Week in Kuala Lumpur

This past week I spent a week in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia. I never thought that Malaysia would be a country that I visited so soon but the flights were cheap and I am very happy I went. My friend and I headed to the airport after class and boarded our Air Asia flight 3:10pm. It felt strange being back at the airport. The flight was about two and a half hours and we were lucky to have been seated in an exit row, so there was plenty of leg room. Before arriving, I did not know anything about Malaysia besides the fact that it was a predominantly Muslim country. After landing in KL we passed immigration and took a car to the hostel we were staying at. KL is a huge city that has a nice skyline. The city is known for its diversity, as it is highly populated with Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnicities. The first night, we walked around a lot and ate some Indian food, which was fantastic. The weather in KL was a lot hotter than Chiang Mai, but it was much easier to breathe because the air quality was not so bad. We basically walked the whole city within the week and saw all of the main attractions. We walked to the KL tower and looked around in the "Chocolate Paradise store". The KL tower is one of the main attractions and "Chocolate Paradise" is a famous store that sells all different types of Malaysian chocolates, which we were allowed to taste for free. We visited the city forest and walked the canopy walk. This is a small forest reserve in the middle of the city where there is a long canopy walk where you can see the bustling city from the peaceful forest escape, it was very cool. We also visited the National Mosque and ate a rabbit burger nearby. It was my first time eating rabbit and it may have been the best burger I have ever eaten. Malaysia also has great mango juice that I bought very frequently while I was there. We also took a trip to the botanical gardens, where we saw a few wild monkeys swinging in the trees. We walked the whole Eco-Park, which was very beautiful. It is a huge park of green space that is situated in a corner of the city which seems like a total getaway since it is so quiet. I liked how you are able to see the skyline of the city while walking the park. Near the hostel was another chocolate place where I bought a chocolate espresso with coconut milk. The food and drink of Malaysia may have been my favorite part of the trip. We ate a lot of Indian food, and I tried many things I never ate before such as stingray, which I am a big fan of now. We also visited many malls, including one next to the Patrona Towers where almost every store was top notch designer and there were Lamborghinis parked outside. We took the subway to the Batu Caves, which are massive and allow you to tour inside and climb hundreds of stairs to the top. There were monkeys everywhere in the area and they come really close to you, not frightened at all. It was super cool to be within touching distance of the monkeys as they play with each other and try to steal food. The Batu Caves were definitely a highlight of the trip and a must see for anyone visiting KL. One evening we went to a famous rooftop bar in the city where customers have to buy drinks on the main floor before being able to take the elevator to the roof. The rooftop bar was very cool since it was open and we were able to witness the sun go down over the top of the city. The views were amazing and being on top of the roof, on top of the city seemed so surreal. We sat next to two brothers from Amsterdam who left their job to travel throughout Southeast Asia for 6 months. It was interesting because that was actually there last night of their trip and their last stop was on the rooftop in KL before going home the next morning. We visited many open markets throughout the city and tried a lot of different street food that was being sold everywhere. On Saturday our plan was to stay a night at an island off of Malaysia. We planned on taking a train, bus, and ferry to get there but we ended up getting lost on the subway, forcing us to switch plans. Since we missed our stop, we ended up in a small town called Seremban, where many people don't see tourists. I was wearing a Malaysian soccer jersey that I had bought the night before and we passed by a youth soccer practice so everyone was excited and happy to see tourists. We spent the day trying the food and touring a mall before going back to KL. Although our island plans didn't succeed, it was really nice to see a local town in Malaysia. The last day on our trip we walked the street passing markets, shisha lounges, restaurants, and local stores. Our last stop was at KLCC park, which is a very nice park water fountains, people walking, restaurants, and a panoramic view of the whole city. We spent our time at Delirium, which is a famous brewing company located all across the world. We bought cherry beer that was the best thing on the menu but very cheap in Malaysia. It was an awesome experience that topped off my stay in KL. Our flight out was the next morning at 6:15 a.m, so we left the hostel at 4 a.m. Arriving back in Chiang Mai, we went and got some food before going home. I spent the whole day sleeping since I didnt sleep the night before. In conclusion, Malaysia was a very cool country that I am so happy that I got the chance to visit. I am not sure that i will ever return, but i would definitely be happy to since I enjoyed my time there very much. I am now planning more trips that are cheap and convienant for the days that I do not have school. I am researching places to budget travel to and I have a few destinations on my mind. It is crazy that midterms are next week and Mrch is approaching. I am enjoying this experience so much and now that I got the chance to leave Thailand, I am so curious to explore more!