17Not far from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, in the shadows of the Petronas Towers, the village of Kampong Baru sits as a reminder of an earlier century, consisting mostly of wooden homes, many elevated on stilts due to historic flooding. Within walking distance to Kuala Lumpur’s central district, the area is popular to tourists searching for a time-bending experience.
As the gusts of the morning air teased blankets and clothing strung between coconut palm and banana trees, a shadowy figure knelt near a yellow sedan parked on a dirt road in front of a one story home. Careful not to raise his head above the height of the car, the man skulked toward a window overlooking an untended yard. He rose slowly to peer inside, dropping below the window sill when a breeze moved its beaded shade. His a
