Packing for Malaysia

Dear all,

Less than two weeks to go, everyone. Today, I will write about what some of you asked me about: How to pack.

Malaysia at this time of the year has a tendency of being a little wetter than usual. BBC rates the discomfort level from the combination of heat and humidity as high – which I personally think is unfair. It just takes some getting used to :). Expect hot, sun shiny days and showers in the evenings. Average daytime temperature is 27°C (82°F) all year round.

Packing a rain poncho is a good idea. Unbrellas are good too for protection from the sun and rain. Windbreakers and thin jackets will be useful.

Leave thick coats at home. No gloves required. The thinnest scarves you got, if you really have to. Pack light, thin, clothing. T-shirts. Good rubber soled walking shoes. Slippers or sandals.

Westerners usually find moisturizers useful to pack. And low-SPF sunblock. I suppose they will be useful if you are not used to South East Asian weather. Hair conditioner might also come in handy. Especially if you got the fritz. Though, I don’t recall anyone in our group who does.

Don’t worry about the toiletries etc, though. The KL Convention Center is located right next to one of KL’s most iconic mall, and about 15 minutes to about three other malls.

Hello, shopping! :)

Trees Planted! :)

On this day, 15th October 2009, I accompanied colleagues from the KL International Airport’s Landscape Department to plant twenty (20) trees in the airport’s Forest Two. One tree to represent every organisation participating in the Airport Sector Supplement project :)

The KLIA Landscape Team at the project site this morning.

More details on the project at the meeting proper. See you soon! :)

The first two meetings

Selamat tengah hari, everyone!

Matthias just send me a copy of the group photo we took in Munich. So nice, kan?

Click on photo for large size

So just for good measure, I am also posting the group photo we took in Denver.

Click on photo for large size

KL certainly has high standards to live up to! Next time, I want to stand at the back. Can or not? :)

Musim buah durian

That phrase “musim buah durian” (transl: durian fruit season) would make any Malaysian sit straight up, put both elbows on the table and lean right over. By some fluke of strange luck, it seems that you – yes you! – your visit to KL will correspond with musim buah durian here in Malaysia!

So what is a durian?

Dude… durian is… King!

That’s right, the durian is fruit royalty in Malaysia.

No, I’m not kidding.

Truthfully, you will either love or hate the durian, but either way, you will respect it. It is rather hard not to. The fruit is usually the size of a basketball, but there are smaller variants. The fruit is covered with very sharp thorns. Opening the fruit is an art of its own.

The durian flesh – the part that is eaten, has a soft, creamy texture and a large seed in the middle. Think of the messiest fruit you have ever eaten – the durian is probably messier than that. The flesh is usually described as caramel sweet with a distinct flavour that is like no other. British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace describes the flavour as a combination of cream cheese and sherry-wine, among others.

But your most memorable encounter with the durian – if you will encounter one on your trip here – will be the smell. You will smell the durian before you see it. It has a strong scent which is not often described as aromatic. I remember when I was much younger and my dad brought home durians in his car. His car smelled like durian for weeks after that. It is that strong.

This is also the reason why most locals describe the durian as the fruit that tastes like heaven but smells like hell.

Here’s what some notable foodies have to say about the durian:

Its taste can only be described as…indescribable, something you will either love or despise. …Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.
- Anthony Bourdain

It is like eating sweet raspberry blancmange in the lavatory.
- Anthony Burgess

Completely rotten, mushy onions!
- Andrew Zimmern

Its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away.
- Richard Sterling

Other things you need to know about the durian:

• Most hotels do not allow you to bring durian into your hotel room. Remember to check. I don’t know if you can bring a durian onto a plane, though. Good luck.
• Do not, under any circumstances, consume alcohol with durian. This is a formula for a seriously, seriously, seriously bad hangover.
• No matter how gross it looks, you will have to use your hands to eat durian.

The durian is known for its heat properties, so it is perfectly okay to sweat when eating durian :)

The latest fashion in Malaysia right now is the all-you-can-eat durian buffets. I have friends who are durian freaks and would sit for hours and hours just chatting and eating just durian.

So there you go. Something to look forward to on your trip here next month :)

Less that a month to go, yo!

Dear all,

Things are really warming up for the ACI World Conference, all their sister events, and the GRI Meeting over here. My desk looks like a blizzard in need of major disaster relief. Seriously.

This is just a quick note to everyone to email me your travel arrangements. Where you are staying and what your flight plans are like. This is so that I could estimate any extra transport arrangement if necessary.

Also, do let me know if you will be attending the ACI Gala Dinner on the 3rd Nov and Katherine’s presentation session on the 4th Nov.

Oh, and if you will be bringing a partner to the GRI Dinner on the 5th. They’ll have to dress up too :)

If you have not yet made your accommodation bookings, I would really suggest you do it soon. The ACI people are making plans for their events too and thus the race to book good rooms near the KL Convention Center. In my personal opinion, the best hotels to book (closest to the venue) are:

• Mandarin Oriental Hotel - located on the left side of the Convention Center
• Trader’s Hotel – located on the right side of the Convention Center
• Impiana KLCC Hotel – located opposite the Convention Center
• Crown Plaza Mutiara Hotel – located 2 minutes’ walk from the Convention Center
• Novotel Hotel – located 5 minutes’ walk from the Convention Center
• Equatorial Hotel – located 10 minutes’ walk from the Convention Center, 5 minutes’ walk to Saloma Bistro
• Concorde Hotel – located 15 minutes’ walk to the Convention Center, 2 minutes’ walk to Saloma Bistro

And if you have not yet made your flight plans (hello?), there are some offers going on at the Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia websites.

I’ll write more later. Till then, email me, leave a comment, take care and remember… dancing shoes! :)

Love,
Magic