Getting lost can either a discovery of new gems, or go terribly wrong. I'm the type that likes to wander and head to new places, especially away from tourist kicks and venture into the whelm of local-ness. The down side is, I notice that when you head into more local areas, you definitely will get more stares as the sight of foreigners is less frequent
Yesterday I headed to the KLCC where the base of the Petronas Towers are, basically shopping central. It was very refreshing to not follow known directions and instead cross through various buildings to attempt my own way of getting there. In the end I still ended up utilizing the bridges and underground pathways that connect one building to another until it eventually led me to where I wanted to be as that was the only way to get to there; security is tight and the buildings are very close together so most walking  has to be above or under ground as cars take over the main streets in the surrounding area.

There wasn't much to do actually since it catered to tourists here so think brand names and fancy looking shops. So I headed to the Pavilion Mall (one of Malaysia's newest mall among the plenty) for lunch and to see if I could pick up any lightweight pants as I hardly brought and which would become necessary for some places I will be heading to. This mall is quite impressive in design and in the selection it had to offer. I really like how it was sectioned off into different categories of shopping: high fashion, typical western stores (i.e. Forever 21), children's wear, et.c so you only go to the section you want to be in. I ended up getting a pair at Cotton On, an Australian base store for a decent price. Though I like local shopping, I don't like not being able to try things on (especially bottoms) and just being a victim of cheap price tag shopping. Shopping at a branded store also tells me that the quality will withstand more wear and tear especially when I will be traveling.
Closer to the evening I had really anticipated going to Bukit Nanas, a natural forest reserve at the base of the Menara Tower to do some trekking through trails. Unfortunately, it was closed due to renovations (and will be for 2-3 years) so I just did some sightseeing from the base of the Menara Tower as there was this open outdoor man-made area of rainforest like environment. Though, I got caught in the rain so I stayed there longer than planned to enjoy the view of my surroundings and do a bit of reflecting. The pungent scent after rainfall is perfume to my nose and made the scenery an ambience of freshness-a bonus to my prolonged stay here!


Today I finally got to go to the National Mosque of Malaysia (Masjid Negara) via one of the free 'GO KL' (purple line) buses. I should've recalled from my religion class days that Muslims pray every Friday morning, but I didn't so I wasn't allowed in. However, the building itself is quite a sight itself and so aesthetically pleasing to the eye. There was also an open market area next the building selling Indian food and local novelties. Nearby was also the Central Market, a very touristy outdoor and indoor market of gifts, souvenirs and food. I left this market as quick as I got here as I had plans to check out Chow Kit Market-the largest wet market of Kuala Lumpur, and a more local side of the city...maybe too local.

On the way there, an older Indonesian man was kind enough to not only show me where to go when I inquired about directions, but he even got on the bus with me to take me there. I know what you're thinking, and my safety alarm went off too, but I sensed no harm as he was only being friendly. It felt unusual as out of Canada, it's on occasion that people go out of their way to show you where things are, and even then it may be a rare experience. When I finally got off my stop, he even kept telling me which bus to take to get back to my hotel safely (his English was very limited so I was nodded even though I didn't comprehend everything) and then went on his way back. I was so thankful!

So the market did not meet my expectations as it was very cramp and dirty. The food didn't look appealing either as it looked to be sitting there for hours with flies flying around ready to feed on them. Thus, I decided to head to this place known for roti called Valentine Roti, which is where my story of getting loss goes wrong. As I headed away from Chow Kit and towards the direction I was suppose to be going, I realize I was in a more quiet residential area with little to no females around and the area looked poorer than everywhere else I've been to. Mostly cars and Malaysian/Indian males were in this area and I felt like I kept getting stared at which made me uncomfortable. My conscience kept telling me this didn't feel right-either foreigner are not sighted here or females shouldn't be here at all, so I followed the leading of my gut (thank you Holy Spirit!) and turned back from where I came from. I didn't get my roti which is okay because I satisfied my fix at Killiney Cafe just below my hostel (btw my hostel Sunshine Bedz is very clean and in a bomb location!).

One thing is for sure, when getting lost goes bad it's not fun at all and my heart goes out to Flight MH370. I can't imagine what the families and friends of those on board are going through. I've seen many billboards with messages of condolences and even advertisements from various companies sharing their empathy towards this incident here in the city. I pray and hope the plane may be found soon as well.