Goodbye K-L Hello Penang

MUSINGS ON KL
This is a BIG city! Highway dominated, traffic moves well, hardly any motorcycles compared to where we’ve been. The massive apartments and interchanges seem generally aesthetically integrated into the surroundings. It seems true that inhabitants here “don’t walk”. Sidewalks have sudden drop offs or end abruptly. Pedestrian walkways do exist but you won’t always find them on google! With humidity, the weather was 43 degrees C yesterday; this limits activity for tourist and local alike. With more days, we would have liked to investigate a megacentre, a nearby food street, the highest McDonalds in the world atop KL Tower and take in the evening laser light show at the park. Locals have seemed a bit aloof, perhaps just a reflection of a big city. We note a late breakfast culture and food doesn’t vary much from breakfast to dinner. We've had a challenge taking advantage of "street food" partly because of irregular hours, food sel3ction, needing a break from heat, and not wanting to sit on stools. Same stuff is in restaurants, albeit a little more expensive for the A/C

We departed on ETS business class train from KL Sentral station, arriving at the Butterworth Station, Penang four hours later. Most noticeable along that way were the many palm oil groves. Palm oil has been used since at least 3,000 BCE and became a commodity for British traders as an industrial lubricant during the Industrial Revolution and in soaps. It is made from the fruit of the palm and further developments in its refinement have made it the most commonly used fat for frying in the world, a major source of calories for many people the most extensively used fat in processed food due to its stability. There are many controversies - significant ecosystem impacts, indigenous territorial right infringement, exploitation of workers, biofuel vs food conflicts and debate about whether it is a "healthy or unhealthy" fat. After a quick read about palm oil in Wikipedia, Nancy avoided checking to see what type of oil was in the chocolate muffin provided in the snack pack on the train!

Our booked hotel is just south of the "Old Quarter", but the area is a bit desolate with scrap shops, mechanical shops, lots of old shop houses but no eateries etc. After the first night of no sleep due to a water pump whirring and clunking all night (among other reasons) , we did something we have never done and walked away to go to a newer (but more expensive) hotel.Okumaya devam et