April 5, 2010: Melaka To Kuala Lumpur

we offset arrived inwards Melaka, didn't final much of the journeying dorsum to Kuala Lumpur.

April 6, 2010: Kuala Lumpur

Our instant 24-hour interval inwards KL started early. Very early. Before nosotros left Australia, I'd booked us inwards for a half-day birding tour with Lee from Endemic Guides. This meant a hotel pick-up good earlier dawn together with a speedy breakfast of last night's Indian dessert purchases. KL is a sprawling, developed city, together with thus nosotros had to displace the best utilization of 2 hours to larn to our site for the 24-hour interval - Bukit Rengit together with Krau Forest Reserve to the eastward of the city. My primary aim for the 24-hour interval was to larn a proficient expect at a hornbill and, inside 10 seconds of getting out of the car, an oriental pied hornbill landed correct inwards forepart of us. Amazing.



What followed was a stunning morning time of birding, with approximately xl novel species for me. Some of the highlights were:

Greater racket-tailed drongo



White-throated kingfisher



White-rumped shama



Blue-throated together with blue-tailed bee-eaters




Crested serpent-eagle

The 3 virtually impressive birds of the 24-hour interval too conduct house to live 3 birds that I couldn't notice populace domain images (all the to a higher house plane images are via wikimedia commons, the others are Cindy's) for, together with thus you'll accept to click through if you lot desire to run into a 10cm woodpecker, a striking black together with cerise broadbill or the smallest raptor inwards the world.

By the fourth dimension we'd flushed some black magpies from the roadside forest, our birding fourth dimension had run out (at this phase the rut was actually starting to hitting us, together with thus it was belike merely every bit well) together with it was dorsum inwards the automobile to furnish to the city. I know few of our readers are probable to experience the urge to larn birding inwards Malaysia, but merely inwards case, I'd highly recommend Endemic Guides - Lee was an outstanding birder who got us some terrific views of a make of bright birds.

By the fourth dimension nosotros got dorsum to the hotel it was a chip subsequently 2 together with nosotros were both exhausted from the combination of the early on outset together with the sapping heat, together with thus nosotros lamed out together with ordered some over-priced room service for lunch. Then it was fourth dimension for a pay-tv marathon together with an afternoon nap - actually living the dream.

For dinner nosotros ventured out to endeavour to notice Pink Lotus, which unfortunately seems to accept gone out of business. Luckily, the Brickfields expanse has a few other options, together with subsequently a brief stroll nosotros settled on Gopala, where nosotros were ushered into the air-conditioned section. Unfortunately I'd left the retention card out of the camera, together with thus nosotros accept no visual tape of this splendid meal.

Gopala has a massive Indian card (more than 250 items!), with mock-meat amongst regular vego Indian options together with some concessions to Western tastes (hot dogs, burgers etc). Cindy had been desperate for a Roti Canai for the whole trip, together with this was finally a house where nosotros could live certainly in that location was naught fishy hiding inwards the curry. Her roti canai ready (RM4.50, $1.50) came with 2 fantastic roti breads, a spicy dal, a faux-chicken curry together with some sambal.

I went with a mock-mutton rendang (RM8, $2.70), which was a rich together with tender stew, with chilli, ginger together with galangal soaking into the impressively muttony mock-meat pieces. With a lassi each, the whole repast came to RM20 - less than $7. I would accept loved to larn dorsum to Gopala if we'd had to a greater extent than fourth dimension inwards Malaysia - the card had together with thus many options together with the nutrient that nosotros ate was outstanding. Consider it highly recommended - fifty-fifty without whatsoever pictures.

April 7, 2010: Kuala Lumpur Ii

On Midweek morn nosotros decided to come across a piddling to a greater extent than of KL via the hop-on hop-off bus. At RM38 ( $12.90) for a 24-hour ticket, it's priced real much for the tourists without beingness outrageously expensive.  (However, if you're alone planning a duo of stops inwards your day, other forms of world carry are a lot cheaper.)  We made our showtime halt on Bintang Walk, a densely packed strip of shopping malls.  None of the trade took our fancy but the air-conditioning was a relief from the unrelenting pasty air exterior together with of course, Michael is ever upwards for a coffee.

We checked out i of the kopitiams.  At this i the hold off staff didn't seem to talk English, yet it was soundless piece of cake to fellowship - nosotros were presented with single-use newspaper menus where nosotros marked what nosotros wanted.  Michael's Iced Blended White Coffee was cold, it was java together with it was RM5.90 ( $2.00) together with then it was perfect.

