Malaysia Recap
- Only A Plane Away
- Nov 26, 2018
- 6 min read
We arrived into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the evening and headed straight to our hotel via a Grab Car which is the equivalent to Uber in Southeast Asia. One thing we didn't realize until we got there is that the airport is about an hour outside of the city center so it was quite a ride to our hotel. However, Grab Car is incredibly affordable in KL (Kuala Lumpur).
Once we got to our hotel we went to check in to our room. The hotel was offering buy one get one free on bottles of wine so we decided to get two bottles to take to our room while we did laundry. Pro-tip: When booking accommodations, check their laundry options and take advantage if they offer laundry facilities.
The next morning we took advantage of the free breakfast the hotel offered then we ordered another Grab car to take us to Batu Caves.
The cave is one of the most popular Hindu temples outside of India and is dedicated to Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war. It consists of a giant golden statue of Lord Murugan and a colorful staircase up to the limestone caves with several temples inside. It is truly an awe inspiring site, like nothing we'd seen before.
The area is also absolutely teeming with monkeys, some friendlier than others. Most didn't seem deterred by humans though and would let you get quite close.
After walking back down the stairs we checked out a few shops around the area and then stopped in a little vegetarian restaurant. This is probably the best and cheapest vegetarian meal we've ever had. We weren't sure what to order so we just asked the waiter for a suggestion and got a sampler platter and some delicious roti bread with various chutneys.
Next we decided to head to Thean Hou Temple. The area around Batu Caves was very crowded, so we decided to walk a couple of blocks before ordering the Grab Car to save some time and money. Our Grab Car driver happened to be a Buddhist and was very excited to take us to the temple and gave us a mini tour of KL pointing out other sites along the way.
The Thean Hou Temple is a six level temple to the Chinese sea goddess, Mazu and is actually quite close to the city and offers some great views. It is a beautiful and colorful place and has a truly magical atmosphere. While we were there, it started to rain, so we thought it best head inside somewhere.
We decided to head to Sky Bar at Traders Hotel for a cocktail and an amazing view of the iconic Petronas Towers. We sipped on a few drinks until the rain tapered off and then headed down to explore the park around the Petronas Towers.
We then headed to Suria KLCC which is basically a giant mall at the base of the towers. We explored a it and came across a little bakery with durian egg tarts, we decided to give them a try since we had enjoyed the egg tarts in Macau so much. The durian egg tarts left a bit to be desired though. If you aren't familiar with durian, it tastes like creamy feet or hot garbage. It is very much an acquired taste.
We walked around a bit more and then headed to Madam Kwan's for dinner. We got a sampler appetizer of which the star was the chicken satay and then shared a dish called Nasi Lemak featuring coconut rice and curry chicken. After dinner we took a few photos outside of the Petronas towers before heading back to the hotel for the night.
The next morning we headed back to the Petronas Towers for our tour. The tour is actually two parts with the first stop on the sky bridge connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors. The 41st floor is reserved for visitors and the 42nd floor skybridge is for those working in the towers. After spending about 15 minutes on the skybridge, we then headed up to the observation deck on the 86th floor for some even better views.
We then decided to explore a bit around the Central Market area where we were planning to have lunch. First we stopped by Sultan Abdul Samad Bulding which was built in 1897 and originally housed the offices of the British colonial administration.
Then we headed on to Central Market (a two story building containing numerous stores and restaurants) before stopping in for some lunch at one of the restaurants called Precious Old China that we had heard had great food. It did not disappoint.
The food is Peranakan or Straits cuisine which consists of Chinese ingredients cooked with Malay spices. We had an appetizer called Pie-Tee (Top Hats) and Nyonya Chicken Rendang with blue coconut rice (spicy coconut curry chicken) for lunch. The curry dish that we had was much closer to Thai cuisine than the Chinese food that we know.
After lunch, we explored more of the market. Most of the shops sold souvenirs, clothing, knick-knacks, and lots of other random unique items, some were locally made and others mass-produced. We then stumbled upon a place called Cute Fish Spa, one of those places where the fish suck the dead skin off your feet. Josh had a cut on his foot so didn't want to try it, but Lisa did and enjoyed it once she got over the tickling sensation.
We exited the market and realized that the market extended into the street behind the building. Outdoors, we tried some fresh juice and Putu Bambu coconut snacks that we watched the vendor make in front of us. They were a sweet treat of rice flour, coconut flour, and palm sugar (similar to brown sugar), cooked inside bamboo.
We wandered around the outdoor part of central market before heading to Petaling Market in search of Apam Balik (peanut pancake) that we had heard about in KL.
Petaling Market was much different than the Central Market. Petaling consisted of outdoor vendors lining both sides of the streets for numerous blocks. These vendors mostly sold cheap goods and counterfeit name brand products (Louis Vitton, Gucci, Supreme, etc) Among these vendors, we spotted an older lady selling peanut pancakes from her makeshift bicycle food cart that has seen better days. They were a denser, corn-based pancake filled with a crunchy filling of crushed peanuts, and they made a great dessert.
We then wandered over to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, another Hindu temple, but much smaller than Batu Caves, but it is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur, founded in 1873.
Pro-tip: It is common for many religious temples to have dress codes and or ask you to remove your shoes, so make sure you plan accordingly. It's best to bring something to cover your shoulders and shoes that easy to slip on and off.
Our last stop in Kuala Lumpur was Chow Kit wet market. There we got to see all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which we had never seen before.
Many of the vendors offered free samples, so we tried langsat, a small brown fruit similar to lychee; rambutan, a small spiny fruit that tastes similar to a pear; and mangosteen, an apple size red fruit with a fleshy white center that was tart and delicious.
We then decided to head back to our hotel to freshen up before our late night flight. Pro-tip: If you have a late flight, you may consider booking your hotel room for an extra night. This way you don't have to make arrangements to store your luggage and can shower and change clothes right before a long flight.
Once we were showered, we grabbed dinner at an Indian/Mexican restaurant located right by our hotel. It sounds like an odd combination but the food was actually very good. We had a very well seasoned korma dish along with a tiger shrimp quesadilla. After dinner, we ordered anther Grab car for the long trip back to the airport before the even longer trip (26 hours) back home to KC.
Of all of the stops on our Asian vacation, Kuala Lumpur ended up being our favorite. The mix of cultures, architecture, and beautiful scenery along with the fact that it is very affordable, make it a place you should really consider visiting.
Comments