I'm watching you...

The sky unleashed a wrath on our tour of the 360 degree view at the top of the Menara Tower, which I've been calling the Needle for three days. Jo called it the Spike for the first two, but the Needle ultimately won. We agreed that the best time to head up to the top would be dusk, to see the city in both day and night settings. But clouds rolled in about an hour before we got there and after the sun did set came the rain.

The highest view you can reach of the city, a walking tour around the top supplies a fair amount of information, though outdated. You see the government headquarters, two stadiums, a great view of the Twin Towers, in the distance the Batu caves, Chinatown, among other KL sites.
The photographs of the landmarks and the pre-recorded walking tour could use a serious updating.

Back at the bottom, we stirred about, the rain preventing a return to our neighborhood. So we sat at a cafe and saw something neither of us had seen in our lives. A woman in full covering, all black with no eyelet cut in the material even for her eyes, slipped her tea cup under her veil to take a sip. You can't even show your face to drink tea. I can only imagine the torture of eating in public--impossible! I have done a little research and it turns out that this type of veil is called a niqab. Apparently, the more covered you are, the more sacred? Or the more likely to make it to heaven. From what I've read, according to the Koran women should be covered including hands (impractical, eh?) and face. What I can't seem to isolate is whether this veil is a choice/preference or encouraged/required. At any rate, I had never considered what it must be like to take a coffee in these clothes. Until today. I don't think I've ever sat and watched a woman drink tea for that matter. But today? I'm mesmerized.

After the top of the Needle, we cruised the animal kingdom. We arrived at dinner time as well, and got to see snakes eating mice, sometimes live, sometimes half-maimed. In the case of the "dead" mice, the handlers would hold the mouse's tail and pull its neck. I couldn't watch or even be near it. Afterward, though, they were still twitching. We saw crazy looking frogs, a huge assortment of snakes, monkeys and spiders. One of the monkeys had just had a baby. Talk about a mini-human. Anyone who denies evolution as part of the path to humankind should get up close and personal with a baby monkey. The mother, quite protective, doesn't like it when women approach. Our guide informed us that with men, she's less worried, but with women, she goes on alert. Her look says it all, no?