...I'm off now... Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia (Stage 2)

With the bus company TranStar, I went directly from Singapore to the city of Kuala Lumpur. For little money, I arrived at the next destination in comfortable 6 hours in luxury reclining massage seats and with onboard service. The tropical landscape of Malaysia presented itself with a sea of palm trees as far as the eye can see. How beautiful it must be to wander around there...

Compared to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur is louder, more chaotic, dirtier, and livelier. But the city has a lot to offer. Thanks to an extremely friendly, funny, cosmopolitan, and open-minded local named Steven, my stay in Kuala Lumpur was fantastic!

My day started with an extensive walk through the Perdana Botanical Garden, a very large and beautifully landscaped park in the middle of the city. Here you can escape the hustle and bustle of the city. To escape the extremely burning sun, the "Bamboo Playhouse" tempted me to take a longer and somewhat cozy break. In the Orchid Garden, I had a very entertaining conversation with an elderly lady from China. She travels to different places to study the Bible and understand the world through faith and God. I believe she also wanted to convince me of the Jehovah's Witnesses... :-D

And as luck would have it (which is what I believe in...to come back to questions of faith), my plan to take the train from the Sentral Station to the Heli Lounge Bar to admire the Kuala Lumpur skyline at sunset led me to Steven! He approached me when I had my head deep in the city map, trying to find the way to the Heli Bar. I seemed a bit lost. It turned into a nice and open conversation over coffee at Starbucks.

From then on, Steven accompanied me in Kuala Lumpur and showed me the best the city has to offer. So we went together to the Petronas Towers, and instead of the Heli Lounge Bar, we went up to the SkyBar at the Traders Hotel. This insider tip was fantastic! From here, you had an overwhelming view of the skyline and the Petronas Towers. The sunset was absent due to heavy cloud cover, but there were delicious cocktails in cozy seating areas with a nice view.

And as the evening was just starting to get interesting, we went to the Pavilion Center to the restaurant "Madam Kwan's," and Steven introduced me extensively to Malaysian cuisine. Starting with "Char Kuey Teow" (my favorite), "Satay with Peanut Sauce," and "Rojak," I discovered some typical and delicious Malaysian dishes. The fish cake "Otak Otak" also tasted good but was clearly too spicy for me.

After a full stomach, we strolled through Jalan Bukit Bintang. Here, it reminds me a bit of Times Square in Manhattan. From there, we turned into Alor Street Food Night Market. The name says it all, and you walk amidst a huge crowd of people, passing by thousands of different food smells. From Jalan Alor, you now enter Changkat Bukit Bintang: welcome to the Malaysian red light district, even louder! Everyone here wants to lure you into their bar.

Since it was clearly too loud and flooded with people, we settled down in the "taps Beer Bar" (Steven's secret tip). There, you can try different beers every evening and/or experience live music. We were excitedly following the incredible and fantastic voice of an unknown singer - we called him "Little Buddha." The guy was really talented! He performs with his band at the taps Beer Bar every Friday evening.

The next morning, it was time to "to-check-out" again. I stayed at the Travelodge Hotel on Jalan Hang Kasturi. The night is a bit more expensive, the breakfast not recommended at all, but the service is very good. So I was able to leave part of my luggage there for the next 3-4 weeks free of charge. Why? You'll find out in my next stage ;-)

Since my flight to the next destination was only in the evening, I made plans with Steven for a little trip through Chinatown. In the "Mingle Café," you could have a delicious breakfast, then stroll through the market and indulge in more delicacies. Something you should definitely try: "Air Mata Kucing" (translated: cat eyes in water). But don't worry...there are no cat eyes in this Malaysian refreshing drink, only lychee fruits :-) very tasty!

Impressive to see were also the Hindu temple Sri Mahamariamman and the Buddhist temple Chan She Shu Yuen. Both temples are artistically designed with great attention to historical detail.

On the way to the airport, we made a short detour to Putrajaya, the Malaysian government district. However, since there was not much time left, we only drove past the Prime Minister's office and the other ministries. A day trip is definitely worth it here.

Thank you very much, Steven, for these great and unforgettable moments in Kuala Lumpur!

Next Stop: Nepal...