Moving on

You know I told you it would happen.

Even though Ive been about 5 months into my leave of absence, it was finally time to leave the shores of sunny Malaysia and set sail to the autumnal bliss of Amsterdam. I am here now, I live here now. And I pinch myself every day.

Ill see you in a few weeks again Malaysia, for one weekend or so. And then who knows? Maybe Ill stick to my plans of coming back at the end of May 2012. Maybe Ill choose to move to South America. Maybe Ill meet a man and settle down somewhere exotic, somewhere less exotic.

I dont know where this road will bring me... but I cant wait to find out

70's roller disco weekend

Have you guys seen the movie Whip it? starring Drew Barrymore. Well I watched it once and was enthralled. I thought it would be great to join a roller derby, smack some people around, come up with a cool roller derby name. And then I thought, where the hell can you do something like that??

Enter The Wheels

(The Wheels roller skating rink)

It reminds me of a 70's era roller disco party. The place is quite huge (think about 4 - 5 shoplots huge) and located on the top floor of Suband Avenue; located close to Subang Parade. For RM20 you get to skate around for about 3 hours, or you could pay RM25 and skate the whole day. The cost is inclusive of the shoe rental.

(The skates light up as you roll on by)

Speaking of which... you get a choice of either skating around on old school four wheel roller skates, or blazing on roller blades. The roller blades give you better control, but the roller skates give you more balance (larger distribution of weight). Both types only have brakes at the front of the shoe, so learn to break ala Michael Jackson. The fun part if that they all come with LED lights as you skate along.

(My friend showing how to brake)

The arena is also done up with cute LED lights all along the way, and to lend more old school vibe, there is even a DJ booth on the side where you can request your choice of music. For those far more adventurous, they have ramps down the middle and even a stage for you to jump up and dance.

(Rolling along in the arena)

I decided to hold my birthday party here one weekend. Since it was a roller disco kind of place, I thought it would be apt to have a 70's style roller disco party. Was great fun to have all my friends show up in their 70's best. The best part of the whole night? as it was still the fasting month, the whole place was empty (I held it right after break of fast). My whole group had the entire place to ourselves, so we rocked it out to the old classics of YMCA and my personal fav, ABBA's dancing queen.

(Doing stunts on the dance floor)

I think you should all try it at least once, for something a little different. And for those looking for a unique date experience, this would deff be it.

You can also see the video and post my sister had done on it here : Fie-nuts

The art of doing nothing

I read an article on Lonely Planet a few days ago on the art of doing nothing (I cant seem to find it, its buried somewhere on my Ipad). It talked about the discipline needed to sit still and to silence yourself from being distracted by other things.

We live in a world today where time is of the essence, when time off is considered a luxury and is typically piled in with as many activities as you can muster. You take a 'vacation' go somewhere and then travel throughout the day, checking out 2,3 sites within a few hours. Otherwise somehow, you worry that your time off would have been wasted. God forbid you only saw ONE interesting site that day.

I haven't had a vacation - a true vacation in that style, in a long time now. Since the beginning of the year Ive spent my holidays celebrating Eid (NOT even close to a vacation I can tell you that), or heading off to Bangkok to meet Miss N (again, a lot of fun, but still tiring).

So this weekend with it being the long weekend, I decided to head off to Pangkor island for a much needed beach vacation. I had actually never been to Pangkor, so it was a really nice surprise to get here and see how great things are.

I decided to stay at the Sandy Beach resort, Pangkor after reading up numerous feedback on TripAdvisor (very positive). Got myself a beachfront chalet (where I am now parked out front on the porch). The beach literally 30 steps in front of me.

Its not the quietest part of town, but I do like it quite a lot. The chalet is off on its own, so you dont have people bothering you or thin walls to contend with. The Sandy spoon cafe is 15 steps to my left and does serve pretty good meals. I recommend the Pangkor grilled fish. Though if some people may be bothered by the price, to the left of the resort is a whole road filled with roadside stalls selling waffles, burgers, and other local snacks as well as restaurants a plenty.

This area is also home to numerous water sports activities, which means that it can get a bit noisy (and the hotel next door tends to blast out techno music first thing in the morning, do not ask me why). But at the same time, there are sufficient activities for those who dont want to just sit around and do nothing.

For those, like me, who look forward to doing nothing, all you have to do is walk down the beach a little bit (Maybe another 50 steps or so?) and you would suddenly find yourself on a secluded part of the beach. It was perfect. Quiet, the clear blue sky, perfect water temperature and a clean sandy beach.

