Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 Notes from the journal:

7/29

  • Landed in KL and customs took foreverrrr but I took the airport train into the city and luckily caught the very last metro to my hostel. Confusing entry into the building but I eventually figured it out. My hostel had a beautiful view of the skyline and Petronas towers at night on the 34th floor.

7/30

  • Got 4 hours of sleep bc I woke up early to go to Batu Caves. The rainbow stairs, temples, giant statues, and cave were pretty neat but there was an insane amount of pigeons and it was pretty dirty with a lot of trash. I enjoyed being there before the crowds and then took the train back towards the city to go shopping for a hijab.
  • Stopped at an Indian restaurant for breakfast and tried my first Teh Tarik (Malaysian tea drink…like the Malay equivalent of chai)
  • Went to Nasi Kandar Pelita and got very confused about the chaotic food system but eventually got some Nasi Kandar in the big food hall and it was good
  • Went to the Petronas twin towers and walked around the KLCC park. Saw the fountain show near the towers.
  • Took the metro to Chinatown, a mural street, and the Pasar seni market 
  • Stopped for some poor quality Nasi Lemak and tea
  • Tried to figure out how to wear my hijab correctly in the bathroom of the train station, and went out to go to a mosque but realized it was too far away so I took it off and went back to the hostel to swim in the infinity pool and see a daytime view of the skyline
  • Took the metro to meet Yaya’s (supervisor from CA job at ASU) family who very kindly and generously took me out for dinner at an amazing restaurant that Yaya recommended. It was really great to meet them and talk with them and this was a highlight of my entire time in Malaysia. I had a lot of fun and the local dishes were to die for! 
  • Headed back to hostel and went up to swim again but didn’t stay long because I was getting sussy vibes from some people up there. A man followed me down 37 floors to a convenience store and confronted me there, trying to start a conversation, etc. so I got him off my tail and left 

7/31

  • Headed to KL Sentral bus terminal on the metro but got screamed at by a man on the train for not being Islamic.


Read if I referred you to this post:

Kuala Lumpur was a really cool city and is a neat mix of lots of cuisines, cultures, religions, etc. but I definitely did not feel very safe as a solo female traveler (tbh I was kinda scarred from this city until I went to South America and had better experiences to put in my mind). I was harassed quite a bit, followed, and men did not respect the women-only cars on the metro. The food is amazing tho and I found that there was quite a bit to do and see. I really enjoyed the view from my hostel (Penthouse on 34th I think?) but the place itself wasn’t the nicest.














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