Abrams Family World Travel

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Toilet Mystery

I DON'T spend my days dreaming up blogs like this. I just want to make that clear. 

This subject just came to me because on many occasions since we've been in Asia (India, Thailand and Malaysia) I've had to take Zenchai to the toilet when there has been just a hole in the ground (like the one pictured above at one of our favourite restaurants). It's otherwise known as a squat toilet and common in many other parts of the world, too.

The squat toilet itself is not a problem. Zenchai, like many young kids, has a perfect squat technique and can hold the position for hours, unlike most adults. 

There were still two things I couldn't quite figure out, though. First was the fact that when you drop your pants, often they land on a floor wet from pee or water. Yuck!

Often in these circumstances I have Zenchai take off his shorts to avoid this, but it becomes a tricky balancing act as so many of the toilets are too small for two people.

Second is the cleaning procedure. In most of these toilets there is either a bucket of water and scoop or a hose spray. These are used for flushing and washing yourself afterwards.

That's fine. But what I also noticed is that in about 90 per cent of these toilets, there wasn't a piece of paper in sight. 

So while cleaning yourself with water is easy, how do you then dry yourself and avoid walking around for the next hour in wet underwear?

Usually, Zenchai has had on his swimmers and hasn't been bothered by having a wet bottom. But on some other occasions I've had to rush off to find paper.

It transpires that the locals in Asia always carry paper with them - or at least I hope they do. And in some cases I've seen bus receipts thrown down the toilet hole - I guess any piece of paper will do.

So the important piece of advice I am offering here is that when travelling through Asia or other parts of the globe where a toilet is just a hole in the floor, make sure (a) you have a good squat and (b) carry paper with you at all times. 

 

Kuala Lumpur: Living Out Of A Box And The Rent Game

DON'T believe everything you hear and read: "Asia is cheap"; "Renting in Kuala Lumpur is easy".

Sure, there are parts of Asia which aren't costly at all, like parts of India, where we visited in January. And you can find places to stay in KL without difficulty - if you're prepared to commit to a one or two-year contract or live in the middle of nowhere, without easy access to public transport or stay in accommodation that isn't clean or safe. There are some compromises we don't want to make.

We've been in Malaysia two weeks, searching hard for a place to make home for a while, beginning in Penang and now Kuala Lumpur, and we've not yet seen an apartment!

Agents don't seem to respond to emails and one never even showed for our appointment. Most, though, seem to give up the moment you say you want to rent for only five or six months. How many times have I heard the words "you won't get anything for that price on a short-term let"?

The prices are, by Asian standards, almost through the roof. There are deals to be had, but you have to really look deeply to find them. However, the cost of renting here is in many places comparable with back home in the UK, somewhere I consider really expensive.

We've been advised to look instead for serviced apartments, but most are too small for the price and a family. Plus their idea of a kitchen is a microwave oven. And they are not cheap either.

On the positive side we sometimes can eat out - and well - for as little as £2 for the whole family and travelling a long way across the city by train doesn't set me back much more than £1. However, you also have to be disciplined living in a city where shops are everywhere and beckoning you to spend, spend and spend. But accommodation is always the big cost for the family traveller and we haven't been able to score any cheap digs so far.

We are soldiering on, but moving from hotel/guesthouse to hotel/guesthouse is tough work. Living often in a small, square room with two children full of energy and often sharing bathrooms with other tenants has its many challenges. We're tired of the thin walls where we can hear our neighbour's music at midnight and having to walk through smokey common rooms. We want our own space - and fast! We want to be able to eat in instead of out all the time. 

Living out of our rucksacks isn't simple either. It's okay for a few days, but we've been at it solidly for weeks now and off-and-on for months.

KL has a lot going for it, especially for kids. We like the city, though we are not really city people. The public transport (train) system is excellent. The city is mostly clean and feels safe, although there are always reports of muggings and robberies etc.

Our time here is definitely temporary, though we want to begin enjoying it more and that's proving hard when nearly all our time is consumed by research and making phone calls.

Living on the road may sound exotic to some, but at times like this it's as testing and exhausting as any paid job I've had. 

 

 

Penang, Malaysia: It Had Its Moments

IT wasn't all doom and gloom in Penang. Actually, it wasn't too bad at all - just not what were were after.

It didn't help that the guesthouse we stayed in backed on to a mosque which, every morning at around 5am, called for prayer through a loudspeaker that seemed to go on forever.

Malaysia is, of course, known for it's great food and we got to enjoy some tasty hawker centre meals and, in Georgetown, some fine curries. But Malaysians like their meat and veggie options for us were sometimes limited. Battling through Georgetown traffic in the mid-day heat to find a parking spot that didn't seem to exist in order to eat at a reputed vegetarian restaurant was a challenge we didn't want every day.

There is a superb - and massive - Tesco store that sells produce for even cheaper than you can find in the outdoor markets! And we loved the young Thai coconuts, though we noticed how much the price for them fluctuated from restaurant to restaurant and in the stores. We discovered a nice vegetarian in Batu Ferringhi (called Olive in Eden Parade) that we would recommend. 

For children it was great in Batu Ferringhi. We visited an excellent indoor play centre at the Golden Sands resort (£4 entry for Zenchai) and he ran around for hours. Kobra got in for free and also loved it - as did Jamie.