Pangkor island mostly caters to locals, so dont be shocked if you end up being the only person there in a bikini. But that being said, everyone is very nice and polite and nobody bothers you (nudity of course still strictly prohibited)

To paraphrase the Lonely Planet article a little bit - the art of doing nothing

If you have to venture more than 200 ft away for food - you have failed
If you ask yourself what else is there to do - you have failed
If you realized you were late for dinner - you have failed
If you ask "oh whats that over there" - you have failed

Hope you enjoy your REAL vacation!

***
Drive from KL - Lumut jetty: 3 hours and 15 minutes (with traffic) on the North South Highway. Exit at Bidor and then just follow the signs to Pangkor or Lumut.
Ferry from Lumut - Pangkor: ~30 minutes trip. They sometimes wait until the boat is full before moving so timing isnt exact, but seems quite frequent
Pangkor - hotel: RM10 for a taxi ride. From what I understand, its pretty standard to most places (if further away expect to be charged more). Theyre all pink vans and the charge is per trip, so maybe to optimize cost you can share with a few people going your way.

The secret life of Nora

After my review of Dreamgirls the musical, I've been quite excited about heading to another musical. In between I had watched a showing of Farewell my concubine at The actors studio. They decided on an all male cast with a full mix of dance and wushu. Interesting combination, but did take a lot to remain focused on the show at hand.

Post that show though, i have really been anticipating The Secret Life of Nora - a musical set in the 1960s about a woman who becomes a spy by accident. I am still holding my breathe on the quality of the show. Tiara is a good actress, but not the best singer, so hopefully some vocal classes had been done.

It's showing between 29 Sept to 16 October at Istana Budaya. For further information, check out the show brief

Kenko fish spa

To those looking for a 'unique' experience, look no further than having a fish spa right in the middle of the city!

Some of you may think of your loved cat or dog, being sent off for a grooming and pampering… but what the hell do you do with a fish???

Well, actually the spa is for you, the fish… the enablers. Rather than a sweet lady plying you with oils and massaging it into your back, you get hundreds of fish swarming around your feet nibbling on the dead skin cells.

Head over to Kenko fish spa in Pavillion (a shopping mall in KL) if you wanted a good clean, professional experience. It'll cost you ~RM38 for 30 minutes in the pond (prices may differ by location). You head in, wash your feet in the designated area, then head over to the pool area, and dip your feet in.

(Step 1: Get yourself a corner to sit down in)

(Step 2 : Build the courage to immerse your legs in)

Then watch as the fish come swarming right around your legs and start nibbling you. Tip: the smaller ones are a lot less weird feeling then the bigger ones. The bigger one makes you feel like you're being sucker kissed.

(Step 3 : Slowly lower feet into the pool)

It may take a while to get used to, or as in the case of my friend – never.

I know it might be a weird concept, and I have heard that some countries try to ban it due to 'animal cruelty', but the fish here are also fed other (more normal fish food) at night.

(Step 4 : TRY to relax as all the fish swarm your legs)

I always get my overseas friends to try this out (well, this and the durian) because I must say, it's a lot of fun to hear the squeals of disbelief and ticklishness!

Kenko Fish spa

Melaka revisited

After three years I decided it was time again to drop by Melaka. Well, that and the fact that my old college friends were in town for a few days and I thought it would be nice to do a quick day trip over the weekend

A.m : Total driving time – ~1.5 – 2 hours in my slow and steady pace

We arrived by mid-morning given we had taken our time leaving the city. Looking back, it wasn't the biggest issue especially if you don't have as much issue with driving back at night (I have some issues with driving in the dark). So as soon as we got there and parked our car on Jonker street (I would recommend parking your car at the car parks right at the beginning of the historical area, it's a small road with dark red / rust colored buildings behind it, doubt you can miss it – more on this later).

(Famous Chicken rice balls)

We started with a lunch of chicken rice balls given it is what Melaka is known for. Well that, and cendol (shaved ice with coconut milk and rice flour). Its essentially your typical chicken rice fare, but with the rice made into small balls (chicken served on the side). Its one of my favorite dishes if for nothing else because of their delicious sweet spicy chilli (I am drooling revisiting this). You can find chicken rice ball restaurants pretty much in a few different locations in Melaka, but I liked this one for its authentic and historical ambience as well. Best to sit outside to enjoy the view of people walking by.

