Kuala Lumpur
We arrived in KL on Christmas Day and went from airport to bus to the Step Inn Too hostel. After 30 hours of travel, we were ready for a nice meal and a bed. Mark Kenney a Firefighter was generous enough to gift us some money for the holiday, so we took advantage and went to Opium which is one of the top-rated restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. We both had delicious cocktails inspired by the four elements. Then we shared a delicious appetizer, two different salmon dishes, and a banana ice cream dessert all for the bargain price of $60. Malaysia was already off to a great start! Thanks, Dad!
The next day after we slept in (the jet lag sure made us suffer), we walked downtown to the Sri Maha Temple and then stopped for brunch at this little noodle bar for some chicken curry. We noticed that there were tons of people outside taking pictures of the sky. After our delicious noodle bowls, we walked outside to see what all the fuss was about — there was a solar eclipse! Then we went to the local market to walk around the shops; Kourtney was looking for a dress that was both appropriate for all of the religious temples we planned to visit but breathable. Then we went to the famous Jalan Alor Market for some freshly squeezed juice! During the day it’s not much to look at, but at night, the street closes down to cars and all sorts of street vendors appear with their food carts. There are Chinese lanterns above, people all around, and every variety of food you could image at either side of the road. After our juice, Coons went back for a nap and Kourtney looked for a place to get a mani and pedi. For dinner we went back to the night market to enjoy a satay station that had all the delicious stuff! For dessert, we enjoyed coconut ice cream. It felt refreshing to be walking around at night with our camera and not having to worry about safety issues.
The next morning we forced ourselves to get up earlier. We had a big day planned to visit various places of worship. Malaysia is often called the melting pot of Asia — and it’s true — if not for its array of food, then for its religious diversity. Here Hindus, Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists live in harmony and have the most beautiful temples and mosques around. First we visited the Batu Caves, a Hindu temple high up inside the crevice of a mountain. We ascended the stairs; one gentleman asked Coons to help him carry up some milk-like substance that people often use for offerings to the gods. The man was very grateful and Coons got a lot of smiles and cheers from some older ladies, so it was all worth it to him! This temple has some of the most elaborate carvings and paintings. It is by far the most colorful temple we’ve ever laid eyes on.
Next, we caught a Grab (Asia’s version of Uber) to the Wilayah Mosque. We were a little early, but once they opened to the public, we dressed in the traditional garb, and a lovely volunteer walked us around the premises. He showed us how he prays five times per day and a room that holds up to 17,000 people at one time during their holy days! He answered a lot of our questions and brought us to the top of the mosque to take in all of the structure’s glory. It was magnificent!
Then we took another Grab to a Buddhist Temple on a hill. It was so elaborate with all its red, green, and white trim. There were tiny dragon carvings everywhere! We saw a lot of happy young couples in wedding attire too! For lunch, we made our way to a sushi place where you snag whatever you want off a conveyor belt and enjoy! It was so fun and delicious and we were definitely stuffed! Later when it was time for dinner, we ate at this amazing Indian restaurant that had the most incredible double stuffed cheesy, garlic naan. Ok, Malaysia, we see you!
Cameron Highlands
The next morning we made our way up to the mountains where it was much cooler! We were back to the backpacker life and the bus system (no more PJ!), and we honestly forgot how tiring it can be. We arrived well past lunchtime, so we stopped at an Indian restaurant near our hostel. It was crowded and the wait was long, but the curry was out of this world, and we ended up eating so much (and a little late) that we skipped dinner that evening. We saw rain for the first time in months, but we were just grateful for a more manageable climate. We took a small walk to a waterfall nearby that was closed off due to the rainy season which we realized would curtail our hiking plans for the next couple days.
On our first full day in Cameron Highlands we were able to hike trail 10 which brought us to the top of one of the many peaks for a great view of the region. In the distance was the town, tea plantations, and tons of green all around. We had planned to turn it into a loop hike with some other trails across the road, but everything else was closed during the rainy season. We decided to try one more waterfall before throwing in the towel, so we hopped on our scooter and set off towards Robinson Falls. It may or may not have been closed, but we headed down the path until we heard that unmistakable sound. A quick scramble down a cliff and voila!
