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First impression of KL

Dear Friends and family

The first update from Kuala Lumpur (KL) and definitely not the last one! This one will be about a friendly lady, taxi with cocaine and hooker, gambling, bargaining and the normal stuff.

Day 1:
On Sunday morning my family including my sweet grandma brought me to Schiphol where my direct flayed to KL left at 12 noon. To my surprise was I only aloud to take 20 kilo with me. Due to all the study books I had in my suitcase was I walking around with 26 kilo. Instead of taking stuff out felt the lady for my charms. The lady behind the desk put 25 kilo in the pc so she was able to let me go with no extra charges. Checking in and the trip where like normal I was only lucky to have a seat next to the emergency exit with a lot of space (nice lady again).   

Arriving at 6.30 AM local time after a 12 hour trip was making me feel like going out without alcohol, my first new experience! Leaving the airport and making my way to the train that brings you in 30 minutes to KL center. I got a lot of offers for a taxi and when they realized that I wasn’t interesting weren’t they dropping the price but making the offer better. A taxi with hookers and cocaine, all for me. What do you want more than sitting in the back of a taxi getting your tourist tour around the city with a girl sitting next (read on top) of you while sniffing cocaine? Unfortunately I had nothing ells than the envelope my grandma gave me and just couldn’t spend it on this ;) So I took the train all by myself.

Tom from MDBC (the agency who organized my internship) was waiting for me in the center. I could drop my back of at his place to pick it up in the evening. We both took the monorail he to his work and me to the Patronas twin towers. To finally stand under them gave me a great feeling. I made it!!!!! So I walked around the towers, with no plan for the rest of the day, and pumped into a few Philippines. They worked in Thailand and where here on family visit. Friendly people who offered me a lunch at home with the whole family. Because I was getting a bit hungry so I agree on going with them. This bought me at a dinner table where even granddad was eating like he just finessed his Sonja Bakker diet. After the dinner the owner of the house Tony came in and showed me his employee pass for the casino. In Malaysia gambling is only aloud in a few casinos on a mountain next to KL center. He started to talk how we both could get some money out of the casino. Because I don’t think this is very easy to do so was I a bit curious. I let me taken into a room at the back of the house, where a big gambling table was. I not really had an option either. The man showed some card tricks I had never seen before and could give me every card I want from a big pile (who I just shuffled). I was definitely impressed by this and the rest of his tricks. The deal he came with, was he giving me 5000 dollar to play with at the VIP table tomorrow night. I was able to keep 25% of the money I won. To test my faith I had only to play with a lady from Brunei (a rich little oil country close by). The lady would come to his house because the casino was closed during the day. Before I new a lady with nice clothes and a lot of gold walked in. To straight things out I do like to make money but don’t believe in doing this illegally. Things where going way to fast so I made the decision that I had to go for a pee. The niece of Tony who followed the last bit of the cheat explanation showed me where the toilet was. When I came out again I told here that I wasn’t going to play and she went into the backroom to get Tony. I gave Tony the money he gave me to play with back and told him as well that I wasn’t playing. This was fine with him I only had to tell it to the lady by myself. I told here that I didn’t really know how to play blackjack so it wouldn’t be a good game with a well-experienced player as she is. This was now problem but don’t you girlfriend doesn’t want to play? The niece answered really fast yes so I could watch to learn it. Sure, after a few rounds of my “girlfriend” winning the lady wanted me to look into the card to change luck. Sure again and yes to all the signals of Tony and my girlfriend, who picked the game up in a second, I had the winning cards. The only problem was that the lady put 100 dollar more on the table then my girlfriend. To beat here and win 650 dollar I had to put also 100 dollar on the table because my girlfriend had no money with here. If I decided to not put the money on the table, the lady would win. So this was me sitting somewhere in a city where I just arrived a few hours ago with all the eyes on me. Being in a position I just tried to not get into. What will happen if I don’t put 100 dollar on the table? What would they do??

I told them that I don’t have that amount of money with me and got up to leave. Surprisingly they let me and in the living room where the people who toke me with them. They offered me a ride back to the center. The only thing they said was that their uncle was a bit weird. So I ended up a few hours later back in the center with a belly full of great food and a story to tell you. Was it clever to go with those people? I don’t know but at least I’m still here :)

The rest of the day I spent in the city by walking around and trying not to fell asleep. This was harder than I thought but I knew that the best thing to have (almost) no jet lag is to force yourself into the local time. In the evening I went back to Tom to get my luggage. Jan-Roelf who I know from school had a bed ready in his apartment where he is staying till the end of the week. After bargaining with 3 taxis (in 1 minute) did I get a ride for 10 instead of 12 RMD. It’s not about the money because 10 RMD is 2 euro but it’s just a game. Roberto took me for a 15 min. ride what was better than the rollercoaster Superman the ride at Sixflags. Unfortunately has Jan-Roelf to go back to NL but listening to his stories makes me more and more excided to be here for the next half a year! My eyes closed slowly after being awake for 34 hours.

Day 2:
After a great sleep went I to Kollektion in the morning. This is the company I will be working for and I dropped by for a chat. Everybody was really friendly so I’m looking forward to start on Monday. I will tell you more about my work later because now I’m still on holiday. After this I went into the city to bay a new camera because my last one from the Aldi wasn’t working anymore. When you pres the flash button it starts recording videos and the “click” button is the off button. The old off button is now to play mp3files. Are you still following me? One thing it doesn’t matter what you by here you only NEED to bargain. I spend one hour walking form shop to shop because I wanted to practice my skills. Not really knowing what kind of camera I wanted but just having fun to see what the price really was. 50 % off the first price was a bit to mush for electrical stuff. After 15 minutes bargain the girl became mad ad me so the manager took it over. I will call him John to make it easier. John does like to eat and it took him at least one week of normal exercise for him to get out of his high chair. At least this is what I could read from John’s face. After a few minute’s he was standing in front of me and I found out why John was sitting in a high chair. He definitely was the smallest person in the whole shopping mall and that as a manager. The girl came back with a box for John so he could clime on it to come up to the high of my shoulders. After some diehard bargaining bought I a Penasonic camera (220 euro in NL) with extra a 2 g. high-speed sd-card and original case for only 170 euro. Now I had the tasted of bargaining was I not doing more than shopping around for the rest of the day.

This brings me to now where I’m sitting in Jan-Roelf’s apartment and think about going for a swim in one of the 2 large pools, just can’t decide whit’s one…..

Groeten Bas

Ps. Next time I will write about the great and cheap food, the girls who are looking at me like I’m a movie star and many more.