(Epitaphs inside St. Paul's church)

(Along the Stadthuys)

After that, we walked around a bit and headed to St. Paul's church and A'Famosa fort. Malaysia doesn't have a lot of historical buildings left, so these ones are very much cherished and protected and even more so after Melaka got its UNESCO heritage status. We headed out of Jonker towards Christ Church. You cant miss it with all the rickshaws parked here and the red buildings and all the stalls. Right behind it is the way up to St. Paul's church which is perched on top of the hill. If you walk through the church area, its not as taxing a climb as it would be if you had walked from the front (A'Famosa entrance). The church itself is really pretty, and I love the old epitaphs that you can find there. Unfortunately the street vendors have started infiltrating the inside and have set out mats of their wares. It was ok when it was just on the outside, but ruining the feel of the church by selling inside… I do hope the Melaka council will take some action on this.

(Rickshaw riding in front of A'famosa)

We then headed down to A'Famosa fort and hailed a rickshaw to bring us around the old part of town. The prices are regulated here, but you really need to watch out for the exact timing. Agree beforehand on what time it is, and what time the tour should end (typically RM40 for an hour). My trip was definitely shorter than the 30 minutes he had claimed, but as it was the fasting month and they were fasting I didn't argue much.

(Along Jonker street)

Back in the Jonker area we took a nice slow stroll along the different rows of shoplots. Visited the Peranakan house (of the Baba Nyonya ethnic group – denoting Chinese migrants who emigrated and adopted the Malay culture and way of living back in the 18th century). The house is gorgeous and huge, built usually to fit ~5 full families. Typically it has the entrance area, followed by an indoor courtyard, the middle area followed by a second!! courtyard. Absolutely gorgeous. You can still find Peranakan style buildings in KL, but unfortunately not much, and they're mostly in poor conditions. We also checked out the Geographer's cafe, nicely located in the middle of busy Jonker.

(Harmony street - Indian temple, Muslim mosque and Chinese temple all on one street)

We walked around and into the Orang Utan house – shop selling local t-shirts and struck up a conversation with the manager there who informed us that if we had parked our car on Jonker we better move it soon since the streets start closing up at around 6:00 p.m. for the night market. The sellers take up the parking spots and if your car is there, you may not be able to get out until the market is over at around midnight. So, we quickly moved our car away to another parking spot and walked back along Ironsmith street (Jalan Tokong Besi), or also known as Harmony street. Its much quieter here and known as Harmony street due to the fact that there are three religious sites located along this street, an Indian temple, a Muslim mosque, and a Chinese temple.

(The start of the food market)

(Selling fresh sugar cane juice)

We then headed along the night market (6-midnight on Friday, Sat and Sun) and my friends had a ball checking out all the different foodstuff for sale, including a 16 inch potato tornado and otak otak (literally means brains–brains but actually made out of grounded fish. No brains here)

(The variety of food you can find along Jonker's night market)

(Night market along Jonker)

After our gastronomical feast and slight exercise, we headed back into the city for our next brand new day.

Melaka drive – very easy, all you have to do is get on the North-South highway heading towards Johor and you should see signs for Melaka; its located ~150km outside of KL. Essentially it is ONE straight road the entire way, even after you exit to Melaka (exit at Ayer Keroh) its pretty much one main street right into the town.

Bon Odori - July 2011

The Bon Odori has been a recurring event in Malaysia for 35 years now. Celebrated as a custom to honor the deceased, in Malaysia it is symbolized with a lot of people dressed up in their Japanese best and dancing in a circle around the stage.

For a few years now, it has been organized at the Panasonic stadium in Shah Alam. Getting there was quite easy, trying to find a parking spot when you're already late on the other hand… well, luckily they had a few people showing the drivers to designated parking areas, but come to late and you could end up like me, walking almost 20 minutes to get to your car. Other alternatives include taking a train and then a feeder bus to the event. But in most of my experiences, Ive come to realize that taking a feeder bus to any location is pretty easy. It's the trying to find your way back that's always a lot more difficult.

(The main stage)

(There will be people on the stage leading the dance)

(Hold hands and form a circle)
Once you get there, you will see a small stage in the middle of the field. There would be a group of drummers working out the beat, and a group of dancers surrounding them. The dancers are quite young (mostly high school kids I presume) and are decked out in their kimonos. They help lead the dance movements. The movements themselves are quite simple, and they do two repeat rounds per song. As a participant, you just join the crowd at the bottom surrounding the stage, and follow the steps of the onstage dancers. Typically you also end up moving in a circle.

