Happy Travel Tuesday! I’m coming at you from Beijing today… surprise!
In case you didn’t catch my last Facebook update, I’ve scrapped the rest of my Malaysia travel plans to fly back to Beijing to be with my family in the wake of my grandfather’s passing and to celebrate Chinese New Year with them! I also happened to find last-minute super cheap tickets (and also, thank you 10-year visa!), so that only further convinced me that Beijing is where I need to be. It is at these times that I feel incredibly blessed to have the freedom that I do.
I’m thrilled with this change of plans, even though I am nowhere near done with Malaysia. I spent three weeks in Kuala Lumpur and I feel like I’ve barely even begun to understand the country/city. Before I start to write more in-depth posts of my Malaysia experiences so far, I’d love to share what a typical day was like for me. (And it’s been a while since I’ve done a Day in the Life again!)
Kuala Lumpur is the first city I traveled solo in. It feels a bit weird at times but I definitely cannot say that I don’t enjoy having my own bed. ;) Upon waking up, I often find myself sprawled out diagonally across the entire bed.
When I get out of bed to start my day, the first thing I do is slide open the curtains to let the sunlight in. A chaotic view of Kuala Lumpur city center greets me. The view from my high rise apartment is wonderful, but I’ll save that for further in the day.
instead, enjoy this picture of Mr. Ducky in my airbnb living room!
I make my way to the adjoining bathroom with trepidation. I’ve already found a few baby cockroaches in there (they come up the sink drain) and I dread the day I open the door to find their mother. No matter how modern or high up the apartment is, roaches are just a fact of life here. I fling open the door and scan the entire bathroom before making sure it’s safe to enter. Phew… all clear today.
Would you believe me if I said that the thing I was MOST scared of about traveling alone is that there would be no one to kill cockroaches for me??
But anyway… since I slept in pretty late, I just get ready to go out and search for some food. Usually I’ll take an Uber somewhere (as it’s cheap and I’m too lazy to walk), but since I want to take some pictures for this post, I brave the heat and walk today.
The Airbnb I’m staying in is in a secure new high rise, with a guard shack and gates. Next door to it is a row of worn old residences. This juxtaposition of complete opposites depicts Kuala Lumpur perfectly. The city is full of contrasts and surprises.
12:00 pm: walking along Bukit Bintang to lunch
I head over to Lot 10 for lunch. The Lot 10 mall is one of the oldest buildings in this area and it is really ugly. But its basement food court – Lot 10 Hutong – is probably the best one in town.
12:05 pm: going to Lot 10 for lunch
CL (a Kuala Lumpur native) tells me that when it was constructed, they invited all the most locally-famous eateries to set up a branch in Lot 10 Hutong. As a result, you can get many of Kuala Lumpur’s “best of’s” all under one roof (albeit all in a slightly poorer version).
Today, I decide to get the Penang fried Kuey teow made with duck egg. I forgot to make a note of the stall’s name, but it’s in the back right corner. I also get a fresh guava juice to wash it down. I love the fresh fruit juices in this part of the world!
12:15 pm: Penang style kuey teow (12.50MYR) and guava juice (4.60MYR)
After lunch, I’m ready to go back to the apartment. The street traffic is all jammed up so I decide to just walk back as well. It’s actually not too unbearably hot, but boy is it humid and before long, I’m coated in a sticky sweat.
I stop at the Seven Eleven on the way back to grab a Magnum bar. Just one of the reasons why I’m loving KL: Magnum bars are only $1!
1:00 pm: ice cream break! (4.10MYR)
The first thing I do when I get back is to jump into a shower to rinse off the sweat. Multiple showers a day is kind of a necessity here. And then the afternoon is spent working indoors in the air conditioning. It is just way too uncomfortable to be exploring outside during these hours.
For dinner, I take an Uber to one of the many, many malls in this area. (By the way, Uber rocks here and is by far the best way to get around.) There is a famous food street across the way from my building, with a ton of street stalls. But why sweat it out outdoors sitting on a plastic chair on a dirty sidewalk, when I can dine in comfort in air conditioning??
