Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur

It took two days on a bumpy bus from Bangkok to get to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and I was really tired when I got off the bus but as luck would have it the hostel was a short walk away from the bus stop...
In the city of Kuala Lumpur the call to prayers can be heard five times a day for the Muslims. It is a yearning kind of song they sing that is pleasant to listen to.

Here it is made up of twenty percent Malaysians, forty percent Chinese, thirty percent Indians, and ten percent other; and they speak English mostly as a second language, perhaps because this was once a British colony.
It is very cheap to travel around on the buses and trains that are modern and air conditioned, and after you have done one trip you find it is easy to use the transport system here. Fuel is very inexpensive and more people seem to have cars and bikes here, not many walk. You can read about gangs that make border runs loaded up with fuel.
Take the train from the airport, it's best, as taxis can be more expensive, but buses are just a few cents.
Building is going on everywhere, it is fast becoming a modern country yet there are beggars in almost every doorway, but it is the same all over Asia.
There are lots of markets where you can get just about anything within your budget from wood sculptures, cameras, clothes to food.
Early mornings reveal the best of the day, that fresh start to make it happen, yet in the making the mundane creeps in and the day can become another like any other so plan well to see the best as there are many things to do and see.
Kuala Lumpur in a tropical downpour seen from a rooftop is spectacular.
The coolness of the day before the heat is a good time for breakfast, and surprisingly there are few mosquitoes in the city. But slowly as the day progresses the decibels of the traffic rise to crescendo in rush hour and it all begins. It is the same in any city all over the world which strikes me as odd, to find the whole world a machine of striving and getting where beggars lie in the streets and only a few have reached that utopia of thriving, and who dare to say there are too many others on the planet and that they should be culled to make more room for the elite, such arrogance, as if they were God's chosen few to rule with such insidious power over the rest of us.

But never mind, here in Kuala Lumpur the striving continues as people make their daily living and pray to their many gods for abundance, where the sun shines most abundantly and the air is free, for now.
The city is a place where many live on top of each other and surprisingly they manage to do it relatively well here in this one with their differences yet with one common continuity running through it all: we are all human beings, whatever we look like on the surface, inside of us our hearts are the same.
Unless you are a recluse, and even then, it is not hard to strike up a friendship with the many visitors who come here from all over the world. It feels good to speak your own language and converse easily after so long making your way in a foreign land.

Kuala Lumpur is not a bad place to visit, all in all, and it does have many things worth seeing, and although it is very much a Muslim country, they are mostly friendly and accepting.
Travelling alone can be a wonderful, rich and rewarding experience, with many good memories to take home with you, but if you feel daunted going it alone then hire a travelling companion to accompany you. It's good to feel secure as it opens up adventures you may not feel up to otherwise, this is Asia after all, and just going out for a simple meal in itself is an adventure.

Although there are fewer mosquitos, you will still get bitten, and so it is good to have a repellent to keep them away. Deet is not good for you. Natural is best, and out of all the many things I have tried, from raw garlic to smoke pellets, I find citronella spray is the best to keep them away and is one of the cheapest.
Apart from mosquitoes the city is a fairly safe place. It is only when you wander off the beaten path that you will find snakes and such. If you leave them alone they will leave you alone. Dogs can carry rabies, so if you do get bitten by a dog or a snake then seek treatment immediately.
Wearing a shirt, smart pants with shoes opens more doors that tourist attire does. Money talks the same language all over the world, and more so here in Asia.

It's worth come to Kuala Lumpur for up to a week to experience this part of Malaysia.
Trains are punctual and often. But buses quite often leave a lot later than it says on the ticket.
Some people find it too hot, and so air conditioning in the room is a must. You can go to your room to cool off and then set out again.
Air Asia seems to be the best of the budget carriers, and the cheapest: thirty dollars one way to Bangkok in two hours as opposed to 36 hours in a bus.
Kuala Lumpur is not quite a city of dreams, but it is well worth a visit.
The Petronas Towers are what the tourist goes to look at in Kuala Lumpur and they are outstanding. Made of stainless steel, and so tall. Some people go to KL just to look at them and nothing else.
Photography by me