As we squeezed the last few items into the storage boxes and tested the weight of the bags it hit us. ' We are leaving our cosy home in the basement in Fitzwilliam Square! We are now folk of no fixed abode!'
Coffee and cake were the order of the day. Ma Long's suggestion of last nibbles in the Boulevard Cafe was the plan. Just like any other Baggot Street munching, but as we wandered back to the flat I did feel the tears. The flat was still quite complete, ready for our friend Ruairi to move in, but the enormity of the whole situation was hard to get our heads around. Last dash upstairs to say goodbye to Vasco & Sonja, Cillian & Tess, now the only Purser Fitzwilliam Square dwellers. Bags on backs, we left all our keys on the hooks and marched down to the bus stop. Ma Long waved us off and Barry Long photographed us; worlds on our backs.....Farewell Baile Ath Cliath.
A short flight to Germany later, we feasted on Burgers and beers before the 8 hours to Singapore. Taxi to the hotel and then....oh surely its breakfast time now....oh, what we're going to a Japanese restaurant for dinner?....but I want scrambled eggs on toast... oh ....noodles will be fine...isn't it breakfast time?........oh 7pm ......already?????
Singapore was hot hot hot. English spoken everywhere and we managed to get a taxi to a bus depot, buy tickets and get a fancy bus to Kuala Lumpur. I think I watched my film allocation for the whole of '07 over the last few days!! Max, Joe's brother, was waiting patiently at the bus station for us in his car. A quick journey on the crazy roads and we were behind the locked gates of Max & Joanies apartment in the embassy district, close to the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
Friday 2nd November and we were left to our own devices in KL. Taxi down town, where high rise buildings tower above the streets and road crossing is only for true dare devils. ' Yes Sir, This way Sir, ' everyone so eager to help. Fashion is important and only the holiday maker is seen wearing flat shoes. Everyone has a phone/ palm top. Strange how we just don't miss them at all......Subway, monorail, light rail, shopping mall. Outside super hot, inside air conditioning, jumper on, jumper off. Umbrella???? Ah to deflect the heat...it is monsoon though....rain....never.
KLCC is a huge development in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. Home to the Petronas Towers standing 452m high and linked by a bridge at the 41st and 42nd floor (88 in total..auspicious number to the Chinese). Petronas is the state owned oil company which spent US$2 Billion on this development!! One tower built by a Japanese firm the other by a Korean firm. The Japanese topped out first but the Koreans built the bridge.....The cross-section of the towers is an eight-pointed star (Islamic art) and the facade is made of stainless steel. It is all lit up at night and helpful to wandering travellers, who have stopped for cocktails and then gone on a random trip on the Monorail (Sue's first) , to find their bearings again.
20km from the city centre we wandered into the jungle. Massive vines and trees and all the world of creepy crawleys. Such a pleasant wander we were having..until...the sky darkened..and then opened. Monsoon season is upon us and discovering that we had walked off our map and that shelter was not forth coming, we scrambled into the bush to look for those big leaves that David Attenborough always found so helpful. Not a hope in hell in finding them, we huddled under the best cover we could find and waited. 40 minutes of downpour later it stopped. We scrambled from the bushes and brushed ourselves down. I had encountered my first leech. A small one but none the less attached to my leg. 2 days later and its still a open wound! Now we understood the umbrellas. Definition of Monsoon: violent and prolonged downpours of the wet stuff!!!!!
China Town deserved a visit and we wandered through the market and resisted all the sellers chants. Spent our afternoon in the gardens by the government buildings which house an orchid and Butterfly park. Sushi is our fave fodder at the moment, and boy am I glad I can manage chopsticks. Noodles with what ever your having yourself are also going down well, not to mention Joanies fabulous home cooking.
Last few days in KL for the moment and a few things planned. Thursday sees the start of Dewali, the Hindu festival so Max & Joanie are off work. We travel to Taman Negara national park for a few days with them and then we say goodbye and fly on to Sabah (on a separate island) until December 23rd when we return to KL for Christmas.
27 to 30 degrees C is where it is at these days and I admit to a small fear of getting struck by lightening when using an umbrella. I think I am winning the 'most swollen mosquito bites' competition but final tallies will be assessed on leaving Malysia. Mental preparation for bugs has begun and once I don't encounter any stag beetles I think I'll be content. Also monkeys, not too fond of them , and that grass hopper thingy that landed on me last night....and there was quite a few bugs on display in the butterfly park. I'm hoping they are all extinct. And leaches, they leave a perfectly circular mark, but not really my thing. Spiders? erm, haven't seen any, maybe I'm not looking close enough... oh they could be anywhere!!! What about those juggernaut bumble bee things that I heard crashing into the side of the vine....! Do you think they sting??? or bite??? " Joe.....Joe...did you check for bugs?" ....." All bugs of course!!!! " Wheres that Deet spray??????"
