Leaving Malaysia

It seems like only yesterday i landed in KL airport and found my way to the Reggae hostel, yet today is friday and tomorrow i check out at midday and have to head to Phuket Thailand. I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay here and Kuala Lumpur has been a great introduction to the backpacker lifestyle. The people i have met here have given me a good idea of what im heading into. A lot of people are arriving in KL at the end of their trip so they have stories and advice from the places i havent reached yet.
I must mention David Graham who was a very gracious guide to a newbie on his first day in KL, we both stayed in Reggae 2 so on my first day i tagged along with dave to discover the petronas towers, KL city centre, how to haggle in chinatown, and the best way to avoid exorbitant tourist prices around the city, I continued through as many points on my map as i could find and after my 5 days i think i can fairly say i have seen a decent share of whats to be seen in KL.






As for staying in a hostel in general its a lifestyle not unlike college. Everyone is making their own way in an unfamiliar environment, we're all saving our cash and looking for the cheapest bargain, and everyone is a bit unwary and nervous on their first day in a new dorm. Nights are usually quiet with intermittent drunk people crashing onto their bunks, snoring, mumbling and the faint glow of screens from iphones, ipads and various mobile devices availing of the free wifi to book tomorrows tickets. It's the same everywhere I guess, as the sign in Delaney's Irish bar said, there are no strangers here, just friends that haven't met yet.
After the first few encounters it becomes normal to just introduce yourself at random to anyone you see wearing a backpack or cargo shorts. Soon short term friendships are forged and there is always a reason for celebration, be it someone arriving in a new place, Leaving to go home, Birthdays.. Etc. The nervous tension between strangers is easily dissipated by suggesting a beer/coffee/shishah in the local backpackers haunt. Here for example we have the Reggae bar its a bit of a dive but its a good spot to grab some food and use as a rendezvous point. Talking to people who have been to Landmarks or cities ahead of you is the best reviewing service one could ask for, genuine accounts of how expensive things are, whether they were worth the distance and expense, dangers to avoid and unknown gems to be discovered.






So now I am just relaxing in the hostel writing this blog and drinking a coffee, certain creature comforts are still available although slightly different at the same time, for example the coffee is good, but instead of milk the standard additive here is powdered creamer, Carlsberg is available everywhere but glasses are much smaller than a pint. Small differences but it makes you realise you really are 11,000 kilometers from home. Thankfully the spectrum of nationalities adds to the feeling of comraderie, for example i started my trip with an australian roomate, followed by a chance encounter with Jochen a german zoologist i met in the national bird park, that evening we teamed up with Viktor a russian economist who is holidaying through SE asia. This morning as i left the hostel i joined forces with Tsu a korean girl who wanted to see Bukit Bintang the central shopping district (i was going nearby to find an irish bar) It almost reminds me of my Rockwell days where these nationalities were the normal demographic. I Still havent met any irish people but im not too bothered as im sure i'll find plenty of them in Oz.
Thats everything for now i think so i shall leave you with some various photos from the last few days and I will re-establish contact once i touch down in Phuket Thailand. For those interested i will be in the Phuket Backpacker Hostel

Talk Cha!!