14 hours in KL - on crutches

the way that around-the-world tickets work (for those of you asking me how i'm managing to do this trip) is that you pick a direction, east or west, and then have up to a year to make 15 stops along the way around the globe. usually this is done through many airlines that are partnered with each other, such as star alliance. it is really cheap when you compare it to the cost of a round-trip ticket to asia or australia. i got mine through STA, b/c i'm going to be a student again soon. if you're interested, i recommend it! anyway, sometimes you have to fly through certain cities, for example i had to fly through kuala lumpur to get to vietnam from bali. so i decided to spend the night and see some of the sights.

i had no idea what to expect. my knowledge of malaysia was pretty much nil and i had the added stress of being on crutches and painkillers that make me a little loopy. i have to say that i was so pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this city, the friendliness of all the people and how easy it was to get around. i stayed at an airport hotel and hired a driver - a great guy by the name of seelan who used to work in boston - to take me to all the sights in the morning. there was no way i could walk or get on a bus. my leg was not bending. 4 hours of a personal driver/tour guide cost me $100.

it is one of the most architecurally impressive places i've ever seen. here you can see their "twin" petronas towers (the headquarters of the national petroleum company). the country of malaysia is doing pretty well for itself, thanks to their oil.


this pink mosque is in puduraya, just outside the city, where all the government buildings are located. they've all been built in the past 10 years. i'm afraid my photo doesn't do this building justice (my crutches were limiting my photographic skills). it is the largest mosque in the world and jaw-droppingly beautiful.