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We’ve only been in KL for a week, and one thing is already abundantly clear: we are definitely all going to gain weight during our two years here:

KL is, without exaggeration, a foodie’s heaven. Everywhere you turn, a culinary adventure awaits. In the week or so we’ve been here, we have not yet had the same thing twice and it feels like we’ve only barely scratched the surface. As icing on the cake, prices are all very reasonable too (most of our meals have been under $5). So much for getting my six pack back…oh well, priorities.

And while we knew the food was going to be fantastic before we arrived (both based on our own experience from our last visit and testimonials of everyone we knew who has lived in Malaysia), here are some surprising/interesting nuances so far about our new home:

• The mall culture: People here love their malls. While it may seem a bit strange that a mall (read: Pavilion) is considered an attraction, it didn’t take long for us to understand why malls are so popular here.  After walking around under the hot sun and sweating profusely for just a few minutes, a mall with cool AC pumping is a sight for sore eyes. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that the malls here are full of good restaurants, cafes and desert shops, giving you plenty of reasons to linger.  Just how popular are malls here? 3 out of 10 largest malls in the world are in Malaysia.
• The building boom: There are lots of new residential developments in the city. Right next door to us, a new mid-rise condo building is under construction; and within a mile radius, there are a handful more being built.  And the weird thing is, many of these buildings are barely occupied.  Our building is a prime example: since it opened its doors about a year ago, most of the units still remain unoccupied.  It’s a little strange to be living in a mostly empty building, but the upside? we pretty much have the pool and gym all to ourselves.
• Dry/Wet Kitchens: Our apartment comes with a “dry” kitchen and a “wet” kitchen (apparently common in SE Asia). The dry kitchen is where you would bake, make coffee, heat up stuff; and the wet kitchen is where you would do the heavy duty cooking like wok frying, etc.  Sounds like a fine concept, except when you have to decide where to keep the stuff you need for each of the kitchens.
• The water heater switch: One of the first things our sponsor pointed out to us is the little switch by each of our bathrooms — the water heater switch.  ”if you want hot water, make sure you flip this switch.”  Interesting, I thought — who wouldn’t want to have hot water? or at least the option? but apparently, the builders don’t make that assumption.
• Sky juice: Care to guess what that is? If you guessed drinking water, you are correct.  It’s apparently one of those old English terms that only Malaysians use now. I love ordering sky juice with my meal.
• #79 bus: Since our car is not here yet, we’ve been relying on public transportation.  The nearest bus station is only a short walk away and pretty much every bus that comes by the station will go to KLCC (city center).  Most of the buses are the clean and modern city buses that accept the city transport cards, but then, there is the #79 bus.  It only takes cash and would often linger at a major stop for minutes as the ticketing clerk hangs out on the street to drum up business.  They are pretty run down and often drives around with its doors open, but in a pinch, it will get you to where you need to go.  Definitely an experience.

That’s it for now. Until next time…