Zoo Negara

So I went to the Kuala Lumpur Zoo the other day (Zoo Negara). The zoo itself was decent; my favorite part being the rain forest setting...it was literally built into the rain forest; there was even still a river going through it! I got to feed an elephant sugar cane, which ended up leading to an intersting situation.

I decided to feed the smaller elephant (on the left), because everyone else was feeding the bigger one (on the right). The big guy wasn't around yet, but after he saw me feed the smaller one he quickly came over and bullied it out of the way. I was now standing right in front of the big elephant, completely out of reach of the small one. There was no way this bully was going to get fed after that act! Every time I walked towards the small elephant though, the big one just kept coming and pushing it aside. I persisted and finally got my chance...at full reach (both of us)...to feed the elephant who really deserved it!

As a huge monkey lover I was severely disappointed that the primate exhibition was closed!! Got to spend a good deal of time with my ape buddies though....first glimpse of Orang-utans, which I will hopefully soon be seeing in the wild!! Also, at this point I need to HIGHLY recommend a documentary called Chimpanzee...its phenomenal.

A lot of people dislike zoos, saying that the animals shouldn't be caged up. I've always felt differently. Yes, these animals deserve to be in the wild, but i truly feel that they are necessary sacrifices for the rest of their race. It is important for educational reasons to have zoos...run properly of course. How are children, for example, supposed to someday grow up to help fight the extintion and for the well-being of these beautiful creatures, without ever having laid eyes on one before!? These animals are having to rely on our help more than ever...and zoos play/should play a huge role its success rate. 

By the way...the animals in Zoo Negara are sponsored :)

See what happens when you lose your sponsors :(

Kuala Lumpur

I'm finally making some cash in KL!
Teaching Korean kids English!

I'm very quickly realising that teaching is an amazing way to travel and make money. This plan I set out on, of staying in places for longer than just a normal touristic duration is really unravelling quite well. Finding work in KL required a bit more patience than in Turkey, since there I already had the restaurant gig. The wait paid off though and now, for KL standards, I'm making good money...or starting to now that I'm getting more and more lessons. If you speak English fluently and want to try teaching and traveling...start getting some teaching experience ASAP. With a bit of experience and fluent English the rest of the world is your playground. It's fun too and it's really rewarding getting to teach children/people from such different cultures!

the Jungle

Jungle Level 1

Me photoshopped into the jungle

Canopy Walkway constructed with the assistance of Germany...I now knew that I would be safe

Look down

PHIN

Jungle Level 2

Crazy roots

Jungle Level 3

                                 

The Jungle...the number one family destination

Bring your tent

Next time I'm jumping in too

                             

                            

Kuala Lumpur

I am currently in a completely different world. That's really what it feels like. Everything is new, every situation makes me feel like a little kid giddy with excitement. I mean all I have done the first week really, has been hanging with my bro Zippy (they call him Phin out here :) ), seeing a wee bit of the city and eating every single night. Eating is a ride out here. Every dish is a dish of something you've never even come close to trying before. Endless spices, tastes and flavors. Malaysians consist of three main nationalities...Chinese, Indian and Malay. They have restaurants with all possible variations/combinations of their foods...Malay Chinese food, Indian Malay food, etc. It's crazy and all of it delicious...crazy delicious. After a week already of only eating those types of foods though, and still fresh off of coming from Turkey, I start to wonder if I could really live off of eating just those dishes. They're all so complex and intricate. I already miss my Kahvalti (Turkish breakfast) with different cheeses, bread, honey, eggs, cay...I miss the simplicity of food sometimes. Actually I don't miss it too much yet...but I'm starting to wonder how long it will take till I do. The food culture, however, is amazing. You go out and sit at one restaurant for 1-2 hours, just chilling, eating, and relaxing...and it's damn cheap! 

The people are really fascinating as well. The mixture, the faces...all new to me. Before I talk about the people though, I need more time here. For now it will just have to be about the food, which has been the highlight of my first week anyway...so it's justified. The city itself is very cool and unique as well...picture a mix of a modern city with some third world culture in the middle of a rainforest. First impressions...

Kuala Lumpur

Food Checklist:
Imbi market (check)
Cinnabon (check!)
Curry puff (check)
Chicken chop (check)
Uptown ramly (check!, see below)
Nandos
Indomee goreng ramly (check)
Hokkien mee
Beef ball noodles
Bak kut teh
Dimsum
Durian
Murnis
Chicken rice master
Korean bbq
Dakgalbi
Pork burgers
Prawn mee
Char kuey teow
Village park nasi lemak
Ulu kelang seafood
Banana leaf rice
Sanbanto
Ttdi Lok Lok


Introducing the Ramly Burger...
a typical Ramly Burger consists of a beef or chicken patty (in this case sliced in half, fried to a juicy crisp and filled with mustard), margerine, onions, an egg (which the meat patty is wrapped in), cabbage, mayonnaise, Worcestershire/Pepper sauce and Maggi Seasoning

So how have I spent my first days in KL...doing what I love most lah


P.S. a special shoutout to 100 plus

Kuala Lumpur

over 30+ hrs no sleep and cinanabon = bliss