KL is a Cheap Place for Food

Day 78 - So far in this series, we've had: KL is Religiously Diverse and KL is in the Tropics. Today, I want to acknowledge that food is inexpensive.

Food is often priced at world standards. This means that many products consume a differing percentage of people's earnings in different parts of the world. However, exchange rates enter into the equation as do the costs involved in transportation and storage. I find prices in Kuala Lumpur, in general, seem very inexpensive to us. Our supermarket receipts sort of remind me of our costs in Canada twenty years ago.

We eat better in places we spend winters, as there is a great abundance of local fruits and vegetables for sale. They are healthier due to the fact most don't have far to travel to the market.

The first photo shows the price of prawns at around US$ 7.51 /KG (US$ 3.40 /pound). The second shows supermarket roast chickens for $US 2.66 each. Lastly, Jay wanted to take a picture of some red bananas we brought back and an unknown fruit. When Jay is unfamiliar with something that grows in the tropics, it usually means it is grown strictly locally.

KL is in the Tropics

Day 72 - In case you've not been following, the numbers at the start of the previous, seventy-one blog entries are an indicator. These digits let me know how many days it has been since we left British Columbia for our current winter away.

Last Sunday, I wrote a post entitled, KL is Religiously Diverse. I could tell it might be the start of a series of posts about why I feel so at home in this city. I should explore the many reasons Kuala Lumpur seems such a great fit. Today, I will to add a few more words on this topic.




We have done a great deal of travelling with a fair amount in the tropics. Years ago, I vividly remember a stopover in Singapore. I was amazed by both the prosperity and the vegetation. Looking from the windows of an airport-to-city bus, the median strips looked like lush gardens. Of course, things grow rapidly in the tropics and I cannot help but love that. I used to try to draw coconut trees with crayons as a toddler. So, another major plus point for me is the fact Kuala Lumpur is just 3.1390° north of the equator.
For those mathamatically inclined, you might say I like living close to π.

As well as the leafy greenness, let me share the temperatures for the upcoming week. This is especially included for those people coping with a January cold spell: For the entire week, the daytime temperature will reach 33°C (91°F) but will cool to 24°C (75°F) during the nights. Some of you may think that is a tad too warm, but for me, it seems like absolute perfection!



This morning, the weather was typical. We went to spend a bit of time in the shopping district of Bukit Bingtang. The pink buses pictured are the free GoKL busses. We are staying right at a stop on one of the four, free lines which run to and through all parts of downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Mondays to Thursdays - 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Fridays and Saturdays - 6:00 AM to 1:00 AM

Sundays - 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM

Of course, traditional transit runs all hours and is cheap, but one can't beat free!

KL is Religiously Diverse

Day 70 - Living in Kuala Lumpur is sort of, well, living up to my expectations. I've visited a lot of cities around the globe but this one seems, to me, a great place to live. Over the course of the next three months in this blog, I'm sure some of the reasons will be expanded. As an example though, we walked just a kilometer and a half away to an older part of the city and saw a Chinese temple with a Hindu temple just across the street.




A church and a mosque are not far away. So, religious diversity here is one aspect of the culture in this city which keeps things interesting.