I go to Pavilion as it’s one of the best malls in the city and has endless dining options…. everything from food court to upscale restaurants, from local Malay to international.
6:00 pm: going to dinner at Paviliion
Hanging out in malls is pretty much a routine habit now. It’s what the locals do. But don’t knock at spending time in malls! Malls in Southeast Asia are designed to be hang-out centers for people of all ages. They provide a very much needed reprieve from the constant heat and there’s always more than enough dining options to choose from. And the shopping is also cheap!
I decide to treat myself to a sit down dinner at Madame Kwan’s in the basement food court level. This is a Malaysian restaurant and is generally considered to be a pretty good one by locals.
6:15 pm: curry laksa for dinner (cost: 24MYR)
I was a little nervous to spend my days alone, but I’ve found that I quite enjoy my own company and have no qualms about dining alone at a sit-down restaurant. Usually I read a book on my phone while eating. It’s nice to get this time to yourself. But thank god I have a phone for company! I honestly don’t know what I did to pass the waiting time before I had a smartphone.
After eating and walking around Pavilion a little, I Uber back to the apartment. After another quick shower to rinse the inevitable layer of sweat off, I throw back the curtains to reveal the glittering KL skyline. This is my favorite part of the day!
7:40 pm: sunset over Kuala Lumpur City Center from my window
I make myself comfy on the bed next to the glorious floor to ceiling window and watch the buildings light up while the sky gradually darkens. The KL Tower is beautiful all lit up in blue and purple tonight (it’s different everyday!). And the constantly changing colors of the Swiss Garden Hotel canopies cast their light shadows through my window. I pass the rest of the night cocooned in my little room on the 18th floor with the metropolis of KL sprawled out below me.
Not a bad way to end a day!
Total cost for the day: 45.20MYR, or US $10.80 for food, and about US $2.50 for Uber. I’ve found KL to be an extremely good value travel destination!
Have you been to Kuala Lumpur? How did you like it?
***Happy Travel Tuesday! Unfortunately internet is a little slow and frustrating here, so I’m not sure how active I will be in the next week given the internet situation and family events. I apologize in advance!***
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I haven’t been to Kuala Lumpur yet, but I intend to visit it during my next trip to Asia. Or, at least, that’s the plan for now. I love your window view!
I would so strongly recommend KL! It completely surprised me. I don’t know how to explain it yet, but I plan to in another post later. It’s such a unique city, I think.
I’m so sorry to hear about your granddad, Anna – I must have missed that post.
Ewwww on the cockroaches front! I wrote a post about cockroaches in my Saigon apartment last year and it was the most traumatic few weeks of my life – and yes, I’m aware I’m being a drama queen here, but I have such a bad phobia of them. They gross me out beyond belief and it’s the one thing I definitely don’t miss from SE Asia (although my heart hankers for the region on a daily basis).
Curry laksa. Sigh. I need to return soon!
I remember your post on your cockroach situation in Vietnam, and I totally sympathize!! I have a severe phobia too!! I don’t think I could have stayed in that place as long as your did! Luckily, I only ever saw a few baby ones around the sink in my KL apt!!
Sorry for your granddad. cockrocahes, uff :( But the rest of the day sounds lovely
Thanks Tanja. :) KL is a really cool city!
Hi Anna, first of all my condolences on the passing of your grandfather.
I really enjoyed reading about your day in KL. I was there last summer and I went a bit crazy with all the shopping and eating at the malls. It’s way past my bed time, but that Laksa and magnum have me wanting to snack. So so good!
Thanks Zibi. :) And seriously… malls in KL are the best! Even the food courts have good food! And yessss. $1 Magnum bars… man those are half the reason I was getting fat in Malaysia!
I hope you and your family are doing ok in Beijing, thinking of you!!
I was so excited to read another one of your day in the life posts as they are some of my favourites! It sounds like you are doing so well on the solo travel thang, I also don’t mind eating alone when I am solo, but I know it’s a big thing for some people. You have found some great dishes too ;)
Thanks so much Marcella!! I really did love my (very brief) stint as a solo traveler… and I want to do it again! I liked that I can eat wherever I want hehe. And it’s kinda fun taking yourself out to a nice meal!
