The Smells of KL

Say Folks,now this is not at all meant to be critical but in many ways KL smells like New Orleans. I'm sure it's just the heat and moisture. Decaying vegetation.....while the heat is pushing everything downward. But then, it is different, exotic kind of. There are spices in the air, even at 7am, someone is cooking a curry or a nasi lemak or goreng and you might know that that means spices. That is also in the air.As in many countries there are open air kitchens even here 300 meters from the KL Twin Towers. They are patronized by the people who I see later cleaning the streets, making the beds and even working as bank tellers. Many of them cannot afford to live in the city and thus commute into the city early in the morning to first have breakfast and then "report for duty". They seem proud and satisfied. When I nod to them in the morning on my way to the office in my $100 shoes (3 months income for them) they always are pleasant, nod back and say good morning - with their heads held high. Not the demeaning reaction one might remember from the South - with forward bowed head.Sure, the income differences here are HUGE. Million to one I bet. As I have told others already, walking around with my $3 cup of Starbucks is, for me, tough when I know that the people working here in this call center might earn that in 2 hours. And these folks are on the upper edge of the see-saw.Oh well, just some observations of mine. I don't see much here but the office 10-13 hours a day, and the hotel. So my view is somewhat limited to the center of KL. But this is an exciting city, full of energy and expectation that things are on the way up. Continuing the path they have been on for 10 years.GO KL!