12.12.2022 – Arrived in Kuala Lumpur

Time is flying by, after four weeks in Vietnam, two weeks in Cambodia, and another three weeks in Malaysia, I will be spending the remaining days until the end of the year in Malaysia.

The flight from Chiang Mai to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, took about 2.5 hours. After arriving at the airport and going through customs, I took the train to the city center and then took the metro to the hostel due to the late hour, arriving around 11 pm.

The first morning in KL was all about getting settled. After a small breakfast at the hostel, I went to one of the countless malls (there are probably even more than 300) to get a SIM card. Once that was taken care of and I was back in the mobile world, I went to one of the ATMs to get some cash. Normally, this is not a big deal, especially in metropolises like Kuala Lumpur. However, this time it turned out to be a small challenge. I tried the first ATM - transaction declined - I tried the second ATM - transaction declined - this went on for about an hour before I gave up in frustration. Before a trip, you think about what problems you might encounter. A non-functioning bank card is naturally at the top of the list. Even though you've already thought about the possibility, it is not a pleasant feeling in the situation itself. Without cash, you won't get very far in Southeast Asian countries. So I went back to the hostel and started searching for a solution, but to no avail. I needed help.

Compared to Germany, Malaysia has a time difference of seven hours, one hour more than in Thailand. Calling the bank was not an option at this time, as it was the middle of the night in Germany. Fortunately, Sparkasse offers an emergency service that can be reached around the clock. After a nice conversation with an employee, the problem was quickly identified and fixed. After all the excitement, I finally went on my first exploration tour in the afternoon. And this led me directly to the city's most famous landmark - the Petronas Towers. The twin towers are located in the middle of the city and border a small park that brings some greenery and peace to the otherwise busy city. Below the two 452-meter-high towers, there is a large mall that currently resembles a small Christmas wonderland. Although Malaysia is predominantly Muslim, there is currently Christmas decoration on every corner. While the tallest artificial Christmas tree in Malaysia can be admired in front of the mall, inside, you will find Santa's workshop. A somewhat strange sight at almost 30 degrees Celsius outside. But well, at least it brings some Christmas spirit.

The second day in Kuala Lumpur literally fell into the water. It is currently rainy season in Malaysia, so it rained more or less all day and there wasn't much to do. I used the free time for further travel planning and eating. Malaysian cuisine is a true paradise. Not only is it super cheap (like in all of Southeast Asia), it is also delicious and diverse. Malaysia is a mix of many different cultures, so the variety is huge. From Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, to Thai dishes, everyone can find something here.

On the third day, I visited the city's second landmark. The Batu Caves are a popular pilgrimage site that attracts followers of Hinduism from all over the country and masses of tourists. The Batu Caves are four limestone caves that are said to be around 400 million years old. In front of the caves is a 42-meter tall statue of the Hindu god Murugan. Once you pass this, you will encounter a colorful staircase with 272 steps before reaching the entrance to the caves. However, the biggest challenge are not the steps, but the monkeys that take every opportunity to steal the visitors' belongings. After successfully overcoming both hurdles, you will be rewarded with a view into the interior of the cave and a great outlook. The Cathedral Cave is open at the top and there are several temples inside the cave. Devout Hindus light oil lamps here and offer flowers or milk. There are three other caves on the site, but we only visited one more. The Ramayana Cave is considerably smaller and not as spectacular as the Cathedral Cave. However, it is still worth a visit.

After the Batu Caves, we continued on to the KL Forest Eco Park. It is the only remaining piece of tropical rainforest in Kuala Lumpur and is located right at the foot of the Kuala Lumpur Tower. It houses a unique flora and fauna. Imagine a real tropical rainforest in the middle of a metropolis - simply amazing. We first explored the park from a bird's eye view. A sort of rope course takes visitors through the treetops and offers a special view. On the horizon, you can see all the skyscrapers and below, the green plants of the rainforest. After that, we went on several tracks through the forest before ending the evening in a relaxed manner at the hostel.

And those were my first days in Malaysia. After three and a half days in Kuala Lumpur, I took a bus ride on Monday morning. It went to...+