Meet the Peeps

So far, I'm not really liking Kuala Lumpur.

The city is clogged full of smoky traffic and seems to have this combined meat and shit smell that wafts at you every now and then. Every road is lined with taxi touts (who will refuse to turn their meters on) and Chinese guys selling knock-off sunglasses and t-shirts for tourist rip-off prices.

This is not helped by the fact I have been feeling quite lonely and irritable. I usually hate my own company, and this trip is no exception,so I decided yesterday that I need to put some more effort in with other people.

The hostel is mostly full of unsociable gits who spend more time inside on their smart phones than anything else. That being said, I have made an effort to introduce myself to my dorm-mates and on Tuesday I went out for some fabulous Dosa and mooched around Chinatown with Lara (from Cologne). Talking to Lara was great because we could compare prices for things (so you can tell whether you're being ripped off or not) and it also feels a lot safer around the more shady areas. I find that I only really get cat-calls and leers if I am by myself.

Lara left yesterday, so I ventured out again and once again ended up in an Indian restaurant. It is quite clear from this food pattern that I will not be losing any weight on this trip. I ordered a Thali, and was soon invited to join Viki (an Indian from Singapore) and Debbie (from Taiwan) for dinner. They had both travelled extensively, and scrutinised every aspect of my travel plan. Viki gave me some good advice for places to visit in the South of India, along with a powerful mantra (written down) to say every evening in order to get my dream job.

 I then went to a nearby Reggae bar for a beer, in the hopes of meeting some people. Through the sweet smokey shisha haze I met Ruza from Nepal, in Malaysia to trade in gemstones. I think this was the same Reggae bar that Pete went to back in the dark ages when he went backpacking, as there were notes written all over the bare bricks and Bob Marley pictures.

Today I met Anisha and Sanjay, some South Africans coming back from the Hindu Thaipusam festival at the Batu Caves. It was comforting to know that they had been feeling some of the frustration that I had with KL, but highly recommended Thailand to me (which made me even more excited about that). Sanjay declared that "once you're there, you'll never want to leave."