Coffee and cake were the order of the day. Ma Long's suggestion of last nibbles in the Boulevard Cafe was the plan. Just like any other Baggot Street munching, but as we wandered back to the flat I did feel the tears. The flat was still quite complete, ready for our friend Ruairi to move in, but the enormity of the whole situation was hard to get our heads around. Last dash upstairs to say goodbye to Vasco & Sonja, Cillian & Tess, now the only Purser Fitzwilliam Square dwellers. Bags on backs, we left all our keys on the hooks and marched down to the bus stop. Ma Long waved us off and Barry Long photographed us; worlds on our backs.....Farewell Baile Ath Cliath.
A short flight to Germany later, we feasted on Burgers and beers before the 8 hours to Singapore. Taxi to the hotel and then....oh surely its breakfast time now....oh, what we're going to a Japanese restaurant for dinner?....but I want scrambled eggs on toast... oh ....noodles will be fine...isn't it breakfast time?........oh 7pm ......already?????
Singapore was hot hot hot. English spoken everywhere and we managed to get a taxi to a bus depot, buy tickets and get a fancy bus to Kuala Lumpur. I think I watched my film allocation for the whole of '07 over the last few days!! Max, Joe's brother, was waiting patiently at the bus station for us in his car. A quick journey on the crazy roads and we were behind the locked gates of Max & Joanies apartment in the embassy district, close to the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
Friday 2nd November and we were left to our own devices in KL. Taxi down town, where high rise buildings tower above the streets and road crossing is only for true dare devils. ' Yes Sir, This way Sir, ' everyone so eager to help. Fashion is important and only the holiday maker is seen wearing flat shoes. Everyone has a phone/ palm top. Strange how we just don't miss them at all......Subway, monorail, light rail, shopping mall. Outside super hot, inside air conditioning, jumper on, jumper off. Umbrella???? Ah to deflect the heat...it is monsoon though....rain....never.
KLCC is a huge development in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. Home to the Petronas Towers standing 452m high and linked by a bridge at the 41st and 42nd floor (88 in total..auspicious number to the Chinese). Petronas is the state owned oil company which spent US$2 Billion on this development!! One tower built by a Japanese firm the other by a Korean firm. The Japanese topped out first but the Koreans built the bridge.....The cross-section of the towers is an eight-pointed star (Islamic art) and the facade is made of stainless steel. It is all lit up at night and helpful to wandering travellers, who have stopped for cocktails and then gone on a random trip on the Monorail (Sue's first) , to find their bearings again.
20km from the city centre we wandered into the jungle. Massive vines and trees and all the world of creepy crawleys. Such a pleasant wander we were having..until...the sky darkened..and then opened. Monsoon season is upon us and discovering that we had walked off our map and that shelter was not forth coming, we scrambled into the bush to look for those big leaves that David Attenborough always found so helpful. Not a hope in hell in finding them, we huddled under the best cover we could find and waited. 40 minutes of downpour later it stopped. We scrambled from the bushes and brushed ourselves down. I had encountered my first leech. A small one but none the less attached to my leg. 2 days later and its still a open wound! Now we understood the umbrellas. Definition of Monsoon: violent and prolonged downpours of the wet stuff!!!!!
China Town deserved a visit and we wandered through the market and resisted all the sellers chants. Spent our afternoon in the gardens by the government buildings which house an orchid and Butterfly park. Sushi is our fave fodder at the moment, and boy am I glad I can manage chopsticks. Noodles with what ever your having yourself are also going down well, not to mention Joanies fabulous home cooking.
Last few days in KL for the moment and a few things planned. Thursday sees the start of Dewali, the Hindu festival so Max & Joanie are off work. We travel to Taman Negara national park for a few days with them and then we say goodbye and fly on to Sabah (on a separate island) until December 23rd when we return to KL for Christmas.
27 to 30 degrees C is where it is at these days and I admit to a small fear of getting struck by lightening when using an umbrella. I think I am winning the 'most swollen mosquito bites' competition but final tallies will be assessed on leaving Malysia. Mental preparation for bugs has begun and once I don't encounter any stag beetles I think I'll be content. Also monkeys, not too fond of them , and that grass hopper thingy that landed on me last night....and there was quite a few bugs on display in the butterfly park. I'm hoping they are all extinct. And leaches, they leave a perfectly circular mark, but not really my thing. Spiders? erm, haven't seen any, maybe I'm not looking close enough... oh they could be anywhere!!! What about those juggernaut bumble bee things that I heard crashing into the side of the vine....! Do you think they sting??? or bite??? " Joe.....Joe...did you check for bugs?" ....." All bugs of course!!!! " Wheres that Deet spray??????"
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