Day 5: Of markets and malls

Today was a day of shopping fails.

Today, I have to say, I hate the shopping in KL.

Remember yesterday’s coffeeshop power outage? Turns out this got me twice, as the laundry I dropped off yesterday wasn’t ready due to the same power issues. And while we’re talking about power issues, I discovered my room’s mini-fridge didn’t work, forcing me to sadly throw out the cooking class leftovers as they were at the wrong temperature for who knows how long.

I headed out this morning for the Amcorp mall flea market, a place where all manner of weird and wonderful trinkets and knick knacks and second hand things and gifts can be found. And there were indeed weird and wonderful things, CDs, records, old crockery, second hand books, and things that fall under the general heading of stuff, filling the basement level. The other floors also had stalls with stuff, and shops with stuff, and if you’re looking for all manner of weird pop culture figurines this is probably the place to go, but none of the stuff was what I was looking for (there was one CD, Texas’s Mother’s Heaven, but it was more scratched than our dog Billie). Other than that, nothing I saw really leapt out as something for me or something to gift.

I did get a decent dish of fried chicken and spicy rice, at least.

After several hours I gave up, and Grabbed to Berjaya Times Square, not far from my hotel. This place is huge. How huge? It contains Malaysia’s largest indoor theme park. This includes an 800m long rollercoaster that weaves through 4 floors of amusement. Now I’m not so comfortable with rollercoasters and heights and things like that, so of course I stumped up the 57MYR entry fee to the amusement part so I could ride that sucker, because of course the last thing I want to be on a holiday is comfortable, right? I got hit up for another 10MYR for a locker to stash my pack, tucked the essentials into those pockets that button, and joined the queue. Just ahead of me was a lovely young lady who’d ridden this a few times, and I think she was amused that this old white guy was also lining up.

So I did it. I got in the car, strapped myself in, checked multiple times that the chest brace was locked and would hold my frame, didn’t get overly concerned at the apparent youth of the attendants doing the checks, and away I went. Upside down, up, down, around, all the time reassuring myself that centrifugal force would hold my glasses onto my head, or is that centripedal force? Whicheverforce, my glasses held, and I climbed out a tad wobbly at the knees but with travel insurance intact.

There’s also this other thing, basically a bunch of chairs are strapped to spokes which are then strapped to a four storey pole. This contraption then starts spinning and goes up, and doesn’t stop spinning until it’s gone to the top, waited a while, and then gone all the way down. See above re: heights so of course I did this ride, too. While doing my best to channel some teenage adrenaline junkie, the rollercoaster zoomed past, and I did notice that the support poles do move just a bit. I’m no engineer (see above re: centrifugal/centripedal force), so I have no idea if the poles moving is okay, but I decided not to have another spin on the rollercoaster after seeing that.

So I’m still alive. I also let common sense have a say, in that I chose not to eat anything before the rides.

If the rides were a challenge, trying to find suitable gifts in the 10 storeys of mall was impossible (though to be fair, I bailed after level 6 or 7). I don’t know if I’m looking in the wrong place, but for all the stores there isn’t a lot of variety. It really feels that almost every store is selling the same bags, luggage, clothes, perfumes, shoes, pop-culture knick knacks, none of which is what I’m looking for. The only item purchased today at BTS was the swanky KL Starbucks mug for the collection, as much out of desperation that I’d at least buy something today.

Then it was back to the hotel for quick break, where my laundry was delivered and they’d replaced my fridge, before heading out to the Kampung Baru night market.

I don’t know if I was too early, or caught them on a bad week, but the internet’s promises of Malay-influenced gift and souvenir shopping was a bust tonight. There were a handful of stands not selling food, and they were selling shoes and backpacks. I did get a decent nasi lemak with squid and sambal, but nothing else.

I was a little disheartened, so checked the map and figured I could walk to Petaling St, and at least do some tacky souvenir shopping. Along the way I found an Indian night market, which again didn’t have much in the way of gifts, but I did get some tasty chicken on a stick (and at 6MYR I think I got the tourist price).

I knew I was getting close to Petaling St when I saw the minarets of the Jamek Mosque. What I didn’t know was that at night there are fountains in the river around the mosque, and lights that change colour, like groovy disco lights. The fountains also throw up a fine mist that hangs in the air like a fog, it’s all rather scenic.

By the time I got to Petaling St I was tired, sweaty, and in no mood to shop, so I did a cursory walk through and then kept walking, heading for Jalan Alor and the promise of some dessert. Tired and footsore I then skipped dessert and headed back to the hotel, pausing briefly to catch the very end of the Chelsea v Man U game.

I’d like to think every traveller has those moments, when home is too far away, you’re tired, and totally over humanity. You’ve been out of routine for a while, possibly eating different foods at different times and in different amounts, having to find different places to eat different things, you’ve been relying on rideshares, taxis, public transport, or just damn walking a couple of km as it seems easier than trying to sort out a rideshare, taxi, or public transport. For a little while, you just want to go home to your awesome partner and naughty pets and comfy couch instead of walking those extra few km. I felt a bit like that this evening.

But I have 2 days to go, 2 days of food and sights and shopping and if I am lucky I’ll wake up tomorrow and bounce back. I will successfully shop tomorrow.