Stepping Out: An Unexpectedly Delightful Day

Chinatown

Sometimes in life it really DOES pay to not have plans. See? I knew it!

Today my one and only plan was to make my way to Central Market. It has recently occurred to me that Christmas is around the corner and, as I'll be home only a few days before it, I figured I might as well get on top of it while here. As usual, the plan was to walk. Despite the oppressive (and I don’t use the term lightly) humidity here, I haven't let it stop me from exploring by foot, I've just learned to a) not even bother showering in the morning before heading out and b) carry lots of napkins with me. Guh-ross.

Central Market

For the first time ever on my international travels, I coughed up the money to have an international data plan because I knew it would be helpful to have GPS enabled while walking around. I have to say it has been the best money I've ever spent! The only part of traveling that ever, ever stresses me out is getting lost. I suck at maps. A lot. So when I'm on my own and I get lost (as my tendency to wander aimlessly tends to result in) and know I have almost zero ability to get back on my own it really annoys me. So this time when my friend back in Korea suggested just paying for data and using GPS while walking around, a lightbulb went off. It seemed like such a simple, glorious solution. And it has been.

So I headed out with my ultimate destination of the market, assuming I'd just take it slow and enjoy the view along the way. As it turns out, I also just so happened to pass Chinatown on the way. I had read about their Chinatown and considered visiting but didn't think it was worth my time to go out of my way to get there (Chinatown is Chinatown is Chinatown, no?) but, since it was literally right here in front of me, no reason to not go in. This one was nicer/cleaner/less smelly than most I've been to but, as it turns out, I'm pretty sure they do all indeed sell exactly the same things. It's amazing, no matter what country you're in or what continent you're on, every single Chinatown has the same chintzy, cheesy stuff. There must be some global Chinatown wholesaler out there that they're all required by law to buy their items from. Either way, I was very glad I stumbled on it.

I eventually found my way to the market, and it didn’t disappoint. I had planned to (hopefully) get all of my Christmas shopping done while there but, as it turned out, I just wasn’t in the mood. I’m not a shopper and, in fact, I despise shopping. So it’s something that I can only muster the energy to do when absolutely necessary and, even then, I have to really be in the mood, to wait for the ever elusive motivation to strike. It did not strike today. But I managed to knock two gifts off my list, so that was something. The market was cool and had some neat, locally made things in it but I started to notice that many of the stands had the same things and, more than that, they were way overpriced as this was defintely a tourist market and not a local market. It was time to move on. (As a bonus, I overheard a father and daughter from Spain talking in the market area and just couldn’t stop myself from striking up a conversation with them. An unexpectedly cool conversation in Spanish with peeps from my favorite place in the world. Score!)

More wandering. I turned off my GPS and decided to do what I do best: wander aimlessly. It didn’t take long until it paid off. I had noticed that on a lot of the pictures of Kuala Lumpur I’d seen there was always a massive, beautiful Middle Eastern looking building among them. I didn’t bother to investigate it but then, suddenly, there it was in front of me. Aimless wandering score! Turns out it is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, built in 1897 and which now houses the federal and the high courts of Malaysia. And it was, in fact, beautiful.

Kuala Lumpur is a really interesting city in that it houses so many different cultures. It’s almost a bit bizarre as it’s easy to sometimes have to remind yourself exactly which continent it is you’re on. One minute you’d swear you’re in Asia, the next you’re sure it’s the Middle East and then another few steps away you have no doubt you’re in India. I dig it. Turns out that 50% of the population is Malay, …. Chinese, …. Indian, ….. Muslim. I dig it. Not only do I love the cultural diversity, but it’s like getting three trips in one!

My wanderings continued for a while through the Arabic section I was in and then I slowly (always slowly) started making my way back to the hotel. It was, as has become my pattern, time for my evening shower/cool-off/recharge.

Freshly clean and cool, I headed over to the section of town I’d stumbled upon yesterday where I’d seen a whole street lined with inexpensive Chinese massage parlors. This is one of my favorite things about traveling. If I were rich, massage would be something I would spend obscene amounts of money on. Not only does it feel amazing, but I really believe it’s just super good for you overall. So the fact that I can get 10-15 massages here for what I would pay for one back home makes it a no-brainer. Tonight I opted for the foot reflexology. I was never a believer until Singapore a few years ago but I’m now devout. This one didn’t hold a candle to that one (to this day I could still find that guy’s exact little shop in Singapore as it burned such an indelible memory in my brain) but it was good nonetheless. A young guy in the chair next to me was super eager to practice his English so we chatted it up the whole time. So it didn’t end up being one of those shut-out-the-world relaxing massages but, hey, someone was rubbing my feet for a whole hour so who am I to complain?