Ka-Ching!

It was so sad to leave Bali. What a beautiful island, what fantastic memories of that place. We really didn't want to leave, but, as Scot said, "It's good to miss a place when you leave it. Otherwise if you don't, you know you stayed too long." Good words, my man! True dat!

We were scheduled to catch an early afternoon flight, but ran into some problems with...the authorities...before getting on the plane. We were going through immigration when suddenly the Immigration Dude looked at me with those cold dead-fish oh-so serious eyes, and informed me that I had overstayed my visa in Indonesia by one day too long. Uh-oh. You may not think that one day would be a big deal, but when it comes to the law, everything in Indonesia is a big deal. Janelle and I had screwed up in our calculations for when we had to leave the country (it's unclear on the visa) and now we were both being escorted into 'that special room' behind those 'big doors' you see at customs where you just know that evil things are happening behind them. Indonesia's a nation where even suspected drug trafficers are given the death penalty, and where overstaying your visa can be warrant enough to be thrown in jail. A million panicky thoughts were flooding through our heads as we were ushered into that room where tourists never come out of.

Fortunately, everything worked out. The Immigration Dude in the room was actually quite friendly, and we explained our situation and apologized profusely. Instead of being thrown in jail, we were simply fined $20 each. Phew! "Yes, yes! That'll be fine, sir! Thank you, sir! We're sorry, sir!" And a few minutes later we were back in the land of the living and boarding the plane. Two hours and forty minutes later we landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, safe and sound.

And what a change in scene it was! Indonesia is a remarkably beautiful country, but it's definitely a developing nation. After a month in the Third World, Kuala Lumpur (KL) seemed like jumping into the future, as if we had somehow magically arrived in the year 2030 or something. The airport was brand new and gorgeous, and we boarded a high-speed train that whisked us into the city centre in only 28 minutes. Upon arrival in the city we couldn't get over all the big modern skyscrapers surrounding us, and the many LRT lines with little trains zipping all over the place. Way cool! We checked into our hostel, had some dinner, and then made a b-line for The attraction of all attractions in KL - the world-famous Petronas Towers.

Out of the LRT station we found ourselves inside the mother of all shopping malls, and we meandered outside to find the towers...right on top of us. We stepped out those big glass mall doors, turned around, and looked up. Way up. Like W-A-Y UP!!! And there they were. Lit up like two twin megalithic candles, the Petronas Towers soared above us straight up the heavens. They were completely and utterly magnificent. You see those towers in pictures, or on TV (ever seen the movie 'Entrapment'?) but you have no idea how huge they are until you're right at their toes. They're really, really, fucking tall!!

Although they've been trumped in the last year by Taiwan's Taipei 101 Tower, and therefore now only rank as the second tallest skyscrapers in the world, lemme tell ya that being #2 ain't bad at all. The shape of the towers alone is so unique, with the alternating combo of circular and triangular protusions, and the towers' billion and one lights that shine out Malaysia's confidence to the world are pretty amazing too, but it's that SkyBridge that really makes the buildings truly incredible. Joining the two twin towers at Level 41 and 42, is the double-decker SkyBridge that practically seems to hover in that fragile space between the two ginormous needles. You really just can't take your eyes off those Petronas Towers once you've looked at them. They're as awe-inspiring as any building ever could be.

Janelle and I took some time to soak in all the towers' gloriousness. We laid out in the park across the street from them and just stared up at them and chatted for like two hours or something. Naturally, given that they're twin towers, the conversation couldn't help but eventually turn to what used to be the world's most famous twin towers - the WTC in New York. Staring up at buildings this big, you can only begin to imagine how shocking it must have been to watch those New York towers collapse completely. To see those images on TV were one thing...but to witness that with your own eyes....wow...

We also talked about how we felt bad that neither of us had ever been to New York to see them before they were gone, and that now we never will. And then I felt bad for thinking that, when really I should be thinking about how tragic it is how all those people lost their lives in that disaster. Towers on this scale, like the Petronas in KL, act as such a landmark, a centre of gravity, a constant focus for people to live there. What must New York be like now for New Yorkers now that the WTC is gone? Has the Empire State Building or Chrysler Building reclaimed that role, as something that you use as a beacon for direction, or just to gaze at when your mind wanders? It's got me curious, anyway.

