Thursday 4th July 2013
So we arrived
into KL (that’s Kuala Lumper for any of you who didn’t know it’s the capital of
Malaysia and how I shall refer to it henceforth from this moment on) at about
6am I hadn’t really slept on the plane and was feeling slow and groggy by the
time we had collected our bags cleared customs and immigration (how I love you
Malaysia with your nice black rubber stamp giving me 90 days in your fantastic
country all for freeeeeeeeee) and found the bus into the city it was about
7.30am we found some seats and promptly went to sleep waking up only when we
were being booted off the bus at KL Sentral. Ayla had booked us a hostel so we
made our way there through some miscommunication or information error what we
thought would be a ten minute walk turned into almost an hour of walking in the
general direction just when we were going to give up and just find somewhere
else we found it. Backhome is an amazing hostel the beds are huge the lockers
are huge the place is spotless the showers are amazing the staff are friendly
and helpful and they give you free breakfast. We settled into our room a deluxe
bed in a four bed dorm deluxe means the beds are doubles and you pay per bed
not per person so we shared. Already Malaysia was stinging us with the price
increase from India. We sorted out our stuff and showered and then headed to
Bukit Bintang on the GOKL bus a free shuttle that buses about the city. The
plan was a day of pampering nails, eyebrows etc. we were walking along when by
chance we came across the Toni and Guy academy for just £2 I had my dreads
chopped off and my wild straggly hair reduced to a tiny pixie cut. Ayla ended
up getting a free colour as one of the girls needed a model for her exam. The
students did an amazing job (despite being super slow) by the time we came out
we had been in the hairdressers for about four hours and were famished. We
headed into one of the many shopping malls and found the food court where were
gorged ourselves. Already after just one day I was realising how hard it is to
be a vegetarian in Malaysia everything has meat in it. So at all times I go for
the seafood option. After eating we wondered about trying to find somewhere
cheap for eyebrows and nails but everywhere was mega expensive. We headed back
to the hostel and spent some time checking almost three weeks of emails and face
books etc. before heading out for a bit of food and crashing early.
Friday 5th July 2013
We were supposed
to start the day early with a spot of yoga but Ayla failed to get us up on time
preferring to continue sleeping instead, I think we needed the extra kip and
when we finally did get going we went through the twelve asana before heading
out for the day. We headed back to Toni and Guy as Ayla wanted to get a cut as
well it looked really awesome we then jumped on the monorail and headed to
little India in search of food. We got our eyebrows threaded and then got our
nails done. We found a cute little restaurant and had south Indian Thalis
(which weren’t as good as in India but they were close) then we wandered about
in the middle of all the hustle and bustle we came across a quiet and
unassuming little ashram and decided to take a peek inside no one was around
and it was just starting to rain so we sat on the porch to wait it out. We were
surprised when a Hindu priest emerged from inside and invited us to come and
watch a ceremony he was about to perform in the ashrams temple. We were
delighted and followed him inside. We spent the next three hours watching him
perform a Pradosham ceremony. Basically it consisted of him rubbing various
things onto the Sivalingam (sesame oil, honey, flour, random coloured powders etc.)
at one point we had a bizarre conversation that went like this…
·
ANAND “so are you girl’s sister?”
·
US “no just friends”
·
ANAND “just friends?”
·
US (looking sideways at each other) “yip just friends”
·
ANAND “because it’s alright if your more than friends”
·
US (in hysterics) “No! just friends”
Aside from that
bizarre convo we had such a good afternoon after the ceremony was done we
walked with him to the flower shop so he could get some garlands to decorate
the Sivalingam we went back and all ate some Ghee rice as passed and then
headed home we went to the LRT (train) station together and he got off at our
stop and walked us all the way back to our hostel. We arrived feeling super
happy about life. We got changed and headed across the road to get some food
and then went out to meet Alex who was also in KL with her friend Maddie and
they were staying just down the road from us. We went up to the roof bar of
their hostel and sat about catching up on all that has happened since we parted
ways we only went out for a few quiet ones but before you know it there’s six
of us crammed into a taxi heading to club all I had on me was 5 RM and I was
wearing jandals there was a notice to
tourists that we needed to have passports and there was a strict dress code of
no casual attire but we blagged our way in and soon we were on the dance floor
mine sweeping left right and centre. About 4am we stumbled outside and found a
taxi back to our respective hostels and crawled into bed.
Saturday 6th July 2013
Got up this
morning just in time for the free breakfast then spent the morning doing some
writing. After the food had digested I did some yoga for a while and then got
ready for the day and sat and did some more writing. Once Ayla surfaced we had
some lunch at the café next door it was delicious but expensive and they only
had one vege option. We had a productive day at the hostel Ayla was sorting out
flights and we emailed all of our job contacts. In the evening we headed out to
meet Aylas friend Nicola who lives here and works as a teacher. She met us at
the train station and we got a taxi back to hers we had a few drinks and some
noodles and then headed out on the way we picked up Hana who is also a teacher
(who works at the school we ended up getting a job at) and we went to a local
bar. Nicolas boyfriend his brother and a bunch of friends were also there. We
brought a bottle of vodka for the table and then got free mixers and ice for
the rest of the night. There was a band with a slightly manish looking female
lead that had an amazing voice we drank and danced and then headed into KL to
go to a club. Only when we got to KL we all decided we all wanted food so got
ourselves a feast of calamari and chips we ate to the point we were all fit to
bust which is when we decided it would be a good time to head home. We got a
taxi back to our hostel and crawled into bed around 4am for the second night in
a row.
