In Which a Snake Helps Me Make a Decision

First off, I think that whoever is naming things for McDonalds' Asian division needs to be transferred to the United States. Prosperity Burger with Satisfaction Sauce?! In the States, we would just call that "McBurger" or something.

The Prosperity Burger (which I haven't tried... YET) is a limited time burger for the Lunar (Chinese) New Year. A lot of the shops are currently selling New Year's decorations, which are usually red or pink, and oversized.

I started out my morning by walking down to the Central Market. Here, vendors sell traditional crafts such as kites and batik, along with a generic variety of junk and cheap clothes. I mostly went so that I could get some idea of prices, if I decide to go to one of the outdoor markets later - the Central Market has set prices, which I'm guessing are fairly high, but a good reference point if I need to haggle. Here is a kite store:

I ate lunch at the Central (or, as the Malaysians spell it, "Sentral") Market and then continued walking along the river/canal. I have already noticed a problem I am going to have in Asia. I have been keeping a list of my favorite foods from each destination, and plan to learn how to make as many as possible when I get home. However, I have NO IDEA what I'm eating around here - mostly I either point to a picture on the menu or a dish that someone else in the restaurant is eating, and say, "I'll have that." I suppose I could just ask, but I would probably get a quasi-incomprehensible answer that I'd have to weirdly chant to myself for the rest of the day in order to remember. Maybe I should see if I can have someone write it down - this seems like the best bet, as long as they don't write in characters. Also, many places DO have their menus in English, but the dishes are so broadly described ("chicken curry with rice") that I don't know how I would begin learning how to replicate it.

Anyway, here's a picture from my walk. Pretty representative of KL (like LA, KL goes by its initials most of the time). Skyscrapers? Check. Jungle? Check. Sweltering heat? You can't see it but it's there.

I was aiming my walk towards Jamek Mosque, a beautiful open air mosque in the middle of the city. Here is the view as I approached:

I had to don a headscarf and full length robe in order to tour, and wasn't allowed to enter the prayer areas, but walking around the grounds was very pretty. The mosque is the oldest one in KL. I liked this sign which shows Islamic Goofus and Gallant:

From Jamek Mosque, I crossed the river and walked back along the opposite bank, toward the National Mosque. I couldn't go in the National Mosque because it was closed for prayers between 12:00-3:00, but I did admire its latticework and minaret from outside.

Next, I decided to walk down to the National Planetarium. It was quite hot out and I was looking forward to wandering around an air-conditioned museum in dim lighting. Maybe they would even have one of those light shows where you sit in big chairs and look at a domed ceiling while a deep voice talks about STARS. I got a little lost on my way, but doubled back and eventually found the entrance - up a hillside with several flights of stairs. I had my 1RM entrance fee clutched in my sweaty hand as I climbed the stairs. I reached the top, only to find...

GAH CLOSED ON MONDAYS!!  Thanks a lot, GUIDEBOOK!! (I have a picture of my guidebook in which you can clearly see that it specifies the opening times as "daily", but for some reason it won't upload.)

The Planetarium is on the edge of a complex of parks, containing a Bird Park, Orchid Garden, Hibiscus Garden, Deer Park, Butterfly Garden, and Lake Garden. I decided to explore these gardens even though it was 10,000 degrees outside - more appropriate weather for walking a Cowskull trail or taking a tour of Mount Vernon.

Here is a view of the Menara KL Tower in front of the Petronas Twin Towers. The picture is deceptive - the Twin Towers are taller than the KL Tower, and were the tallest buildings in the world between 1996 and 2003.

I saw this sign but didn't see any monkeys:

I bet he was actually trying to go to the planetarium, as well:

At the bird park, I got a bottle of water and sat at a table for a while, listening to the birds and rehydrating. During my break, I took out my guidebook to try to plan out where I would go in Malaysia. I read about a lot of different towns but vacillated back and forth about whether or not to include a stop in the jungle. A big chunk of Malaysia is a national park and my guidebook talked about trekking in the jungle quite a bit. While I was quasi-interested in doing this, I don't have the appropriate attire - such as hiking boots - nor do I want to buy some and then figure out a way to carry around a pair of muddy, wet boots. The guide rhapsodized about waterfalls and canopy walkways, but also had an entire section on leeches. I don't like creepy crawlies, heat, or humidity - which leads me to believe I would be unhappy in a jungle. Overall, I'm not that keen to go but figure I have never been so close to a jungle before so I should at least go for a night or two.

As I left the bird park, I walked down the road about ten feet ahead of a British family: a mother and father, and their three teenage/pre-teenage sons. They were in the midst of trying to convince their mother that it was not necessary to see BOTH the orchid and hibiscus gardens when we came upon three guys looking at something on one side of the road, and two women in headscarves watching them from the other side of the road. Seeing our curious glances, one of the women explained in broken English, "It is not happy to look at... It is snake eat..." She paused to try to think of the English word for what the snake was eating, but this was unnecessary. I was nearly knocked over in the stampede of the British guys (father and sons) sprinting across the road - apparently "snake eat" was the most exciting thing they'd seen all day, regardless of what the snake was actually eating. (It turned out to be a frog.)

I stayed on the other side of the road, concerned that the snake was merely using his "eating a frog" song and dance as a way to lure in larger prey, such as ME. When I realized that the snake in question was no thicker than my thumb, I ventured across the road for a closer look. The snake had caught the frog by one hind leg, and then lifted it way up off the ground so the frog could do nothing but struggle helplessly. Nervous about the spectators, the snake then decided to retreat into the undergrowth, and it inexorably pulled the frog into the brush. I watched the frog grabbing ineffectively at grass and sticks with its little frog hands for the last few moments before it vanished altogether, and I decided not to go to the jungle, after all.

I didn't photograph the frog's last few minutes of life but here's a pretty flower:

I eventually made my way out of the park complex and headed back to the hostel. I have decided not to change hostels - the sketchiest of my roommates have departed, leaving only one guy who describes himself as, "a photographer, sort of", who has been in KL for "I dunno, too long," and is waiting for a visa so he can go to Burma - which is being held up because he thinks the "dudes" at the embassy didn't like his dreadlocks. Also, I switched beds and two British girls have arrived, so things are a little better here.

I saw this sign on the way back to the hostel:

The most wicked curry mee this side of Ipoh?! I'll have to taste that to believe it.