Kuala Lumpur
So we've just added our first unexpected stop and detour to the plan: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We've discovered that we can only "go with the flow" to a certain extent, as it is a requirement to have details of your flight out of a country before you can check in to a flight to get there. So, as we stood in the monstrous queue at Sydney airport, ready to head to Bali, we had some time to compare prices for various locations and finally decided on... Kuala Lumpur!
This is our first capital city experience and adjusting to its towering high rises is a bit of a shock, especially after coming straight from the charming chaos of Bali's streets. Exhausted from our travel day, we settle into the Airbnb, grab a quick bite from the restaurant downstairs, and soak in the balcony views - with both the KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers in sight!
The next day we explored the city on foot, covering over 15km. We bee-lined to the Petronas Twin Towers, excited at the prospect of crossing the skybridge - the world's tallest two-story skybridge, soaring at 170 metres on the 41st and 42nd floors. But alas, the downside of our "go with the flow" attitude meant we didn't book tickets in advance, and to our surprise, it was fully booked for our entire stay! But no worries, we'll just enjoy the view from the ground up instead!
The girls quickly discovered that KL is basically a shopper's paradise! Right under the Petronas Towers is the KLCC shopping centre - a six-storey mall full of high-end designer stores - perfect for us to window shop! Then we stumbled upon the Pavilion shopping centre, more of a blend of luxury and everyday shops, where they spent every possible moment before Dan lost the plot! We meandered back through the city centre, through the park and past the fountains, where, can you believe we were stopped by a Chinese tourist who wanted to take a picture with us? He was absolutely amazed that we had four kids, including three daughters, and maybe it was the ginger hair too that caught his attention.. We’re not exactly sure what made us so fascinating, but once he finished snapping his photos, I thought it would only be polite to ask if we could take a picture with his son too! Heading out for dinner later, it felt like stepping into the main strip of San Antonio in Ibiza circa 2003 - alive with neon signs, over-enthusiastic touts, and a lineup of British themed restaurants, with a few Irish ones sprinkled in too, of course. It definitely wasn't quite what we were expecting from Kuala Lumpur, but after a busy day on our feet in the city, it worked for the night.
We just had to take a stroll through China Town while we were here. I wish I could bottle up the noise and smells of the place for you, but trust me, it might not be the most pleasant experience! The main reason is the infamous durian fruit. This local delicacy is often banned in certain public spaces like hotels and public transport due to its incredibly strong, pungent smell that many people find quite overwhelming. And now we truly understand why! Despite having to hold our noses in some areas, we managed to explore and choose some food we actually wanted to eat - not the ones enthusiastically pitched to us by the stall owners, wow, they're intense! As Floss remarked, "He's just shouting to the side of my face!". Oh, and just to clarify, none of us went for the duck neck!
Famously known for its rainbow staircase with 272 steps leading up to a stunning Hindu temple, Batu Caves was next on our list as a must-visit (and hooray, no ticket needed this time!). Painted in vibrant shades of red, yellow, blue, and green, the steps leading up to the cave are impossible to miss. One of the most prominent and unique trademarks of the Batu Caves is undoubtedly the golden statue of the Hindu God, Lord Murugan, who stands proudly and majestically at the foot of the stairs, towering over 140 feet in height. The Caves were absolutely jaw dropping, from the natural beauty of the surrounding limestone to the impressive architecture of the temple and statues inside.
As we were climbing the steps, there were monkeys playfully scampering around. We witnessed a daring monkey snatch an ice-cream from a kid, and quickly all made sure any food or drink was secured away in our bags! Meanwhile, down on the ground, there was a bird-feeding frenzy with the locals, giving off serious pigeon lady vibes from Home Alone 2! As we sweatily (who knew it would be nearly 30 degrees in those caves?) made our way back down the steps, we eagerly entered the Dark Cave on the 204th step. We opted for a self-guide rather than the full 2-kilometre guided exploration, and immersed ourselves in the pitch-black darkness, with bats swooping above us for half the journey! Once back on the ground, we checked out Cave Villa, nestled at the hills base, where we entered via a raised walkway over a beautiful koi pond. We arrived inside halfway through a traditional dance performance and browsed more statues and shrines dedicated to Hindu deities - it's amazing how they remember who everyone is, there seem to be so many!
We wrapped up our day of exploring caves by hopping onto KL's public Komuter train (fascinated to observe a women's only carriage). All six of us piled in for the half hour journey for a grand total of £2.75 - very different to train prices in the UK! Once we reached KL city centre, we had to make a change, taking a quick stroll through yet another mall - this one with an M&S foodhall inside. Four months we've been without good old British biscuits and we never would have expected to get that fix in Malaysia! Very happy with our find, we made our way to the Monorail, which whisked us back home to Bukit Bintang, soaring over the city. It was a really cool experience!
We ended up spending our last hours in KL in yet another mall, this time Plaza Low Yat - Malaysia's largest IT mall. With the advantage of lower import taxes here, Dan embarked on a mission to fix mine and Phoebe's phones, which had both been completely knocked out by the wet weather in Bali and were diagnosed with costly motherboard issues. It turned out to be more economical to buy brand new devices. Thankfully, after much mall-wandering and tech-wrangling, we're both back in business and snapping selfies again! Hooray!
We had thought we would make plans to gaze out over the city from the KL Tower's observation deck, enjoying the 360-degree view. However, since everyone was completely wiped out by the end of the day, we happily settled for another photo from the ground!
Thank you Kuala Lumpur! What a great start to our adventure in Malaysia. Next stop, the beautiful island of Langkawi.