“If you are rowing down the stream, even crocodiles laugh.” Malaysian proverb

Two articles in the same day (rétroactivement parlant 😛 ) ! I spoil you even if the pictures are taken by telephone (promised more will be coming soon in the Media menu > Snapshots) and slightly compact (in automatic mode like real tourists !).

We follow again the ritual of boarding, l’avion est beaucoup plus rempli que le premier (où nous avions quatre sièges rien que pour nous) mais nous sommes plus près du hublot : ce qui nous permet de voir le soleil se lever sur l’Inde (enfin nous survolions l’Inde à ce moment là !). Il est 6h50 en France lorsque nous atterrissons après avoir survolé des palmiers et des rivières aux teintes marrons.

Nous changeons quelques euros pour des billets de la monnaie locale puis prenons la navette gratuite et passons le contrôle des passeports pour pouvoir aller récupérer nos bagages dans le terminal M de l’aéroport international de Kuala-Lumpur (UTC +8), bienvenue en Malaisie !

The rain welcomes us into our port of call blows of thunder, it prevents us not to go use the ringgit barely changed – monetary unit in Malaysia I will note later with its local RM symbol for "malaysia ringgit" to buy two tickets at the counter of KLIA Ekspres (35RM ticket, about 8,50 EUR). There was still cheaper bus (10RM) to get into town (the airport is about 50km from the city center) but he put double the time and fatigue of the seventeen hour trip is too feel to still do an hour of bus !

The shuttle bus drops us off at the central station of the city - KL Sentral - in about half an hour and our first impression of Kuala Lumpur is a lot of palm trees around the city, flooded areas and constructed buildings, other construction ... A great city which ! Out of the KLIA Express we seek first currency exchange (we have changed only enough to pay for the trip because the rate at the airport is less interesting than in town : 3,8 for 1 against euro 4,12), then after passing tourist office we find the entrance Kuala Lumpur metro : the LRT train Which brings us to the next stop Pasar Seni Station 1RM for each (about 25 cents !).

On leaving the metro we seek GEO Hotel as advised by the lady of the guesthouse Matahari lodge we booked a room for our first night in Kuala Lumpur. We find easily Jalan Hang Katsuri (Street surely means street) and number 58-1, which actually lies directly opposite the Hotel GEO. The door is closed with the bottom opening with digital code, our business will be safe ! We ring to tell us loose and take the elevator to get to the front desk three floors up. land posed bags, buttocks on chairs and enjoying the air conditioning (+ 30 ° to KL), we listen to the owner explain how his guesthouse. Free breakfast until noon, tea and coffee during the day will, terrace for smokers, open-space with sofas, books, available computers 24/24. We pay 72RM (about 17 euros for both of us) and it shows us the room we put our bulk business to go we sit for a moment on the terrace where we continue to talk with her a little. The place and the welcome we like a lot !

Dinner

Tang City Food Court

Febrile fatigue we take a nice cool shower before leaving around 17:30 to eat in Chinatown, district of Kuala Lumpur, which is close to. It started raining again (it rains a lot in recent days told us the lady of Matahari Lodge, which explains flooded landscapes we have seen coming out of the airport) but it is not disturbing, pleasant even as it helps to withstand the tropical climate. We pass before some merchants to stop at the first place we see food : le Tang City Food Court. Few tourists on the horizon and a lady behind the counter of various vegetables and meat. When she sees us approach, it opens a big cooler (Finally reverse since it keeps warm !) to plunge empty plates out and filled with rice, she dishes we authority in the hand and returns to his discussion. We take time to understand that we have to make do and serve us in different dishes, without really knowing what it is ! I just vegetables, Ronald tries in two, three different. Another lady adds our choice and shows the amount on a calculator : 16RM (3,80 EUR). We wander between the tables a moment because we would like to have something to drink, another lady a little more welcoming (or having more accustomed tourists !) we moved to a table and offers us a beer menu. Two Carlsberg for 30RM (7,30€), brought in an ice bucket and a disproportionate size : that are at least 50cl, if it's not 75 ! We searched in vain for the capacity of the bottle.

We taste our first Malaysian meal while noting that fatigue and jetlag we give the impression of hovering next to our bodies, we feel the blood flowing in our veins and brains float in the head ! If I tell you my turn to WCs place that's just because they are worth : flush fleeing to outdo on the floor, a large bucket is installed right next to a smaller floating in it, you flush it manually !

Walk in Chinatown

Rue Petaling

After lunch we walk a moment in Chinatown and its night market where sellers harassment makes you want to learn a few sentences in Malaysia : "No thank you we have already eaten. », " Not yet. » (eh yes, we ironed three times before the same), "No not need watches, or bags. » 20h, Fatigue due to us, Return to the guest house where we collapse in the comfortable bed in our small windowless room (Recurring Malaysia from what I saw on the Internet by searching for guesthouse).

Other photos from our first trip in Kuala Lumpur here !