KL Photos

1) The south city skyline, including the KL TV tower which is in the top ten highest towers, from Merdeka Sq
2) PETRONAS basking in the glow of the sun!
3) Park with the north city skyline.
4) Reflection.
5) Oli had to roll around on the ground to get this one of me.

Night Fight

For being such a large city Kuala Lumpur has a surprisingly limited number of options when it comes to nightlife. In fact, in the entirety of the backpacker's district there is really only one proper bar called reggae bar. A fun joint with the theme of Marley but the music of Akon, Reggae Bar throws together a huge diversity of folks. White and African travelers mingle with Malaysian beauties, while the Indian Malay staff watches closely. A regular sight at the bar is the gaggle of ten or so ladyboy prostitutes who are constantly trolling for tourists who are not vigilant enough (or too drunk) to notice their Adam's apple.

While most bars in the US with such a laid back name would have an attitude to match you must constantly be on your toes at Reggae KL. In the last two nights there have been no less than three fights. They have not been the most violent beatings I have ever seen but they have been rather one sided. Generally one Malaysian hotshot will have a problem with a foreigner (and generally that foreigner is an African) and, just like in China, once the native-foreigner demarcation has been set it is hard to erase. I have never felt unsafe there... you just have to be sure to give respect where it is perceived to be due. Interesting traveling through Asia.

A Leisurely Pace

Today I tried to see as much of KL as I could. I started by walking out of Chinatown, where my hostel is located, towards an area of the city that has large and reputably beautiful gardens. Unfortunately the gardens eluded me but I was able to enjoy my walk just the same. The first major landmark I encountered was the commuter train station which is built in the old British Raj style of architecture I became familiar with in India several years age. Unlike the ones in India, this station was tranquil, quiet, and clean. I snapped a few pictures and took a stroll through the small museum attached to the station. After that I was once again pushing through the tremendous Malay heat and humidity.

Before I knew it I found myself in the ultra modern KL Sentral Stesen (spelling correct). The differences between the old and new stations could not be overstated. KL Sentral was positively bustling. In its only terminal Sentral offers long and short distance buses, monorail, airport transit, commuter trains, and long range train services. I will pass through it no fewer than six times during my stay in Malaysia.

I next walked through a neighborhood called Chow Kit, the real Chinatown. In the past few days I have noticed that the neighborhood Malaysians call Chinatown has very few Chinese people in it and I decided to investigate by traveling to the location that many Chinese Malays consider to be the real Chinatown. Except for being devoid of trash, the presence of enforced traffic laws and the overall polite nature of its inhabitants Chow Kit could have been in China. I got my favorite Chinese breakfast, although it was my second meal of the day, and walked on.

My next destination was the Muslim hub of KL, centered around the grand Masjid (Mosque) Jamek. Surprisingly the namesake of this neighborhood actually proved difficult to find, but I did investigate the smaller Masjid India. I also went to Merdaka Square, the colonial hub of KL.

This city is remarkably clean and well managed. It is abundant with green spaces and they never seem to be forced as opiates for a downtrodden and over polluted public. Within the ultramodern interiors of KL I have found the most diverse culture that could exist in our modern world. In the food court at the PETRONAS mall you will find Muslim girls and Hindu boys with Thai men and women all eating shopping and socializing within the confines of the same society. With any luck I'll be heading to the Cameron Highlands tomorrow....
Talk to you when I get there,
C. Johnson

Day 1 in KL

Hungover. The plan for today was originally to head down to Singapore... not a short trip! However seeing as I have made plenty of cool friends here in KL I figured I would switch things up a bit and do my Kuala Lumpur stuff first. Then I will head up to the Cameron Highlands for at least two days. Next it will be on to Singapore where I may even make a day trip to Indo! Lastly I will go to Melaka, Malaysia for one full day of relaxed small town life.

Today I visited the incredible PETRONAS Towers of Kuala Lumpur. The third largest buildings on planet earth, the towers were designed to resemble a Muslim eight pointed star. I have had a secret fascination with the towers for years and going to see them today was a blast. The thing that really surprised me about the towers is how bulky they were. Nothing like the thin little Puzz 3D I made of them several summers ago. They shoot prominently up into the sky above KL's Golden Triangle district, and there are no other buildings, save the KL TV tower on the other side of town, that come within thirty stories of the PETRONAS CEO's office. PETRONAS is Malaysia's leading, and only visible, provider of fuel and natural gas and the video introduction we were shown before going to the observation deck almost made me sensitive to the interests of Big Oil... Almost. A mega mall is situated at the base of the towers and walking around it was just what I needed to soothe my anxiety over six long months in China.

Tomorrow will find me at the National Museum and hopefully a couple of mosques as well. The diversity here is incredible and it is definitely something that I will post on when I have a less exciting day.

Talk to ya when I get there,
C. Johnson

It has Begun

It is the first full day here in Kuala Lumpur so I figured it was time to update everybody on how I'm doing!

Thursday I finished up teaching and went to Changsha for the night. My students were as restless as I was to get out of there and the pace of the classes was slow and painful. That night I went to see Avatar. If any of you have not seen the movie I would recommend it as a must see. I know all of you stateside are familiar with the mythical beast known as the Chinese consumer market... let me explain to you why this market is so valuable. The IMAX version of Avatar runs24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On the day we went to see the film we had to settle for the 3D version because, and I'm not exaggerating, the only time that we could have gotten tickets for the IMAX was at 4 AM. 4 AM!!!! and in that showing Binka and I would not have even been able to sit together (they have assigned seating here and the show was nearly sold out). If you own a business... corner this market!

