Kuala Lumpar Day 1, Hitting the must sees of the city and finding the best friends

I left Krabi in the afternoon on July 11th and then I headed to the airport taking a shuttle there. I went through customs as I was going to a new country, my third country, which is so exciting to think that I’m knocking another one off the list of hundreds our world has. I don’t mind traveling alone, but I am fearful of running late that I’d rather just sit at my gate and take the time to write than risk missing something. We boarded the plane and just like that I was enroute to Malaysia. I watched TV, finishing up my last episode of Queen Charlotte and I will soon have to decide if and what I want to watch next. The landing was a little rough, probably the hardest knockdown I’ve ever experienced. To then go through a new set of customs, I had to fill out this form with a QR code and there was no Wi-Fi and my data was so slow probably because there were so many people trying to fill out this form, but finally I got it after a little struggle with the address and made my way through the tech customs. 

Here it is so advanced that I didn’t get a stamp, similar to my time going through the London Heathrow airport. I’d almost rather have just gone through normal customs and gotten a stamp in my passport as it feels like a badge of honor and one step closer to my goal of filling up my passport book. But I feel like now with more recent technology, I might not be able to achieve that goal and if I really look at my book I have about 6 solid pages filled out and in the past two years I’ve gone to just about 18 countries so I don’t know if I will have the time in the next three when my passport expires in 2027 to fill every page. 

When I finally got through the KL (Kuala Lumpar) airport, I waited for my Grab driver who had to go through the hefty airport traffic to reach me, but once he picked me up, I felt so relieved to be in a car. It was 9:30 PM and I was just ready to get to my hotel and collapse. I got my own hotel room for this city after about a week and a half in hostels.

On the drive there, I was grateful for my driver because he answered all of my silly questions I had about Malaysia. It’s crazy how clueless I was coming to this country and how I fully relied on this man to give me all the knowledge that I was so curious about. But I figured it out and through his broken english and got my questions answered. 7-11 was my dinner as most places closed down already and I conveniently had one in the lobby of my hotel.

The next morning I woke up early and I had to walk to a meeting point at the Starbucks in a big mall nearby. I ended up just walking there slightly nervous about navigating the new city and making sure that my neighborhood was safe, but all was well and I got there with plenty of time because I wanted to stop at Starbucks and get myself a coffee. I got a tasty cappuccino with soy milk and had some time to chill. I ordered a grande, they only had two sizes, a grande or a tall, and not wanting to have a baby cup I obviously got the grande. I guess Malaysia does their sizing a little bit different and tall is actually the size of a grande so I ended up with practically a Venti size cup of coffee right before I was about to head on a bus. I was nervous how this would go about, but all was good. 

When I finished my coffee and it was about time to stand and wait for the bus, I walked outside and went to the exact point described by the tour guide. While I was waiting, another man was standing right beside me, and thankfully, he had the courage to come up to me and ask if I was on same tour to Batu Caves. We started chatting a little bit when we saw a girl behind us and we invited her into our conversation and just like that, the three solo travelers bonded, became friends, and had each other for the rest of the day.

I think that is one thing that is so cool about solo traveling is that from both sides it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Both want companionship, friendship, and company for the day, and it is almost so natural how solo travelers can connect and be so close after just one day. Plus it’s such a blessing to get to enjoy and relish in this cool cultural experience with another person and have these memories to share with not only myself. I must have gotten so lucky with who I met because one of them ended up being a hilarious British gay man that was just about the funniest person I’ve ever met and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in one day. And laughter truly is so good for the soul and brings so much serotonin to your heart. To have that company the whole day was such a gift and I feel so blessed to look back at my memories of the city, so happily and filled with so much joy and laughter that this person provided.

Our bus arrived almost 30 minutes late for the Batu Caves Tour and we got to the pick up spot 10 minutes early so we stood there for about 45 minutes waiting for this bus to pick us up knowing that they probably got delayed by traffic or tardy tourists . I guess that just gave us more time to talk and the topics of conversation were the usual get to know you questions and somehow we delved into American politics as I’ve been seeing so much on the news about Biden And Trump debates that I was just so curious for an outsiders perspective of it. It was great to get to know them and I feel like we had so much time to bond that we all sat on the bus next to each other and chatted our way to the Batu Caves. 

The friends that I made were named Jack and Abby. Poor Jack ate some spicy food the night prior and got a bit of a stomach ache from it. Asia belly he was convinced he had. But I think that was just the spicy food. He picked it up from dinner in Chinatown, but because of that he was desperate to use the restroom, and I was the one in charge of making sure the bus didn’t leave without him. I felt for him as that was a fear of mine but so I’ve had luck.

