Early this morning we met in the lobby to start our walking tour. We went across the street for breakfast at this Chinese vegetarian buffet in a larger hawker area. I am actually quite amazed at how much vegetarian food we have found here in Kuala Lumpur. They have lots of tofu, more varieties of veggie meat than I've ever seen before, and many different leafy vegetables that must be cousins with bok choy.
When we were done with breakfast, Dr. Perumal led us through a narrow alley past cages crammed with muddy live chickens, chopping blocks, and mountains of freshly slaughtered meat. This was the wet market of Chinatown. It was a maze of fish, pork, beef, and vegetables. I did my best to focus ONLY on the vegetables and block out the rest. When I couldn't block it out, I found the market very nauseating. Most people in America don't think about where their food comes from. They don't want to. It's nice to go pick up chicken from SAFEWAY and never connect the chilled piece of meat sitting on a little rectangle of styrofoam and bundled in Saran Wrap to a living chicken. Let me clarify: I'm not a vegetarian for animal rights purposes. I wear leather shoes and even even take a break from my vegetarianism to have chicken noodle soup when I'm sick sometimes. (Whew, what a load off my chest!) What I'm trying to say is that if they had a "wet market" in SAFEWAY right next to the dairy section, more Americans would be vegetarian.
We emerged from the dark alley and all took a deep breath of fresh air. From there, we tried a couple of breakfast desserts on the street and walked about three blocks to the historic Central Market. From the looks of the building, it was built in the '20s or '30s. It is a Costco-sized building that houses a bunch of small shops, and has been a local shopping area for generations. It wasn't open when we first arrived, so we walked down a street lined with colorfully painted storefronts and apartments to find a mosque.
The vast majority of our group was underdressed for the mosque, but we donned purple Friar Tuck robes and were able to walk around the outside of the building to get a closer view. The inside was undergoing renovation, so our tour was brief. I wish I understood more about the culture of the burka. On our first day of the trip, we were able to talk at length with a Muslim woman who was wearing a head scarf and a long skirt and a blouse with long sleeves. She was definitely not the most conservative Muslim woman I've seen, but she explained that in her youth she had dressed like we did. She backpacked across Asia by herself, and married a man who did not require that she change her taste in clothing. According to her, she wanted to cover up more of her body to protect herself and to draw less attention to her physical appearance. She told us that when she made the change to wearing more conservative clothes, many of her friends assumed that her husband had required it of her. But she flatly denied this, saying that she did it for many reasons, but that he had not made her do it.
It's just interesting to me, because after touring the outside of the mosque for about 15 minutes, I was getting very warm under that robe. The heat and humidity can be overwhelming when I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but within a few minutes under the incubator of a robe my hair was plastered to my forehead, I was getting sweat rings under my armpits, and I had emptied the 1-liter water bottle that I had just bought. There are many women who are either required by their husbands or their community or make the personal choice to wear EVEN MORE layers of clothes. If it is their personal decision based on their religious convictions, more power to them! In that case, I greatly admire their stamina and poise under tent-like material in weather that makes one wonder if the whole country is trapped inside a giant sauna. If, however, it is not their personal conviction, but something that is forced upon them, I have great pity for their situation. It makes my heart ache to think of the torture that outfit would be every day, especially if they didn't choose it.
We went from the mosque back to the Central Market, and were able find some souvenirs. It's a touristy shopping area, but even so, people will bargain and haggle with you. "Are you sure you only want one purse, Miss? Three: better price!" It's an interesting process. You make an offer, they pretend to be insulted, you pretend to walk away, they lower their bid, and then you go back to the beginning of the cycle again. Bid, counter-bid, over and over, until you arrive at a price that is mutually agreeable. It's fun. I wish I could do that at stores in the United States!
After the Central Market, we took an underground train to the Little India neighborhood. It was beautiful. We passed an old orphanage that was really nice, and a colorful fountain. The real rainbow of color appeared when we reached the hub of Little India. On either side of a wide boulevard, kaleidoscopic arches bordered off generous sidewalks from the street. The sidewalks lead past an even more colorful array of stores and restaurants. Saris blew in the breeze, bangle bracelets glittered in the sun, and fresh flower garlands and fruit gave the air a sweet quality. This was probably the biggest Little India that we visited on the trip. It was definitely much more metropolitan, because Kuala Lumpur is the capital. We walked through the shops and looked around for a bit. It was very, very warm. The air seemed to get more damp by the second, as it often does before it rains. We needed a break, so Tori, Jenna, and I stopped in KFC to take advantage of their A/C. We noticed that instead of the normal American fare, they served Fried Chicken with rice and green curry gravy. Actually, the green curry gravy was on everything, even chicken burgers. We didn't eat anything, but sat on the plastic swivel chairs like vegetables in a fridge.
Soon it was time to meet the group for lunch, so we walked to the "Veg and Non-veg" buffet that we had agreed upon earlier. It was so good. We sat around an oval table in the back of the packed, open-air restaurant, and we were able to cool down with Mango Lassi and Banana Lassi.
Just when we were getting ready to leave, a downpour started outside. It was probably some of the most frustrating rain I've ever experienced. Even under my poncho, I was getting wet. We had to walk a long distance to get to a museum, which was very difficult, especially in the rain.
When we reached the museum, we walked through an outdoor courtyard that was very busy. There was a giant barbecue, other various food tables, and long banquet tables lined up end to end. I thought we had accidentally crashed a wedding in our ponchos, but apparently it was the celebration of Hari Raya. Everyone was very nice and offered us free food, but we felt a little out of place and continued to the museum. The museum was excellent. It was the Malaysian History museum, and I really liked the fact that it had lots of hands-on displays and interactive exhibits.
After we saw the museum, we were all pretty much spent. The experience of muggy heat followed with a good amount of time trudging through the rain had exhausted us. It was about 4:30 PM when we got back to the hotel, but I went straight to bed. I set an alarm for 7 PM to get up to study, but I could have slept through the whole night. I had started to feel a bit under the weather, and the sleep was just what I needed. I got up at 7 to study for the next day's final exam and prepare my presentation on "Culture Expressed Through Architecture," which was due right after the final exam. I stayed up until about midnight studying and working, and then decided I needed to get some sleep.
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