My Mystery Begins In SE Asia

I am grateful to be a two-time immigrant, calling three cultures my home, and returning to South East Asia this month has reignited a deep sense of my power.

Kuala Lumpur is certainly a lot cleaner than Manila.  It was pure business in KLCC where I spent my first two days back in the Tropic of Cancer at the Mandarin Oriental.  Twenty-nine floors above the Golden Triangle, I found it impossible to sleep with all that productive energy whirling around me.  Construction runs around the clock, with 20-min to hour-long breaks here and there.  Suria Mall at KLCC is 6 floors of designer to mainstream brands.  Pucci greets guests from the Mandarin O. entrance with Salvatore Ferragamo and Channel welcoming you into Center Court where you can spot Bata Shoes, American Outfitters and Kalifornia Pizza Kitchen.  Prices are comparable to prices in US, no real savings but selection is a touch different from American stores, and if you stick to the Asian-based stores, you can put together a fantastic outfit that will be original and fresh back in the States without looking like you're going through vacation withdrawal.  It's incredibly modern in Kuala Lumpur.  More so than in California lol.... Fashion-wise, I mean, but also in the social scene.

Walking around KLCC I attracted a lot of attention.  I guess getting my hair braided by Jae in Aphrodite flowing curls to the arch of my back was a bit much for visiting an Arab nation.  Malaysia has three principle cultures: Christians, Muslims and Arab.  Many women wear scarves, some wear burkas, and it seemed I was the first person some of them have seen with dramatic hair. My natural hair would have been perfectly appropriate -- polished, proportionate and progressive.  Most women wore their hair short or if long, put it in a smooth bun.  Not so much frivolous hair in KLCC, but it got fun at MotoGP.  omg the umbrella girls at Sepang were incredible!

The multi-culturalism was organic and effective in Kuala Lumpur, more so than what I remember happening in Vancouver, even.  Wherever I looked, I saw people who resembled my family, but they spoke Malay which kinda-sorta sounds like Tagalog, but more indiginous.  Tagalog has a lot of words and structure from Spanish which is absent in Malay.  For example, open in tagalog is bukas, which is like the Malay word, whereas close is serado, which is like the Spanish word.  Speaking to a filipino, you can hear Tagalog, Spanish and English words all in the same 5-word sentence.  Spantaglish.

The people of Kuala Lumpur were an international mosiac.  Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Australians, Malaysians, Brits, Pakistanis, North Africans, West Indians, Thai... and that's just in KLCC.  Even with all the diversity, I stuck out.  Yes, my hair, but also my features. I am thicker than Malaysian women, but it was also obvious in my facial features and proportions that I was different.  This time when I was asked what nationality I was, my response was that I was mixed, filipina and white, and they would nod in agreement.  One of the girls who asked was so sweet, she said, "Ah, yes, you are special."  So much groovier than, "You sure you're full filipino?"

It was really important that I took this trip.  It wasn't perfect and at times was absolutely miserable -- but it was necessary and my personal core seems very much affected by my proximity to my birthplace.  So much to process, including what my next career moves will be, how I refine my artistic expression and what I define as my values.  My marriage is over.  My home business moves on without me.  Half of my DNA requires validating... or is/has/does it?  I am in the position of questioning everything.

I even considered moving to Kuala Lumpur permanently.  It is that amazing.  Three things which make a move to Malaysia impossible: Asian drivers in Asia (it's worst than you can imagine) -- no pork for my fork (you need a special license to sell pork in Malaysia... Chinatown is your only bet) -- and capital offense for pot (yes, I mean the god-created weed referenced in the bible to sow the seed... wtf!)

Travelling to Kuala Lumpur

1) Do not hail for a taxi (teksi) -- go to taxi porters or official taxi stands.  Best bet are the taxi counters at hotels and official buildings.  State your destination at the counter, pay in advance, receive a paper receipt and a car will be called for you at the curb.  If you get into an unofficial taxi or one that hails you from the street (they will try to hail you into their cab) they will offer you a very low price for where you want to go, off-meter, and then suggest he take you to a few great places along the way.  These detours are not only time-consuming, as you are zigzagged through sidestreets and back alleys from one manufacturing shop to another -- this one produces freehand-drawn batik, this plant is the largest leather store, this refinery bottles palm oil... -- but also expensive as the prices are three times what they are for similar items at the mall, or in America, because the unofficial cab drivers will make a commission for everything you buy on this magical mystery tour.  At least, they didn't try to sell me timeshare.

2) Go hungry.  I mean, prepare to eat in Kuala Lumpur.  The cuisine is world-class and relatively inexpensive.  Freshest seafood I have ever experienced except for maybe the last time I was in SE Asia.  Italian and Japanese cuisine predominate and are very good -- better than in SoCal.  I can say that with utmost confidence -- the food in Kuala Lumpur is better than any in Southern California with the exception of the $100/sitting dining rooms, to which KLCC is comparable.  But stay away from the American dishes.  They don't do pork, so bacon and eggs is served with either beef or turkey bacon.  Hotdogs are just odd.  My favorite dish now is Lasi Lemak -- yummmyyy, I am drooling just thinking about it. The flavors of anchovies, hardboiled egg, pine nuts and cucumber mixed with sauced chicken and fragrant rice remind me of Pancit Palabok but with a complexity that achieves tastebud heaven.

3) Shoes go to small Size 9 for women and Asian sizes for women apparel go 0-4.  0=XSmall.  1=Small.  2=Medium.  3=Large.  4=Xlarge.  I was a 4.

4) It is the custom NOT to tip.  Service Tax of 10% and a 5% sales tax will be added to every bill, and many restaurant checks will state, "Please No Tipping."

5) Lots of beggars.  The buddhists are the most aggressive and got me and LL for 300MR or about $100US.

6) Kuala International Airport is the Number One International Airport in the world, 2-years running.  Deservingly so.

7) Prostitution is legal.  Cheap too.  Shit, I gotta tell you this one story in my next blog....

8) If you wanted to get away from authorities in Northern Africa or the West Indies, you will find a lot of company in Kuala Lumpur.  Just keep it on the DL and everything will work out.  Plenty of business to go around.

9) Motorcycles are uncommon in Malaysia.  Scooters are the norm.  "Big bikes" have a disadvantage because the car drivers are particularly unsympathetic towards motorcyclists, with an attitude of hit them before they hit us.  Most of the motorcycle street racing and canyon riding is done by neighboring Singaporians where the streets are even shorter than they are in Malaysia.  On the Friday we were in KL, the headline in the press stated proudly, "Only 15 fatalities from auto accidents yesterday."

10) Only 3Channel cellphones and above work in KL.  They have the bombest phones there, more advanced than the pieces of shit we are forced to deal with in the States.  Best bet, plan on spending about $400-$1000US for an incredible phone which won't be in American markets for another 16 months, and for not less than $600.  The phones work with a SIM card so when you get back to N. America, you can switch the SIM from your old phone into your new pimp phone and be the envy of your entourage.