profoundfluxpudding

I got off the airplane in KL about two hours before I had to meet Tom Abang Saufi, a famous Malaysian designer. This would have been easy except that the airport is one hour away from downtown and I had no idea where her home was in relation to my hotel. And I could not figure out how to buy a bus ticket. Lost at the airport and under a time restrain, I stopped the first friendly face and asked for directions. Luckily for me, the friendly face was a British girl who had been traveling for the past six months and had been to KL a bunch of times. She must have sympathy for confused travelers because she took me to the ticket booth. We sat next to each other on the bus. When it started to downpour she offered me an umbrella from Sri Lanka. I gratefully accepted.

Once on the bus, I was worried that I would not make it to my hotel and the the interview in time. It was fate that the bus stop, KL Sentral was located right next to my hotel. I received an amazing deal at Le Meridien for one night through a friend.

I made it to the interview in time. As we were chatting, Saufi asked if I had evening plans. Of course I did not. So she invited me to attend a fashion show with her. My first night in Malaysia and I was sitting between two sister designers at a fashion show for the Prime Minister and Royal family. I literally rubbed shoulders with royalty. I was so excited to be there, but so self-conscious of my vintage Bangkok dress that showed my knees. Everyone around me was covered from head to toe and I stuck out like a hernia. Carrie Bradshaw would have been dressed in the traditional wear …. I have a suspicion this will not be my last fashion show as a journalist. Next time I will dress better!

Back at Le Meridien, I needed help with everything. I was probably just overtired, but I called the operator a number of times to ask how to change the air conditioning settings and how to get on the internet. By the end of the night they knew me by my first name: “How can we help you, Julia?”

I spent the day today shopping in Bangsar and then attending a girl’s day out sponsored by the main fashion blog in KL, http://www.tonguechic.com/. I loved chatting with the managing editor and she offered so much knowledge. I wish I had more time in KL to check out all the street markets and shops she told me about.

Now I am sitting at Bubu bar in Bukit Bintang. When I could not plug in my computer charger because I did not have an adapter, the owner of the bar (sitting next to me) sent one of his staff to buy one.  When the owner saw me awkwardly adjusting because the bar was too high, he brought me a pillow. I feel like the Princess in the Pea.

This weekend has been exhausting, but successful. I could not have done it without the help along the way (maybe I’ve been in Hanoi for too long, but I am shocked every time someone goes out of his/her own way to lend some help).

Visit Kuala Lumpur:

STAY: Le Meridien or Green Hut. Take a guess at which one offers free wifi…

SHOP: I can’t divulge too much info. But do check out tonguechic.com

EAT: I basically ran around the whole weekend, subsisting on Starbucks and nuts. But did get an organic/vegan meal at Woods

SEE: Oops, I only saw malls, stores, fashion shows, and a fashion event. I guess I have to come back to discover what else the city has to offer.

“Is this going to be a quixotic quest?” I asked Sarah, my housemate who has accompanied me on many a misadventure. “No, I think we will find it,” she assured me.

Both of us had been yearning to try hot ginger che after reading about it in the January issue of The Word. However,  we had never really figured out where it was or how to order it before the weather got too hot.

This week has been cold  (I turned my space heater on and pulled out my wool coat again) so the craving to try the hot delicacy came back. We were at lunch and wishing we knew what street in the Old Quarter it was on and what is was called. Luckily, our friend Jonathan was at lunch with us. He showed us the street on a map and wrote down the name for us – banh troi nong.

I had been on a mission to find this elusive dessert since January and now my dream was finally coming true! Sarah and I found the spot  (76 Hang Dieu)and ordered  with no problem. Within seconds of sitting down, a lady brought us two small bowls of hot ginger soup with sesame seeds, peanuts, and rice dumplings, and coconut. It was everything I had hoped it would be.

When I first arrived in Vietnam, I tried che and immediately dismissed it as something I had no interest in. It was like a fruit tart for me – yummy, but not ice cream or chocolate so not worth it. Why would I want to eat beans, potatoes, corn, or lotus seeds if I was eating dessert?

However, I am starting to get more into che – the sweet dessert soups. It can be served warm when the weather is cold and with ice as a refreshing treat when its hot. There are so many different types, colors, and variations that finding the best concoction becomes an adventure.

Also, I love discovering new street food. I decided that going to only  upscale restaurants depresses me. I feel so removed from my surroundings. I am much happier when I am connecting with the city and the people on the street at pho shops or tea stalls. And now che stores.  Holy hot ginger!

Last Saturday was 23rd day of the twelfth month of the Vietnamese lunar year. On this day, the Kitchen God sets off towards the sky. To get there, it travels on fish. So, on this day, Vietnamese people release goldfish into lakes and ponds.

I too took part in this rite to set the Kitchen God off. On the other side of the Red River, people were selling goldfish in plastic bags hung to the back of their bicycles. We bought a fish and went to set it free in the Red River. We were told that people drop fish off over the bridge so we pulled to the side of the busy bridge to observe. Sure enough, people on motorbikes would pull to the side of the bridge and dump their fish off into the river. This was done quickly and bizarrely unceremoniously, as if it were another errand to check off the list on a Saturday. Some people did not even open the plastic bag before chucking their fish. I said a little prayer for my fish before we chucked it off into the polluted river….

Afterwards, I decided to see what it was like to be launched into the water. At the zoo, there are plastic bubbles that you get in and then are rolled out into the river. At first I laughed because I was in a bubble by myself in the middle of the river. The laugh echoed all around me and made me laugh more. I tried to run and do flips in my bubble. But soon, I got bored and sweaty. I decided I did not want to be like a fish in a bag, but was glad that I had the opportunity to walk, err flop, like a fish in a plastic bag being released for Tet.

Now that I am back in the US for a few weeks, I am able to take a step back and consider how I have changed from living in Vietnam for the past few months. For one, I have realized that it is almost impossible to faze me. Everything seems so easy, relaxed, and comfortable that it is almost eerie. Where once I might have gotten anxious or freaked out, I now take a deep breath and stay calm. Also, I am now used to feeling completely anonymous in Vietnam. When I feel anonymous, I am more likely to do silly things. Even though I speak the same language as people now that I am back in the US, I am still feeling anonymous and making a fool of myself – i.e. this video. Finally, I have spent my months in Vietnam with a beginner’s mindset, always exploring and searching. I might have grown up in the US and been to California a million of times, but I now look at it differently. I now find myself searching, exploring, and really trying to understand the culture around me. The outcome of all of this? My first Flip-a-mentary: