吉隆坡之行-上 Kuala Lumpur Visit – Part I

2024年3月11日-3月18日，来到马来西亚的第三周

March 11-18, 2024, the third week in Malaysia

这周时间匆匆流逝，工作依旧按部就班，其中两个晚上安排了9点和10点的会议。周四，在Coco Island美食中心吃过晚饭后，我俩遇到了一位当地人，与他聊天甚是有趣。这位生活经历丰富的老兄，讲述了他自己令人惊讶的过往：曾为马来西亚的某位皇室成员担任司机，与一位英国知名的发型设计师共事两年，因信用卡诈骗在英国坐过两年牢。他描述那是他经历过的最好的监狱，甚至愿意再次入狱，因为那里的人都受到人道对待，还因为他是马来西亚人，监狱特意为他准备了炒饭。相比之下，他在马来西亚的监狱待了六个月，坚称宁死也不愿再踏入马来西亚的监狱。他自称是一个“老花花公子”，但让我俩意外的是，他对许多实事的观点却比较自由主义的。好了，不多说了，我还是继续记录这个周末去吉隆坡的短途旅行吧。

This week passed by in a flash, and work continued as usual, with meetings scheduled at 9 pm and 10 pm on two evenings as well as an early morning meeting.

On Thursday, after having dinner at the Coco Island food center, we met a local person, and found chatting with him was quite interesting. This man, who had a wealth of life experiences, recounted his own surprising past: he had served as a driver for a member of the Malaysian Royal family, worked with a well-known British hairstylist for two years, and spent two years in prison in the UK for credit card fraud.

周六早晨，我俩Grab到码头，搭乘渡轮前往槟城对面的巴特沃斯，随后开始了四个多小时的火车旅程前往吉隆坡。整体而言，火车旅行还算是舒适的体验。唯一的不便是PJG选购的座位似乎是整个车厢内倒数第二差的，因为我们的座位是面对另外两个乘客的，可以想像各种的不便利。尽管如此，四个小时终于慢慢流逝，车厢内的空调倒是十分给力的，冻的我用裙子当了披肩。抵达吉隆坡后，立刻被一种大城市的感觉包围，眼前高楼林立，充满了各种有意思的建筑。

He described it as the best prison he had ever experienced and was even willing to go back to jail because people there were treated humanely, and because he was Malaysian, the prison prepared fried rice for him. In contrast, he spent six months in a Malaysian prison and insisted that he would rather die than set foot in a Malaysian prison again. He called himself an “old playboy,” but what surprised us was that his views on many current affairs were more liberal.

Alright, I won’t say more. I’ll continue to record this weekend’s short trip to Kuala Lumpur.

On Saturday morning, we took a Grab to the pier and boarded a ferry to Butterworth, opposite Penang Island, and then began a train journey of more than four hours to Kuala Lumpur. Overall, the train trip was a fairly comfortable experience. The only inconvenience was that the seats PJG purchased seemed to be the second-worst in the entire carriage because our seats were facing two other passengers, and you can imagine all sorts of inconveniences. Despite this, the four hours finally passed, although slowly, even though the air conditioning in the carriage was very powerful, freezing me to the point where I had to use my skirt from the suitcase as a shawl. Upon arriving in KL, we were immediately surrounded by the feeling of a big city, with towering buildings in front of us, filled with all kinds of interesting architecture.

吉隆坡旧火车站的对面是哈伯德先生设计的另一座灵感来源于莫卧儿的杰作。它于1917年建成，最初是作为铁路公司的行政大楼，至今仍然保持着这一功能。它的北翼在二战中被炸弹严重破坏，1968年又遭遇了火灾。- Across from the old KL railway station is another Mughal-inspired masterpiece designed by Mr. Hubback. It was built in 1917 and initially served as the administrative building for the railway company, a function it still maintains today. Its north wing was severely damaged by bombs during World War II and suffered a fire in 1968.

在酒店安顿好之后，我们先是在酒店的俱乐部享用了两杯免费的啤酒。7点多，我们出发前往附近的酒吧街，观察来往的人群一直是我们的兴趣所在。意外的是，我们刚坐下不久，天空突然倾盆大雨，雨势愈演愈烈，从7点半持续到了9点多，让我们原本计划探访的旁边美食街之旅也只能作罢，最终我们选择了对面一家泰国餐厅享用晚餐。

After settling into the hotel, we first enjoyed complimentary beers at the hotel’s club. Around 7 o’clock, we set off for the nearby bar street, as observing the passing crowds has always been our interest. Unexpectedly, shortly after we sat down at the Gypsy Bar, the sky suddenly poured with heavy rain, and the rainfall intensified, lasting from 7:30 to past 9:00. This forced us to abandon our original plan to explore the adjacent food street. In the end, we chose to have dinner at a Thai restaurant across the street.

晚饭后，Grab前往一个能够欣赏双峰塔夜景的绝佳地点——眩晕酒吧，位于悦榕庄酒店的第59层。坐在屋顶，眼前的吉隆坡夜景让人心旷神怡。雨后的城市仿佛被重新洗涤，灯光在湿润的街道上反射，闪烁着温柔的光芒。远处的双峰塔在夜空中格外引人注目，闪烁着这座城市的象征，也炫耀着独特的建筑之美。这种景色让人不由自主地放慢了呼吸，内心充满了对生活美好的感激。此刻，所有的忙碌和烦恼似乎都随那夜雨一同消散。

After dinner, we took a Grab to a prime location for appreciating the night view of the Petronas Twin Towers – the Vertigo bar on the 59th floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel. Sitting on the rooftop, the Kuala Lumpur night scene before our eyes was refreshing and delightful. The city, after the big rain, seemed to be washed anew, with lights reflecting on the damp streets, shimmering with a gentle glow. The distant Petronas Twin Towers stood out exceptionally in the night sky, flashing as a symbol of the city and flaunting their unique architectural beauty. This sight made one unconsciously slow down their breathing, filling the heart with gratitude for the beauty of life. At this moment, all the busyness and troubles seemed to dissipate along with the night rain.

半夜12点多才回到酒店，第一次疯到这么晚，两位老人家很快就进入了梦乡。

We didn’t return to the hotel until after midnight, the first time we had stayed out so late! The two elderly folks quickly drifted off to dreamland (well, actually only one elderly folk … haha)