Jalan Tun Sambanthan is the main drag in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur's "Little India." The city's transit hub is in this neighborhood. My late arrival led me to spend the night here.
It took me all of 45 minutes to lose the cap to my 15mm lens. Amazingly, my 50mm lens cap fits it, something I didn't realize until now. And it's a reminder of how lucky I've been not to encounter any serious travel misfortunes over the last decade of bopping around. I've never had to visit a police station or doctor's office. Never had to replace a passport. Heck, I've never missed a flight. Saying this out loud might seem like a recipe for a jinx, but I don't think so. After all, I did lose a lens cap. Antigens are small things too, and they inoculate us against greater misfortunes. Anyway, that's how I'm looking at it.
Brickfields is a lively, colorful place by day. Folks are friendly and smiley (in a reserved way) and don't seem to have any problems with photography. Zero hassles on the street from panhandlers or pushy vendors. The Indians and Sri Lankans who populate this part of town seem too proud for that. And while poverty is ever-present, people seem to look out for one another. Saw a sign at one restaurant that said "Free food. For the needy, not the greedy."
One of several colorful alleys off Jalan Tun Sambathan. "Jalan" means "street."
My first meal in Malaysia was a bowl of claypot lamb rice curry at Seni SattiSorru, something I decided on months ago after seeing this video on YouTube. When I looked for it on Google Maps, I figured it was inside a mall, but no, it's outside on the street, practically on the sidewalk. I think this is going to hold true for the rest of the trip. Many plastic chairs are in my future.
I watched the cook make this, but still, untangling the sheer number of spices in this dish was a fun challenge. Curry powder and red chili sauce obviously. Star anise. The green garnish is cilantro. A teaspoon of scallion. I'm gonna call a dab of fish sauce. A healthy dose of turmeric. Maybe a little coconut milk as a thickener? The flavors get real concentrated in the few burned bits that accumulate on the bottom and sides of the pot. Just a great dish, er, pot. I felt bad for the halal place next door that wasn't doing any business.
Provincial and unlettered in the ways of the East, I am dog-paddling in a sea of strangeness. For the most part I can tell what my eyes are reporting to me, but I don't necessarily know the attitudes and beliefs that lie behind them. Like a newborn, I am contextless. But the weather is good ― better than an April in Tampa. Now that's a jinx.
Shoulda had the "Avaram Poo" to drink. Next time. One ringgit equals 24 U.S. cents.
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