Our next day was a very consumerist-crazed day. Our shopping day. Hell, it was The Mother of all shopping days. It started off with us wandering through the Penaling Market in Chinatown, and then realizing that we really were sick of markets. Yeah you can find some real bargains in them, but the constant harrasing by the vendors just gets under your skin sometimes. You feel such pressure, so tense when you're shopping there, that you wonder in the end if it was worth getting that deal. Sure you can save a lot of money shopping in the Asian markets, but you don't really have a relaxing time while at it.

Instead, we went back to that mall at the bottom of the Petronas Towers. And oh baby, did we ever DO that mall that day. We stripped that mall down, scoured it from top to bottom, used and abused it, and sucked it dry for all that it was worth. That mall was nothing but a naked, quivering, pile of frightened jelly in the corner by the time my sister and I were through with it. Blame it on my absence from good shopping access for over a year and a half, but I went wild in that mall. I spent a small fortune on clothes, and bought sooooo many goodies. I now have tons of new winter clothes to look forward to wearing upon my return to the Arctic this December. I probably spent more than I should have, but I don't feel guilty at all. In Korea I could never go shopping, cause either the clothes there didn't fit me, or were just too fucking ugly that I'd never buy them. This mall, however, was overflowing with cool stores, including a bunch of European chains that we don't have back in Canada. It was Ka-Ching Ka-Ching Ka-Ching all day long, and it made me feel damn good. Like eating an entire jar's worth of chocolate chip cookies in one sitting, you have that slightly-guilty but sinfully-delicious feeling of fullness when you're done. It was awesome.

And, the whole time we got to shop in peace! No harrassing, no being yelled at by vendors, no having to bargain or wonder if you're being ripped off. Just good ol' fashioned Western-style shopping, where you're blinded by all the lights, ignored by the sales staff, and in the end still wish that your outfit looked as good on you as it did on the mannequin. Good times! Besides the shopping, Janelle and I also had a big dinner there at Chi-chi's (delicious!) and spent a lot of time browsing through the Lonely Planets in a giant bookstore. And I even bought two magazines for myself! (GQ and Details.) Woohoo! This day is just full of treats!

We were much better-behaved the next day. We had a wonderful buffet lunch at the top of the Menara Kuala Lumpur (the world's fourth tallest tower), enjoying the splendid view of the city below from the rotating restaurant. And then browsed through some more.... Okay okay, yes, we went back to the mall. But it wasn't the same one! It was a different one, I swear! Actually we went to four malls that day, but they were all small, and I only bought one shirt. And another belt. So really, I was quite a good boy after all, right? Later that night we went and saw 'The Legend of Zorro' (an okay movie) and then on to bed.

On our last full day in KL we returned to the Petronas Towers, but this time we actually went up them. There's 88 floors in the building, but the only public access is up to - and across - the SkyBridge. It's free to visit them, but they're pretty strict about it. They only give out 800 tickets a day, and you're given a specific time slot as to when you can come. And then you're only allowed 10 minutes up there. We madly took a bunch of photos, and enjoyed the dizzying sensations of vertigo that came from staring down at the city. It was a pretty cool visit, and an experience that's definitely a must for all visitors to KL.

Later that we went back to the train station to buy our tickets for the next day, and then back to the hostel. Janelle wasn't feeling too hungry that night so I ventured out for dinner on my own. I ended up at this restaurant chain called 'Kenny Rogers Roasters.' The name made me chuckle, as I thought of the famous country singer of the same name, and was amused by the coincidence. However, when I sat down and looked at the menu, I saw....a picture of Kenny Rogers - THE Kenny Rogers! - on the logo! And then I looked at the wall, and there, sure enough, was an actual photo of the country crooner. Wow! I had no idea that Kenny had ventured off into food projects as well. My chicken turned out to be, in all honesty, really freaking delicious! DAMN, Kenny! Who knew that not only can you sing a sweet tune at the Grand Ol' Opry, but you can whip up a mean batch of roasted chicken back in that kitchen? Sweetness!

So we had to leave the next morning bright and early, and that's probably a good thing. We've bought so much here in KL that we actually had to buy a duffle bag to help us carry it home. Another day or two here and who knows what further damage we could do to our wallets? (Un)fortunately, our next destination also hails itself as a shopping mecca - Singapore. Uh-oh...do I spy with my shopaholic eye some more shopping adventures on the horizon? ;-)