24.-27.11.2016 Malaysia # Following the footsteps of the past in Kuala Lumpur

The last stop of our journey brings us to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. We are excited to show the group the city with which we have had a close relationship for a few years. Together with Kati and Uwe, we started here to avoid mass tourism. The two of them even got married here. We have found friends here who are always happy when we make a stopover in KL during one of our Asia trips and celebrate the reunion together.

After a three-hour flight with Air Asia from Denpasar to KL, we land safely at KLIA2 Airport in the late afternoon. Normally, we would already be in a taxi heading towards the city within an hour. But with the large group, everything is a bit different and it takes over two hours for everyone to get their money together, have something to eat, and use the restroom once again :-) Finally, we board two family vans and arrive in front of our accommodation around 8:00 pm. We have booked a few large apartments at the `E&O Residences`, centrally located with a side view of the towers. Paula and Philipp, on the other hand, are staying at the `Pacific Regency`, which is just a five-minute walk away.

Maike is still celebrating her birthday, so we all meet around the corner at `Black Rock` for dinner. Afterwards, we visit the next `7 Eleven` and with a few local drinks in our bags, we end the evening in the smoking corner in front of the accommodation.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we make our way to the Petronas Twin Towers. Once known as the tallest buildings in the world, they are still a tourist magnet. We have booked our tickets in advance so that we don't have to wait in line for a long time. It takes us less than twenty minutes on foot to reach the towers, and we have plenty of time for an extensive photo session. Around noon, the group gathers, except for Rico, who finds the sea level high enough, at the elevator. Everyone receives a visitor pass, then we listen to a short video briefing before the express lift takes us to the 42nd floor. The Skybridge connects the two towers at a height of about 170m. This is where Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery had a chase with the security forces in the movie "Entrapment". We make sure not to get into trouble and have ten minutes to take the first photos.

Afterwards, we go to the observation deck on the 86th floor (almost 370m), which is almost at the top. From here, on a clear day, you can see the coast about 50km away. Unfortunately, it is a bit hazy today, so the view is limited. Nevertheless, the view over the Klang Valley is still breathtaking. It is amazing how the cityscape has changed since our last visit a year ago. Unfortunately, not all changes have been for the better, as the construction boom seems to be spreading without much planning. However, this doesn't bother our first-time climbers at all, everyone is impressed by the view of the huge city. After fifteen minutes, our time is up, and we are politely but firmly led to the elevator.

Once we are back on solid ground, we stroll leisurely to Bukit Bintang, the ultimate shopping district. In our favorite mall, the `Pavillion`, the Christmas frenzy has already broken out, and the lavish decorations almost overwhelm us. They sure know how to do bling-bling, the Chinese or Malaysians :-) We treat ourselves to a delicious lunch before the group splits up. The evening is planned to meet our friends, and some need some rest in the hotel to be fit for it. The rest of us stroll around the streets and take in the exotic surroundings.

In the evening, Adam, an old friend and Kati and Uwe's wedding photographer, sends us a bus to Republic Mall. There we plan to meet him, as well as Apple and Andy. We have known the two of them for almost seven years now. It's great that such friendships can be maintained over such a long distance and time.

When we arrive, the restaurant is already crowded, of course, it's also Friday, and going out on weekends is popular here too. No sign of our friends yet. This was to be expected, as they usually always come at least an hour after the agreed time. Chinese punctuality, after all. :-) We manage to get two tables in the cool dining room and hope that eventually we can move to the outdoor area. Adam joins us after a while, followed by Apple, Andy, and their children Venice and Venus. Thanks to Andy and his connections, we finally get a table outside where everyone can fit. As always, there is a lot to talk about, and time flies by playing billiards and chatting. When we have finished the last Tiger Tower, we end the great evening and hope to see each other again soon.

