Day 23: Petronas Oil & Gas - Mother Theresa of the corporate world

First, we'd like to give a shout out to Janet, who's celebrating the 30th anniversary of her 21st birthday today. Have a great one!

When our alarm went off at 7:30 am, we were still exhausted because we hadn't initially realized that KL is an hour ahead of Thailand. We reset the alarm for 8, knowing that we had to get up early to get to the Petronas Towers before 10 (when we were told the tickets would be all gone for the day). Danny mistakenly reset the alarm for 8 pm, and we didn't wake up until 9:30. Our trouble getting up is mostly due to the fact that our room is similar to a dungeon - no windows, no a/c, and totally bare bones. It could also be due to the fact that the previous occupant must have been a descendant of Bob Marley - we practically got high just walking into the place. We sincerely hope they don't suspect us after we move out, as drugs are punishable by death (they made this point very clear on our immigration form).

We threw on clothes, brushed our teeth (don't worry, our forearms were able to squeeze the toothpaste so we won't be coming home looking like all the British people we've met), and rushed to the towers, making it there right at 10. We secured some of the last tickets available - for the 6:15 slot. As is common with all skyscrapers in this part of the world, there is a gigantic shopping center in the bottom 6 floors. We kept on wondering why anyone would buy something from a Louis Vuitton store for so much money when you can get the exact same thing at our local market for a fraction of the cost - some people do crazy things.

We spent the day walking through KL, our first stop being the National Museum. We were both surprised and impressed when they began the history of this area with the Permian Period (300 million years ago when the land masses on Earth were still coalesced into Pangaea) - these people are incredibly thorough. The museum proceeds to trace the area's history up to the modern day in just 4 galleries (very concise as well).

Our next stop was the Planetarium, which was actually closed except for a few galleries - galleries that basically documented the history of NASA. We were particularly fond of the anti-gravity room. Next, we hit up the National Mosque, where we donned purple robes to cover our ludicrously scandalous clothing that bared our shins and forearms - gasp! After asking a man for directions to the KL Tower (the KL equivalent of the Seattle Space Needle, complete with revolving restaurant), he proceeded to offer us a special of herbal tea made from a indigenous tree root. He was a good salesman. The flier he presented us claimed that the tea would increase our muscle mass, sharpen our intellect, rid us of disease (everything from heart disease to cancer), and even increase our sex drive - we couldn't say no. Within 5 minutes of drinking the one ounce serving, we felt completely revived and full of energy. Either there was cocaine in this tea or the placebo effect is really strong in the two of us.

The Petronas (accent on the "e", apparently) Towers were amazing. Before accessing the skybridge, we were ushered into a mini theater to watch a 3-D movie. We assumed the video would be a pseudo-technical presentation explaining the engineering triumphs of the building. For 10 minutes, we watched a very well produced advertisement for the Petronas Oil and Gas company. Apparently, they are a company totally committed to the betterment of the world environment and their local communities. They boast their 100% safe drilling practices and are incapable of doing harm. They even provide free vision tests for children! What a great company. The skybridge 41 floors above ground, which actually serves as an evacuation route from one tower to the other, provided us with great views of the city just as the sun was setting.

We set out to Little India for dinner (with a newfound friend Dan, from Iowa, who thought Ashwin looked like a darker version of Emile Hirsch from Into the Wild) and happened upon an incredibly authentic (according to Ashwin) Indian restaurant. After dinner we had a beer at the Reggae Bar down the street, which made us feel at home as it smelled much like our hostel room.

FYI, we are leaving early tomorrow (we hope to actually wake up on time) for the Taman Negara jungle - the oldest tropical rainforest in the world at 130 million years old - so we probably won't be in touch for a few days, but we promise to have some great stories upon our return.