First Week and KLCC

So the first day at work was rather eventful. Thinking I had been clever and finding the office building the previous day and after been told this was the main office (clearly the security guard did not understand me) I ended up nowhere near I should have been. After a phone call the manager, lots of misdirection, I eventually got picked up in a taxi and arrived 45mins late covered in sweat and not smelling my usual Jean Paul Gaultier best. After this I settled down and went round the office and met everyone. The people I would be spending most of my working time with, and socially were the Superusers who I nervously met in a locked away Training Room. I’m not one for standing up in front of groups of people and introducing myself and I was kind of suspicious of why they were in a separate room. Turns out 2 days later I would be in here myself, making myself at home and being made to feel extremely welcome. The first week at work was largely uneventful and I even managed to walk to work the remaining 4 days without getting lost, although the telling 12-9 shift had started to take it out of me especially when I wasn’t sleeping well on my bed, which I’m starting to wonder if the mattress is made out of wood and pillows made out of duck beaks instead of feathers.

Some old run down Malaysian houses I pass on the way to work

 

 

Tuesday night would bring my first visit to Changkat with the lads from work for a leaving due. Changkat is a strip of bars that would expect to find in Malia or Kavos, but instead of being filled with 18yr old pikeys you have a few old expats, a few tourists, lots of Malaysian locals and a African hooker trying to convinve me to go with her by grabbing and pulling my nose. This strip of bars is 30seconds walk from my hotel so I got the feeling I would be spending a lot of time here and I was right. Tuesday night was rather low key, a few pints and some food. Thursday I was back there again, again low key with one of the lads from work giving me the rundown of where and when to go and some tastes of the local street food. Friday I would end up here again. This time less low key. At 1am I found myself quite drunk sitting at a bar on my own (the guy just left) with 4 Malaysian girls offering me drinks and cigarettes to join them. I kindly obliged and went and sat with them and tried to understand there broken English and make some small talk. I ended up having a dance till about 2 while be offered a few free pints but one of their lad mates I met inside. I said my goodbyes and headed home feeling rather good but slightly tired from my dancing and late night.

Underneath the Petronas Towers

 

 

Saturday feeling slightly hung-over I got up for breakfast and decided I would go for a walk and enjoy some of the heat. I headed to KLCC Park where the PETRONAS Towers are situated, the tallest twin towers in the world. It was starting to become hard to gage, just how tall buildings are as in KL a 40 story building is a regular occurrence. These are 80+ floors high however and tower above everything in sight. What happened next was rather surreal. I would be standing there, looking rather Essex in my vest and chino shorts, when 4 young lads asked for their photo. I didn’t really understand but I took the opportunity to feel like a celeb and let them flash away. Next 5 girls over and all had there photo taken. I decided to move and go sit down on the other side of the manmade lake. Next a family with a 1/2 year old kid come and sat next to me, passed me the kid to hold while the mum and dad sat either side. I thought this was rather strange by now and decided to leave. Since I have been here, I have been told I look Ryan Gosling so maybe it was a case of mistaken identity or they really do just love a westerner. After this I continued my walk round the park and chilled out for an hour taking in the rather tranquil surroundings writing this blog.

KLCC Park lake 2

 

 

Following my Ryan Gosling experience I just went for a walk with the purpose to almost get lost. I stumbled across the slums of KL and found some wild dogs having a fight. This was such a contrast to the area I was in only a few miles back down the road. I ended up back at the giant shopping mall not far from my hotel and proceeded to make my way back. I was very hungry and thirsty by now and the skies looked like they were about to open up. That night I would go out for Halloween. It’s not that big in Malaysia but they still put the effort in and get dressed up. I met a lad from work and wore the only Halloween thing I could find. Some light up devil horns I bought from a guy on the street. I had a funny night, met some lads I would be spending a few more nights out with, who looked after me, feeding me shots most of the nights, getting me blind drunk and introducing me the Malaysian ladies. I did however manage to have my photo taken with the Malaysian Jamie Oliver. Not that I would know this till Monday morning. I just assumed it was a crazy old guy getting in the Halloween Spirit. Sunday, obviously all the days were catching up with me I woke up at 5.30pm in the afternoon and it was safe to say, that the day was a right off. Week One in Malaysia had lived up to my expectations and I hoped there was more of the same to come. 

Me and a very crazy camp Chef Wan