Wow! There are a lot of things I like about this “Day in the Life” post. $10 bucks for the day? That is awesome. Plus, the food in Malaysia looks so good. With those prices, I will eat out all the time. I am like you. I cannot kill a cockroach (or spider or another insect).
Seriously… Malaysia is such a good value destination! I was having trouble spending $15 a day alone, haha. It’s definitely one of those places where it’s cheaper to eat out as a single person, than to cook!
It’s seriously just cockroaches that are SO gross to me… I have a phobia. And weirdly, my fear of cockroaches is so great that I’m not afraid of spiders or other bugs by comparison!
What a cool day! And how incredibly cheap, wow! Good luck with your itinerary update!
Thanks Swags! :) KL is such a good value destination… because it’s cheap and has really good food, but its also a really modern and cool city!
The view from your BnB looks fab! Madam Kwan’s is really popular in KL, but I generally prefer to go for the cheaper hawker fare. #traveltuesday
Hehe I eat at the food courts a lot, but it’s nice to treat myself to a sit down dinner too, especially since it’s so affordable still!
I love your food choices, this is why Asia is like next on my list.. everything looks so good!
I really hope you do make it to this side of the world!! The food in Malaysia is spectacular… I miss it already!!
Your food looks so good and you are spot on about the fresh juices. I’ve never been to Kuala Lumpur but I think I could do it too as a solo traveler.
KL is a really easy city to travel solo in… the public transportation isn’t too great, but Uber is sooo cheap there so that’s all you would need to use! And the city is modern and really nice. :)
It feels kind of strange for me to read this post. I mean, I’ve read your other A Day in the Life posts on other locations and thought it was so exciting. But now you are writing about the kind of life that I used to have on a typical weekend in KL so I guess I am entitled to think that this life is kind of boring… On the bright side, you pass marvelously on the “living like a local” scale :D …
Hehe yay! I’m glad to hear that this is a pretty good “local” day! This is about the same level of excitement as my other “day in the life” posts lol… maybe it’d be more exciting if I had some nightlife in here :P.
I was looking forward to going to Penang and doing a day in the life there too… I’m sure I will make it back! I REALLY liked Malaysia, so it will definitely go in the rotation now, lol!
Haha I love your picture of Mr. Ducky! Wow that Penang fried teow made with duck egg looks delicious and I agree, fresh fruit drinks are the best! Also that is super cheap for an entire day! I seriously want to go there now, thanks for sharing!
Seriously! I had no idea that Malaysia was so cheap either… and the food is all really good too! I really miss it already.
I love these posts! I’m all about peaking into other people’s lives. I don’t think it’s possible for me to just head out for some food and not try and work in some exploring haha.
Oh I’m so lazy haha. I only walked just to get some pictures for this post… otherwise, I’d just uber everywhere in KL!
It’s crazy how wide-spread Uber is now! Also that duck is HUGE. And look–there are physical books there :) I love that you just wander around and eat. That’s basically the dream.
Also, I’m such a bad blogger friend–I’m so sorry about your loss and hope that you’re doing ok. I hope the time spent with your family was good. Sending good vibes and thoughts your way <3
Hehe yep, all I basically do all is is walk around and eat, and then relax at home. Kinda boring, but I’m not that into the nightlife scene.
And no worries!! I’m in Beijing with my family now… I’ll probably be here for a little while. It’s really nice to be with everyone, and we’re all doing well. :) x
Pfft, nightlife is overrated. Why do that when you and your bed can be one? :p
And I’m glad to hear :)
Ooooh I love this type of post, so fascinating! It brought back lots of fun memories from my time in KL. I loved all the street food stalls!
I’m glad you were able to get home to spend time with your family – so great to be able to do at times like that.
Isn’t KL such a cool city? I ate at the food courts a lot, but I actually didn’t eat at street stalls too much this time, because eating on plastic chairs out in the heat just doesn’t appeal to me that much anymore, lol!
