The Scenic Route to Central Market KL

There was not enough fuel in the world for our next adventure.  It seemed simple enough.  A mile from our lunch is a famous Central Market with hundreds of vendors; the city is one of the most diverse I've seen, with a huge Indian and Chinese influence, Islamic architecture splashed against a New York-esque skyline, and Hindu colors lighting up the streets.  We excitedly followed the path that maps.me set out for us.

Maps.me has been our navigational savior, as it doesn't require Internet connection but runs off of downloaded maps and GPS.  That being said, it seems to work a bit better for driving routes than walking paths.  When walking, the arrow will sometimes get confused and start turning in every direction.  Jay and I call this maps.me being upset. We don't want to make her upset. We want to stay on the path.  

Our path initially wound us up by the magnificent KL Tower.  We learned our lesson and didn't do the touristy ride to the top, but we stopped to enjoy the air conditioning for a minute.  Our first .3 miles of maps.me took us up a winding hill in the 90+ degree heat.  And then maps.me got upset.  

We couldn't figure out which way she wanted us to go; up by the iconic tower there were only a few paths, and she seemed to keep sending us down the backside of the mountain, through a sort of forest/park/jungle path.  Signs warned us about dangerous bugs and reptiles.  I told Jay I didn't feel like this path would lead us back to the streets and markets, but maps.me was insistent so that's the path we took.

We wound through trees and downhill through a beautiful natural park.  I heard the large KL freeway getting louder, and told Jay we may have to climb some trees or hop some fences, but we'd eventually get back on track.  Miraculously, an opening appeared at the bottom of the hill and we wound our way back to a main street.  We were still .5 miles away.  (I'm not sure maps.me is accurate in her distances when she is upset.)

Drenched in sweat, blistered feet, we made it to the Central Market.  It was everything I hoped it would be: outdoors vendors slinging knock off designer purses and watches, inside vendors boasting treasures from around the world, jewelry, art, music, food, colors, eager shop keepers.  There was so much life.

Chinese wonders

Turkish trinkets

outside market views

We took a cab back to our hotel (and it felt quite like New York city as the meter ran in stand-still traffic). Still, with the conversion, our taxi was only $5.  (Note: Make sure you always get a taxi with a meter when in Malaysia or they will concoct much higher prices for your fare.  You will pay them, because you will have blisters, dehydration from the heat and sweating, and exhaustion from the wonders that you just took in.)  The Central Market is a must. 

We capped off our first day in KL with a long nap and stop at our hotel rooftop before heading to dinner.  The KL Tower lit up at night is magical.  The colors change and the whole city seems to sparkle.  Lights are strung across the streets and inside closed shops.  Jay's peanut butter milkshake at funky eatery Gravy Baby (Bukit Bintang neighborhood) did not disappoint. 

KL SKYLINE

THE COLORS OF KL TOWER