Random Thoughts, Then KL

Thoughts and observations about our first few Asian nations: 

• I'd be interested to see Jakarta, Indonesia one day to see how much different it is than Bali. I know it's a big city, but I'd also like to see how it compares with the other Asian cities we've visited.

• I was not surprised by how well English is spoken in Singapore, but I'm very surprised at how good it is in Malaysia, both Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. Even the radio was all in English. It must be all the European influences of it's history. Even Indonesia's English was good (specifically Bali) but that's because it's a tourist hot spot. 

• Singapore has fantastic food! They have 22 Michelin starred restaurants and a few on the World's 50 Best. Check out our photos and eating adventures on Instagram @ DrunkEats. 

• Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia all had very similar food preparations. Even the names of their dishes were similar. (ie. mie goreng is a noodle dish of similar prep in each country) 

• Some words in Malaysian are similar to words in Cebuano / Filipino. For example, "lelaki" in Malaysian means "male." In Cebuano or Filipino it's "lalake" or "lalaki." 

• Many Malaysians and Indonesians look similar to Filipinos. Often times, they are confused for one another. 

• There are many Muslim Asians in Malaysia. Maybe there are many also in Indonesia but we were at the beaches all the time, so we'd probably never have seen them there. Also, the island of Bali is one of the few places in Indonesia that is Hindu predominantly. What do you think about that DDrumpf? Are you going to start deporting those people or banning them from the United States? 

• Local people (in any of the 3 nations) do not sweat even though it's uncomfortably hot and humid. Maybe their bodies are just accustomed to this type of weather. 

• Malaysia is often the forgotten country of Asia (just my opinion). Maybe it's because their food is similar to others or their people look like Filipinos. Maybe it's because their neighbors (Thailand to the North and Singapore to the South) are so much more popular in cuisine and tourism. I'm not sure I can put a finger on it, but I think I can understand why. 

• In the automobiles, we're back to steering on the left and driving on the right side of the road. It's been a while. The last time we experienced this, we were in Chile at the beginning of December. New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore all steer on the right and drive on the left side of the road. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (aka KL)

We were warned not to take a taxi because they’re notorious for being cheats. But that’s what we did. After a short 2-hour bus ride up from Malacca, we ventured a taxi ride from a man who at the onset of the conversation was belligerent and rude. I knew we would be in for it. This older man didn’t help put our luggage into the car. Then after we got in the car he started to speed off without putting on the meter. In his heavily accented English, he tried to say that he would give us a good price and not to worry. But we were not having that. We demanded that he put the meter on, to which he scoffed and became immediately angry. We argued for a quick few seconds that seemed to last minutes until he put the meter on begrudgingly. He complained that we were checking our GPS to make sure he was going the right way because we didn’t trust him and asked us if we had money. To put him in his place we asked him if he had any money and if he wanted any of ours because we know he doesn’t have any money. Because yes, we have money to pay and yes, we’re checking the GPS because yes, we don’t trust your rude ass. And if you want our money, then do what you’re supposed to do. Drive and put the meter on. End rant. He drops us off and doesn’t stop the meter when we get out to take our bags, so we are sure to pay exactly what we saw the meter at when we arrived. The man still refuses to assist with our bags, but had the audacity to ask for 1RM more for the luggage (as if he helped with it at all). How rude (Michelle Tanner voice). Carolyn told him to calm down, leave, and go pray for his life to be better. Haha.

Since then, we’ve had nothing but good experiences in Kuala Lumpur. The rest of the people have been friendly. The Bukit Bintang area of KL is a happening neighborhood. The night market of Jalan Alor is sure to whet your appetite. We've eaten quite a bit here for very cheap. Literally a meal cost us 30RM, which is less than $8USD for 3 people. Changkat Bukit Bintang is sure to lure you into a bar or club. We popped into The Whisky Bar that had a wide variety of labels from all around the world. And then we spent the rest of our evening at quiz night at the local Irish Pub. And the massage alley could easily convince you to rest your feet and stretch your back. But keep this in mind. Negotiate everything. We didn't get any massages though.

We passed through the Central Market, walked down Petaling Street, and strolled through Chinatown. But all of these places seemed so much like others we've visited in the past. A brief glance is all we needed to satisfy our checklist.

We learned that Uber is super cheap here and more reputable and trustworthy than any taxi. So we took an Uber ride to and from the Batu Caves. It so happens to be the Hindu feast of Thaipusam coming up this 9 February so people are making somewhat of a pilgrimage to see the holy site. Devout Hindus are walking barefoot while carrying jugs of milk up 272 steps into the caves to offer to the gods. It’s certainly a sight to see especially with the giant golden Hindu statue standing at the foot of the caves.

Devout Hindu with jug of milk on her head making her way up the 272 steps. 

The foot of the Batu Caves where the celebrations for Thaipusam have begun.

Grab a bite to eat or find some local souvenirs. This market has everything you are looking for in Kuala Lumpur.

Me, Carolyn, & Mike at the base of the Petronas Towers

Did you miss reading my blog? We're still alive and well!

Wow! It's been nearly 2 weeks since my last post! So many things to catch up on. Where do I begin?

Short List:
- We’re relaxed.
- Many sites have been seen.
- More friends have joined us on the road.
- We’re full of food.
- But we’ve sweat it all out.
- And we’re dark.