Keen for something refreshing together with game for something new, I tried an Iced Cucumber Sour Plum (RM3.50 $1.20).  It was sure enough cooling together with definitely refreshing inwards its means but frankly, it was non my kinda drink.  Oh well.

Kaya toast (RM2.20 $0.70) is my kinda snack though - peculiarly when the toast is crispy with a piddling butter on the outside.

Mall-trekking further, nosotros gradually made our means to our tiffin destination, an all-vegetarian nutrient courtroom called Blue Boy.  When nosotros got to what seemed similar the correct address, nosotros hitting the bird block pictured above.  It didn't hold off promising or welcoming.  But give thank y'all the Supreme Master nosotros bothered to corporation circular the side, because at that topographic point it was!

Hot, dazed together with relieved, nosotros wandered inwards together with found ourselves a table.

Before we'd fifty-fifty had fourth dimension to assess the options or the physical care for nosotros were greeted yesteryear a friendly staff member, enquiring what we'd similar to eat.  I hadn't a clue!

Michael, however, knew he was later about char kway teow together with our host had it sorted inwards minutes. This was a tangy, noodle-y care for - rich with tofu, tamarind, soy sauce together with simply a hint of chilli.  If anything, the estrus could direct keep been turned upwards a piddling higher, but at RM4 ( $1.40) y'all couldn't actually complain.

To me he asked, "Can I brand a recommendation?  Have the curry noodle.  Can y'all accept chilli?"  I meekly replied that I could accept a piddling chilli together with went with his tip.  Naturally he was correct on the coin - the curry noodle soup (RM4 $1.40) was tremendous, with a lip-smacking medley of veges, tofu puffs together with mock meat slices alongside the noodles together with broth.  The chilli, I could handle.  Just.

With a few spare tables dotted around, nosotros didn't experience rushed.  Michael finished my curry noodles together with I prodded the unusual-looking lime inwards my iced tea (RM2 $0.70).  All it took was the showtime displace of gathering our bags together with about other staff fellow member was upon us, sorting out payment at the table.  Too easy!  Well, it was in i trial we'd found the place.

After a piddling to a greater extent than wandering, nosotros returned to the double-decker together with travelled onwards to Chinatown together with the Petaling market.

The marketplace position is best known for its simulated designer gear together with pirated DVDs, which the stall holders showed off to anyone inside earshot.

We resisted the merchandise, concentrating on the fruit...


... together with the cendol!

These king-sized cups of cendol supplied about much-needed fluid, equally good equally the novelty of canned corn alongside the beans together with noodles.  

Eventually I was utterly wandered out.  Unable to drag myself to the nearest park, nosotros ended upwards simply sitting together with resting on a modest piece of grass yesteryear the side of the road.  Once the clock ticked yesteryear 5pm nosotros agreed that nosotros could legitimately consume an early on dinner at a nearby vegetarian restaurant, Fatt Yan.

This turned out to hold upwards about other Supreme Master establishment, together with nosotros were treated to about other friendly together with chatty staff fellow member on the floor.  Like our host at lunch, he knew what nosotros needed to fellowship improve than nosotros did, lining us upwards with spicy chicken rice together with Mongolian rice (RM5.50 $1.90 each).  This was just what I wanted to consume at that moment, filling together with a piddling spicy without beingness excessively rich. As nosotros finished our repast nosotros heard a piddling of our host's yesteryear travels to Commonwealth of Australia together with he fifty-fifty brought out i of the 'Chinese lemons' that had been used inwards my honey-lemon drinkable - it was simply similar the limes inwards my lunchtime iced tea.

Exhausted together with good fed, nosotros returned in i trial once again to the bus.  Following its loopy path piece of cake dorsum to our hotel, nosotros glimpsed about of the attractions we'd hold upwards missing out on - the National Museum, the Bird Park, Titiwangsa - all of them placidity or unopen this belatedly inwards the day.

April 8, 2010: Kuala Lumpur Iii

On our terminal total twenty-four hours inwards Malaysia, Michael together with I took a cooking class!  After eating together with thence much great nutrient circular town, I was itching to acquire how to brand some of it for myself.  And nosotros could non select learned inwards a to a greater extent than pleasant environment.  Our class at LaZaT had simply 4 students that morning, pregnant lots of opportunities to uncovering upwards close, inquire questions together with acquire one-on-one advice on our techniques.  The kitchens had a lovely opened upwards design, our dingy pans were whisked away for someone else to construct clean and, most of import of all, our teachers Ana together with Saadiah were 10 kinds of terrific.

