Friday April 19, 2024 – Saturday April 27, 2024
(This is part 2 of our two week Cambodia & Malaysia trip — for part 1, check out http://exploringduo.com/cambodia/!)
Itinerary
We spent about 8 days in Malaysia. The first two and a half days were in Penang, where my dad’s side of the family is from! The next three-ish days we spent in Langkawi, an archipelago in Malaysia. And our last three-ish days were spent in Kuala Lumpur. It was a nice little sampling of 3 different areas in Malaysia, all with very different vibes, and all located on the Malay Peninsula. We did not visit East Malaysia, which is on the separate island of Borneo.
Overall Impressions
How does one visit their origin country with an unbiased perspective? You don’t; of course I’m biased. But although my roots are here, it’s been awhile since I last visited plus whenever that was, it was not in my adult life. So I come with part of me wanting to learn more about where I’m from, wanting to connect. It’s a mindset different from anywhere else I travel.
So with that disclaimer out of the way, here are my impressions. Even though I’m visiting as a total tourist (since I don’t remember much from visiting when I was younger), even then on the very first night I already feel comfortable and at home here. We’re surrounded by a mix of cultures, races, languages so we fit right in, or at least we’re not glaringly obvious tourists as far as I know. They’re all multilingual and speak to you in any language- Malay, Chinese, English and hey… I understand two of these! That’s a pretty high hit rate in terms of traveling in a foreign country. It’s a big reason why I feel comfortable.
As I mentioned, the three places we visited were all quite different. Penang felt more modest and down to earth, cheaper, think Hawker food courts, homey. Langkawi is a laid-back tropical vacation. And Kuala Lumpur… big city, packed with luxury, very international and modern.
Day 0, 1 & 2: Penang
From Cambodia we fly to Penang. My dad happens to be visiting home at this time so he kindly picked us up from the airport then took us to the Super Tanker Food Court. So many different options! We got like 7 dishes between 3 people. Oyster pancake, chao kuay teo, pig ears, shrimp noodles, roast duck over rice, roast chicken, fried rolls, and drinks- bali and sour plum. It’s cheap, it’s casual… I totally see where my family’s vibe comes from haha. The gluttons that we (boyfriend) are, after we get dropped off at our hotel, we continue on to get taro shaved ice on a street nearby for dessert. Now that’s how you kick off a visit to a country 🙂
The next morning we go to Air Itam Sister Curry Mee for breakfast. We specifically didn’t order it at the hawker center because we slotted it to be eaten here. I like the dish, who isn’t down for curry soaked tofu? After breakfast we head to Penang Hill Funicular Train. I’d describe this as a very planned out and developed attraction, think manicured gardens, every path mapped out, and the whole experience designed for your comfort. We take the cable car up.
At the top, you can walk around and check out the displays of flora and fauna. We started a nature walk but the mosquitoes were vicious when you get into the trees; I got 8 bites within the first 5 minutes of starting the walk so we noped out of there. Instead we pay for a golf cart to take us around the paved roads hahaha, being able to take the easy way out is great. We did go on the walk that takes you on top of a bridge, on a high looped view point, and through educational signs about nature and their conservation efforts. We saw plants that only existed on Penang Hill, how neat!
But Victor hasn’t gotten enough sleep all trip and today he is feeling really exhausted; so he goes back to nap while I continue on to see the Kek Lok Si Temple. It’s a beautiful temple, so much so that even though there was a tram up and down the hill (albeit for a small fee), I decided to wander my way up on foot instead. I discovered bridges, turtle ponds, and various spots to worship on my walk up. To kill time while Victor napped, I picked up a book on their public use table and read about this monk’s life. I’ve never dived into the origin story of a monk before and this read is interesting to me. Ok now I’ve killed enough time. But on my way out, I discovered that though my wandering was free spirited and spontaneous, it was unfortunately not thorough; I missed the tallest and probably most impressive points of the temple, i.e. the big statue and tower thing, so woops haha. My bad, but I still enjoyed my experience!
I meet back at the hotel for lunch with boyfriend. He got us Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs and bowls of noodle soup with duck, intestines, and blood cakes. I think it’s all very tasty and I’m quite satisfied with lunch. However later on, we’ll attribute this meal to be the culprit of what’s to come. Dun dun dun… foreshadowing!
But in the meantime, Penang is known for street art so we strolled the streets looking for some. This very cute installation of two joyful kids on a bike is their most famous one.
Continuing our walk around, Jettys are these docks that are each owned by a family, passed through the generations. There are 3 in Penang and we visited them all. One of them is more decorated and filled with souvenir shops and ice cream/drinks. The others are mostly residential. It’s hot out and Victor starts feeling a sense of discomfort.
