto the not so nice part of KL...one of the nights there, i decided to go to a performance at the national theatre...when i booked the ticket, they asked if i understood bahasa malaysia, and i said no...they said that wouldn't be a problem, that it was more a musical than a play...they said there would be lots of singing and dancing, and that i'd enjoy the costumes...i did enjoy the costumes, they were bright, and intricate...there wasn't nearly the amount of singing and dancing that i expected, but it was still fun...anywho, i walked home...i got about 20 minutes away from home when i was mugged...i suppose it was really an attempted mugging, since they didn't get anything from me, and i wasn't injured...two guys did it...the whole thing only took 5-10 seconds, but i've never felt that invaded...NEVER...what made it worse was that there was a group accross the street, laughing and cat calling while it was happening...i don't understand why anyone would think that behaviour acceptable...it's wrong...their hands went under my skirt, and up my front...off in the distance i could see two foreign guys who realized what was happening and started to run toward me (the group accross the street and the foreign guys running were things i apparently registered, w/out actually realizing they were happening until later) but they didn't get close enough in time...after it was over, i kept walking down the street, really shaken up...the foreign guys asked if i was okay, and i ignored them, i was so freaked out...(when i got back to the hostel, i realized i had been very rude)...anywho, it took another 20 minutes of walking to get back to my hostel, during which i had an asthma attack...it sucked...2 chocolate bars and an ice cream didn't help the asthma, or make me feel any better in general...that night there was another girl in my dorm room, and for the first time ever, i was glad to be sharing...needless to say, i didn't sleep well, not much at all...since then, i've avoided single local guys like the plague...i've also made every possible effort to be inside by the time the sun goes down...