Kuala Lumpur

Well a weekend in Kuala Lumpur was most surprising indeed. Another short trip but I managed to get a flavor of the place in 3 days.

KL is south of BKK and is about a 2.5 hour flight. As it turns out it is a very modern city with a lot of Western influence. The previous occupations (British included) have resulted in a population where English is prevalently spoken and the characters are Roman. What a difference that makes in navigation and ease of transport. No more staring at Asian characters and trying to figure out if the loop or stroke is the same as the address you printed out. But I digress...

What can I say about KL?

- Large and sprawling urban environment, but full of trees and greenery. The daily rains keep it quite lush.
- The weather is quite different fro BKK, with overcast days being the norm.
- Heavily Muslim, many women are covered and in traditional dress. With that said, it is not uncommon to see scantily clad prostitutes in the bars in clubs. This is so like the rest of Asia in the sense that there is a dichotomy between traditional values / expectations and what really happens, e.g. the sex trade.
- It is quite modern and fashionable with beautiful restaurants, clubs, bars, shopping and of course the world famous Petronas Twin Towers (see above), which some of you may remember Tom Cruise deftly scaling in one of the Mission Impossible movies. I managed to have a drink directly across the street and gaze at the towers across the way - it literally glitters in the night.
- Just when I thought pirated DVDs and designer bags could not get cheaper or become more prolific than BKK, I was proven wrong. In KL they are equally abundant, but in fact cheaper than Bangkok. Not that I ever buy illegal goods....or know anyone else who does...

So a quick but satisfying trip to yet another Asian capital.

So, to be fair, I owe you all updates on Koh Samui, Philippines, Germany and Paris. And now I am headed to Hong Kong for a long weekend. Will I ever catch up you wonder? Don't worry, I will. In the meantime, hugs and kisses to you all, Joanna

Shanghai - the NYC of Asia

A quick trip to Shanghai fascinated me with Chinese culture. I went for work, so did not have much time, but I managed to do a few things outside of my meetings.

Unlike BKK, Shanghai has proper paved tree-lined city streets and sidewalks. None of this jagged ragged sidewalk construction that renders high heels obsolete in BKK. Taxi drivers do not appear to be inebriated after 8pm as they often do in BKK. And further the sidewalks are not teeming with stray dogs and cockroaches like BKK. I suppose this paints a not-so-pretty picture of BKK, but I tell you that my tolerance for such things is high because it is mitigated by $5 massages and my dedicated team of house help.

In fact, my general impression after several days was that Shanghai had much in common with NY. And if you were to be abducted by some supernatural force and plopped down on a street in Shanghai, you might guess you were in NY if not for the preponderance of Chinese people and Chinese language characters. Why? Because of the lights. The energy. The oaccasionally rude people rushing about. The traffic. The skyscrapers. This is a working city, make no mistake. Time is money and these people want to become 1st world and fast. Did you know that China is expected to have the same size economy as the US in 10 years? Makes me want to go back to college and study Mandarin and International Business.



So I did not have time to do much, but I am happy to report that I went to the oldest (est 1864) and most famous roast duck house in Shanghai. Yes, it was delicious. And for those of you who are curious, it was just like NYC Chinatown - same taste, same presentation, same everything… so I can say with confidence that the NYC Chinatown experience is authentic from a food perspective.


After dinner we made our way to the tallest hotel in the world, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai, and had a NYC priced cocktail with a stunning view of the city.

See, all so very NYC. There is even a Hooters. Does anyone else see the irony in an Asian Hooters?????

I will be going to Shanghai frequently for work, so I am sure I will have more to report in the near future.