I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, it was only around 11 o'clock. I still have strange dreams, but most of them are about the various troubles and incidents that happened at the school where I worked as a teacher.
When will I ever be freed from this curse (lol)?
I had a light breakfast, finished my morning tasks, and headed out into the city.
My destination was Merdeka Square. A historical place where Malaysia gained independence from Britain 69 years ago.
At midnight on August 31, 1957, the Union Jack (British flag) that had been flying in this square was lowered, and the flag of the Federation of Malaya was raised in its place. This was the de facto independence of the Federation of Malaya, the predecessor of Malaysia.
Today, the Malaysian flag was fluttering in the wind at the top of the 95-meter pole.
Many tourists visit this place.
I suddenly found myself thinking about what independence really means.
People and countries that were under some kind of rule win their freedom. Similar situations have likely occurred many times throughout world history.
It's hot outside again today. On my way back, I strolled through Central Market.
Most tourists coming to Malaysia probably enter through Kuala Lumpur.
I entered the country through Johor Bahru. Kuala Lumpur is quite different from the impression I got of Malaysia when I first saw it there.
Skyscrapers tower everywhere. There are also many historical buildings.
Much has changed in Malaysia in the last 70 years or so.
The Malaysia of today exists because of its diverse past history.
For lunch, I ate something called Ghi Garam Tosai at an Indian restaurant near my hotel.
It's a Malaysian version of a pancake, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
It had curry-flavored potatoes inside. There were no spoons or forks, so I ate it with my hands.
It was almost amazing to be able to eat something so delicious for around 200 yen.
Dinner was Chinese food. Sword-shaved noodles with seafood. The light, salty flavor was delicious.
Tomorrow will be the 20th day since the start of my journey.
More than sightseeing, I hope to fully enjoy the various things of each country and place with all my senses.
Tomorrow marks the start of Stage 3. My next destination is Ipoh.
A Facebook friend who lives there will be there to greet me. I'm looking forward to it.
*Today's distance traveled: 0 km
*Total distance traveled from Changi International Airport: 376.1 km
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