Kuala Lumpur : Sky scrapers, hot weather….and a new culture !

After 36 hours of travelling (with 9 hours transit in Mumbai) we finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur!!! So hot!!! More than 33 degrees with a humidity rate close to 100%!!! It changes compare to Cape Town! And even more if you look above your head: each building seems to be bigger and taller than its neighbour and the futuristic architecture takes us in its world… On the other side of the road, a small fabric shop very colourful calls us and the small “cook” next to it makes us want to buy a spicy rice and a pink pastry : Welcome in Asia: the contrasted, colourful, odorant … and often crazy continent!

And when you think about Kuala Lumpur (or KL for those in the know), you think about the « Petronas Towers ». These twin towers were built between 1992 and 1998 and culminate at 452 meters. They are now the symbol of KL. We didn’t visit the bridge which links the two towers because it’s expensive and when you are inside you don’t even see the towers!!! That’s why we visited the Menara Tower. It’s a TV –Tower (like the Eiffel Tower) with a height of 421m (only 301m for the Eiffel Tower). From the first platform at 256 m we had a great view on the city!

Menara Tower

Petronas Twer and our Pomme Pidou

Skyline of KL from Menara Tower

KL has also one of the tallest flag pole of the world (100m) dominating the Merdeka Square. It was installed in 1957 after Malaysia’s independence!

Arriving in this new country also allowed us to taste new products and new specialities. First: fruits: Walking in the Indian corner, we tried 4 fruits that we never saw before:

From bottom (hairy litchi) clockwise : Rambutan, Mangosteen, Salak (or Snake fruit) and Dukong

And it is to notice that a lot of small shops on the markets are « smelly » ; it’s not because it’s dirty or non hygienic (okay sometimes ….) it’s because of the durian. The durian is a stinky fruit which is forbidden in public transports, hotel, etc etc, but which is “good”. We tried it once in Mozambique, it’s not that bad but it’s not our favourite fruit, if you know what I mean…

We also tried local food. We are not sure that it was Malaysian food because Malaysia seems to be a mix of several cultures: Chinese, Indian, Indonesian… But it was good, tasty and spicy!

KL is a modern city with a big melting pot of cultures. For shopping lovers, you’ll like KL and its huge luxurious shopping centers, for those who like culture, you’ll find Hindus, Buddhists temples and mosques. The food will make you travel in Asia and if you need green space, go to Lake Gardens and walk in the middle of birds, butterflies, orchids…

We were happy (and lucky) to be hosted by Shikka, an Indian woman living in KL to work. We spoke a lot about differences between European and Indian cultures… and she gave us a lot of tips to travel in her country!!!

After, we took a bus to Cameron Highlands, North from KL. It’s a mountain area which allowed us to cool down after the hot temperatures of KL (but that's another story ;-))

24th April 2014 – 6th August 2014 : Our journey in Africa

During more than 3 months, we wandered on the roads between Nairobi – Kenya and Cape Town –South Africa. We had a great time there, and it’s time to make few conclusions :

-         East Africa is a very astonishing region with plenty of various landscapes : (Tropical forest, mountain, step, semi-desert areas…), different cultures (from the traditional Massaïs to the high tech business men and working girls), a warm welcome and a very interesting fauna and flora.

-        East Africa is relatively touristic (maybe less for Mozambique) but it remains an expensive destination for tourism. We were very surprised when we saw the prices on arrival!

-        But the gap between black and white people is still existing. This inequality is more visible in South Africa but you can feel it everywhere. Unfortunately the conducts to unsafety in some areas. But please stop being paranoiac: if you respect some evident safety rules (such as do not walk with your expensive camera in front of you, or don’t go out alone at night) everything will be fine and you’ll have a good time. People are very friendly!

-        This social contrast brings an « interesting » and different way of life. While white people are travelling in car with A/C, black people take buses where they are 2 per seat ! We took these same buses and even if it’s not comfi at all, people are almost always very friendly with us!!!