The Gili Islands

Four of the eight days we spend in Indonesia were spend on these tiny little islands part of Lombok. It's about an hour and a half choppy fast ferry ride east of the island of Bali. But of course first, we needed to get to the port which is around an hour and a half from Ubud. For all that traveling, we rewarded ourselves with more relaxation (as if 4 days in Ubud wasn't enough).

The swing at The Exile. We met the owner and spoke to him at length. He was the first to put up a swing and everyone copied him. It was put up originally for his kids when they were young. It is now a tourist attraction. 

Two days on Gili Trawangan (aka Gili T) allowed us a glimpse of a laid back daytime and a socially active nightlife. The most popular of the 3 islands (T, Meno, Air), Gili T is the jumpoff for many activities. It was here that we embarked on a half-day glass bottom boat ride to go snorkeling. Carolyn worked her magic negotiating, and we made 2 new friends along the way who joined us for the tour. All together, we paid 700,000 IDR ($52USD) making it $26USD for each couple. Good job babe! It was on this trip that we got to swim with turtles, see more coral life, and other colorful fish.

Snorkeled with this guy.

Side note: I was really surprised at how much coral had been dying / died and washed up on shore. It's a bit sad to see and painful to step on. Climate change is real.

A 7-minute fast boat ride to Gili Meno took us to our 2nd of the 3 islands, and this is where we took the remainder of the 2 days. Knowing what laid ahead of us after leaving Indonesia, we took this time to really relax without any activity. Aside from the brief swim in crystal clear blue waters, the extent of our movement was walking 30 seconds to the beach and ordering fruit drinks.

Singapore

It’s only a 2-hour flight from Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia to Singapore, which is a major transportation hub in Asia. Changi International Airport has consistently been rated the best airport in the world year after year. It is enormous. There are heaps of shops; it’s impeccably clean; it’s super safe and efficient. And the city of Singapore itself is no different than it’s representative airport.

It’s here that we met a few of our friends who are also traveling the world or working around the globe. And that’s how time escaped us.

Blocking the entrance to a speakeasy at 28 Hong Kong Street.

When we’re traveling with people we know so well, it’s easy to eat really well also. And Singapore makes that extremely simple. Although the city is known to be the most expensive in the world, food can be very inexpensive. And that’s important to backpackers like us.

In search of wonderful food, we also passed by many sites by walking through all the neighborhoods. Chinatown. Little India. The Arab quarters. And all the rest of the streets in Singapore. The city is small, so it’s easily walkable.

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the Rooster.

Arab Street in the Arab Quarter.

Sultan Mosque in the Arab Quarter

A decorative Hindu temple in Little India.

We ate at 4 or 5 different markets (ie. Chinatown Complex, Maxwell Road, Old Airport Road) and in as many as 20+ hawker food stalls that were pocket change cheap. We once treated ourselves to an expensive fine-dining meal, and it was well worth it. And tried many things in between. Together with friends we roamed the nightlife neighborhoods, chatted for hours in speakeasy bars, or shared meals at plastic tables and stools. And we saw the sites in between every meal, snack, or drinking affair.

Singapore was fun for so many reasons. We had good company. The food was fantastic. And the city was inviting. Maybe we should have our long-haul layovers in Singapore from now on…

View of the port from the Marina Bay Sands rooftop

A little birdie perched on Carolyn's finger as we were gazing over the Gardens by the Bay.

Merlion - half mermaid, half lion. It is widely used as the mascot of Singapore.

The Singapore Flyer is like the London Eye.

We visited the National Orchid Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I'm pretty sure my parents would have liked this place. We enjoyed the Cool House where we found relief from the heat and humidity. 

Fountain of Wealth at Suntec City. A symbol of wealth and life, the Fountain Of Wealth is recognized since 1998 by the Guinness Book Of World Records as the World's Largest Fountain. The bronze ring of the fountain is designed based on the Hindu Mandala, meaning universe and is a symbolic representation of the oneness in spirit and unity and further symbolizes the equality and harmony of all races and religions in Singapore.

View from the infinity pool at the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Malacca, Malaysia

A short bus ride away from Singapore, Malacca feels like a sleepy town. But I think the people are just hiding from the daytime heat. At night, the town comes alive (even on a Sunday) for the Jonker Walk Night Market. It’s here where you can find almost everyone from town, be it tourist or local. Plenty of goods / services / and edibles are sold from clothing to trinkets and knick-knacks to massages and local food.

Red Square or Dutch Square 

Catch a ride on a themed trishaw, a combination rickshaw and tricycle.

Jonker Walk in the middle of the day is full of pedestrians and cars. By night, it's a street fair and food market. 

The ruins of St. Paul's Church atop St. Paul's Hill.

The town itself is known for the historical landmarks and cultural museums all around the city. A rich history from a mix of Dutch, British, Portuguese, Indian and Chinese gives the character of the city’s people. English is well-spoken all around. People look like they’ve come from half-way around the world, when they’re really locals. You can’t tell tourist from Malacca-raised. There are a handful of places of worship within stone’s throw of each other which further supports the diversity in the community.

A huge stage at the foot of Jonker Walk where locals participate in karaoke and sing the night away. 

We're finishing up our last couple of nights here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I'll have more photos to share in a few days.