Kuala Lumpur

Photo: The Petronas Twin Towers in KL

As I write this, it is my last night in Kuala Lumpur (or, as the locals call it, KL). Tomorrow, I get on a bus for a one-night stay in the Cameron Highlands before moving on to a couple nights in the state of Penang.

I finally feel like I’m sinking my teeth into this trip! Over the last 4 days I have finally settled into a pace and feel like I’m getting the most out of what I’m doing. This win I attribute to a couple of things: first and foremost, I’m getting much better at pacing myself. I’ve settled on a bit of a routine. I sleep as much as I feel like, then start the day with a small breakfast before doing some indoor or slow-paced activity before lunch. After lunch, I go back to my accommodations and relax while waiting off the heat. In the evening, when the sun is being blocked by the buildings, I go out and do some more walking around; normally finding a spot for dinner. This might seem ordinary, but for me, it was a key realization to admit that it’s okay to be lazy and sit in the hotel - especially with how exhausting it is to be outside. This is a marathon, not a sprint! And I still feel like I’m seeing and experiencing everything I want to!

Second, Kuala Lumpur is exactly the kind of place I like to be. A big metropolis with plenty of culture, people, and transit. Singapore was this way as well, but Kuala Lumpur feels just a bit more organic. I actually think Kuala Lumpur does the whole “city mixed with green” concept better, despite Singapore being so famous for it! Though KL definitely loses on public transport; they have a cool monorail system, but the transit is overall disjointed and unreliable compared to SG.

Onward to the day-by-day!

On the day I arrived, I took the day to take stock. Like I mentioned in the last post, I booked a private room in a hotel. This was a phenomenal choice in hindsight - there is too much to be said about adjustable AC and privacy. The hotel I stayed at was in a neighborhood called Bukit Bintang, which is home to a famous food street called Jalan Alor (Alor Street). I would end up eating dinner on this street almost every night - there were so many good choices! I just found some nice food and hit the sack.

The next day, I visited one of KL’s top attractions: Batu Caves. It is a Hindu temple hidden in a cave system just North of the city. It was really remarkable! The hill the caves are in seems to rise out of nothing. The temples themselves are colorful and fun, and filled with monkeys begging you for food at every opportunity. I had lunch in KL’s little India neighborhood. I found this place on google, and it was the most “local” spot I’d been to at that point - filled with Indian-Malaysians having their lunch. I didn’t understand exactly what I ordered (I ordered some banana leaf set that came with unspecified veggies and sides), but it was delicious. Later, I spent the evening walking around the park near the KL city center, and ate some Malay satay I found on Jalan Alor.

Day 3 (or 2, depending on how you count) was a slow day for me. I made an appointment to have my haircut in the morning before some light shopping (new shirts) and an afternoon inside + dinner on Jalan Alor. Really, the most notable thing was the haircut - my hairdresser ended up being my age, it was cool to connect with him. His nickname was “RIZZ” (yes, that rizz lol. I loved the nickname) and he was a KL native who is getting married later this year. He recommended me a Nasi Lemak place (which I visited) and told me a bit about his recent trip to Thailand.

Then, today! In the morning, I visited the Museum of Islamic Art. As you may or may not know, Malaysia has a huge Muslim population. They had a really nice collection of artifacts to accompany the rich Islamic history of the country. After the museum, I took a walk around the botanic gardens, seeing the National Mosque and Merdeka Square along the way. For lunch, I had Malaysian McDonald’s - they sold Nasi Lemak with Ayam Goreng! It was pretty mid, but I found it really cool that they had a version of the national dish at McDonald’s.

Overall, I’m satisfied with KL. I just really like the vibes that come with larger cities, and even though Kuala Lumpur is apparently considered one of the more boring ones I still found the energy fun to explore.