(A cute young one runs by)

It is quite fun to watch and to participate. A lot of people come dressed in their kimonos (even the headscarf wearing ladies) and the young kids. Everyone has a good time and gamely links up to perfect strangers for the dance. As for the dance, joining it will put a smile on your face and good exercise on your legs.


(Dancing around the stage)

For those who may not be as interested in the dancing, there is also an entire back area where they sell Japanese goods. Mostly involving food, drinks and snacks, it's easy to find sushi, bento boxes and Japanese ice cream here. You could also bring a mat, buy some food and have a picnic on the field, watching the Odori dances.

For those who missed this years event and would like to join next years event, its usually held on 16th of July (or that weekend). Good fun if you would like to try it at least once in your life.

Rainforest Music Festival

Its been a few weeks since I went, but with my moving out of my apartment and back in with my parents, and workshops to manage and work and all, well I didnt get around to it as quickly as I would have liked.

(Inside the Sarawak cultural village)

The Rainforest Music Festival is an annual event held in Kuching, Sarawak, or more precisely, at the foot of Mt. Santubong where the Sarawak cultural village is. Its a weekend long event bringing together musicians from around the world. And to manage expectations, its like a hippiefied Woodstock, but minus the drugs and free loving. I want to say minus the drinking too, but u can deff get some beers there and glasses of wine to enjoy the show. How chic!

The performers are all world music band members/ performers. They really do make you think about the different sounds around the world and how there is a rythm in everything. Re: the Leweton Women's Water Music, which had the women performing in the river, splashing water rhytmically.

(The Leweton Womens Water Music, with food and drink tents in the background)

(More river music)

Music workshops are held throughout the day. Three sessions per day, each lasting ~40min - an hour. The workshops are held in three different locations in the cultural village. I went over for the Voices in Harmony workshop which was located in the Iban longhouse. They typically split up the performers to form different groups to lead the workshops. Mine had all the singers, and all the percussionist had gone to another location.

(Percussion workshop)

(Feel the love in the longhouse)

It was magical being in the longhouse, hearing the singing, and having everyone sing along. We all sang Guantanamera, and Amazing Grace and u could feel the chills up your spine with all that loving going around.

(Food, drinks and random activities)

(Cut your hair while youre at it)

A concert is held every evening as well. So we hung around in the cultural village post workshops. Grabbed some dinner (LOTS of tents with food, drinks, even coffee!) for sale. Was a real festive atmosphere. To really enjoy the concert I recommend you bring a folding chair, or be ready to just sit on the rocky ground. They alternate stages throughout the night so that one can be prepared while the other is being performed on. I would recommend finding just the right location so that you can enjoy both.

(Rainforest music festival - rock on!)

It is surreal being at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by rainforest, with beautiful music, and people shouting "LOVE! PEACE! RESPECT MOTHER NATURE". Will deff come back again next year, and bring my dad with me this time (since it turns out its not super crazy)

So, some things to note:

1. It gets VERY hot during the day, so be prepared for that and the sweat. Evenings are quite decent. I was in shorts and a short sleeve top and was fine


2. Buy tickets in advance. They only sell 8,000 tickets per day. U can buy the full weekend pass, or just a day pass


3. Book hotels in advance - Kuching gets booked out solid throughout the festival


4. Bring a chair, but u can buy water inside. Not super ex, like RM2 per bottle


5. There are shuttle busses, but they can be a little unreliable - hence, my missing the second workshop because the bus spent most of its time, waiting. Alternatively you can also get a cab there (not so cheap though)


6. Do go to Semenggoh rehab center while youre in Kuching. Its the perfect time! As it isnt fruiting season, the Orang Utans tend to come down to the feeding station. The first time I went, it was fruit season, so they didnt come by. This time around, there were seven! surrounding us in the forest (Mom and baby say hi at the entrance)
   

(Big Papa Ritchie decided to show up as well. What a man)

And of course... have fun! chill out, and remember...

Peace. Love. Unity!

Dreamgirls

I was going to write about the show as soon as I came out, unfortunately it was 11:30 p.m., I had a 7:00 a.m. gym appointment the next day... well you know the drill.

But anyways, I thought I would drop a quick note to tell you this.
KL-ites, if you are in town you MUST watch this show. One of the best Ive seen of Malaysian musical productions... ever!

