I know absolutely nothing about Malaysia. I had heard Kuala Lumpur was a pretty large city, but this was the extent of my knowledge. I had planned on spending just a few days in the city, and then make my way to Cameron Highlands. However, I started feeling a bit under the weather (my allergies were miserable in most of southeast Asia due to the smoke from the dry season), and knowing that I’d need a lot of energy for the next leg of my trip – Indochina – I decided to take it easy and found an Airbnb inside the city where I’d spend the next week.
Kuala Lumpur is the cultural and economic hub of Malaysia, and its diversity really makes it stand out. I stayed in Bukit Bintang, the entertainment and shopping district of KL. I found the public transportation a bit frustrating, but the city was fairly walkable so I spent a lot of time close by and in the nearby city center and Chinatown.
Honestly, I was surprised by how…cool KL was. One area I walked through felt as though every street was an art exhibit, beautifully colored or covered in graffiti. I spent most nights wandering, perusing the street markets with great delight. I can’t say I tried a lot of different food here, as my first night I stopped at a chicken wing restaurant that was recommended to me, and it was easily the best chicken wings I’ve ever eaten. I ate there almost every night, with coconut ice cream for dessert.
Street art in Kuala Lumpur 
The best chicken I’ve ever eaten 
Night Market in Bukit Bintang
I found out there was a comedy club in Kuala Lumpur, a rarity in Southeast Asia. I took a cab and—I don’t know what I was expecting—but Crackhouse Comedy Club was a normal, hole-in-the-wall comedy club. There were four acts in total. Malaysia is made up of 3 primary ethnic groups – Malay, Chinese, and Indian. I point this out because it makes KL feel very segregated – each neighborhood feels vastly different than the next depending on what ethnicity/religion is the majority in that area. This exists in other big cities, to be sure, but I’ve never felt it at the level I experienced here.
I bring this up because, obviously the comedy scene in Malaysia is very new, and I believe this is the only comedy dedicated club in the country. As a result, a lot of the jokes felt juvenile, playing off the audience’s shock at vulgar or sexual references. But, I’d also seen firsthand a lot of blatant racism in my time in Asia, and many of the jokes I heard definitely would not be PC in the west. People in the audience were good sports about it, but I found it cringy. Although, the lineup of performers was pretty diverse, which made it more palatable – a Malaysian host, 3 Chinese-Malay comedians, and 1 Singapore-Chinese comedian. I had a great night and it was definitely an interesting experience.
On one of my last days, I made the trip to the Batu Caves, the main reason I came to Malaysia. The Batu Caves are a series of temples and caves built into the side of a massive limestone hill. The caves themselves are thought to be 400 million years old, while the actual shrines and steps were built in the late 1800s. They are most notable for the 140-foot gold statue that stands outside the entrance to the caves.
I just happened to visit on the day of the Thaipusam festival. The place was PACKED, the trains were filled with people and music blasted with costumes and rows and rows of street vendors. An estimated 1 million people make the pilgrimage each year, although the coronavirus surely impacted this year’s festivities. I can’t speak to what this place was like on a normal day, but it was bursting with energy on this particular Saturday.
A large, colorful temple sits at the base of the caves, and that is just the beginning of its beauty. 272 colorful steps lead the way to the entrance of the cave, where many more shrines await. I was disappointed to see how tourists treat the temple – the stairs were completely lined with trash. The issue is exacerbated by monkeys, which tourists like to feed. They are native to the cave, but it was a huge bummer to see a monkey drinking out of a red bull can.
However, even this couldn’t detract from the breathtaking view of the caves. It almost feels fake – the giant statue, the beautiful shrines, the limestone formations – it’s truly something out of a movie. Once you make it to the top of the steps, you can see how massive the cave is. There is another small temple inside, and then – of course – more steps! These lead to the higher part of the cave, which opens up on top, allowing sunlight to pour in over the towering limestone. It was surreal and one of the best moments of my trip.
On my last night, I meandered over to the Petronas Twin Towers, once the tallest buildings in the world until they were overtaken in 2004. The towers sit near the KLCC Park, a huge, urban oasis with animated fountains and nightly light shows. I spent the evening wandering around the park, watching the light show in front of the towers, and then headed back to my apartment to prepare for the next leg of my trip.
Incredible!