Also at the Golden Sands is a Segway circuit. You get to ride for 15 minutes for £5. Zenchai was itching to have a go. 

When we arrived, they said Zenchai was tall enough, but feared he didn't have the bodyweight to manouvre the Segway In the end they relented and let Zenchai try. And within minutes he got the hang of it. 

As a family, we went to the tropical fruit farm (not cheap). Included in the price, though, is a buffet. It's a pity for us, though, that some of our favourite fruits, like rambutan, were out of season. We did stop on the way home and eat some fresh - and sweet - durian from the roadside. Delicious!

 

Penang, Malaysia: Missing The X-Factor

WE have been to destinations with high expectations and come away disappointed. Conversely, we've visited some places with no intention of lingering and been pleasantly surprised. The trick, I think, is to keep expectations low. Like going to the movies to watch a film everyone is raving about - your hopes tend to get inflated. Best not to read too many reviews and go with an open mind. 

Penang, an island off the coast of Malaysia (though a part of Malaysia), has long been on our list of places to visit and explore. We know people who live here and love it (ie good reviews). And we wanted to test it out for ourselves. 

You can read and research destinations as much as you like, but you can't ever be sure of the X-factor - the only way is to make a visit in person.

I knew, though, from the moment I stepped out at Penang airport it wasn't for me. Don't ask me how I knew. I just felt it energetically. But I didn't say anything (immediately) to Jamie or the kids. 

We headed to Batu Ferringhi, a beach area in the north, to set up base. Our intention was to lodge at a guesthouse for a few nights and, as best we could, search for an apartment rental with a view to staying for several months.

But I didn't have the urge to stay and neither, really, did Jamie. But we thought we'd still try. Sometimes locations can grow on you.

The trouble for us in Penang was two-fold: (1) finding an apartment wasn't straightforward and landlords wanted tenants for a year (2) Batu Ferringhi, while touristy, is remote and spread out and we needed a car to get around. Public transport isn't like in Kuala Lumpur.

There are very few real estate agents like you find, for instance, in the UK. You can't visit a neighbourhood, step into the office of a letting agent, look at his list of accommodations and ask to view them. It just doesn't work that way in Penang. To find accommodation you answer local adverts, find a reliable agent by phone or internet or visit condos or areas you like and then ask around. Hardly anyone ever responds to emails either. It's seriously time-consuming and, with kids in tow, hard work - not to mention really boring for the youngsters.

As for transport, hiring a car long-term was beyond our budget. We did so for a short period and drove around, but still were not moved to make Penang our home, even for a short period. It didn't tick our boxes. 

The beaches were, to be blunt, fairly average. They weren't clean and after getting stung by a jellyfish within seconds of entering the water, I wasn't too enthralled with the idea of encouraging Zenchai and Kobra to take a dip, even if the ocean temperature was beautiful. It's a pity.

Without a hire car, we would have been at the mercy of the local (and erractic) bus service. With a car, though, we got to see a fair chunk of the island. We explored other areas as a potential base, but nothing suited us. 

After some discussion, Jamie and I opted to move on, using the theory that making a decision is better than taking no decision. The idea is to keep moving forwards - somewhere - regardless of the outcome. It all works out in the end.

I referred to a message Jamie received on Facebook, where a friend of hers asked if she was following her 'list' rather than her 'bliss' and it was a fair point.

We quickly opted to head by bus (four-and-a-half hours) to Kuala Lumpur, where we'd been previously and enjoyed, to try our luck there. 

 

 

 

 

Malaysia: 48 Hours In Kuala Lumpur

WE blitzed in and out of Kuala Lumpur so fast it felt like a whirlwind experience. But our 48 hours in transit was mostly about the food - but we did slip in time to visit the famous Twin Towers, two of the world's tallest buildings, though we arrived too late to take a trip to the top (visitors can go up on a first-come-first-served basis). 

While there is plenty to see, Malaysia is known for its fantastic cuisine. This is a gorgeous fruit stall outside the Central Market.

One of our favourite snacks.

Rambutan - before we devoured them (and you can eat the seed, which tastes like walnut!)

Mmm mangosteen...

Claude and coconut. Need I say more?

Me trying a very *interesting* fruit drink made with ambula.  

One of Zenchai's long-time favourites - dragonfruit.

Me biting into something that looks like a giant apple but tastes like cardboard.

A whole mall kiosk devoted to durian!! We tried a durian pancake. Nice!

Okay, so it wasn't all about the food. We did manage to do other things than eat. And it must be said that KL's metro stations are spotless. I was tempted to lick the floor it was so clean.

A succussful trip if Zenchai spots a cherished Mercedes Benz.

Zenchai was decorating us with petals from a tree. 

A quick play in the water near the Twin Towers.

The kiddos having a grand time in a massive shopping centre while we waited out a deluge of rain.

Between mouthfuls we even managed to catch-up with some family! (Although after playtime we did eat together!)

Maybe Zenchai pondering the upcoming departure?

Life is good. We are heading to the next adventure in Thailand. Getting ferried around on a trolly will put a smile on any wheel-obsessed child's face.

And always remember, no matter how yummy the food is in Malaysia, no durians are allowed in hotels or taxis.