What is up with all the bad smells in KL? For starters, what is with this haze? I moved here to get fresh tropical air, feel the warm oceanic breeze, and get out of all the pollution created by the ‘Western-world’. So it was a complete shock when I looked out the window of my office a few weeks ago and thought the entire city was up in smoke – I honestly thought there was some major forest fire occurring as I had never seen pollution this bad before. After some inquiry I came to realise that it was a result of all the slash and burn tactics that farmers are doing, mostly on the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. Now, I’m usually one of the first people to stick up for farmer’s rights, at least small family farms, but this is ridiculous!! All these industrial farms in Sumatra have found it more affordable to take a short-cut and burn their crops at the end of their lifecycle instead of choosing the environmentally friendly and economically stimulating option of hiring labourers to remove the old crops before re-cultivating the land. I mean, really…. How is this allowed when on a global level we are ‘suppose’ to be decreasing pollution. All this smoke creates an interesting smell when you go outside – a faint essence of fire – that makes the air feel really thick when you breath it in (which it is because you are breathing in so much pollution). It even makes me rethink running outside.
On to smell number 2: insecticide. Yes, Malaysia is a tropical jungle, so of course there are a lot of bugs. However, is that really that bad? I’m super bug-phobic, just ask my husband. However, I acknowledge (if not appreciate) that God created bugs for a reason – they play a vital role in the environment that should not be disturbed. Additionally, isn’t it common sense that pesticides are unhealthy. The entire organic food movement is based on these two facts – and this is a growing market. So why do ALL, and I mean ALL, businesses, homes, etc. have to pour massive amounts of insecticides over every inch of man-made floor? For example, my apartment ‘must’ for some unknown reason get sprayed every two months. The smell is so bad that I have to open all the windows and re-clean the entire apartment right after the guy is gone. When I ask him to not spray the kitchen, especially the pantry where I keep my food and dinnerware, he looks at me in bewilderment. I mean really?!?! I guess not. Does that make logical sense not to spray your food and plates with chemicals? Plus, the smell lasts for over a month – no matter how much I clean. Even at work someone comes ever couple weeks to spray the floors and walls. Of course this is done during work hours, because well… why not. So I’m left covering my face and eyes with a scarf from the time they enter till about 30 minutes after they are gone, just to keep my eyes from tearing up and my through from tingling.
The final smell that blows my mind is the fresh blood smell in the grocery store meat aisle. Fresh meat is a luxury in many countries, and I understand that, but I choose to shop at real grocery stores, and not wet markets, to better ensure the meat I’m buying is fresh and safe. However, every time I go to pick up chickens it sickens me that there is all this fresh blood in the bag and in the bottom of the refrigerated meat shelf. The smell is pretty much undescribable – something that you have to smell for yourself. Anyway, if you ever come to KL be prepared for amazing sights, wonderful people, and ‘interesting’ smells…
