jacketwatch

I suppose chili crab washed down with a cold beer is something we can all relate to. It’s a guy thing. .

The architecture in downtown KL is diverse and modern. It reminds me of Chicago but on a smaller scale.

I have heard English is more widely spoken and understood in Shanghai. Did you notice that?

I did not notice an observation floor with a glass floor there but maybe they are on other high rises.

BTW have you ever tried durian or smelled one?

Percy

Yes jacketwatch I did try durian and held my nose to eat a bit........ actually it tastes very good

In Shanghai, people speak a lot of English and I never had a problem with language there.

In Hong Kong it is even better. English everywhere. I never heard Chinese spoken, everyone spoke top me in English.

I thought Kuala Lumpur would be bigger than Chicago or at least have more skyscrapers......... so I guess not.

Some of those glass floor observation deck are really scary.

Google Shanghai Tower and see that the glass floor observation is on the 120 floor,,,,,,,,,, Gulp !!!

jacketwatch

It’s uncanny how something that smells so bad can be so sweet. It is an acquired taste but in truth for me and there are so many more fruits that are sweet and fragrant so I think I would put in the Durian down on my list.

A friend of mine who had to go to Shanghai many times for business reasons told me the same thing about English. Maybe someday we will think about going there and as we have been to Hong Kong already I know what you mean about English there.

I have heard of observation decks with Classic floors and someday I would hope to try to experience one.

The next date we drove about 90 minutes to Melaka. After arriving there we walked a little bit and then have lunch at this really eclectic restaurant. https://m.facebook.com/thedailyfixcafe

this reminded me of something out of Greenwich Village Inn the 1970s and 80s minus the hippies. . The food was very good too. After this we went to a museum of the colonial period there. However the museum was not air-conditioned and it was very warm just stay at around 97°F. It simply got too warm for us and we went to the Hard Rock Cafe to shop and then we went to a hotel operated by my friend brother-in-law who let us use your room to relax and refresh.

after we had a chance to relax there was a special treat for us at their ass he had arrange for a Chinese- Malay fusion cuisine called Peranakan. You could see how there was a blend of these to cuisine’s as it had its own unique taste.

After this we headed back to Kuala Lumpur to rest up and our friends had a nice send off for us the next day as this was our last day there.

Stay tuned.

jacketwatch

jacketwatch

More of Melaka

A couple more pice

jacketwatch

The next morning we had our last wonderful breakfast at the Hyatt. We met Lea The food and beverage manager and requested that we get some pastries for the following morning for our breakfast as we had to leave the hotel quite early to catch a flight to Beijing. She was most accommodating to us and exemplified the outstanding level of hospitality we received at the Hyatt overall.

we relaxed most of the day and had to walk to the mall next door and then had lunch at JP Teres in the Hyatt. Sue was totally delighted with the pistachio kulfi order Indian ice cream which is what it is. She said it was the best that she’s ever had and when you see the pic with the look on her face you could believe that. .

Later that evening our friends took us out for one final dinner. We met them of course as well as his daughter her mother and sister and two of their foodie friends. One of our entrées was Peking duck and I must say in my opinion it was a little better than what we had in Beijing. The skin was Kris beer and I like the flavor a little bit better. D crispy skin is cut off at the table and there you put it on the type of soft white bread and some Hoisin sauce. After that they cut the meet and serve her with some noodles sell overall it’s quite a preparation and presentation.

The following morning we were up quite early and left the hotel around six in the morning for our flight to Beijing where we stayed overnight before departing the next day. Our slight on Cathay Dragon was fine and we arrive in Beijing around five in the afternoon. We stayed overnight at the airport Hilton before going home the following day. While there we decided to get something to eat and we had one final lost in translation moment. We decided to split a hamburger and the waitress said how do you like your “booger” cooked? I said you mean “burger” She said "yes how do you want your "booger" cooked .

Actually that burger was quite good and quite large two easily satisfying the both of us. Breakfast was quite nice too and we left take our 1200PM flight home. Now UAL is a 3* carrier and for good reason as sadly the level of courtesy by their FA's is to me substandard especially compared to the service we've received on 5* carries such as ANA, Asiana and 4* carriers like Cathay Dragon and Thai. we had an issue before take off. One of the FA's grabbed my wife purse to put it up in the bin. She did not ask, just took it. Sue said she has meds but the FA turned this into a power trip repeating it had to go up top. I was stewing and asked another FA to help but he ignored me. Then I got his attention again and asked to speak to the lead FA who turned out to be snatch and grab. I expressed my dismay in no uncertain terms and he just left. Then I asked another FA for her name but she said she could not do that. I was clearly mad and asked to speak to her. To her credit she came by right away and I told her we did not appreciate how she handled that. We know why you did that but do remember that purse is not yours, its hers and i simple explanation would have been fine instead of turning this into a "i'm right, you are wrong" scenario. I also reminded her he had paid a fair sum for these biz seats and deserved some courtesy. Well she apologized right away and offered me her card. I said that wasn't necessary, thanks for listening and thats all. we wanted.

The rest of the flight was great and she was extra attentive and we appreciated that. However we did hear two other FA's complain about passengers with backpacks as they annoy them by sometimes bumping into people. It was like gossip and I think inappropriate to say it loud enough for passengers to hear.

Our flight home was on time and smooth. Of course we had a great trip, saw sites that amazed and cemented friendships with people so far way and I hope to see again someday. I Hope you enjoyed this TR. Thanks for reading and for all the comments. I hope we can get back to KL one day and perhaps Shanghai too. Overall this was a fulfilling vacation and not just from a culinary point of view but in terms of learning more about history in an area of the world we have never been before and of course in terms of expanding our friendships.

All the best

Larry.

jacketwatch

A few final pics.

jacketwatch

The ice cream delight

Percy

Thanks for taking the time to write this informative report and all the pictures.

Long flight home, that is about 6 hours to get to Beijing, then from Beijing was it straight home ?

Time for you to relax now and enjoy the Blackhawks

jacketwatch

It was about two 4 hr. flights KUL-HK-PEK with a change of planes in HK, overnight at the airport Hilton and then a 12.5 NS PEK-ORD. The flight times and price was really good as both were NS’s that left noonish and we just happened to swoop in when UAL had a huge price drop.

Thanks for following and for your comments.

The Hawks are surprisingly good so far this year. They took it to the NYR last night and your Oilers come in Sunday. They have a lot of new very young guys so let’s see how they develope this year.

All the best, Larry

Percy

Kuala Lumpur looks like a lovely place.

I hate those loooonnng flights back home.

Baseball watching now for World Series

jacketwatch

At least the flight was a NS. That helps.

Um how late did you stay up watching that game.