Greeting hivers. I have not posted here in ASEAN community for ages as I have been active over at the sportstalk community. But as this post has nothing about sport I think here is a great place to post in. Im currently traveling between Phuket and Jakarta and took a little break along the way. Im in KL. I like it here. I really do. To be honest I think the main reason I'm enjoying my weekend here is because I'm not in Thailand. I love S.E. Asia and always get a kick out of being anywhere in this part of the world. Downtown Tokyo, rural Philippines, Thai mountains, Indo beaches or in this case - the hustle and bustle of Malaysia's hip capital Kuala Lumpur - affectionately known as KL by locals and regular visitors alike.
It's been years since I was here. The city has matured and it feels more and more like Singapore these days. Wide treelined streets, restored colonial neighbourhoods with way-too-cool cafes, clean and well-ordered infrastructure, mega shopping malls and gleaming public transport. I remember when I was a backpacker here in the early 90s, there was some kind of governmental campaign underway about the "2020 vision", meaning they would be officially a developed country by then. 2020 seemed so far away to me at that time, mind bending that I still live in Asia and 2020 has been and gone.
I'm mostly here to visit my beautiful girl that is working on a 2 year contract in KL. She is from Bangkok and her life here in KL is a definite improvement (her words). Salary is higher, lifestyle is better and of course she gets to enjoy that smug thrill of living and working overseas. Something most people don't get to experience but once tasted is hard to kick.
I loved the neighbourhood of Bukit Bintang and in particular this very cool Peruvian restaurant called Piscos. They served authentic Ceviche - I'm qualified to call it authentic as I spent a lot of time in Peru gorging myself on Ceviche. This is the best Ceviche I have tasted outside of Peru. They also served that awesome cocktail made with egg whites - The Pisco Sour. And many others in different flavours - we got pretty trashed and the bill was terrifying! But for those visiting or living in KL that are looking for something cool and different I cant recommend Piscos enough. Check it out on Google but bring money!
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Another great thing about KL is that as a foreign visitor communication is very easy. Seems everyone speaks English and well. This is not the case in Thailand where I live - and although I speak quite good Thai now, it's still a frustration that educated people in Thailand often (not always) have very limited English skills. Here in KL the restaurant staff and the taxi driver and the security guard all speak very good English. This makes life easy - you can ask directions, get the low down on the best food on the menu etc etc.
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Anyway today is my last day and this evening I am sleeping in the capsule hotel at KLIA2 - the Air Asia International airport. My surfboards are safely stored there and as my flights leaves at 8am it seems clever to sleep right near the gate. My trip to KL was super but of course the highlight was time with my gal - and Chili Crabs on the street with a cold Tiger Beer...haha
I'm Jobiker and I don't care what my old pal Fantana says - KL is pretty OK! Peace.
Welcome to Kuala Lumpur 😁😁
I hope you enjoy your stay here
Thanks so much! I really enjoyed it here and am booked to come back in 4 weeks after Indo trip is finished.
I have never tried Peruvian food and you got me curious about the egg cocktail "Pisco Sour" and will look it up and see if I can make one here lol. Safe travels and look forward to more of your travels.
Oh duuude - U absolutely have to try a pisco sour! Its one of my fave drinks. Problem is i'm not sure how easy it is to get pisco - but maybe u can substitute it. And Ceviche is easy to make - just need fresh white fish like Spanish Mackerel or cod.
Glad to see that you are enjoying your trip to KL. Due to the Pandemic, I have not been to KL for the past two years. I hope to make at least one trip there before the end of the year.
I also had not been there for years but I will be going back regular now its opened up.
⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜᴛʜᴇᴀsᴛ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ
⋆ sᴜʙsᴄʀɪʙᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ
⋆ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴠᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ
⋆ ᴅᴇʟᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪɴᴋs 25 ʜᴘ⇾50 ʜᴘ⇾100 ʜᴘ⇾500 ʜᴘ⇾1,000 ʜᴘ
Sounds like you live a pretty adventurous life. I've never had a chance to spend too much time in places outside Cambodia, but I've traveled in Thailand and Malaysia a wee bit, but not enough to get super familiar. In my opinion Malaysians have consistently been the most helpful and empathetic ASEAN travelers I've encountered. I've been in Cambodia mostly since 2010, brief stint in Albania and stranded in Suriname for three years with my Cambodian family during COVID.
I do love the food in Thailand and Malaysia more than Cambodia. After around 12 years here, I've still only had a good fried rice one time. Cambodia just isn't famous for its cuisine.
I only write about the adventures - everything inbetween is boring! Thanks for reading and I have to agree with you that Malaysians are indeed some of the nicest people to meet - either traveling or inside their own country. Always friendly and helpful to visitors. I have never been to Cambodia but now that you mention it I have never heard much about the cuisine there.