We had lunch and went back to the hostel to relax after expending more energy than we had in quite some time. For dinner, we went to this lovely restaurant that served Kourtney the most delicious pork belly lettuce wraps. Eating out wasn’t getting old yet!
The second morning we rented a scooter and went to the BOH Tea Plantation for a tour and some tea. The rolling hills are mesmerizing with the rows and rows of green tea trees. We sat in the cafe overlooking the fields and each enjoyed a mug of tea. Kourtney tried the ginger and lime and Coons had the passion fruit. The passion fruit was so delicious that we went into the gift shop to buy some — they also had some mango so we snagged that too! What an excellent afternoon beverage.
We opted to skip the botanical gardens as they are just warehouses filled with strawberries, plants, etc. It’s great if you’re on a mini-vacation, but there’s no way those flowers are lasting in our packs. So we went back to town and enjoyed some shawarma for lunch. Kourtney saw on the menu that there was tabbouleh salad but the host said we would have to come back for dinner because their delivery truck had not yet arrived. So we did just that! He made the tabbouleh extra special for Kourtney, and it was worth the wait!
Georgetown, Penang
The following morning found us on another bus and a ferry to the food capital of Malaysia. We were back to the heat, but luckily our hostel, The Mustache House, had an AC that kept the room chilly. We stayed inside and relaxed unless it was time to eat. There was a noodle bar across the street that hit the spot, and an alleyway a few blocks over with street vendors making all sorts of delicious noodle dishes that made for a great dinner spot. It is incredible the quality and taste of the food that comes from these little carts. The people are so friendly and the prices can’t be beat! I think one of our dinners cost $1.90 total.
The cafe downstairs in our hostel had us jonesing for lox bagels, so that was breakfast. For lunch, we tried another noodle bar famous for their white curry noodle soup along with some chicken satay. Coons was in heaven! We spent the morning walking around the town as much as we could in the heat, enjoying some ice cream to cool down. For dinner, we went to Love Lane where they shut down the street for a New Year’s Eve party. We had Mexican food at Holy Guacamole and sat near a family from the Netherlands who were drinking beer out of a tower and playing “Never Have I Ever” but instead naming things they had done and all taking a sip of their beer. It was pretty funny, so soon we all joined in.
The street was packed with musicians playing live music and people eating and dancing! At midnight we enjoyed a fireworks show and a New Year’s kiss. Our server came over to our table where he had stashed a beer in our bucket for himself to ring in 2020. Only abroad! There was some negotiating of the final bill, but then we said our goodbyes to the European family and went back to sleep.
On January 1, 2020, we woke up and went on a street art scavenger hunt! Coons downloaded a saved map on Google Maps where people pinned every street art location for others to find. Looking high at the tops of buildings and low near the ground and between archways were paintings of little children playing and couples cycling together. Artists also make intricate signs out of metal which adorn almost all of the streets in Georgetown. There were a couple of pop-up art studios to enjoy as well. We actually ran into the family again the next day who were on their own street art tour.
For lunch, we enjoyed some laksa soup, which was quite possibly the best soup of the trip! Pickled onions, cilantro, soft noodles, and chicken in a spicy fish broth was satisfying with each sip!
That night we went to a club to listen to live music. The band was so energetic and talented. The singer also played the drums and the pianist was rocking out on the keyboard; it was incredibly entertaining! They played a song from The Lion King and we felt right at home, singing along. Later a saxophone player joined in to play, and they played songs for all ages to enjoy. What a fun night!
We decided to head to Langkawi in the afternoon of the next day to give us time to try Tek Sen, a Chinese restaurant around the corner from our hostel. We had passed it a few times and there were always people lining up in the streets at all hours of the day! We got there right at noon when they opened and got the very last table before the line started. It was incredible busy, and we had to know why. We had BBQ pork and a chicken dish that would blow your mind! We left Penang full and ready for a new region.
Langkawi
We took another ferry to Langkawi, an island in Northern Malaysia, right near the border with Thailand. We found a nice hostel right in the center of town with yet another delicious Arabic restaurant. We decided to get there early as Google reviews said it could become quite packed in the evening. We were the only ones there when we arrived, but we received five-star treatment from the family running the place. We were pretty tired after traveling so we turned in early to prepare for a jam-packed weekend.
