Dear pipsqueaks,
*warning: the following post may come across as slightly offensive, so read with an open mind n heart*
Having woke with a massive headache n just overall discomfort, I'd never thought to make it through a mini tourist day in KL with my frenchies + giant swiss-german friend. To make the most out of what was left of this weekend, I agreed to join the guys for lunch n possibly a visit to the Bird Park or Butterfly Park (around the same area), neither of which I have made the time to go even though they were literally a few stops away. You know what they say, the closer u are, the less likely u'll have the urge to go. That's probably why now that I'm in Malaysia, I'm always looking to go "out". But that's a bad way of thinking, really. I should make the most of being so close to the famous Malaysian beaches n AOI (areas of interests) while I'm here! But, that doesn't stop me from wanting to go Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam...etc. Just means I gotta travel even more to do both national n international! Good deal for me :)
Craving for pizza, we headed to the mamak store (that's what they call local indian restaurants) we went for dinner on Friday before Zouk only to find it closed! In the heat, the decision was made to have lunch at Pavillion instead. There's one thing about malls in Asia that I like n dislike at the same time: they blast the aircon like crazy. It feels awesome when u walk in, but then u'll feel like crap when u walk out, n possibly with a headache due to the extreme change of temperatures. Regardless, we had our pizza lunch there n decided on our itnerary for today: KL Bird Park n Butterfly Park. Except, by the time we were done getting our giant swiss-german friend his ice-cream dessert, the weather looked threatening. Armed with only one umbrella- my dinky three-fold- we stuck to the plan. We hopped on the skytrain n headed for KL Sentral. Side note: it was probably a very uncomfortable ride for our giant swiss-german friend cos nothing in Asia's made giant-friendly, so standing at nearly 2 metres, he had to slouch the whole way. Poor dear, but this is probably the only time I'm glad to be my size :P
But as we made our way to the parks, it started to pour. Without a plan B n seeing that at least 2 of us haven't been there, we quickly voted to duck the rain at the national mosque. Upon reaching the entrance, we were greeted by staff who were very eager to throw some gowns n head cover on us. U see, this was one of the reasons why I didn't want to visit the mosque: I'd have to "cover up" in order to go in. That rule's actually fine with me because I respect their beliefs n such, but just because I understand it doesn't mean I agree with it. So, I choose not to go, but seeing that I'd be such a party pooper if I didn't, I sucked it up n threw on the "public" gown n head cover- eek gross- n headed inside. It was a really white n peacefulish place that was surprisingly empty- though it could be as packed as close to 8,000 bodies on a prayers day.
We weren't allowed to enter the main hall- because we weren't muslims- so we stood by the door just to take a look. Then a guide came up n "introduced" the religion to us. I apologize for dozing off during his teachings, but I've heard enough to make my own judgments on things. Though, he did catch my attention when he mentioned about muslim women having to "cover up". Actually, I've always wondered the real reason why muslim women- at extremes- literally only have a pair of eyes showing. Okay, the usual explanation that I get is that their bodies are sacred n for the eyes of their husbands only. What the guide was telling us was something slightly different. His focus was more on "touch" n that if a woman doesn't "preserve" herself to only the touches of their husbands, by the time they get married, she'll be "desensitized". Lol, when I heard that, I literally felt myself in disagreement by smirking a little. In such a reasoning, why wouldn't men need to cover up too? I mean, marriage is a 2-person deal. But no wait, muslims are allowed 4 wives. My mistake. U see what I'm trying to get at here? It's also quite ironic to see a quote state that "all men are equal". Quite right when u read it until u realize "men" is not capitalized, so it actually only refers to men, not all of mankind. Regardless, being in their territory, we're here to learn, whether it's learning to agree or to disagree.
(do i fit in or do i fit in?!)
(the guys had to cover up cos of their shorts, or hairy legs :P)
Now, this brings me to another point. Everytime I'm in the elevator of my own apartment with a lift of muslim women, I get the glares n signs of disappointment, n sometimes even the "how could u?!" look. Well, I like my t-shirt n shorts. In fact, that's what the rest of the world's okay with wearing. So why do I judged for doing what everyone else's doing? If ur gonna say, "Malaysia's still very religious", I'm gonna tell u, "the stares I'm getting aren't from locals". It's mostly from religious women. But seriously, if ur gonna blame women for what they wear, then u could, technically, blame men for looking where they're looking. Even more, u don't see me judging what they wear. They can cover even their eyes for all I care- as long as they don't walk into me. But yah, it might even feel like a silent complaint, if u get what I mean. Plus, it's a free world n we're all free to do what we feel as long as it doesn't break any universal law, so don't be judging what u have no say in. Side note: it was kinda fun walking out hearing a chinese tourguide explain the clothing rule to his group, n seeing everyone's so shocked face to see me take off my head cover to find I'm chinese, n even more shocked to see my t-shirt n short shorts when i took of the gown. LOL- I could still remember their faces- classic!
Moving on, since the weather hadn't cleared, we went to the nearby museum to do some more touristing. I have to say, they do have an impressive collection of miniature mosques around the world. It would be cool to see one in person, especially the size of the one in Mecca. It could easily fit up to a million peeps at once n that'd be just an amazing scene! I didn't even know Xi'an China had a chinesey mosque. Hm, go figures! But as it got really cold indoors, we pretty much skimmed the rest there on. In all, it was a pretty interesting lesson on mosques, but I agree, it'd be much more exciting to see the real deal than miniatures. Though, if I had to choose, I'd finish my "most breath-taking castles around the world" tour first :P
Anyways, not completely sure how we managed to walk home, we made it back to the Bukit Bintang area without hopping on the skytrain. It's been a long day of walking with my left foot rubbed-open-wound by sandals from clubbing. Time for a hot shower n bed!
The hardest lesson to learn is learning to disagree.