So last weekend, we decided to go to Melaka (also known as Malacca) and Kuala Lumpur for Chinese New Year. Singapore also has a huge CNY celebration, but we agreed that we were ready for the trip. Since we booked our buses pretty late, we ended up on two separate buses. 5 went on the first, and the rest of us went a half hour later. I ended up with Greg and AG, because they had class, and I had some work to finish up. These two guys had very little concept of time, and left me waiting for 45 minutes at the train station. I forgive them though, because after running around the city, getting a little lost, taking a bus, MRT, and taxi, we ended up at the station right on time.
The way there started pretty normally; however, once we reached the border, we realized that AG, being an Indian citizen, needed a Visa from Singapore to enter Malaysia. The rest of us just need our student card. Unfortunately, he was sent back to Singapore at the border. :(
After AG was deported, Greg and I both realized very little information about where were going, because we both didn't think to get the address of the hostel. We knew the name, but that is definitely not enough in Malaysia. After crossing the two stations at the border, we lost cell phone service before we could call our friends on the other bus. Since we had no options or ideas, we decided to figure it out as we arrived (or as my dad would say, "cross that bridge when we come to it"). A nice couple from the US taking a 6-month honeymoon gave us a few pointers about wandering around Malaysia at night, and our prospects were not looking too good. After another 4 hours of playing Unblock-me on the bus, we finally arrived at 1am. Getting off the bus, we ended up in an extremely sketchy looking bus station with no money, no cell phone, and no address. ATMs apparently close early here, so we awkwardly just followed this couple around the station.
We get to a cab, and they thankfully offered to split it with us. We just decided to go to their hostel, because that was probably safer than the bus station. We ended up in deserted Chinatown in front of a locked gate. After calling the owner several times we managed to get inside and use wifi to find our hostel--only a km away. With more confidence, we strutted to our hostel only to see that it was closed. As we had no other options, so we stumbled upon a little outdoor cafeteria and ordered some tea to kill the time. An hour or so later, Greg and I noticed a group of western looking people unlocking the door to our hostel. Luckily, our friends were also wondering the city, so we finally got into the house around 3am.
We spent the next day eating, exploring, shopping, and just loving Melaka. It was a small place that you could see in a day, but still had tons of character. We watched a lady in the market smash a frog against the counter, and then we ate it. Delicious! I also loved Popiah, which was this delicious dough wrap with chili sauce and an unidentifiable vegetable. After a fun night of playing cards and hanging out in the Chinatown Night Market, we tried to find the beach with no success. We gave up and got ready for our trip to KL in the morning.
Kuala Lumpur was definitely a more crowded city. Everyone warned us about pickpocketers so we kept a very good watch on our stuff. We arrived in 2 hours early in the day and checked into our guesthouse called the FernLoft. It was extremely clean, and we stayed in a 24-bed mixed dorm with co-ed bathrooms. My first experience with this wasn't bad at all.
We were a little overwhelmed by the complexity and hectic crowds in KL, especially in comparison to perfect Singapore. Traveling around took a while, and we needed to take frequent food/water/bathroom breaks. Squatter bathrooms were usually the only option unfortunately. Exploring Chinatown was definitely my favorite. With so much food and shopping for cheap knock-offs, we were never bored. I love mangosteens, by the way. Google it; it looks weird, but I may like it even more than watermelon!
I may be getting my days mixed up, but we also spent some time visiting the huge Petronas Towers. It was SO hot, so I ate about 3 ice cream cones a day. Street crossing was a hassle, but finally (after splitting up with boys and escaping for an AC break), we discovered the Buddy Bears. These were painted bears that represented several countries around the world. These were definitely a tourist attraction worth seeing! India's and Canada's artwork was not the best, but Cuba's and Singapore's bears were pretty adorable.
We woke up somewhat early in the morning, because we really wanted to see the Batu Caves. After inviting some new German friends along from another school in Singapore, Luca and Thomas, we took an easy local train for about 45 minutes. The caves were absolutely beautiful. To see the actual Hindu temples, you had to climb 272 steps, but it was worth the exercise. Bagi, my friend from U of I who is also Indian, and I felt right at home! :)
On our way back, we noticed that trains in KL have a Ladies Only coach. Alex, Julianna, Bagi, and I were unsure where to sit, but we decided to just go with the boys. After arriving closer to home, we split from our new friends and went to the National Mosque. After getting fully covered-up, we explored the quiet, simple Mosque (or Mosquee as our French friend Erwan says). This Mosque is one of the biggest in the world, and I definitely felt like I learned a lot.
We grabbed some absolutely delicious Malaysian-Indian food (Garlic Cheese Naans and Tandoori Chicken) from a local market and headed back for a nap/break. After recovering from our very spiritual day, we decided to explore the disappointed Merdeca Square. Heading back to Chinatown was the right decision, because we saw an amazing Dragon Dance show for CNY. Finally, I got my fill of a Mulan-style celebration. The firecrakers were a little painful, because they kept on hitting us, landing in our beers, and filling the streets with a think layer of smoke. All worth it though! After some more exploration, sunglasses/purse shopping, and more and more and more mangosteens, we hung out with a bunch of travelers on the rooftop of our hostel. Swapping stories and getting travel advice was one of my favorite parts of the trip! We, once again, tried to go to the Reggae Bar, but we ended up eating more ice cream instead.
The trip back was pretty rough: a 30 minute taxi, a 5 hour (luxurious massage) bus, a 30 minute line, a 20 minute bus, a 30 minute line, 20 minute bus, a 40 minute MRT, and a 20 minute bus. We left at 11am and made it back in the evening.
We randomly found a cheap deal to the Philippines, so I'm packing for that right now. The weekend after is Phuket! I'm also going to Bali and India this month, so my life is getting better and better!!
Thanks for reading!
--Ishmeesh
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