I guess before I begin I need to set expectations straight. Its a good show, but it still isnt good enough to compete with the likes of New York or London. But that being said, I still think its a really great move in the right direction for the Malaysian art scene.

When I initially checked out the show, I was a bit skeptical. The stagebill had Azura and Cheryl Samad listed - pretty well known TV show VJs. I thought it was going to be the same formula as Puteri Gunung Ledang and Cuci the Musical - well known actors and actresses who were 'ok' singers. But Azura and Cheryl pulled it off well. Azura slightly daffy and starstruck in the beginning as Lorell Robinson but becoming more independent in the second half and Cheryl Samad providing the perfect balance with her soft soulful voice as Deena Jones and coming fully into character in the second half.

Imagine my shock when I heard the first number and realized - wow, these girls can sing!
It may however take a bit of time to get with the flow of the show. The cast had been trained to have a Southern/ black accent which was a little jaring especially knowing it was a local cast. It takes a while to get used to it, but once you do, everything clicks into place and you just think to yourself, they really went all out on this.

The male cast members also didnt pale in comparison Tony Eusoff was an amazing singer and pulled off the character of Curtis Taylor Jr. splendidly. Dafi was great as the endearing younger brother and I was surprised to see that he was a contestant on Akademi Fantasia as he acted and sang really well. I had the stereotype view that most of the contestants from that show were more comfortable conversing and singing in Malay. As for the toughest male character to play, Kris Coleman did a really great job acting pretty close to what I remember Eddie Murphy doing. Again, was worried that they would have allowed for an 'ok' local singer/ actor but luckily they were willing to fly Kris in all the way from Broadway, New York

And now... the cream of the crop... introducing.... *drumroll* Dina Nadzir as Effie White!! She was amazing! simply amazing. First-off she sounded her character. She reminded me so much of Jennifer Hudson. When she sang, I had goosebumps up my skin. And secondly she was completely in character, it was not 'trained' at all. She embodied the feeling, and when I looked at the descriptions I thought I could understand how she did it.

It was life imitating art - in a way I guess. Jennifer Hudson did not win American Idol, Dina Nadzir did not win Malaysian Idol (runner up). In terms of ensemble, Jennifer Hudson and Dina ostood out as being a little fuller than their Deena Jones and Lorrell counterparts. And in terms of singing... my god that woman can sing. It was effortless - she was born to sing.

If you havent seen the show yet, I strongly strongly recommend you to go. As for further tips on making full use of your time and effort and money - buy a cheap weekday ticket. Typically the theater doesnt end up full and they try to fill in the downstairs area rather than spread everyone around, so you get to move to better seats anyways. Take note Istana Budaya, if you would like to maximize your seating you may want to have a pricing strategy that makes it cheaper on weeknights - Im pretty sure you can fill in the seats better (ala Air Asia). Celebrities also tend to come on weekdays, there was quite a few in the audience while I was there, Hans Isaac and Afdlin Shauki, so you may get to rub shoulders with them too! The downside is that if you go right after the performers break day it still takes a bit to get back in the groove again - so bear the buzzes and mic issues.

This is the second (if Im not mistaken) musical production by Broadway Academy Malaysia, and here's hoping for more performances like this one.

More details here and details on Broadway Academy here

Run baby run

Its quiet at six in the morning.
And soon enough you hear it

*thump thump thump thump*

The sound of your heartbeat, pounding against your chest. The sound of thousands of feet stomping the grounds

The sound of horns blast through the streets

A group of Chinese men next to me start yelling out "ROTI ROTI" a call to the men who sell bread every day - honking their hellos

The rumble of newspaper bikes as they go around, delivering the morning news.

I wave hello as I run by.
Down old KL - past the beautiful old train station

Down little India; Brickfields - with its 24 hours mamaks open for business. Three Indian men outside yelling out hellos

Down the highway leading on the road I used to take back to my hometown

Down Maluri and past the stadium I used to compete in

Up through KL breathing into the new city - the twin towers twinkling in the morning

And back through Independence square to cross the finishing line

My first 21km
Experience - amazing

Repeat it? Well, lets see =P

White water rafting

Perhaps some of you have migrated over to my Wandering Year blog, or perhaps some of you have remained/ stumbled here. But needless to say, my team had decided to keep Kuala Lumpur as its home base for a little bit, instead of being down in Singapore. Yay!!! I guess my lobbying and enticing them with all the island diving trips and all were helpful. I will keep writing here where I can, on my weekeend adventures, but would also like to introduce two more people who would be writing with me. Introducing.... *drumroll*

The Beaver and The Elephant!

