14 December Kuala Lumpur
I got an early start and took care of laundry
with the free and very convenient washers and dryers in the basement. Back in
1995 when I was cycling from Kathmandu to New Delhi as part of a round-the-world
ride with ol’ Bessie the Bicycle, I met an Indian student Tanvinder and his
friends in Haldwani and spent the night with them. Years later ‘Tan’ got in
touch with me through the internet and we’ve been able to get together several
times both in India and here in Kuala Lumpur, where he and his family currently
live. Suggesting we go out for lunch, he asked what kind of cuisine I liked,
and, of course, I replied ‘Indian.’ Tan took me to Restoran MTR 1924, which he
especially likes because it specializes in food of Bengaluru, a city where he
had lived a few years. We both went for the ‘special mini-meal’ that’s a fancier
thali served only on weekends. Tan and I caught up on life and plans.
Coincidentally we are both headed to India for a visit at about the same, though
he to the north for a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, then visits with
family and sightseeing in other areas of the north.
Kuala Lumpur has
many public transport lines including a quaint monorail. It’s a bit slow and
bumpy compared to the light rail lines, but goes to several points of interest
for visitors. After lunch I hopped on the monorail near KL Sentral and rode
northeast to the Bukit Bintang stop, then walked to the UR-MU Urban Museum
https://ur-mu.com/. I liked the personal
feeling that the many small galleries of this private contemporary art
collection have. The website states, “UR-MU reflects the respective collector’s
interest in regional artworks, conveying the aspirations and moods of the city,
nation and region.” Each of the small galleries has its own theme, some humorous
such as ‘Superheroes’ and others more serious such as ‘Power Play.’ I ended my
visit at the Sculpture Lounge on the top floor. The museum likes people to book
tickets on the website, but was still willing to accept cash at the door, RM 10
senior (RM 20 regular). After the enjoyable visit I took the monorail to the Tun
Sambanthan stop, then walked back to my Airbnb, stopping on the way to admire
several Indian Hindu temples basking in the late-afternoon sun.