We went to a beach. Victor got to try parasailing for the first time after driving a hard bargain with the vendors lol. I skipped because I don’t need the adrenaline but he said parasailing is actually super chill. Neither of us was expecting that.
At this point, while I’m splashing around in the ocean, his general sense of discomfort rapidly progresses into full-blown something-is-wrong and we decide to head back to the hotel. Over the next several hours, we determine he has food poisoning. Temperature is high, 100.4 degrees. What do we do! I find medicine at the pharmacy, buy porridge… but even the smell of food is too much for him. He ultimately has bread and a banana from a convenience store. Poor thing. Thus begins a very rough next few days for him.
Unlucky timing given the food poisoning, but the next morning we visit my grandma in her nursing home. My dad has the staff help us surprise her by introducing me as new staff. She didn’t recognize me and was so surprised when we announced actually this is your granddaughter! Haha. Victor drops by later to visit too but he’s barely holding on; staff takes his temperature and he still has a fever. My family drops us off at the airport and we fly to Langkawi, a tropical vacation archipelago in Malaysia.
Day 3, 4 & 5: Langkawi
He needs to rest at the hotel so I go myself to check out Eagle Square. It was pleasant to explore. The square itself with the statue was closed for renovation but I could still see it just not up close. There are small shopping malls and it was sad these shops and whole area are practically ghost towns now, all staff and barely a few customers. I guess tourism was hit hard by Covid. On the upside, things were super affordable here and I got two pairs of shoes for 22 USD heh. Shoe shopping distracted me, and I’m like ahh gotta go catch the sunset! There’s a lovely walk along the water at Legenda Park. I even stumbled into a garden of sunflowers. Unexpected discoveries always feel more precious. When night fell, I found dinner and stocked up crackers and water for Victor. Went back to deliver the goods.
A new day, and though he’s feeling better, it was not worth it to risk going on a 4 hour boat tour. So he stayed back while off to the boat tour I went. The Geopark mangrove boat tours are fairly action packed, the boat never has to drive far before stopping at the next thing. First we saw an area where lots of eagles come to dive for fish, it’s pretty cool. Next we went to a stop with a bunch of really active monkeys, constantly climbing around and even onto our boats. All around we were surrounded by mangroves. We stopped at a fish farm, where we were treated to a fun fish show, and also a bat cave, which true to its name, was filled with bats. Then was a beach, where all was well… until I got stung by a jellyfish! I was doggy paddling around when I felt a slow burning sensation grow in intensity. It had slashed a red line across my neck. It continued to burn, maybe like a sunburn sensation, but felt better the next day.
After two days of rest, there are finally signs of life from Victor. We met up at the Langkawi Skybridge Cable Car which is more than just the cable car and has a selection of attractions to choose from. We started with the 3D art museum. It’s cooler than you’d expect and it’s fun taking photos in these 2D paintings that are painted in a way that it looks 3D when you take photos. The cable car up gets you views of the island, lots of lush green trees and a view of a town by the beach. At the top, I took the several stairs on my own to the sky bridge. It was too cloudy but occasionally at some points the wind would reveal glimpses of surrounding scenery. Unfortunately Victor didn’t have the energy to climb steps and we didn’t know we could’ve paid for the sky glider to skip these steps until after the fact. Womp.
Then we went to the beach for a pretty sunset! Meant to see a fire show on the beach but we went walking down the beach looking for the big fire show and it didn’t occur that day; so back where we began the small fire show began and ended in the distance while we attempted to walk back lol. At this point, Victor’s not feeling so well again. He had been on the up and up but later says that coming out today might’ve set his recovery back, or maybe it was the Haianese chicken for dinner being too bold a move since it was not bland and instead covered in sauces 🙁 Anyway, we call it a night!
Day 6, 7 & 8: Kuala Lumpur
The next day we flew to Kuala Lumpur. We landed in the afternoon and then it’s a one hour car ride to the hotel. First time staying in the Ritz-Carlton! It’s a great deal booking the Ritz in Asia so we wanted to try it out (well, boyfriend who planned the trip made that call, Idk what I would’ve said if he had asked me but I could see myself saying let’s save money! lol). In the lobby I see these small kids wearing— is that… Balenciaga? I look it up and yes it is and I’m just amused. Too bad the height of bf’s food poisoning wasn’t here in this luxury hotel on a luxury toilet and instead in our scrappiest lodging in a bathroom that didn’t have AC (only the bedroom did) lol. Anyways. We also we get to hang out with our friends in KL for the next few days since they’re traveling SE Asia as well!