And thanks! It’s really great to be with my family… I’m really thankful to have this freedom :)
What a killer view! Yeah, I totally don’t mind (read: love!) day in the life posts. I hate doing them myself because to me, my day isn’t too exciting, but maybe it would be interesting for other people?
I just can not with the cockroach situation you are describing. Still thanking my lucky stars I’ve never seen a live cockroach (only a dead one in a store in Warsaw). The thought of them crawling up the sink drains is so unnerving… also… would make me feel weird about drinking water from the tap :P
I’m sure if you did one, it’d be exciting to others just because of the fact that you’re in an interesting city. And I love peeking into someone’s daily life! Luckily, I never saw a big one in Malaysia (though I was terrified everyday)! And you definitely cannot drink tap water there! Bottled water is really cheap :).
Cockroaches are my fear too. Ick! What a funny observation about Uber. Who would have thought it would be so popular and affordable?!
Uber was the best there! It was the first time I really used it and I’m addicted now to how easy it is. It was good that they have Uber there because public transportation is not too good and you can’t trust the taxi drivers.
Hi Anna! I was just getting acquainted with your blog a month or so back and then our own travels picked up a bit and I’ve been missing from the internet community for awhile. Just now checking in and see you have been in KL-at the exact same time as us!!! I’m so sorry to hear why you’ve had to leave. I remember the death of my grandfather while I was in uni was really hard on me. Hope your time with family is just what you need! If you do make it back to KL before the end of March, please get in touch! I’d love to meet up. We have fallen totally in love with this city and have made really great connections with several locals and other expats. After being on the road for months and really not long enough in any one spot to make friends, our two months in KL is a breath of fresh air. Really hot, sticky air ;)
Hi Linda!! I actually just decided that I WILL be going back to KL before the end of March! I left kind of abruptly and didn’t have enough of it, so I knew I definitely wanted to return. I would love to meet up when I’m back!! I know how it is to be on the road for so long and not being able to make any connections, which is why we settled in Taipei for a bit so we can actually make some local friends. I was supposed to go back to Taipei, but I think I liked KL so much that I’m going to go back there instead :). Okay enough rambling! We’ll keep in touch and I’ll let you know when I get there :).
Sounds perfect! Just let me know when you have plans set. We’ll be here til March 27th for sure, perhaps a bit longer.
Wow you always find the most exquisite food don’t you?? :) And oh gosh I totally understand you with the cockroaches, I’d never seen any until I stayed in South Africa and I dreaded them! Though thankfully (not sure this is the correct word…?) the giant spiders scared me more!
Ooh I bet you saw some huge spiders there in South Africa. My fear of cockroaches is so overpowering that spiders don’t even scare me that much… but then again, I’ve never seen a huge one either!
The food is Malaysia is so good, you don’t have to search very hard to find good food. I can’t wait to go back for more! :)
Wooow you got wonderful views of the city from your window, cool! I didn’t know there was a food court in the basement of the Pavilion mall, you always find the best places to eat!! I’ll write it down in case I go back to KL one day :)
Happy to hear that you enjoyed solo travel and spending time alone. And I understand you about the cockroaches part! I found one in the bathroom in India and I had to go out to ask someone from the guesthouse to remove it for me :P
This post brought back some major nostalgia! I met these two people in Halong Bay, that were KL natives. I was heading to Malaysia next anyways and so they (kind of) hosted me while I was there for a week. I stayed right down the street from Pavilion, but they picked me up everyday and showed me around. It was amazing! Did you happen to get one of those Malaysian burgers? I can’t remember what they’re called but they were by far the best I’ve had, so much flavour! I love your blog btw, subscribed!
Hey Michael! Thanks so much :). I haven’t gotten one of those burgers yet (I believe they’re called Romly burger), but there’s a stand just right next to where I’m staying, so I should go and try it!! And yeah… having locals to show you around is the best way to do it! If I didn’t have a local to show me around, I probably wouldn’t like it half as much. :)