LaZaT classes are non to a greater extent than oft than non vegetarian but they were form plenty to adjust the day's recipes for Michael together with I, having an choice prepared for each of the meats that the other students cooked with.

Our get-go dish of the twenty-four hours was wontons.  This had Michael together with I a picayune nervous for dissimilar reasons.  I'm non much of a deep-fryer (though I've no work eating the outcome), acre Michael prefers to avoid fiddly tasks similar wrapper-folding.

It could non endure denied, though, that Saadiah's chicken together with prawn wontons looked rather good.  So nosotros gave it a shot, using theatre tofu for the mass of the filling.

Saadiah rightly noticed Michael's fine chopping skills, together with he genuinely did a pretty expert project of the folding too.  I managed the hot fossil oil good enough, ultimately frying the most wontons of all.

The tofu filling was flavoured amongst restrain onions, garlic, fresh H2O chestnut, soy sauce together with sesame oil.  I'd never seen a fresh H2O chestnut earlier - it tastes together with thence dissimilar to the canned ones!  Their distinctiveness got a fleck lost inwards this filling but I'd honey to uncovering together with endeavor cooking amongst them again.

Our mo class was san chou bau, which Saadiah demonstrated using soaked edible bean curd peel instead of the commons crab meat.

With the edible bean curd peel already soaked, this was a super speedy dish.  I reckon it'd brand a vivid weeknight dinner inwards summer.

Rather than moving on to the master copy dish nosotros side past times side prepared our dessert, bubur cha cha.  It's a rich pudding of noodles (the coloured strips, similar the ones inwards cendol), sago, yam together with sweetness spud cooked inwards sweetened kokosnoot milk that's infused amongst a pandan leaf.

Like rice pudding, this is the form of dessert that I would non select loved a few years agone together with consequently I don't tend ready such things at home.  More lately these starchy puddings select crept upwards on me.  In fact when the fourth dimension came, I shout out back I was the alone somebody circular the tabular array to gobble downward my entire bowlful!

Our master copy class was char koay teow.  Instead of the fish cake together with prawns used past times the others, Michael together with I were supplied amongst mock chicken pieces.  Nice!

Though it's a elementary fried-noodle dish, nosotros learned a few novel things hither too:

• the wok should endure shifted on together with off the high rut regularly to ensure nil burns
• cracking an egg amongst i hand!
• pouring the egg into the centre of the wok together with piling the noodles on operate past times acre it sets
• that clever wrist manoeuvre that tosses the noodles roughly inwards the pan (well, nosotros observed it several times, both of us struggling to replicate the drive ourselves)

It's some other delicious dish that I'd honey to brand to a greater extent than oft at home.

With the char koay teow cooked, nosotros had plenty of fourth dimension to chat over the fruits of our (and the LaZaT assistants') labours.

Of class this meant that nosotros weren't hungry for quite some hours afterwards.  Late inwards the afternoon nosotros did at to the lowest degree dig into these curious fruits, which we'd picked upwards at the Petaling markets the previous day.

Nothing well-nigh this fruit was what I expected - beneath the reddish peel the flesh was most similar to an apple, though the season reminded me of carambola/starfruit.

Eventually nosotros did develop sufficient appetite for dinner together with walked on over to Pure Mind vegetarian restaurant.

Compared to most of our other meals inwards Malaysia, Pure Mind was a picayune to a greater extent than expensive (with mains running from RM12-25 $4.10-8.60) but it in all likelihood also had the most refined setting.

I chose the deep-fried gluten balls inwards a pineapple handbasket (RM15 $5.20).  For me, this was all well-nigh that pineapple - it's rare that I swallow it together with thence fresh together with sweet.

Michael went for the mah po tau fu (RM12 $4.10), which was both delicious together with gratifyingly similar to our home-cooked version.

We walked dorsum to our hotel - content amongst our meal, our day, our entire vacation - but also ready to provide home.  I was looking frontward to some to a greater extent than familiar abode cooking inwards my kitchen (and an Aussie cafe breakfast!), acre also inspired to select dorsum some of the flavours together with styles I'd been tasting for the get-go time.