Sunday 7th July 2013
This morning we
slept late I got up at about 11am and got slowly ready for the day we sacked
off doing any yoga as we felt a bit fragile. It was Alex and Maddies last day
in KL so we met up with them and we all went to Little India for old times’
sake only the restaurant we chose didn’t seem to have any of the foods we
wanted and I ended up with a very un Indian plate of noodles I did have some
delightful barjis though. Afterwards we wondered up and down the street and
found a shop which sold little statues of all the Hindu gods we looked out for
a cool Ganesh but they were all a bit tacky. We then hung out in a Bollywood
music shop for a while before getting the bus to china town. Alex and Maddie
were on the hunt for gifts for their families and we just trailed along for the
ride I got myself some sweet ‘Marc Jacobs’ sunnies and we stumbled across some
weird brothel in the middle of the market where a butch looking hooker was
physically pulling a resistant old man into her boudoir it was really awkward.
We then said our goodbyes and me and Ayla went in search of sim cards. Her iPhone
is locked and the unlocking fee was sky-high so she brought a new phone I just
chucked a Malay sim card into my blackberry and away I went. We got some dinner
in Chinatown which was on the disappointing side and then we picked up snacks
and went back to the hostel. There is a massive lounge with hundreds of movies
so we sat ourselves down for a quiet night in.
Monday 8th July 2013
We were going to
do some sightseeing today but ending up having a job interview instead. I
called one of the school directors who had got back to me in regards to
teaching and he said to come in that afternoon. When we got to the school
(which is out by Nicola's place) we went in and had to sit an exam luckily we
are actually able to speak English and so we passed with flying colours I was
quite pleased with myself for scoring 100% next we had an interview with Mrs
Keng it all went well and she asked us to come back the next day and observe a
day of lessons we observed for two days and on the third day we taught a full
day of classes and we were observed. We headed out of the school and went to
Bukit Bintang to the shops as we needed some classroom appropriate clothing.
(No more shit catchers for us…) we ended up being at the shops until about 8pm
when we headed into the food court and got some dinner. By the time we arrived
back it was well after 10pm but we ended up having a drink with one of the guys
from our room Sunny and his mates. By the time we actually got our shit
together (and packed our bags to move rooms tomorrow) it was after midnight so
we hit the hay.
Tuesday 9th July 2013
So today marked
my first day of work since the 28th Feb and boy did it take it out
of me! We had to get up at 6am to get all our shit sorted we had to put our
bags in the luggage room for the day as we needed to change rooms for one
night. We left just after 7am in the hope of finding something for breakfast
but we didn’t have any luck we got on the train hoping to find something closer
to the school we arrived at the other end and had to get a taxi to the school
the driver refused to put on the metre so we refused to get in the taxi. We
crossed the road and found a taxi stand we got to the mall and searched for
food but nothing opened until 10am when the mall did. Luckily next to the
school there were a couple of restaurants but it is weird eating rice or
noodles for breakfast. We spent the day observing different classes and
different levels I spent the day with the higher levels while Ayla observed the
beginners. During second period we had a meeting with the schools director
which finished about 15mins before lunch so we headed across the road to the
mall to eat. We found a really good vegetarian restaurant and I gorged in the
joy of not having to fish out mystery meat. After school we headed to Bukit
Bintang as Ayla wanted to pick up some more gears for school we ended up having
dinner in a ridiculously overpriced small portioned Iranian restaurant and met
some crazy French dude who wanted to swim in my eyes (bizarrely earlier in the
day one of the students told me “your eyes are like the sky and the ocean and I
could swim in them”) he attached himself to two (camp) Iranian men who attached
themselves to us and bought us dates and tea as soon as it was polite we made a
hasty retreat. We walked back to the hostel and started looking for apartments
to rent. We are staying at the hostel until Saturday so need to find somewhere
to move into at the weekend.
Wednesday 10th July 2013
We spent today
observing again this time I was with the lower levels and Ayla with the more
advanced students. The day flew by and before we knew it we were heading off to
see an apartment. Things have been pretty jammy for us due to our brilliant contacts
we have more or less walked into full time jobs and we fell in love with the
first apartment we looked at. (The fact that its only £80 a month just seals
the deal!) We have a pool and a little café and a shop that sells mostly fish
products as well as a cute little spa. We agreed to move in at the weekend and
so decided to check out gyms in the local area we went to the closest one which
had friendly staff and a good layout but shit opening times then we went to one
closer to work it didn’t have the same welcoming vibe but it was cheaper closer
to work better opening times and better equipment. We organised a trail dye for
the weekend and headed home. Back at the hostel we had to plan all of our
classes for the next day we were to be observed to make sure we were up to the
task. We ended up being up until late as we put class plans together and then
fell into bed rather exhausted.
