Sunday night I got on a flight and took a red eye to SE Asia. My intention was to sleep on the plane the entire time; my neighbors, however, drank enough alcohol to supply a college dorm floor and were not eager to permit my rest. By the time the flight ended I was deliriously tired.
On Monday I had a 15-hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, so of course I left the airport to explore the city, despite my depleted energy.
My flight landed at 4:30am, so it was dark out and nothing was open for a few hours while I confusedly tried to get my bearings in the big city. Needless to say, the first few hours were quiet and not terribly eventful while I nervously waited for the sun to show itself and give me an idea of where on earth my exhausted body was.
When the sun lifted, it was beautiful. But, with the sun came an oppressive heat that was further weighted with humidity. I have to admit that I will remember Kuala Lumpur by its immense heat. Malaysian Denise mentioned how intense it can be there, but for some silly reason I didn't understand her fully, until now. I am a fool.
When the sun came up and the city began to wake up, I started to hunt for food joints. By the Petronas Towers, I found an outdoor Indian-influenced restaurant called Pelita. After hungrily wandering the restaurant with a pathetic face, the servers compassionately sat me down and brought me a masala dosa that was fantastic.
I walked around KLCC for a little bit in the heat and admired the Petronas Towers, which really are impressive in person.
I also took the train to Pasar Seni - the Chinatown area of the city that hosts a popular Central Market. It was still very early, but I managed to explore the area's temples and appreciate the early morning smells of the market. I went to an old Hindu temple and quietly breathed for a few minutes in the open space. I then shuttled over to the nearby Sze Ya Temple, and grounded myself a little bit in its earthy building smelling of gentle incense. One of my favorite parts of travel is going to temples and relishing the spiritual areas - thin places - of the region.
I also looked at the architecture of the buildings in the area. There's clearly a Moorish influence on some of the designs, with minarets and intricate wall designs.
Later in the day, I went back to the center of town. Under the Petronas Towers in KLCC is a massive multi-storied mall called Suria KLCC that hosts fancy shops and a large food court full of local food. The mall is overwhelming, especially for me since I don't shop much and get over-stimulated easily. I understand why they have such large malls, though - the debilitating heat gave me a lot of motivation to stay indoors in the air conditioned shops for the day.
Denise's boyfriend, Taya, met me in the towers for lunch. Having a nice conversation with Taya over delicious nasi lemak fueled me for the rest of my trip to Thailand later on. He walked me around the mall and outside park and educated me on some cultural nuances in Malaysia. I shared my appreciation by buying him a cookie.
In a country that is predominantly Muslim (61.3%), I was surprised to see Christmas vibrantly displayed in the malls. Taya explained to me that it was Malaysia's way of recognizing and appreciating its diversity in the country. A bit more than 9% of the population is Christian, after all.
The overall feeling I got of KL was a big, bustling city where you can hide in cooler areas while the weather slays ignorant tourists. But I may have felt something a bit strict about the city. I am not entirely sure what I mean, but I felt something there I'd like to understand more.
Now I'm in Thailand! More on that later.
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