Friday I began the real meaty travel of my trip,but not before playing some FIFA 10 on an xbox 360 near the train station... only the bare essentials here in China. Taking trains in China is fantastic (that statement is said both genuinely and with a mouthful of sarcasm). The train system itself is wonderful. The routes are convenient and logical with multiple carriages per day travelling in any direction you want. The stations are spotless compared to the hellholes in India. The staff are generally helpful. The trains themselves are clean in the cabin and clean enough in the bathroom areas. The people are terrible. The second your train arrives you find yourself in a mob of people rushing to be the first one onto a train that isn't going to leave any of them behind. After being shoved through a single turnstile all hundred or so passengers are forced to descend a set of stairs to reach the underground tunnel that will take them to the proper platform. All those people who had just rudely bumped in front of you now come to an abrupt stop and are struggling with the handles on their rolling luggage to get down the stairs. Slow and steady, and extremely tall seems to win the race. While in the underground tunnel an odd partnership seems to be made. Little old ladies and young business men seem to be on the page here in the crowded concrete tube. They push and shove their way back to the front... Just the little old ladies and business men, an odd friendship to be sure. Of course when they get to the staircase up to the platform they must all stop abruptly and fix their luggage handles again.

I was hopping to find the paradise that first greeted me in China during my time here in Yangshuo. Unfortunately winter has brought with it some bitter cold rain that shows no sign of stopping. While that was a serious drawback the trip to Yangshuo was not a complete failure. There was a great bunch of folks at the hostel with me. Most notably were Eliza from Germany, Andrew from Ireland, Charlie from Colorado and Old Man Charlie, Jimmy, Danny and Tom from England. The latter four were hilarious and we spent all night drinking up on the rooftop bar at our hostel... Our greatest accomplishment was playing a traditional Chinese dice game that Andrew thoughtfully updated with Tequila. After the seven of us killed the bottle British Charlie asked me to sign his English flag. In my dilapidated state I thought it was a Swizz flag and proceeded to sign it, "Dudes, stay neutral". They absolutely loved it and Tom later asked me to sign his guitar with the same encouraging message. The four of them were Milwall supporters and promised to fly me to London the next time that their club faced off against West Ham so that I could have my very own Green Street Hooligans moment. Also, I got an advance on my salary for the month of January which means I'm rolling fly in Malaysia.

Last night was a blast as well. On the bus into town from the airport I met a couple of Americans who are currently trying for their dive masters in Thailand. We went out for a night of drinking that featured lady boys galore... is it bad that they were the most beautiful 'girls' in the bar??? To be honest it is quite strange seeing all these westerners, everyone has a story, everyone is on an adventure.

Talk to you when I get there,
C. Johnson

Time to Go!!!

OK people,
I've got two more classes then my break begins. I'll be rushing out the door after class because I am gonna try to catch Avatar in IMAX tonight at the Wanda Cinema in Changsha. Tomorrow I have a midday train to catch which will take me to Guilin! Since I won't be on my personal computer I may have a bit of trouble blogging for the first three days of my trip. I will try to get something up concerning my return to the location of my orientation. Everybody seemed to enjoy my post on the Yulong River this summer so hopefully I'll have another great Yangshuo adventure. Mark your calenders.... On January 25th I'll be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! See ya then,
C. Johnson

Getting Ready for an Adventure

First off I would like to thank everyone who followed my blog this fall. The last few months have been sparse with exciting details but I will try to recap a bit. Teaching, teaching, teaching... Teaching here is both a burden and a blessing. Obviously there are good days and bad days but the good days seem to outweigh the bad up to this point. I am planning on staying another year here in China although it is quite possible that I will fall in love with one the places I visit in Southeast Asia.

In just four short days I will begin my trip from Singapore to Angkor Wat Thailand and as such I thought that I would spend my first post back previewing the trip. I will spend the first few days in the same place I had my orientation, Guilin/Yangshuo, China. I am excited to meet up with a few folks from my company but mainly I am looking forward to a few days of R and R! On the 25th I will be flying from Guilin to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From the 25th to the 8th of February I will be bumming around Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. I am secretly obsessed with the Petronas Towers in Malaysia (best Puzz 3D I have ever done) and this is what I am looking forward to the most for this portion of the trip.

On February 8th I have a $37 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket Thailand... should be fun! The next two weeks will be spent in Thailand doing the Thai thing. Actually I do have a few things on the docket for this period. The beach is priority number one. Second will be temple hopping in Bangkok. I am also planning on renting a motorcycle while in Phuket and scooting around the countryside for a few days. There is also a chance I will get scuba certified although that will be dependent upon when my buddies from China are going to be in the same place I am.

Finally comes the crown jewel of my trip, a seven day excursion into Cambodia. I will be visiting the unbelievable site of the ancient city of Angkor Wat... religious studies nuts pay attention to those posts. After that I will have just 48 short hours to get back to Xin Wen Xue Xiao to start teaching again. I am super excited for my trip to begin and hope that you will all join me on this adventure by following me on this blog!

Thanks,
C. Johnson