We rented a scooter for a couple of days and headed north towards the Temurun Waterfall. Thank goodness this “waterfall” had a free entrance because it was disappointing — think longest-falls-in-Colombia depressing. Womp, womp. Still in search of flowing water, our next stop Seven Wells Waterfall was just the pick-me-up we needed. The water has created seven large pools of water some big enough for people to sit in like a chilly jacuzzi during the 90-degree day. Adults and children alike were sliding down from one pool to another where the water and rock created a natural slide. It was a super fun day! That night we enjoyed the sunset on the beach before heading to the night market to absolutely stuff our faces with noodles, rice balls, chicken-on-a-stick, and Thai iced tea! Thank goodness scales aren’t a popular thing in Asia!
On Sunday, we went to visit the famous sky bridge. For the second day in a row it was closed due to high winds, but we were still able to take the cable car up to the observatory and take some cool pictures of the bridge. The observatory is way up in the mountains and you can see the ocean and all of the surrounding peaks in the distance — it’s quite breath-taking.
When we came back down, we went to the 3D Art Museum. It was AWESOME! We were entranced for hours and hours as we walked through all of the rooms, taking trick photos. We had so many fun photos, we had to post a separate Instagram @kandbtravelspree!
But we weren’t done yet! Before we returned the scooter, we went to another observatory that had us climbing through winding roads to view the town from the top! When we descended we stopped at the beach to take a swim. The beach was one huge sandbar and never seemed to get deep enough to swim, but it was refreshing. We got into it with a monkey who was trying to get into our backpack, steal our water bottle, and made it half-way up a tree with Kourtney’s shirt before dropping it as Coons shook the branch. We relaxed in the bean-bag chairs in front of this little bar with beautiful views of the ocean well away from the tree-thieves.
For dinner, we tried another incredible restaurant, Haroo, a KoreanBBQ/Fusion place that we highly recommend. We had the most delicious seafood dish with glass noodles and spicy chicken and rice. The server was very attentive and brought us samples of kimchi and sherbert. It was the best way to end our time in Langkawi. It seemed that each spot we visited in Malaysia just kept getting better and better. And the food continued to be out of this world! After six months of rice and beans, we were enjoying all the indulgence this region had to offer!
The Face Suits
We had one more night in Malaysia before we flew to the Philippines, so we decided to make it count. We got up early and booked the first ferry out of Langkawi to Kuala Perlis and immediately go t on a bus all the way to Kuala Lumpur. The bus ride was supposed to be at least seven hours, and we were hoping to arrive in KL to enjoy our fancy hotel with views of the towers for the afternoon/evening. However, travel days never go as planned and always take more time than we think. Our bus broke down on the highway and possibly hit a truck full of convicts. We sat on the bus until another one arrived with a truck full of men crammed and cuffed in front of us. It felt like a trailer for a prison-break movie!
Once we were finally on our way, we started getting anxious that we wouldn’t get to our hotel before sundown. We had high hopes of enjoying the sunset from the top floor sky bar and infinity pool. Coons had us hop off the bus quickly before we got to the station and grab a cab so we could speed there just in time to check-in, drop our stuff, and book it to floor 51 with our camera! The skyline at sunset did not disappoint! We only wish we could’ve enjoyed the amenities a little longer as we’d planned, but we made the most of it. We walked through the downtown to have one last meal at a Thai restaurant before returning to our suite to enjoy a BOH Passion Fruit tea, a Netflix show, and sleep in a comfy, king-sized bed.
On our Malaysian food tour, we tried Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Malaysian, and Thai food. All of it reasonably priced and all of it absolutely scrumptious! It sure beats pop and beans. We felt like a king and queen eating out so much, but it was a nice change from car-cooking every night in Africa. We are looking forward to trying to recreate some of these recipes once we return to the U.S.A. We’re unsure if the food will be as good in the Philippines, but we hear good things about the waterfalls. Our start to 2020 is looking real good! Onto the next adventure!