-        We were disappointed about the gastronomy. In contrary to West Africa, East Africa doesn’t have a lot of specialities. The most eaten meal is chicken and chips. But it’s not a good grilled tasty chicken, it’s a skinny chicken cooked in oil… (Romain liked it)… In South Africa we find all types of food because of the high number of communities in the country.

-        In East Africa there is something for everybody : claer blue water in Zanzibar, Mountains in Tanzania and South Africa, amazing diving sites, modern cities (especially in SA), rural and traditional places, natural parks with a lot of wildlife… but be careful, Africa not always means hot temperatures. In winter in Cape Town (July-August) it can be between 5 and 10 degrees only!

-        About games, the poorest children are the ones with the most of group games. They play in dancing and singing, with a ball or a skipping rope. One of the most popular game for the youngest is the wheel game: they take a car or bicycle wheel and a stick and play many hours with it. Another famous game is football of course (for girls and boys) and is some poor village they make their own ball with plastic bags, newspaper and rope. They also create their own toys with everything they can find: old metal and plastic packaging, caps, rope, metal…Adults also spend time on playing: they play chess or dames with can caps and Bao: it’s an African strategic game made of wood and played with beans!

-        School in these countries is almost always free but parents have to pay for the books and sometimes for the school furniture (bench, tables…). That’s why a lot of kids don’t go to school. In cities, there are a lot of street kids. They live in the streets because they don’t have a family anymore or because they escape from home or they were told to go by their parents… but those kids are not criminals. If you know them (why we did in Mwanza – Tanzania) they are like a huge family and protect you.

-        One thing is chocking, especially for me as a woman : the place of the woman in the society. She is obedient, doesn’t talk. It happened that some guys only talk to Romain and not to me !!!! It’s very frustrating and revolting ! When we entered some bars or restaurants, there were only men inside (because women have to work at home, take care of children, do the grocery shopping, etc, etc….) It’s so weird!!! But maybe I shouldn’t judge them because it’s another culture. The only question is, can a culture refrain women to have the same rights as men ??? I don’t have any answer….

-        We recommend East Africa for people who like traveling out of the touristic routes. Sometimes it can be rude but it worth it!

There is still a lot to say about East Africa but we let you discover by yourself… We spent 3 fabulous months there and if we had to do it again, we would do it the same !!! And I am (almost) sure that one day we will go back to Africa to discover other places!!!!

South Africa : the conclusion

After 34 days in South Africa, it’s time for the conclusion :

Let’s go to Cape Town via the wine route !!!

When we speak about South Africa we also mean « the most southern country of Africa » ! That’s why it was a must to stop at the most southern tip of the continent of Africa. We went to Cape Agulhas, the point where Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet. At this exact place, a lot of boat sink. Why exactly here? Maybe because of the two opposite currents which meet there ? Or is it for some other reason? Only Mother Nature has the right answer….

We kept going to South and we arrived in Hermanus, a small town well known for its whales coming here in the winter season to breed and feed their babies (before going back to Antarctica). Even if the weather was not so good, we were lucky to spot some whales ;-)

We were most than welcome by our two host from Couchsurfing Nadia and Daniel. More than a couch, we had a full equipped apartment only for both of us… and we could see the whales directly from the balcony!!! As little thank you, Romain cooked delicious French crêpes, which we all really enjoyed! For our first couchsurfing experience, it was a good one J.

As we are French, we have to go on the wine route (and not only to drive if you know what I mean ;-) ). So we installed our tent in Stellenbosch were we visited different wineries: Glenelly, a winery owned by a French lady and “die Bergkelder”, the cave in the mountain. Even if we prefer sweet wines, we tried really good ones…

But the best place to taste and enjoy wines is Franschhoek. (which means “the French Corner” in Dutch). This city was founded in 1688 by 176 French called “Hugenot” who found refuge in South Africa (if you want to know exactly why, I let you check the French History… you’ll love it ;-) ). They received this territory from the Dutch (colonizers of that time). Before the French came, this town was called Olifantshoek which means “Elephants corner” in Dutch because of the huge number of elephants roaming this area. 

