The KL escapades

It’s sooo good to be in KL again! It is almost exactly a year since I was last here. Coming to KL is such a reality check for Singaporeans – this is real Asia. Malaysian tourism got it right first time round – Malaysia, Truly Asia. It hits you when you walk the sidewalks, skirt around loosely covered potholes with cardboard lids, puddles of water (err, water or urine? Err, we won’t go there!) in corners of buildings, crossing the road, stopping a bus/cab etc.


Clutching your friend’s arm when attempting to cross the road, and there are two ways to do this: 1) Asian style, walk as if it’s your grandfather’s road, without looking at the traffic (er u need to be brave and experienced to do this. Do not attempt this at home (I mean your home country) or 2) grabbing friend’s arm and tossing between do we or do we not cross now. This can be most frustrating when one person is trying to ape Option 1 and the other insists on Option 2.


One lil annoying development in SG to KL travels is along the way from SG-KL, the rise of the Malaysian market to cater to the Singaporean fancy! Yikes. I remember when I was in Secondary School, we would visit Malaysia and enjoy the fact that everything cost in RM and at M’sian standards. Now it’s in RM no less, but at Singaporean standards! Whyyyyy??Cos Singaporeans lay that demand forth – consciously or unconsciously. The rest-stop at Yong Peng is becoming SOOO Singaporeanised (and yes I’m aware Singaporeans own perhaps ¾ of the place), that today I noticed the entire crowd that was taking a pit stop there was non Malaysian. The locals don’t stop here anymore. See lah. Smart.


We had taken Gunung Raya (which although sounds Malay[sian], is probably SG owned as well). My previous trips have been on Malaysian coaches (by choice but it’s almost more leceh (troublesome) as u have to board them on the Johor side of the border. The Malaysian coaches stop at different pit stops than the SG ones… hmm. One wonders why. Not rocket science.We pay for the convenience and it makes market forces go up! Dang. I know for a fact there is a steady sizeable no. of Singaporeans who visit KL on a weekly basis. This has existed from time forgone. The links between the two belie their pre-generational bond. (Aside: I have written a play in 1998, which is set in the Yr 2000, predicting life of Singaporeans and Malaysians if a merger of occurred between the two. It’s a comical take on stereotypes of the two countries. As yet, unpublished. Any interest, email me and I’ll send you a copy!)


Besides the higher prices, the service seems to be going downhill, so different from the ‘asian way’ you get in Thailand, most of Malaysia (sans Johor Bahru!), Cambodia, Lao. I smiled at every service person I met and only got acknowledged glances from the coach drivers. The ladies behind the food service counters – forget it. But today in KL, in Nandos, and on the roadside Ayam Pangeng stalls, what a different world – Malaysians serve with a smile from the heart. Heartwarming.


We offered sweets to the lil kid behind us on the bus (Chinese Singaporean). U know what – as soon as my hand extended towards him, like any child he grabbed the sweets; but worse didn’t say thanks. I smiled at the childlike excitement and before I cld do the adult-policing thing, his grandma and mom both chucked lots of thank yous to me.. but I would have loved to have a thank you from the child (he was at least 6 yrs old!) Kids are the bane of a society. They tell us how well the parents are in their akhlaq (manner and conduct). I was in Australia camping for over a month and every child I met was taught good manners. Even in Pakistan, in the lift in shopping centres, children would be polite and speak to you with courtesy and respond! But Singapore, ha, you’re wishing for the world!


And we blame the education system. Com’on guys, not rocket science again.


Day 1 has been relaxing, taking in the city in small doses. My friend and I believe on a holiday one should do nothing. So we did that today - it was wonderful doing nothing. We got so much out of it :) More later.


20 Nov:
We have been having Rumi for company at our breakfasts and it's been wonderful! So heartwarming the poetry. Feel inspired by the writings and I cld so and should so use that urge to write snippets on observations etc. Will share some Rumi thoughts on Facebook perhaps :)