Another day out....you've just got to Live

Well, another day out for me... you'd think I was on holidays! My 2 friends (Kim and her husband, Wilson) had to go to Kualu Lumpur (capital city of Malaysia) for some business thing and asked me if I'd like to join them. Absolutley, I said, because I knew they'd go shopping too.

We motored out at around 10-ish and stopped in a very small town called Buloh Kasap (see first photo) for something to eat. Just a small, corner open-air stall that's been there forever, and looks like it. Rundown, creaking tables and chairs, not the cleanest floor, locals stopping in to eat - not the kind of place tourists visit.


However, the noodles were very nice and the people friendly and very curious about me, because I don't think an orang putih (white person) has stopped to eat there before. 2 bowls of noodles, 2 nasi lemak (coconut rice with sambal wrapped in banana leaf, a malaysian speciality), 3 drinks and the whole thing cost less than 10 Ringgit (about 3- 4 Aussie dollars).




After that, we were off. It's a 3 hour drive to KL, so we settled in to drive and chat. I love these drives because we normally end up talking about all manner of things (you know how women love to do this). Wilson just quietly does the driving, pretending not to listen, but listening (intently) all the same.

So, there we were, three buddies, driving along the long and winding road that leads, to (Beatles flashback) ....KL, chatting and laughing, until the noodles decided to make their presence known. Luckily for me, I have amazing control over this particular reflex and can detect an upcoming chunder way before it actually happens. So Kim suggested I drive and Wilson, being the gentleman that he is, let me and the chunders disappeared. Of course, I'm sure he just didn't want me throwing up over the newly upholstered seats.

We went to the newest shopping mall called the Pavillion. It's a very upmarket kind of place and not normally the kind of place I'd frequent because I don't have a spare RM 10,000 to spend on a watch or a handbag - I'm a Target kind of gal!!

The contrast of this place to where we'd eaten breakfast that morning is striking!!


Anyway, window shopping aside, the food there is good. The highlight of the day was when Wilson disappeared, only to be tracked down by mobile phone (how did we go shopping with friends before mobiles came along) and found sitting in a steakhouse waiting for a meal. (Why didn't he just phone us and tell us where he was - that's a whole other other blog entry)

So we joined him, perused the menu and I noticed the steak (this guy LOVES beef), was rather expensive. So I ordered the pasta to share with Kim, while he ate his steak. Then he casually pointed out which steak he'd ordered - it was the RM200 Japanese waygu beef, supposedly THE most tender beef in the world. A casual lunch for RM200 (about AUD 70)!!!

Now, even though these guys earn a decent living, they are not really wealthy by anyones imagination, so to spend that much on a single meal was rather extravagant. He only redeemed himself by sharing with us (Kim was still put out because he didn't tell her where he was going). Kim and I got a few little morsels each and it WAS the best steak I'd ever had. So soft and juicy , and it tasted divine! We were so enraptured by this little piece of cooked cow on his plate, we forgot to take a damn photo. Oh, and the pasta was OK, the fettucine sauce a little thick!

The rest of the day was consumed with eating more food (you've got to taste what's good) and window shopping (these guys can really eat, especially Wilson, yet he's not overweight at all, though I'd hate to know his cholesterol level) and then finally heading home.

As it was getting on to 8.30 pm we still stopped to eat dinner on the way out (I told you they could eat) and I asked Wilson, how do you make a decision to eat 200 ringgit steak on the spur of the moment and his answer... you've just got to live!!

And you do...so I'm going to put away 200 ringgit and I told Wilson if he ever gets that particular urge to live again, he should call me and we'll both do it!!!