Nowadays we still see signs from that past: There is a monument commemorating the French Hugenot, they celebrate the Bastille Day (the French National Day on 14^th July) and the flag of the city is the French flag (Blue, White, Red) with an elephant in the middle… And of course the most visible heritage is the wine!!! A lot of wineries have French names (but be careful not all of them are French…). That’s why we spend some delicious moments with wines and cheese and wines and cheese pairing!!! We love it!!!

But even if we liked this region we moved to Gordon’s Bay where we met Dries, another couchsurfer. We spent a really nice evening together, first eating a delicious pizza and then drinking some Jägermeister, and Springbocker in one of his favourite bar. After that we spent a night in his WARM bedroom!!! Wahouu just lovely!! Moreover because we just camped in a very cold place…

We finally ended our South-African trip in Cape Town. We first said “Hello” to the penguins and then we climbed Table Mountain. After almost 3 hours of hiking we arrived at the top! The landscapes are very impressive. We could see all Cape Town (the port, the stadium…) and on the other side we saw the 12 Apostles” (12 mountains pics) and the Cape of Good Hope!!! But the way back…was difficult. Especially for me as I inured my foot ankle… anyway it worth it!!!

The next day we went to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. We were lucky to see whales jumping out of the water. (and walking helps to eliminate the calories of all the good meals we had ;-) )

If you think about Cape Town, you also think about Robben Island (which means « seals island » in Dutch), the island where Nelson Mandela was a prisoner for 18 years (and 27 in total). We took the ferry for a very “emotional” visit: The island was used between the 17^th century and the 20^th century for different uses. It was a prison, a hospital for mental diseases and for the lepers, it was used as a military base during the world war II and finally it became a prison of high security for the political prisoners. This prison was built in the 60s (during the Apartheid) and was closed in 1996 but the last prisoner left the prison in 1991.

Nelson Mandela came there in 1964 for 18 long years of detention (before being transferred to the mainland for 7 other years of prison). What was his fault? Fighting against Apartheid!

When he arrived in Robben Island, he received a « new name » (such as all prisoners). He was the number 46664. Inside the prison there are a lot of inequalities. Black prisoners receive less food than others and they don’t get long pants nor shirts nor socks (only short pants, short sleeves shirt and no socks). All prisoners sleep on the floor with only 3 blankets (one is used as pillow). If they do something wrong (or if the guard decides they did something wrong), they get punished. There are 3 types of punishment: first they are bitten, then they go for one day in a confined cell without food nor water. That cell was built when the walls were still wet, so that inside is always very cold and wet… The last punishment is the 30 day-diet: during 30 days the prisoner only get 2 meals per day maid of porridge without milk (usually after 30 days he is so tired that he needs a doctor)

Mandela’s cell was very small and he used a bucket as toilets… He could only receive one visit and one mail per year but of course the mail was censured (cut with scissors). But Nelson Mandela is not impressed by all these rules and keep going with fighting : he went in hunger strike and wrote his book « a long walk to freedom ». Black people have also to work hardly in lime mines without any good protection. A lot of them get sick or die…

 Robben Island is now a symbol of the freedom winning against oppression and racism. 3 prisoners of the island became president of South Africa (as Nelson Mandela). Since the end of the Apartheid and the long fight of Nelson Mandela a lot of things changed in South Africa regarding racism and differences between whites and blacks but there is still a lot to do…

After, the weather wasn’t really good so we visited the Waterfront and its huge shopping centre. We walked in the colourful streets of Cape Town and we met a lot of squirrels in the company garden!!!

That’s it ! Our African journey is almost finished now. We will discover new countries and new cultures. First stop Malaysia!!! Continue to follow us ;-)