The next morning, we went straight to taking care of business. Our first stop was a tailor shop since Victor’s getting a custom suit made for our wedding. We picked out fabrics and he got measured. Check! Off to meet our friends at a lunch spot in the mall. Now you know what’s crazy? Not only does Victor have food poisoning but so does our friend! Got it in Thailand actually, different country, surprisingly at a brand name hotel, but same terrible experience. That’s why we tried to be safe and went for simple congee and soups in the mall over more flavorful dishes or pre-researched restaurants. The inability to eat good food in Malaysia was such a shame. They commiserated all about their food poisoning fun times lol.
Together we proceeded to Batu Caves, a colorful Hindu temple with a mega giant gold statue in front of the caves that contained temples inside. It’s a nice place to take photos but we didn’t last long. Without any connection to or understanding of this religion, there was no reason to stay long in this absurd heat. But the monkeys were amusing. They were everywhere and you had to watch your stuff!
From here we split. Two of us went to Genting, one for a concert and one to play poker. Two of us, my friend and I, went back to explore KL. What do we do when it’s so hot out? Malls, malls, malls! We went to the Pavilion and Fahrenheit. Both were connected to our hotels, which were connected to each other, kind of Vegas-like I guess. But yeah, stay inside, all nice and comfortable. So great.
For dinner, my friend and I went to Petaling Street. It was a bit early so we wandered the area, checking out endless merchants selling the same knockoff merchandise, one after another. Until we found dinner at this super low-key restaurant, got clam noodles, bak ku teh, and dumplings. Quite good and homey given we just wandered in! We found Central Market, an indoor market with clothes and artisan goods, but it was slow and fairly empty this late at night. We sat down for juice and a chat. We wandered and discovered so much that night, from this clock tower thing (Independence Square), to this lit up KL river sign (Kolam Biru), and took photos of this tall building we saw (Merdeka 118, we had no idea we were looking at the 2nd tallest building in the world!). The we discovered DurianBB World; I got a durian ice cream.
On the second day, Victor and I went to Thean Hou Temple. Besides the fact that you can get some pretty photos, at first we couldn’t relate enough to appreciate it. We thought we’d be in and out in like 15 minutes. Until… we found the fortune telling station! I’m a little bit familiar because I’ve done a similar thing in Taiwan. You ask a question, shake up these wooden sticks with numbers in them, pick one, then take the paper that corresponds to your number and read your fortune. We later found out you had to pick a stick that stuck out, not just a random one you felt like lol, so we retried and also asked more questions. We had good fortunes so we left happy haha.
He hasn’t seen Petaling Street yet, so I go back a second time. This time the experience is instead centered around sampling lots of street food. As expected out of this one! The group meets up to duck the rain in Lot 10 shopping mall, and as it gets dark we go to see the Petronas Towers. We didn’t get tickets in time to go up the towers but we got a great view from the W’s rooftop bar. Nearby was Suria KLCC where we watched its fountain show. For dinner, we sampled various tasty street foods at Pasar Malam O.U.G. night market.
Third day! We put in effort to eat at Sun Fong Bak Kut Teh because it was sold out other times we tried. It was full of herbs and very comforting to me but Victor feels he like’s Singapore’s version of bak kut teh more. He goes back to play poker today and my day 1 friend left the night before, so now me and my other friend explore together. We pretty much re-check out all the places I went the first day ahaha. But it’s a totally different experience. It’s daytime and Central Market is bustling; my impression this time is that the crafts are cute instead of oh this market is sad. We see the KL river sign, clock tower thing, and I see Petaling Street a *third* time because this friend had not seen it yet lmao. We try a sampling of durian from DurianBB World and I witness my friend’s crazy bargaining skills as she shops the store’s goodies. I get my hair permed. At night we all reconvene and eat at Jalan Alor Food Street – the best thing we ate was this crispy roasted goat bbq (Kambing golek). Then bf and I rushed over to a clay pot restaurant before it closed for a second dinner because it was our last chance to try it.
On the last morning, we picked up his finished suit, went up the Kuala Lumpur tower and took some cool photos in its clear glass sky box, and a really delicious last meal in Lot 10 Hutong, the food court of Lot 10. We had roast duck, a saucy chili crab, roast pork over noodles, this other dark sauce noodles, wonton soup, and got curry pastries to go… it was really indulgent. This food court was borne out of activism when the founders realized that the older generation’s food stalls were heading towards extinction because younger generations do not desire to toil away in laborious conditions for little pay. The founders curated the best food stalls and consolidated them in this nice space. We got to enjoy their amazing efforts.
With this last satisfying meal, it was at last time to head to the airport for our journey home!