Thursday 11th July 2013
This morning I
was up and ready to go early I managed to persuade the security guard to get
breakfast out for me early as I was starving. When we got to school it was
straight into class I started off teaching the beginners a speaking class about
families I underestimated just how low their level was and it all ended up
rather confusing but we got there in the end and luckily I had Hana there to
help me out. Next was listening with a mid-level
I had to review a grammar point and then play a tape and they filled in the
blanks it went smoothly and I felt myself enjoying teaching. We had lunch next
door and then it was time for reading I was given a book and told to choose a
passage which I did I was glad they were a more advanced class as I was left to
it. The last class of the day was writing with Hana we team taught as she had a
class planned for them. After school we left after being told that tomorrow we
would team teach all day and then get our classes for Monday. We headed back to
the hostel and got changed the weather was scorching so we enjoyed it by eating
an early dinner followed by cheesecake at an outdoor restaurant. Then we had a
wonder through the markets of china town before picking up some munchies and
watching a film back at the hostel in their huge movie room.
Friday 12th July 2013
School starts
earlier on Friday so we had to rush out the door this morning barely having
time for breakfast. I was team teaching the two lowest levels with Hana all day
which was good fun whilst teaching body parts we were in near hysterics when
Hana pointed to her chest and said what’s this called and they said boobs or
butt checks when she pointed to her regular face cheeks! The funniest had to be
when I asked “what can you blow?” (By the way it’s your nose you dodgy
fuckers!) Me and Hana struggled to contain ourselves whilst no one else
understood the joke! As its Friday come
12.30pm most of the students leave for Friday prayers we were left with one
Korean student and we ended up just playing games with her as she just wanted
to go home (she is only 12) next week I will be team teaching the lower levels
with Suria and Hana will be taking the weakest level ones to form a remedial
class. After school we headed with one of the teachers to a mall nearby and
picked up a few things for our flat (sheets towels etc.) back at the hostel we chilled out for half an
hour and then went across the road to the vegetarian place low and behold who
should be there but the priest Anand we were so happy to see him until he
turned out to be a complete and utter pervert so much for being a holy man he
leered and was lewd and we made a quick escape deleting him from our memories
as we left… back at the hostel we packed up our things and tried to get a taxi
we tried for a long time until finally one of the hostel staff was able to flag
one down for us. The drivers name was Kumar and he was a sweetie he took us to
our new pad all the way to the door and undercharged us the metred price! We
got up to the flat and Mic our new flatmate let us in she was in a rush out of
the door so left us to settle in. by this stage it was already about 9pm and so
by the time we had unpacked made the bed did some laundry etc. we were ready to
conk out.
Saturday 13th July 2013
This morning we
had ourselves some free pt. sessions at the local gym. My session was Muay Thai
and was good fun but Ayla wasn’t impressed with her trainer I signed up on the
spot whilst she preferred to test the waters at a few other places before
making a commitment. After the first sweaty exercise in three months we were
well in need of some munch so headed in search of breakfast we undid all our
good work with scrambled eggs salmon and hot buttery toast. After the eating
was done we walked to the shops and stocked up our cupboards with a few basics
including some stationary for school. We had planned to laze by the pool for
the afternoon but just as we reached our building the heavens opened up and
rain came crashing down hard. Instead we chilled in the apartment with our
flatmate Sidney he is a director and so he showed us a few of his short films.
His work is amazing! In the evening we headed to the curve shopping mall to
have buka puasa (breaking fast since its Ramadan) with Nicola and some friends
we ended up in Paddington’s house of pancakes and oh what a house it was. I had
a veg burger with the bun made out of some kind of thick pancake goodness and
bananoffe pancake stack for dessert which was amazing. We sat at the restaurant
until about 11pm when they kicked us out at closing time, Nicolas mate drove us
home and we fell into a food coma.
Sunday 14th July 2013
Ayla was
supposed to have a pt. session this morning at a different gym but woke me up
when she called to cancel as her DOMS were too bad. Instead we got up and did
some yoga then ate breakfast and got ready for the day. We headed to KLCC to
the aquarium. When we got there we were hungry as usual so stopped for lunch then
as we tried to leave for the aquarium we were lured in by giant ice-creams
which were amazement in a cone. On the walk we saw the twin towers and stopped
for a photo op there and also by the lake with all the fountains. Finally we
made it to the aquarium we had to line up for a while so Ayla went off to
Starbucks for coffee and a muffin. KL Aquarium is really cool we spent a few
hours wondering in and out amongst the fish. The most notable creatures of the
day had to be the Albino tortoise (which looked a bit like a willy every time
he popped his head in and out of his shell) and the pouting boxfish (not his
official title but I was too busy laughing at him to discover what he was)
there was also a massive river rat that was the size a medium sized dog he was
just chilling in his watery enclosure.
It was a grand day out and upon our return instead of relaxing by the
pool as planned we ended up on fb. We walked to the local shopping mall for
dinner and ended up at an organic veg restaurant the food was delight filled
and topped off our day nicely.
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