We made it! After two long flights we arrived in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday tired and dusty, loaded with bags and were greeted with big hugs and kisses from our new bosses. We were whisked off to our hotel, The Boulevard in the Mid-Valley district, south of KL central.
We are on the 16th floor, and as someone who isn't particularly partial to high buildings, I was very pleased not to be on the 28th like some of our colleagues were.
Since arriving, the induction program has kept us busy visiting local residential areas and touring the 2 school campuses, going for dinner and taking advantage of the executive guest status we've been given which means free beer, wine and canapes from 5:30-7:30 every night! With 30 odd new teachers, we've been taking full advantage of that perk!
The school seems reassuringly organised. In the last 9 days we have had our medical insurance sorted, our bank accounts and cards issued, our new Sim cards handed out the moment we arrived, school laptops all set up... All in all, I feel we've really landed on our feet :).
Since Monday we have been searching for a house to live in, which has proved a little tricky as ludicrously we have to bear in mind that this troublemaker is going to be joining us soon...
Is there enough outdoor space? Is the road too busy? Crazy, crazy.
Hopefully the house dilemmas will be sorted in the next few days and I'll be able to post pictures of the new luxury cat-friendly pad!
In the meantime, here is photographic evidence of some highlights of the last few days.
From L-R, D and I ate at a very local place in Little India, which was gorgeous but excruciatingly spicy! Followed by amazing noodles at a Penang restaurant and lastly a trip to Jalan Alor, a famous street food market, which was brilliant. You could have anything you wanted for next to nothing, plus we managed to get hold of some delicious pork - Not so easy over here.
Finally we visited a crazy bar on Wednesday which was a loopy experience. It's called the Heli-lounge and you have to travel up to the top (floor 34) of a sky-scraper in central KL. Now, I had issues with this bar just using the lift to get there. Luckily we were in a group of relatively new colleagues and friends, and not wanting to look horribly neurotic, I distracted myself for a minute in the lift and sure enough arrived in one piece on the 34th floor. After buying a drink, we made our way up a few more flights of stairs (more floors - sweaty palms!) and climbed out onto the very roof of the building which was a helipad. No barriers, no railing, just lots of people enjoying a drink and staying within the big yellow painted circle in the middle. I wasn't the only one who found the whole concept a bit strange and pretty terrifying, but the bouncers around the edge and the beautiful views made the whole experience much more palatable and I definitely think it's a must-see for our future visitors if they have a head for heights!
Since arriving, the induction program has kept us busy visiting local residential areas and touring the 2 school campuses, going for dinner and taking advantage of the executive guest status we've been given which means free beer, wine and canapes from 5:30-7:30 every night! With 30 odd new teachers, we've been taking full advantage of that perk!
The Executive Lounge at 'Very Happy Hour'.
The view from our window on arrival.
This was clearly a sunny day but since we've been here, although the temperature has been consistently lovely and warm, we have seen some amazing rain storms, where the rain has hammered down with such force that within minutes the roads are 20cm deep in rushing water and a few seconds outside will leave you utterly soaked to the skin. I really like the way the storms roll in with hardly any notice and within an hour or two have left everywhere feeling fresh and cool. The school seems reassuringly organised. In the last 9 days we have had our medical insurance sorted, our bank accounts and cards issued, our new Sim cards handed out the moment we arrived, school laptops all set up... All in all, I feel we've really landed on our feet :).
Since Monday we have been searching for a house to live in, which has proved a little tricky as ludicrously we have to bear in mind that this troublemaker is going to be joining us soon...
Is there enough outdoor space? Is the road too busy? Crazy, crazy. Hopefully the house dilemmas will be sorted in the next few days and I'll be able to post pictures of the new luxury cat-friendly pad!
In the meantime, here is photographic evidence of some highlights of the last few days.
From L-R, D and I ate at a very local place in Little India, which was gorgeous but excruciatingly spicy! Followed by amazing noodles at a Penang restaurant and lastly a trip to Jalan Alor, a famous street food market, which was brilliant. You could have anything you wanted for next to nothing, plus we managed to get hold of some delicious pork - Not so easy over here.
Finally we visited a crazy bar on Wednesday which was a loopy experience. It's called the Heli-lounge and you have to travel up to the top (floor 34) of a sky-scraper in central KL. Now, I had issues with this bar just using the lift to get there. Luckily we were in a group of relatively new colleagues and friends, and not wanting to look horribly neurotic, I distracted myself for a minute in the lift and sure enough arrived in one piece on the 34th floor. After buying a drink, we made our way up a few more flights of stairs (more floors - sweaty palms!) and climbed out onto the very roof of the building which was a helipad. No barriers, no railing, just lots of people enjoying a drink and staying within the big yellow painted circle in the middle. I wasn't the only one who found the whole concept a bit strange and pretty terrifying, but the bouncers around the edge and the beautiful views made the whole experience much more palatable and I definitely think it's a must-see for our future visitors if they have a head for heights!
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