We drove to the caves but it wasn’t really that far away and we had a great guide who filled the drive time with some explanations and descriptions of the city and country. He was actually Christian, which I find so interesting as that is such a minority religion here, the dominant being Muslim. There’s also a large Hindu population and also a small group of Buddhists from China. the ride was only about 20 minutes, but I’m still grateful that I did the tour because it was only $13 and having transportation and a ticket figured out along with making new friends was worth every single penny.

When we got to the caves, my new friends and I took our fair share of photos, made a bathroom stop, and then confronted the colorful stairs to soon make our ascent. All around us were animals, we had plenty of pigeons at our feet and hungry monkeys above our heads. It was fun to see wild monkeys walking around or hanging out around the cave just munching on some food. They do get a bit aggressive if you dangle food in front of them, but I kept an arms distance between me and the monkeys, unless it was to get a good camera shot. So, we started our walk up. I wasn’t that nervous about the 273 steps we were about to take, but it is quite the endeavor for other older tourists. We zoomed up there, with a few momentary pauses to check out the view behind us. Soon enough we were at the top, a few beads of sweat had formed on our foreheads when we began wandering around the two temples located in the hilltop cave. There was a blessing that occurred where they put this white paste on your forehead to symbolize your third eye, or as it is more commonly known your intuition or sixth sense. I found it so interesting and cool that they recognize and honor that part of ourselves. 

I didn’t participate in the blessing because I wasn’t sure if I needed to pay for it because there wasn’t much english translation, and out of respect for the religion and culture. My friends didn’t either, making jokes that they would sweat it off in seconds anyways. We then went to the second temple, still in the cave which had a very large opening to the sky. I enjoy seeing the inside of the temples, but one thing you must do before entering them is take off your shoes and leave them outside. It makes sense to respect the temple and keep it clean as people often sit on the floor to pray, but there is something so foreign to me about removing my shoes and walking in a place that isn’t my home. So, not having to take them off was perfectly fine by me. 

It was a cool dark open area, there were stands selling prayer accessories and souvenirs. This is one of the most highly visited places in the city so they did not shy away from welcoming the shopping by its guests. We spent about 15 minutes up in the cave temple and then began our journey back down the stairs. There was a cute monkey at the top of the stairs and I wanted to get a photo of it, and when I snapped the shot and looked back at it to make sure it was in focus, out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and felt Jack's hand pull me out of the way for me to then finally look up and see this monkey eye level and approaching me. I wasn’t sure if he was eying up grabbing a possession of mine, as they are known to be quite the thieves, but I scurried quickly out of the way in hopes that I wouldn’t be followed. The fear of wildlife came out strong and the panic of a stolen camera or phone was heightened in those few seconds. That was encouragement enough to put my stuff away and head down to the main area and back to the bus. The stairs were a bit steeper than I expected, so I really focused on walking down them properly as I skimmed past an animal incident, I wasn’t about to have an injury accident. 

We made it down soon enough, found a place to sit down after our bout of exercise. We chatted some more until it was time to head back to the bus, where we made one more stop before the conclusion of the tour. Just down the road from Batu Caves was a storefront for Batik items, a type of clothing print in which you use hot wax to create designs and separate the color dye to make unique patterns and neatly done coloring. We had the option to buy clothing, scarfs, paintings and such, and it was tempting. But, I actually have done batik for an art project for 4-H when I was in middle school, of which I do not display, so I thought that I didn’t deserve to pick up a souvenir for which I have at home hidden behind a dresser. 

While my fellow tour mates were shopping, I went back to the front where they had demonstrations and someone there actually waxing the silk and making designs in front of our eyes. It was quite mesmerizing watching her create flowers with this pipe looking tool that slowly let out wax in the perfect proportion. 

We hopped back in the bus and just like that we were done with the trip. We really just paid for a ride and a speech about the city haha. We talked about getting off the bus together and checking out the Petronas Tower together. Our guide agreed to drop us off there instead of the Starbucks.

We were placed right in front of the towers, which was cool to see but a bit problematic to get a good shot. We walked around, kept looking up to see if we could get the all of the building in the full frame. We finally found the spot, got our picture perfect photos which was so clutch to have someone there with you to snap those photos for you, and to kindly do the same for them. We walked inside the building on the first few floors was a mall.

I kid you not when I say it felt like I was in Minnesota. The first time I really felt as though I could have been home. Specifically, I felt as though I was at the Mall of America. In this mall, it had an atrium in which at the first floor there was an exhibit pop up shop of a clothing company collabing with the Friends TV show. They had the Friends logo printed on their merch and set up around fun sets of the living room, coffee shop, and famous scenes from the show. It wasn't identical, as that set lives in LA (and I can proudly say I hauled my whole family on a California trip to see just that). But, leaning against the railing over the atrium, rounded and with stores all around, it felt like the Mall of America and something I could have easily done at home. 

