Kuala Lumpur Part Two: Bob's Wondrous Three Day (Food) Tour

If you are ever in KL you must take Bob's wondrous KL (food) tour.  Bob isn't a tour operator or professional guide, though.  And Bob's (food) tour isn't a business or anything.  (But Bob could easily find a market for his knowledge, warmth, humor, and passion for KL if he so chose.)  We can't give you his number to arrange said tour because we haven't cleared that with him, but let us know in advance if you ever go to KL and we'll see if Bob is available. 

If it sounds unlikely that a complete stranger would take time out of his life to give you a full-on tour of KL, think again.  That is exactly what Bob did for us, except he didn't take a few hours - he spent the better part of three days showing us the food, culture, and sights of his beloved home town(!).

Who is Bob?
Maybe we should pause here to explain who Bob is and why we were meeting up with him in the first place.   Bob and his wife Jenny (more on the splendid Jenny later) are the parents of one of Jeff's dad's (sister's, cousin's, roommates, great uncle's, next door neighbor's dog's) co-workers who hails from Malaysia.  This co-worker (who doesn't know us either) freaked out in the best way when she found out we were going to Malaysia.  After a few emails back and forth Jeff had a full page of suggestions for Malaysia from the ultra-friendly co-worker and had been e-introduced to Bob and Jenny, who, in their first email, offered to show us around KL whenever we got there. 

When we did finally get to KL, they didn't just show us around, they heightened our visit to KL in every way, making it a truly unforgettable experience!


What made Bob and his tour so great?
Bob is just a really sweet dude.  He went above and beyond in every conceivable way to make sure we had an amazing and unique visit to KL. His wife Jenny was feeling unwell the first few days of our tour and Bob took the opportunity to spend the better part of nearly two full days showing us around KL and, most importantly, feeding us various Chinese, Indian, and Malay specialties.  Bob is as passionate about good food as we are and he would often feed us to the point of Thanksgiving-full proportions, consistently ordering enough food for five or six people instead of just three.   He would often order an item or two at a food court, sit us down with the food, then hop up and dart from stall to stall searching for additional "must-tries".  Another favorite tactic of Bob's was to insert a harmless sounding "snack" or "drink" into our plans between sights - only these "drinks" and "snacks" would turn out to be near-full on meals.  We really can't complain though; without Bob we never would have eaten a fraction of the food we did.  We may have tried some of the same dishes, but never in the same places or in the same way.  Bob was a truly spectacular food guide in every way.

The neatest restaurant Bob took us to was a homeopathic Chinese place that had delicious food and came with a free health reading and dish recommendation from the owner and resident doctor.  Bob said he has been going to this "doctor" for over 20 years.  We left with full bellies, happy happy taste buds, and a unique dining moment under our belts.  Bob left with two big bags of herbs and the pride of making our day through a new experience.  Later the same day Bob introduced us to the durian, Southeast Asia's favorite (and controversial) fruit.  Although horrible tasting in every way, trying durian was a must for us and Bob provided insight on the history and fruit-selecting methods.  We have never tasted a food that tastes so special.  Unfortunately this wasn't special in a good way.  Durian tastes, to the untrained tongue of novice white-folk, like rotting meat and natural gas.  Still, the famous fruit is as much a part of KL or Singapore food culture as anything and we wouldn't have left the region without trying it.  As with everything else we did in KL with him, trying durian with Bob heightened the experience.


Did Bob just feed you for three days, or what?
Bob didn't just take us to food we couldn't have found on our own.  He also took us to sights we didn't find listed in our books and gave us fresh perspectives and vantage points of sights on KL's beaten path.  Let us tell you, there is nothing better as a traveler than coming back to your hostel after a day on the town and telling the other travelers about visiting an awesome area or sight they have never heard of.  Most folks in a hostel will be on the same worn path as you and everyone else.  The backpacker's dream, therefore, is to be able to say they've just returned from doing something no other tourist in the place has done.  Bob allowed us to step off the beaten path in ways we certainly never could have without him. 

One of Bob's best surprises was Putrajaya - the planned and endlessly fascinating city that is being built to house all of KL's government buildings.  Although KL is the capital of Malaysia, all of the actual capital functions will eventually end up in Putrajaya.  Most of Malaysia's ministry and capital buildings have already been moved to this strange and intriguing city and the rest are on their way.  The city is creepy in that it is in the middle of nowhere, feels like a suburb, and boasts pristine-looking replicas of great world architectural achievements.  Residents live on one side of a large man-made lake (which was filled while a KL suffered a major drought a few years ago, according to Bob) and work on the other.  Even though much of the city is over ten years old, it looks brand new, as though nobody has touched it since.   Two enormous mosques, several bridges (including an almost completed Golden Gate homage), and a boat tour with twenty or thirty Iranian tourists) were the highlights.  Putrajaya had plenty of other tourists, but none were obviously Westerners (white) and we felt like we were getting a fresh perspective from the normal KL visit. 

Putrajaya was the feather in Bob's cap, but he also took us to the more famous KL tower, Petronas towers, and the Batu caves.  Our last day with Bob included a cameo from Jenny!  We all shopped KL's famous Cental Market.  Jenny kindly showed us different items and discussed their significance with us.  We
had been inside Central Market on our own and missed the allure, but with Bob and Jenny's help we enjoyed two good meals and bought enough souvenirs and gifts for three couples!  Prior to our Central Market day we had been wondering what Jenny would be like.  Bob was so sweet, patient, and generous.  What would his wife be like?  It turns out Bob's kindness is rivaled only by his wife's.  We couldn't have been luckier or more blessed in our KL experience and hosts - We made new friends (hopefully long term) with Bob and Jenny, saw a side of KL few tourists get, and got closer to Malaysia's culture, history, and people.  Many thanks to the dynamic duo of KL and we can't wait to return the favor next time they are in Seattle!

Well, that is it for Malaysia.  Next up: Singapore!