Two Days in Kuala Lumpur

My friend MJ and I rode the plane from Busan to Kuala Lumpur excited to take our first real vacation outside of South Korea. For me, Malaysia was the 5^thcountry I visited, but it felt like the first official for me. Up until this point, I had taken trips to Japan, The Philippines, Thailand, and South Korea, all either with family or with funding provided by my parents. I had paid for this trip and in essence, felt like I was becoming a true adult. We spent two days in Kuala Lumpur, hardly enough time, but good enough to get a feel for the city.

Day 1

Arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport I was amazed by the diversity in the country. You could see an equal mix of Indians, Chinese, and ethnic Malays around the airport. MJ and I bought our bus tickets to the city center and grabbed something to eat before our bus arrived. The bus came about 40 minutes later and we took our seats on the big comfy bus; I took the window seat and pressed my forehead again the glass staring outside as the bus moved through the city. After we arrived we attempted to find our hotel, but had trouble doing so. With the help of a local Nigerian student we ended up finding the place.

We checked into our hotel and headed back out after dropping our bags off. Our hotel was located in Little India, which I was excited about to be honest. Trying Indian food in Malaysia was at the top of my list. We went to a local outdoor Indian restaurant nearby.

The chef served us two glasses of “Teh Tarik”, a type of milk tea made with condensed milk. Until this day, it was probably one of the best teas I’ve ever tried. Watching the chef stretch his hands out wide and pour the tea 4 feet wide made the tea even more appealing.

As MJ and I eat, MJ strikes up a conversation with an elder American male in his early 60’s from the Los Angeles area. I notice he has a rather young looking girlfriend (around 20), who I later found out he met in Cambodia. I was rather disgusted by the whole situation; it was reminiscent of my days in the Philippines seeing Western males feast on young women using their status. I sit back and let them talk and I strike conservation with the young Cambodian woman.

The elder gentlemen and his girlfriend later depart, as do MJ and I. We head towards Jalan Petaling Street only to find it closed. We take some photos and head back to the hotel.

Day 2

The next morning MJ and I departed our hotel and headed towards a famous Chinese shrine, which we didn’t find too appealing as we had grown accustomed to seeing similar structures in South Korea.

Following this, we went to a market and were in awe by the number of chopped dead pig heads resting on the countertops. I was a bit shocked by this with Malaysia being a Muslim nation, but then I remembered how multicultural of a nation it was.

For lunch we headed back to Little India to try one of the more authentic places. Entering the establishment, we were met with a bunch of stares by local Indians. I didn’t think much of it, perhaps they were just curious as to why two tourists would be eating at this particular restaurant. We tried these large curry stuffed triangle pieces of bread served on a banana leaf for just $2. It was a lot better than I expected, I ordered another one before we left for the Batu Caves next.

Soon after, MJ and I were on the train bound for the Batu Caves. The train was very clean and modern. To be honest, it was better than both Japan and South Korea’s train system in terms of appearance and style. It had a futuristic feel to it.

The Batu Caves wasn’t too long of a ride from the city center. The first thing we noticed were the huge Hindu statues of course and the steps leading up to the caves. The stairs were steep and I saw monkeys scattered everywhere. These particular monkeys were fearless, one woman had her banana snatched right out her hand, which I found pretty funny. The inside of the caves weren’t really impressive, but the souvenir shop was rather neat. I bought a small Hindu statue and some incense to take home.

Our next stop was Petronas Twin Towers, one of the tallest buildings in the world. It was a fine piece of architecture so tall that you have to take a photo of it lying down to get the entire thing in one shot.

For our final stop, we took a taxi over to Jalan Alor to get some street food. I read that this street was famous for its street food, so I made it my mission to get here.

MJ and I ordered the national dish called “Nasi Goreng”, which is simply a piece of fried chicken, a boiled egg, rice, peanuts, and cucumbers served on a banana leaf.

It wasn’t exactly the most appetizing combination, but the overall atmosphere of Jalan Alor made up for that. The cool night breeze and outdoor music made for a good dinner and wrapped up a great day.

Kuala Lumpur is a neat city and actually one city I could see myself living in if the conditions were right. It’s an even balance between western and eastern culture and very affordable at the same time.