Terima kasih...Lif Bomba... Zon Tunda...

OK, I have arrived safe and sound, had a uneventful flight, no crying kids were seated anywhere near me so the trip began on a great note and except for the usual yoga poses that one has to do to try and get forty winks whilst travelling I arrived in good shape. Add to that the fact that my colleague, someone I've known for close to six years is also travelling with me, I'm a lot less worried this time round about being in a new country.

The first thing that hit me about Kuala Lumpur was that it was same like Mumbai, heat wise!!!, Also the road leading from KL International Airport to the city proper is lined with coconut palms and ferns and you get the feeling like you are travelling down NH 17 en route to Mangalore. My colleague also agreed to this and commented that he was finding it hard to believe that we had traveled five hours away from India and were in a foreign land!!!

We checked into the hotel and since day one have been exploring the surrounding area. The only thing that reminds us that we are in a foreign land is when we are greeted by signs like: Terima Kasih, Lif Bomba, Zon Tunda etc...

1) Terima Kasih is displayed prominently at the cash counter in the local tea stall, which is our breakfast adda, yeah I know it sounds like someone is swearing at you, but all the person means by that is 'Thank You'.

2) Lif Bomba, sounds like something really deadly, but all it means is 'Fire Lift', There are close eight lifts on our side floor at office and the other side has another set of lifts meant for the lower floors, initially we were not aware of the differential lifts and on our second day we got in to the wrong lift, then travelled down again and skipping a few turns (for some reasons the lifts are always full) finally managed to get to our desired floor, my colleague who is a Maharashtrian quipped that it really is 'Lift Bomba' Bomba in Marathi meaning 'An anguished cry'.

3) Normal Tea is transformed into Teh Tarik.

4) People speak in a very sing song kind of way and English though widely spoken is very localised with 'lah' , 'ah' or 'ma' added at the end of every sentence. Though communication does remain a challenge when shopping or eating at the many street stalls, yeah I've been eating at street hawkers for the past week and my stomach is doing OK so far.

My training on the language and culture continues and I learn something new each day, so far I'm loving my stay here...