Kuala Lumpur recap (WARNING: *Seriously* Autistic P.O.V.)

The lede ain't buried too far, but it is buried...
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A second warning: I am coming to grips with this Autism stuff.  What you should read into my perspective is not anger.  Or, fear.  It is frustration and confusion.  Just accept that no matter who you are, we are living in different worlds. 

This is essentially my diary.  I am choosing to put it in a public place.  

You are welcome in my mind/world.  But you need to remember, you're as much a guest in my world as I am in yours.  I have lived in yours.  Not as You do.  As an "other."    Here, the roles are reversed.  I expect some confusion and frustration on your end too.  It comes with the neurodivide.

I'll warn you when I know this perspective gets "ranty," "whiny," and "entirely my worldish" in the titles. 

If have questions - ask me.  Publicly or privately.   I love shared learning and comprehension.

Want to complain out loud?  Go ahead. 

You will be ignored.  I tried to understand the other world for 57 years.  I cannot.  Nor, can you understand my world.  I'm done bitching about yours.  And, you may not bitch about mine.  La?!?  Eh?!? OK?!?

Let's all just be empathic, la?

Ok, that's out of the way.  Read on at your discretion.  And, if you do, Terimah Kasih.

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OK, first of all it's pronounced "koala looompooouuuuoooouuuur"  Think of two animals: A koala bear and a lemur sitting at a weaving loom.  Or, picture a patrician New England auntie mixing "Poor + pour + purrr"

Koala + Loompurrrrr 

Draw it out.
Enjoy it. 
Add a tiny dash of "meooooooow" to add a dash of the local edge.

OK, that's the good stuff.

The rest basically was hot as balls suckitude.  Really.  Not gonna sugar coat it

Arrived on time.  Easy peasy.

Caught the KLIA Ekspress to KL Sentral.  (Lemon squeezy.) 

Gotta loved borrowed words on English turf: KLIA (the airport, think HKIA!) to KL Central.  That was smart.  And, easy. Less than $15USD.*  

Met a Chinese photographer and chatted.  His 1st trip to KL too.  We arrived at Sentral and I explained how the MRT/LRT/MRL/KTM system Touch N Go system works.  (Autism loves to research...) And then the SUCKITUDE hit.  Hot balls and suckitude.  Nothing except hot balls and serious suckitude.

It was rush hour.  Just like rush hour on the subway at Penn Station, GCT, Union Station (your choice (ORD, DCA, LAX)), or NWT.  

1st train - reminded me of Roma (worst transit in the world).  We passed.  

Second train reminded me of Buenos Aires (next worst subway), he jumped on.  Brave man.  Swallowed into a sea of huminity (Humid Humanity).

Remember that I'm Autistic?  Yeah, like it's not fucking easy to travel as an Autist.   Noises, smells, lights, textures can all fuck with my head.  In the way that makes me scream "shut it all fucking down!" in my head.  It is not good.  

The 3rd train came.  Huminity again.  Suck it up, kiddo.  It ain't gonna get better for at least 2 hours.  I plunged in.  Ugh.

It was three stops. I survived.  Clenched teeth and serious sweat.  Honestly flop sweat + heat sweat is exponential suckitude.

I do not remember much else.  Not just the train ride, the stay in KL.  I could try to do so.  But why? It was unpleasant most of the time.

It was uncomfortably hot and humid.  (Yeah, Heat Index > 110F.  OK, that's just reality on the ground.)

I was jet lagged.

I tried to eat (Nasi Lemak).  I couldn't.  No appetite.  I think I ordered western food for sustenance.  And, was entirely ashamed of myself (talk about stupid.)

I had 3 nights booked.  I literally: Ate (little), Walked (in excess) and Transited (transit = A/C), and Slept (little).  Nothing else.

Nothing tasted good.
Nothing felt good.
My feet hurt (nope, ranted about that enough last trip...)

I felt like shit.

I could not eat so I stayed hydrated at least.
I could not sleep 2 nights.
I slept 16 hours one night. 

I stayed hydrated at least.

I walked through Chow Kit (neighborhood I stayed in), I rode a train past the famous Bukit Bintang entertainment and dining zone.  I know I don't want to set foot in it...there's freaking Hard Rock Cafe there, no thank you.

All-in-all, KL is the quietest, greenest, freshest, nicest big city I have visited.  (I think I have visited 20 of the 100 largest metro areas in the world.)  And, as of that trip, I hated it.

There will be a next time. But probably in the 'burbs.

We'll see.

In the time since I have started to adapt.  It has not been as easy as I hoped.  Today (10Sep24) has been a very good day.  Kuching is wonderful.

Oh, I did take pics in KL too....

Remember the 1st "how the hell is Malaysian chicken so damn good?" 
This is what it was.

We're not in Kansas anymore, Herr Toto.
Not my personal style.

From the wall of my room.
Hotel Stripes is the building on the top right.
The building between it and the bottom edge (rounded corner) are the only 2 unchanged since the original photo

5am, can't sleep.
KL City Theatre

Yeah, that's basically all the pics.  And, hopefully, you understand why.

Kuching has lots of photos.
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* History indicates many of my temporary readers will be local.  So, $USD is my alternative to MYR.  Not $CAD, $SNG, $AUD.   Selamat Datung and Terimah Kasih to my local readers.