arriving bruised, but not broken
I arrived at night, I was in touch with Winson, my Couchsurfing host, prior to coming to Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t want to keep Winson waiting so I rushed off to try and hail a cab. It was hard to find working wi-fi and I found myself going back and forth from the information counters to trying to find a hotspot. Even after, finding the place where the taxis were passing proved to be difficult. Winson ended up ordering the taxi for me and I was able to spot it and soon I was on my way to his place.
As we entered a subdivision, I had an inkling that my stay this time around was going to be a bit higher end. Winson was there waiting for me and he kindly paid the cab driver. It was already pretty late but he asked if I was hungry and I was since I hadn`t had anything to eat yet ever since that burger in Bali.
He took me to a night restaurant where I got to try some Malaysian street food. It was really good, I was full. He asked a lot of questions, questions I happily answered as I really enjoyed having that conversation with him. We talked the night away, he kindly paid for my meal as well and suggested we go home as I had to rest. I happily agreed.
We went up a flight of stairs and his place was definitely more modern and higher end than any Couchsurfing place I`ve stayed at so far. I had a whole room to myself, air conditioned. I got to take a shower, and was pretty much ready to crash. Winson also gave me some medicine for my cough, a really kind dude. I fell asleep pretty easily.
the drive
Morning. I was feeling refreshed, ready to tackle the day ahead. I took my shower, got my things ready and took my last bit of medicine. Winson kindly offered me a ride as he was going to the airport, and I came along to eat brunch with him there. The car ride was really fun, I didn`t know it at the time but Maroon 5`s Memories was playing on the radio, it was quite catchy and I asked Winson if he knew what the song title was, prompting him to use Shazam. He showed me his YouTube channel, with a lot of funny dorky vids as well as his Eurotrip that he edited himself. We shared some more conversations about Malaysian culture and his life until we arrived at the airport.
We stopped by another Malaysian restaurant where I got treated to some more delicious dishes. I shared with him what I knew about Japanese culture and society and offered him a place to stay if he should ever visit. We parted ways soon after and I went to the pharmacy to buy some medicine for my throat.
funky monkeys of batu caves
My next stop was Batu Caves. I had no sim-card for Malaysia so I used the wi-fi from the airport to book a cab going to the caves but with no other back-up plan on how to get from point A to point B after that assuming the place doesn`t have wi-fi. I was an absolutely broke backpacker back then that I couldn’t even bother to get a sim-card, I was trying to save as much money as I can and was really just going with the flow and trusted that things would go well.
As I got down the car, the sun was hot, weather was good and the caves looked absolutely marvelous. Rainbow colored staircases leading into the cave, where a Hindi temple lay hidden. In front, was a giant golden statue. Now, I had my whole backpack and I sure as hell didn`t want to go up those stairs carrying all that weight. I luckily found a shop and asked if I could leave my bag there, seems like they thought of everything as the service was already well-underway with several more backpacks already stored for a small fee, which I gladly paid.
I started climbing up the stairs, and to my pleasant surprise, there were tons of monkeys playing and scurrying about. They were getting fed, stealing food, and trying all sorts of ways to open water bottles. Super funny. The stairs did start to take its toll as I climbed higher and higher, I felt the strain on my legs and had to take a break a couple of times before reaching the top.
Entering the caves, it was my first time seeing a Hindu temple. The colors were really the best part, how the whole temple was just like a rainbow, a lot of layers and statues and animals. It was really worth the climb. I explored what I could inside, it was definitely cooler there so I took my time. Afterwards, I started to head down and explore the surrounding temples, which I had to enter barefoot. I spent a lot of time just sitting in peace when I found a spot that had no people. I soon got my bag back and started to head out, I found myself quite in a pickle as I really didn’t know what to do.
I tried asking some bystanders that were waiting for cabs if they could book one for me with their app as I didn`t have wi-fi but I had no luck. As I stood and waited for an opportunity, one of the people I asked came back and asked where I was heading to. I told them I was heading to the gardens, and they told me to come along which I did. They were a family, Indians but they lived in New Zealand.
going with the flow
We first went to Istana Negara where I took some photos behind a closed gate, afterwards we headed to Perdana Botanical Gardens, I spent some time with them until we reached a nice theatre where we had a bathroom break. Here, I said my good byes and parted ways and took some time exploring the empty garden. I saw a big iguana and other animals and ended up back to the souvenir shop to use the wi-fi. Coincidentally, I was able to see the family again. We talked a bit more and they asked me if I wanted to go the the eco-park with them. I had no other plans so why not?
We got to the eco-park where I had to pay for a bit of a pricey ticket. We found ourselves above the forest, crossing suspended bridges, going from canopy to canopy. I was with them for a bit, but their mother was a bit old and they had to wait for her so they urged me to go on ahead, which I did. I explored the place at my pace, going through a lot of the nature trails, alone most of the time. The winding slopes, and green path was really refreshing for me. I tried my best to hit all the trails and I found myself in the other side of park, and in front of me was the Menara Tower. I had a rest there for a bit and then from there, I asked someone, one of the valets, to book a Grab for me heading to the Petronas Twin Towers.
relying on the kindness of strangers
The cab driver was nice, he dropped me right in front of the tower. There were a lot of tourists of course, and there were men selling special cameras made to capture the towers completely. I had no interest in that, I took my photo and went inside the tower. The lower portion was a mall while the higher floors functioned as an office, I believe. I had to make it to my last stop when I head a familiar language, Tagalog. I approached these two Filipino ladies and asked if they could help book me a Grab to Thean Hou Temple, my last stop. They did and I thanked them and was well on my way.
The temple was one of the nicest ones I`ve seen so far, there were multiple floors, and it had gardens, statues, and amazing interiors. I spent a long time here lazing about, exploring what I could. The reason for this is I wanted to wait for the lanterns to be lit to capture an awesome photo. However, time was not on my side as I had to catch my flight the very same night. The sun didn`t look like it was going to set early and I was already losing a lot of time so I took my photo and decided once again to rely on the kindness of strangers. The first group of people refused to help me, but I approached a Chinese family and the father booked one for me. I was well on my way to the terminal based on the directions Winson gave me.
airport horror story: averted
I got to the airport, but it turns out it was the wrong terminal, I had to find my way to the train station going to the right one but as my luck would have it, the train was delayed by 10 minutes. I got on the train, really nervous and headed to my check-in counter which closed 10 minutes ago! The person was quite unforgiving and I was left crushed, not really knowing what else to do. He later asked me if that was all the stuff I had, I told him that I had nothing else but this backpack. He printed my ticket and told me to hurry up, I thanked him and rushed to my boarding gate. There was still a lot of time, I was really lucky he let me in, as this was the first time I almost didn`t make it. I was still able to get some food on the way, and I finally got on my airplane heading to Yangon.