The next morning, we print the boarding passes for the return flight of the entire group. Fortunately, the hotel has set up a computer room for this purpose where guests can surf and print for free. Nice service. However, Paula and Philipp have a problem. They booked their flights separately with Lufthansa, and the pilots are currently on strike once again. The flight from Singapore to Frankfurt is canceled, and the booking page shows conflicting information. So Peter tries to reach the hotline via internet telephony. After over 30 minutes of waiting, we decide to try again at a later time. I have a local phone card with sufficient data volume and can provide a hotspot anytime.

The whole horde, as we jokingly call ourselves by now, takes the monorail to Berjaya Times Square, a huge shopping mall that includes numerous shops and restaurants as well as an amusement park with a roller coaster between the 5th and 10th floors. Most of the stores only sell Chinese copies of various branded goods, but with a little searching, you can find cheap quality items. Therefore, the planned hour is not enough for parts of the group, and we separate and go to Chinatown. There, we meet near Petaling Street, the largest street market in KL. At this time of day, it is not as crowded yet, and we can move forward without elbowing our way through. That can look quite different in the evening. We sit down at a street restaurant and treat ourselves to an extensive lunch, taking our time as a heavy rain shower pours down on Chinatown.

In the late afternoon, the group separates again. While Maike, Paula, Jacky, Philipp, Uwe, Peter, Rico, and I go to Chow Kit, the rest prefers to retreat near the hotel. We have a lot of connections to Chow Kit since we stayed there during our first visits to KL. The Maju Junction Mall, where the registry office was located where Kati and Uwe got married, is there, as well as the Ah Heng Food Corner. We met Andy, Apple, and a few other locals there, thanks to Ah Heng, a Chinese cook. Since then, we also stop by there whenever we are in the city. On the way there, Peter is almost hit by a falling palm frond, which just brushes past him with the lighter side. It could have ended badly.

Ah Heng is visibly delighted when we suddenly stand in front of him. Unfortunately, it's rush hour and after a quick toast and cheers, he quickly returns to the stoves. For Uwe, Jacky, and Peter, there is Wine Chicken, a ginger-heavy chicken soup that we have used to cure various colds. The rest stick to `Tiger`, which is also quite delicious. Calvin drops by for a few minutes, another friend from the Chow Kit days. Unfortunately, he has moved his business outside the city and cannot stay longer.

Since we still want to solve Paula and Philipp's flight problem, we don't prolong our visit to Ah Heng too much. We quickly return to the hotel area by monorail and stock up on take-away drinks. Peter takes over crisis management and manages to revive the hotline. After an hour of waiting, the flights are confirmed and checked in. Due to the rebooking, they are now even saving one flight. Instead of KL-Singapore-Frankfurt-Dresden, they are now going from KL via Amsterdam to Dresden. Great relief for everyone involved, and a good reason to have another `Tiger` for the good times in KL.

While Paula and Philipp still have a whole day in KL and go on an outing with Adam, the rest of the group leaves for the airport the next morning at 6:00 am. The flights with Qatar Airways from KL to Berlin, with a two-hour layover in Doha, are quite pleasant and pass quickly. And before we know it, we set foot on German soil again for the first time in almost 4 months. Given the cold, I immediately want to turn around, but Maike veto's it. Jacky and Rico are picked up by a friend. Mirko actually brought a thermos flask full of mulled wine, and at least I can warm up on the inside. Since the dining car is already closed, we settle for a Bockwurst instead of currywurst. Not the same, but it is quite tasty after the long abstinence.

Because Berlin-Linienbus has discontinued its service on the route to Dresden as of November 1st, we have to take the Flixbus. Actually, it's no different, except that we now have to take a taxi to the central bus station instead of boarding at Tegel directly as usual. Hopefully, there will be a more convenient solution by the time of our next trip.

After about 3 hours, we have completed the final stage, and when the taxi drops us off at the front door from the main train station around 12:30 am, it is official. We have actually completed a complete circumnavigation of the Earth. Sounds great and calls for more :-)

This will be the second-to-last article for this blog. We want to let everything sink in a bit before we come to a conclusion about the trip. A big thank you to everyone who has been loyal to us here so far. We hope you enjoyed virtually accompanying us.