2011 - NZ To SF - Day 68

Day 68: (20 July 2011):- I arrive on the minute (9:30) to meet Swiss, like last night.
- Central Market food court. Chicken burbur with the hot sauce for 3.5RM. Delicious.
- Hostel: wait for girls (Say might go to Batu today. Talked with last night) 10:30-11, but not show up.
- Swiss suggest “nice walk” to Sentral. Turned to be terrible walk under bridge with rubbish, no sidewalk, cars, etc.
- Underbelly of Sentral. Hot, busy, crowded, buses, construction, etc. Emerge to main floor: interesting contrast. Sentral has airport train/check-in like HK. 35RM.
- Train: 1RM to, 2RM back. Stop is right beside entrance to temple. Realise train passes through the much closer station.
- Cool monkey god statue.
- Temple with intense paintings. Elephant with leg in crocodile mouth, holding lotus up to a god. Man (god?) with lion head sitting on throne, ripping the guts out of a lying person on lap with hands, etc. Wondered what the story is.
- Cliffs quite cool, straight out of flat ground. Mini mountain by building across road.
- Nice pond. Large golden statue. Large staircase leading to temple.
- Monkeys after gate. Take people’s food & bottles. Agile. Jump around.
- Amazingly large cave. Series of temples in cave. Lights. Worshippers. Shops, a cheap lights decoration thing with looping tunny music.
- Temple in opening to sky outside of main cave. Monkeys have to be kept at bay. Painted rock formations (white/yellow layers all around). Bats & monkeys & chickens.
- Nice view from top. Can see Central KL. Decide not go in the side caves that have to be paid for with guided tours.
- Felix say hi as we head down, but I could not remember who he was.
- Chai & dosa for snack.
- Wait for train, meet Felix on train, said something that let me remember who he is. Say just saw the girls & Germans arrive.
- The 3 of us get off at station to go to the market to the north.
- Pass by monorail. I lead, using map & found it. Dirty part of town.
- One of the most intense markets I’ve seen. Pile of dried fish smell hit hard. Black conical snails. Live fish wriggling. Cow head. Chopping & haggling & selling/calling all around. Vegetable, meat, fruit, etc. sections. Buy some fruit. 4-6x cheaper than the Jalan Petalan market. The logan-like segmented fruit & 3 rose apples, only 4RM total.
- Walk to tower & see park below. Stairs, concrete trails. Suspended walkway.
- Ice blend drink / juice at tower.
- Look for garden bld. for food. Fail. See green bld(s), but wrong one?
- Eat at restaurant on Jalan Alor. Sting ray, eel, shrimp. The fried pieces around shrimp very delicate & buttery. Calamansi juice. Very expensive: 30-40RM each. No complaints about the food. Worried about lack of RM. Used “reserve 50RM note.”
- Walk back. Bus station. Sunset behind Maybank building: Star Wars-like.
- Banyan trees along main roads.
- Part ways near hostel. Give e-mail to Swiss.
- Eat lots of fruit at hostel. Write journal. TV. Lounge in ACed room.