TBA Day 7: Getting to KL

(Written Day 7 but posted the next morning since the internet was being sketchy)

Today was pretty uneventful. Woke up feeling well-rested, had a cup of coffee, let Ringo call my cab, then it was off for a pleasant drive to the train station followed by a 2-hour train ride to Kuala Lumpur. Now, everyone kept telling me that the bus is the way to go, but after relaxing in my lovely, spacious seat in the First Class A/C car, I find that hard to believe. If I’m going to be in one place for more than an hour or two, I’d rather add a little time in exchange for increased comfort any day… The seats in First Class are seriously comfortable, and I booked the seat on the side with only one seat per row so I got both armrests (without having to fight for them)… ooh, AND they give you a bottle of water and a muffin when you get on board. So nice! Thus, even though I know a bus to Penang only takes 5.5 hours and the train takes 7.5 hours, I will be taking the train again in 5 days. I’d SO much rather sit in a luxurious seat on the train (even for 2 hours longer) than sit in a cramped seat on bus, and I’m in no rush. As I discovered (again) today, I’m pretty useless when I get to my destination. All I want to do is take a shower, collapse in my room, then go to bed…

In other news, I missed out on round 2 of laksa this morning due to complete lack of hunger. I tried to make myself go but there was no way I would have been able to even make a dent in it, and then I would feel like a jerk (and like I was indicating that I didn’t enjoy what surely would have been a great dish). I think I may have acquired what Steph and I always referred to as a “reverse tapeworm,” which mysteriously makes you never be as hungry as you should be. This is no time for such things, dammit! I better wake up starving tomorrow…

I ended up changing my reservation last night to a place called Anjung KL. They got me a first floor room, but when I arrived I discovered that those don’t have windows, so I decided to endure one flight of stairs in exchange for a window. As I sit in my lovely room that looks like a nice place to hang out rather than like a prison cell, I think that was the right call... The guy tried to put me upstairs in a room with a window initially, even though I would have to change rooms after the first 2 nights, then I told him about the ankle thing and he put me on the main floor and I went to check out my room/cell. When I decided 2 minutes later that I wasn’t going to enjoy that room, a couple had walked in and jacked my good room for tomorrow night. So tomorrow I’m moving to the room next door (no window, but nice bed), then the night after that I’ll move to the room next door to that on the other side (which is a lot like the lovely room I’m in tonight) for the remainder of my stay…

Tomorrow I’ll set out to explore KL, but today I’m pretty much done for… My hostel is in a really cool neighborhood with lots of hawker stalls and restaurants right outside the front door, which should be fun. It’s actually located right next to several things I’d marked in purple (meaning “must try”) on my google maps, so that’s convenient. The cabs here are much easier than in Melaka, too. As far as I could tell, the only way to call a cab in Melaka was to call Ringo and have him call you one, whereas here there are several companies you can easily call up for a ride.

It amazes me that even a post about a day when nothing at all happens can get this long… Geez…