We woke up early the next morning and immediately checked out of our disgusting hostel. We had found another hostel on the internet the night before and decided to check it out. After lugging all our suitcases and backpacks down the broken street, we found out we were going the wrong way and had to double back in the other direction.
The only good part about getting a little lost was that we passed by the bank on our way and were finally able to withdraw money from the ATM, which closes down during the night.
When we finally found our new hostel, BackHome, we were immediately impressed. The place was clean and simple, but well-decorated. We asked to see a room before booking, and we were very impressed. A sign at the front desk displayed an award for “Third Best Hostel in Asia” by Hostelworld.com. I was extremely pleased to find such a nice, cheap place in the middle of nasty Kuala Lumpur.
After dropping off our bags in the room we immediately hit the showers. They were outdoor, but surprisingly clean. It was actually refreshing to take a nice, cool shower in the hot, humid outdoors. We had felt so dirty from all of the running and stress from the day before, and I swear it felt like one of the best showers of my life.
After our showers, we went to the front desk to ask the clerk about what there was to see in KL before we left for the Perhentian Islands. He was extremely knowledgeable, and he outlined everything we wanted to see on a map for us. He even knew how we needed to book our bus tickets to the islands. It felt like we had a free travel agent!
After a quick lunch at McDonald’s (where I had a mango McFlurry for the first time), we took the Metro to the bus station and bought our tickets to the islands. It would be an eight-hour trip, but it would leave at 9:30 the next night so we could sleep the whole way.
As soon as we got our bus tickets we hopped back on the Metro and hit the local markets the BackHome clerk showed us on the map. We figured we’d spend the day exploring the city and experiencing the culture that was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
We were very lucky to be in KL that day, because it was the “Colors of Malaysia” festival. The main festivities were in Merdeka Square (which amused my Portuguese companions, since it means “shitty” in their language). However, we saw many other celebrations taking place, including a dance performance by a young Malaysian boy outside Central Market to Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us.”
As the day went on, we realized that Kuala Lumpur was a unique place when it came to culture. While Islam was obviously the dominating religion, I also saw a large number of Indian Hindus, Chinese in Chinatown, and a wide variety of other Asian cultures present. The result was certainly a unique blend, but somehow everyone seemed to get along and coexist peacefully with one another.
In regards to architecture, KL is definitely a rapidly-developing city, so there were plenty of Western-style skyscrapers around. However, among the skyscrapers were Islamic mosques and Hindu temples, and even a couple of Chinese temples in Chinatown.
When we arrived in Merdeka Square for the main celebrations, we saw a number of musical performances, including Indian pop, Chinese ballads, and even one Malaysia’s most famous musical artists! They spoke and sang in many different languages, and I began to understand the meaning of the “Colors of Malaysia” slogan and its relevance to Malaysian culture.
After the festival we headed to dinner at the restaurant/bar street area. Every place had a person shoving menus in the faces of passerby to bring them to their already busy restaurant. We finally picked one and sat down to eat at a little table with orange, plastic stools outside. We were treated to a fun musical performance by two guitarists, who wandered up and down the street playing for the different outdoor restaurants.
After dinner we hit the KL “Times Square,” which was jam-packed with locals and tourists alike. It was a nice mall area, with many familiar Western restaurants like KFC and A&W. From there, we walked a few blocks to the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world.
The view at night is what they are most known for. They are lit up beautifully, and that is the image we most often see in photographs of the towers. It was hard to fit them in one shot, but here is my best take:
After taking a taxi back to the hostel, we found out that our 8-bed dorm was co-ed! At first it was a little strange, but we quickly got used to it and weren’t harassed at any point from them. Actually, my whole experience at BackHome took me back to my dorm days at Northern Arizona University, and I began feeling nostalgic.
We waited until the guys were out of the room before changing into our pajamas, and after setting our alarm clocks for 6:00 am we fell fast asleep, exhausted from all the walking we did that day.
Coming up next, “Malaysia & Singapore: Day Three.”
Love,
Kati
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