Unexpected happiness in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia is located on the peninsula of mainland Asia

After my sister visited last week it was time to jet off to some of the surrounding countries of Thailand. My first plan was to head to Kuala Lumpur (KL) to meet up with Emiliya. KL was an unplanned visit in our tour of Asia, we mainly stopped there because it's in between Thailand and Indonesia and we figured it was worth a visit since we'd be passing right by it. Before landing I only knew a handful of things about the country and city: they're predominantly muslim, homosexuality is illegal, and it's humid. Honestly, I had low expectations for KL and figured a long weekend would be more than enough to get my Malaysian fix. I don't think any opinion I've had on a city has been more wrong than my uneducated opinions on KL. Within 48 hours I was falling hard for KL and already planning visits back to explore more of Malaysia.
It's important to keep in mind that although I've traveled a little while living in Thailand I've mainly spent all of my time in developing countries. Malaysia was my first experience in a developed country in over six months, so that alone was a pretty exciting endeavor for me. The majority of my time in Asia has been in Thailand, so it's been easy to compare KL to what's fresh in my memory as opposed to an American or European city.

The Petronas Towers, the world's largest twin towers

My first impressions of KL were very positive, the city itself has a good vibe and they're much more developed and clean than the crazy Bangkok I just left behind. I was grateful to see far less litter, which I can only attribute to the fact there are garbage cans everywhere (very unlike Thailand). The streets and sidewalks are well maintained and it's actually possible to walk on the sidewalk or cross the street without fear of getting hit (again, unlike Thailand). I also quickly noticed how little plastic is being wasted here. Thailand is notorious for their usage of plastic. No matter what you're buying they'll put it in a plastic bag, even if it's just a pack of gum or bottle of water. On top of that, everyone in Thailand uses plastic water bottles, going through many in a day. I immediately noticed how many people in KL were walking around with reusable water bottles, but that can be contributed to the fact that many locals in KL drink the tap water, whereas Thai tap water is unsafe for consumption. There is also much more English (and a higher level of English) in KL than I've ever found in Asia. Malaysia is much more developed than the previous places I've been, so a higher level of English is to be expected, but it was still a shocking encounter for me.

A mosque visible from the monorail line

There isn't one big thing that stands out for my love of KL, instead it's all of the little things combined. It just seems like an extremely livable city, and is much more put together than I was expecting for an Asian capital. There are plenty of places to get free drinking water, which is a necessity in 100% humidity. There are many boutiques and malls, making fashion an easy thing to come by. The streets are lined with restaurants and coffee shops, so there's always a place to stop and chat with friends, or relax in the AC for a bit. My personal favorite part was the mix of ethnicities, cultures and religions. The majority of Malaysians practice Islam, but Buddhism and Catholicism are also recognized. It was an incredible experience to be on the public rail system, whizzing past mosques and churches on the same block.

Entrance to the Batu Caves, home to
a Hindu temple

In the hopes of not sounding terribly ignorant or racist, I had a revelation that I'd like to share: Growing up in America I've basically been raised thinking that Muslim women are often wearing their hijab as a form of oppression. I've also been raised to think that Muslim societies are extremely patriarchal, and women aren't given the same opportunities as men (it doesn't help that I just finished reading I Am Malala, where these stereotypes hold true). I was amazed when I first landed in Kuala Lumpur to see women of all types in positions of authority. There were female police officers, decked out in their uniform and badges, also wearing a hijab. There were store workers, restaurant owners, security staff at the train stations; all women of different colors, backgrounds and religions, some with a hijab and some without. It was a breath of fresh air for me because I honestly thought I was going to be landing in this oppressed land, run only by men, and I was pleasantly surprised to see women in the work force as well. Now obviously I don't know the true logistics of this country, after only being there for four days, but I was glad to see that their presentation as a city came off as very well rounded and developed.

Trying out some Indian food

This Southeast Asia trip is quickly turning into a food tour for myself, and we indulged in as many new and delicious meals that we could find while in KL. Because the city is such a crazy mix of cultures they have an awesome variety in their restaurants, and I was able to try out a lot of Lebanese and Indian food. Thailand often holds the stereotype for delicious food in Asia, but I'm finding many more delicious vegetarian options the more I'm traveling. Bring on the falafel!
We really didn't do a ton of activities during our time in KL, instead we just soaked up the culture and enjoyed some of the sights near our hostel. I loved the vibes from this city and it was a really great place to just wander around and relax with a tasty meal. Everyone is friendly and very eager to practice their English and we had some really great conversations with some of the local people. Emiliya got stopped numerous times to have her picture taken with people, which we found very amusing! That's something that never gets old. I was very impressed with the people, culture and city itself in KL and I hope that I'll be able to return to Malaysia and learn more about their country.

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Logistical Info

- We stayed at Twenty5 hostel which was a great experience. It's on the 25th floor of an apartment building and offers stunning views of the city skyline. It's located within five minutes of public transportation, and the hostel itself is very livable and has a great setup. Rooms were about $10/night. I briefly mentioned the layout in this post.
- Public transportation in KL is relatively cheap and very widespread. KL Sentral is the main hub of all transportation, and from there you can transfer to various lines. However, their rail system isn't the same as most others. Instead of it being all one big system, KL rail is made up of various different companies and you have to actually leave the station and go inside the mall to transfer to a new line. It was confusing at first, but once you know where you're headed it's very easy to hop on the next train.
- The train connects to the airport, costing about $10 to get into the city.
- KL is cheap. A full meal starts at just a few dollars and public transportation is under a dollar for each ride.