We then continued on our walk to the backside of the towers, there was a garden where we walked around and it was a magnificent area with water, green shrubbery, and a great view of the skyline. I was in awe how perfect this little area was. A tranquil spot in the bustling city.

We then set out to our lunch place. My two new friends kindly joined me for a meal at a vegan cafe, which was so cool because that meant I could have Malaysian food veganized and some company to join me. I got this delicious chicken and rice dish, it also came with a drink and dessert, all for less than $5. It was a bit difficult to find as it was in this half occupied building and we literally checked all four levels to find this place, and when I started giving up hope, we finally found it on the top floor in the cutest nook of this whole building, and as I placed the fork in my mouth, I confirmed that I was indeed glad we did not give up on finding the place. 

We ate, chatted, further cementing this friendship of ours, and sorted out some plans for the night. We landed on plans for a rooftop bar with a view of the skyline, more details to come. We all went home, tired from all the walking and being outside all day. Part of me wanted to stay in the city a bit longer, but also I didn’t mind heading back to my hotel. I walked the 30 minutes back, seeing new areas of the city which was so cool, and shopped around a bit on that walk back. I was gassed when I got back, so I chilled in the room, but then threw on my workout clothes, knowing that I would kick myself if I didn't take advantage of the free gym. So, I made my way to the gym, which happened to be next to the pool, so perfect. I got to work out with a view, lifting some weights, a hobby of mine I haven’t gotten to do since my last week in Madison, WI. I missed working out, again a moment as though I felt I could have been at home. I almost never workout when I travel because I don’t typically have the time or access to a gym to do so. Lifting is something that clears my mind and reminds me of some of my favorite moments that I spend with myself. Working out was an escape and something I looked forward to while in Madison, and I felt those same feelings pouring in again as I held the weights in my hands and did my most favorite workouts. I did a 30 minute full body lift, focusing on legs which I was nervous I would regret. 

After my workout, I migrated to the pool. I didn’t swim because I didn’t bring a suit and there were a lot of kids in there and was actually more packed than I expected so I was a bit nervous to leave my stuff and hop in the pool. Plus, my main objective was to admire the view, which I could do from the pool chairs so it all worked out. I read for a while (current read: Rational Optimist). While up there, I ordered some take out food in order to prevent me from having to go back out in the city and walk a minimum of 30 minutes for a vegan meal, and then that also meant I would get to enjoy my food in the comfort of my own room. While I waited for the food to come, I called my family, and when it arrived, I inhaled my chicken burger and got ready for my night to come. 

I had left my friends with the intention to see them again that night at a rooftop bar. I was mainly coordinating with Jack because Abby had a food tour that went well into the night. I was texting back and forth with Jack trying to figure out where to go and we couldn’t seem to settle on a place. Next to my rooftop pool is a bar and I threw that out there that we could just go there. He and two friends he made at his hostel walked over to my place, and as soon as they saw the rooftop they loved it and wanted to stay. Phew, I thought, because the prices here were amazing and it was a great view and my room was literally just seconds away. It made me feel so much better not having to worry about getting home as it was just a short ride down the elevator and a walk through my hallway. 

I met the two friends he brought, a girl from Belgium and a man from the Netherlands. We grabbed a great spot with a lovely view, ordered some drinks, and then talked and laughed through the night. I had such a good time, learning more about European countries and culture, and I shared my experience in America. I think it is so crazy that the main conversation topic we had was gun violence. We also touched on politics, and now with the current political climate and even the assassination attempt of Trump occurring just a few days after this conversation with them blew my mind and left me speechless that my broad assumptions of politics and gun violence materialized into a real news headline. My generalizations of America came true as one of the presidential candidates became a victim of the exact gun violence issue our country struggles with.

But, to end this blog and this story on a more positive note, I had an absolute blast with them. Jack was the funniest person ever and I got to engage with fun new people that I related with a deeper level, solo travelers, and now feel more capable of myself and my abilities to make friends through this trip of mine. I know it is the only way to survive the long travel and to make it so much sweeter. I had an amazing day and so much of that is due to the people I spent it with. It makes me reflect, yes it is great to travel with someone you know and love, and surely I’d prefer that because it gives a greater peace of mind they will stick with you for the entirety of your trip, but don’t discount the people you meet and the joy and company they provide. I added Jack to the list of favorite people I met, a person in which by the end of the night I hugged goodbye and felt as though we were true friends that day and someone I will try to stay connected with. Day 1 in KL was a success, and with that alone, I was already content with my time here and glad that I added this city as a stop in my journey.