Hop On Hop Off

We are fans of hop on hop off buses. We first tried them in Dubai, and then again in Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto. It's a perfect way to get an overview of a city. Previously, we would choose a hotel near what we want to see or do, and then just wander around seeing what else is nearby.
Too often, when somebody hears that we went somewhere, they ask "did you see.....". No.
"Then how about...." No. "Surely you saw...." No.
The bus fixes all of that. You get to see things you didn't know were there, and often get a bit of the history of some points of interest.

Up until a very short time ago, Malaysia was a tropical jungle. Hot, steamy and overgrown. Not much has changed, except that another kind of jungle has arrived, and the two are doing battle.
Drive along the roads cut like a gash through the jungle, and it feels like the jungle is pressing in, trying to heal itself. Any road abandoned for too long will eventually disappear, fodder for the flora and fauna that was here first.

Driving around the city, it feels a little like Hong Kong. There are the shiny parts, that feel like the best that Singapore has to offer. But turn the corner, and you are in dingiest Bangkok. Grubby streets, grubby walls, grubby children.

This may seem superficial, but we have noticed three tiers or standards in the Southeast Asian cities we have visited.

At the top, of course is Singapore. Clean. Reliable. Efficient. Almost sanitized.

At the bottom is Bangkok. Dirty, smelly. Sweltering.

In the middle is Hong Kong, and now Kuala Lumpur. Bits of both.

It breaks your heart to see the way some people are forced to grow up in the long shadows cast by neon society.
There is no social welfare system in these countries, no government safety net. These people live and die on their wits. This is why the tourists we condemn are so demanding and so pushy. This is why they push their children to succeed in school. If you don't take it, somebody else will. There are no prizes for second in these societies. You can relax when you have all the money, so only the children of the wealthy have the luxury of a childhood.

The farmers in this country still do their thing pretty much the way their fathers did, and then have to compete with imported goods. The government had attempted to protect them with tariffs and other mechanisms, but it seems the US of A trotted off to the UN to complain because they wanted to be able to trade.
I don't know why any government would allow imports of something that would destroy one of their own major industries. What price progress?

This is purely a personal observation from bite sized views that a tourist gets. All cities have their stories, good and bad.



















Anyway, we decide to get off the bus at only one place. The twin towers, obviously named by a J. K. Rowling fan, they appear to be made entirely from stainless steel. Or perhaps pewter. After all, the famous Royal Selangor pewter factory is here in Malaysia.

There is another huge shopping centre here, and Sarah has it on good authority that there is a Marks and Sparks store here. Maybe one of our butlers told her.

On the way, we pass many mosques and mosque-like buildings. Islamic architecture really is quite beautiful. Spectacular detail.

We find the store, and she does a bit of shopping. What was even more exciting to her was that she had the courage to enter another Prada store. And not a glove in sight!
She got to touch the bags, open the bags, examine the bags. Sad really.

I've Been Buttled Again
Back to Petronas Towers. We have all been caught short in a mall. That's why they have so many toilets. I decided to use the facilities before we left this big one, so off I go.
Oh, good. There's a stall available at the end. Now I see why. It's one of those squatty ones I will probably see more of in India. No thanks, I'm off. Try another one. And another one. Amazing how many people use the public bogs at any one time. And yet nobody is using the one at the end. Somebody should be able to make some money from this. Don't speak too soon.

On one floor, we had walked past what was called a Premier toilet, so we went back to that. For the paltry sum of 2 ringets, you can use this toilet.
We both went in. The layout was identical to all of the others. I was now an expert on bogs in this mall. The only difference was a lady sitting at a table at the last bend before the doors to the ladies and the gents. She took our 2 ringets each (no bulk discount), gave us a ticket and a prepackaged wet wipe. No I don't know either.
So in I go, and there's a guy mopping the floor. I head towards one stall, but he directs me to another one, but he ducks in first and wipes the seat for me. Butler service, huh?
When I come out, he directs me to the basin, and pushes the button for me to squirt soap onto my hand. I get to wash my hands unassisted. He was either after a big tip, or he thought I was retarded. Wrong on both counts.

By the way, had lunch at Harrods in the mall. Very nice, but it really is for the noters. See this lady. Obviously she can't allow her bag to touch the ground.