Why the nicknames? do not ask me, I asked them to come up with a pen name and thats what they came up with. I myself, am to be known as the Corporate Weekender aka The Fox. (Dont ask me, Beaver gave me that name). They too will share their adventures here (when they can find the time to write something). But in the meantime, I thought I would share one of our adventures.

A few weeks ago we all went white water rafting in Kuala Kubu Baru. Located about an hour out of KL, its a really fun active weekend activity. You head on to the top (near the Selangor dam) and raft down for about 7 km. There is a mix of levels for those of you who are interested in challenging yourselves as well as those moments when you just want to chill. The best part is that after a few km's, you can just ditch the raft and float all the way down the river.

Its an amazing feeling to go all the way out and hear nothing but the rush of the river, the birds. And perhaps your friends giggling like crazy. There were about 13 of us (4 boats) and the best part of all was watching a family consisting of one father and three sons having a male bonding session. Just to show you how rough and tumble it was.
(Splish splash down the river)

(And over she goes)

We used the following people - PieRose Swiftwater Sdn Bhd. Contact +6019-645-8615 or email at pierose13@yahoo.com. I recommend them as they have very well trained guides and give you a very good briefing on how to deal with the raft. We had boats flipping over and people falling in, and we watched as the guides just jumped in to help save those who fell in. Very professional, and to be honest, on a boat and going through crazy rapids, what you want are professionals who know the river (the guides are river people / people who live in the area).

(Pay attention to your guides)

Total cost was about RM100++ (Sorry, I cant remember exactly how much). The fees covers your rental of the raft, paddles, helmets, life jackets, guides, even a cd of your pictures (If you have the guide with you taking pics) and the best part of all, amazing home cooked chicken rice!!

Great way to spend in nature and slightly out of the city.

(Chillaxing down the river)

The long farewell

Part of the reason I havent been writing for a while stems from the fact that I had been working in Bangkok for a little bit. Bangkok has always been exciting for me, especially given that my best friend lives there as well. She always finds a way to try out something new, something exciting to do in Thailand, be it checking out sunflower fields in Lopburi, petting tiger cubs in Kanchanaburi, or just sightseeing around Bangkok. I feel like she too should start a blog on Weekends in Thailand - Miss N!

The other reason I haven't been writing much is that I recently switched jobs. I joined the NGO route which was supposed to bring better hours (though of course commensurated by the much lesser pay). I have been travelling for a little bit, until they can agree to my home base. I was in Singapore last week, will be in KL this week followed by China and India the week after. After that, I have no idea where I will be just yet, but do look forward to the many adventures.

My friend (The Beaver) suggested that I share this blog with other friends who could write up on weekend adventures in Malaysia. I think its a great idea, I know now I can no longer single handedly keep this going, and so will probably let a few people write as well. Dont be surprised then, if you see the different writing style, the different backgrounds, but Ill try to make sure everyone keeps to the spirit of the blog, of finding new things and different things to do in this great country of ours.

As for me, I'll start on my new adventures here The Wandering Year and hope you would find those adventures as fun as me previous ones had been

Cheers
- The Wandering Traveller-

Bailar!

Its KL Tango Festival time.

The festivities have been going on for about a week now and after catching the last leg of a milonga whilst I was in Argentina, was excited to try and catch it while it was going on in KL. The Spaniard and I headed over to the Raintree Club located behind Great Eastern Mall after being ditched by five other friends. Luckily two more decided to join us for the night. I thought it was going to be a more chilled out atmosphere with differing levels of technique... but I was wrong.

I think there were a lot of people there who were from some kind of Tango club. They all seemed to know each other, and more importantly they all seemed to know exactly what to do. All those ballroom classes were pretty useless last night as Spaniard and I recollected the lessons from a trusty beginner's youtube clip.

At about 10:30 p.m. we were entertained by a few different performances, from dancers from Middle East, Jakarta, and Argentina. Fancy footworks abound, and then it was back to milonga for all.

Really enjoyed watching everyone there. The Tango is really beautiful. I love the restrained passion, that soft touch that can convey so much. Each couples own tempo, each couple in their own world.

There's one last milonga tomorrow if anyone is interested. Check it out here

KL Tango Festival 2011