Three people on a chill January night sitting in a room, sharing drinks and thoughts, until one particular idea dawns in their heads - lets go on an INTERNATIONAL Trip.
11 months and multiple rejected plans - from Euro trip to Indian Ocean islands to charting all of South-East-Asia - later, we were finally at Chhatrapathi Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai.
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| Me, Zeyn, Granal - CSIA, Mumbai |
A late Friday night Air Asia flight was to take us to our first destination - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A gentle note to first time Air Asia flyers, always carry your own supply of drinking water unless you want to shed ₹150 for a bottle. We were lucky to have booked an in-flight meal 😜. Apart from this the flight was as comfortable as a shared cab ride from Pune-Mumbai. Can't blame Air Asia for this considering the flight cost.
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| The first passport stamp |
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| Badal😛 |
After a 6 hour flight we were finally in Malaysia. The second thing we notice on arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is Malaysia is preparing for Christmas. Wondering what was the first thing we noticed? Well, that was again Air Asia - every plane on the airport had the familiar Air Asia logo.
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| KLIA getting ready for Christmas |
I realise, that I have spoken more of Air Asia then anything else until now. Well, the first international flight requires all the mention it can get but I promise this is the last of Air Asia. No more of that anymore.
KLIA is located at a considerable distance from the Kuala Lumpur city. An hour of ride by the Airport Coach takes you directly to KL Sentral (It is not a typo here, the Malay evidently prefer S over C). KL Sentral is well connected to every region within the city. Our stay was booked at B'Studio via AirBnb and our host Darren helped us navigate to his place via LTR (similar to Metro service in India). The place was great equipped with all the basic amenities and 2 cycles to ride in the city. On our request to use the cycle, our host got the cycles serviced the moment we landed at his place. Not just our host but even the strangers were polite when asked for help navigating. This kind gesture made us feel like home.
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| Reading Map |
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| B'Studio and one of the cycles |
Not getting a neck pillow was the biggest mistake as none of us were able to get a proper sleep in flight and so after check in we spent next few hours sleeping.
The lack of sleep was coped with but the next major hurdle was sickness. Our beloved Zeyn was having his bouts of fever and nausea for the next 3 days of stay in Kuala Lumpur. If we ignore sick Zeyn, then the overall stay in KL was great.
Day 1 after check in and long naps, we set out to visit Petronas twin tower. We got a cab to Petronas from our place of stay and the Google Maps predicted time of 15 minutes was extended to 45 minutes as the driver himself wasn't aware of the location and we had a pretty long detour. Petronas towers is home to Suria KLCC - one of the biggest malls occupying the lower 5 floors of Petronas. The mall had the same christmassy feel to it. After a good deal of photo session, hogging and shopping (for Maggie and sausages) we realised that it was late night.
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| Christmas is here - Suria KLCC |
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| The reason it is called Petronas twin tower |
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| Photo session |
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Sizzler feast
PS:There were other dishes as well |
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| Them huge twins - Petronas twin towers |
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| Menara Kuala Lumpur |
Day 2 started late cause of Zeyn. We decided to visit Merdeka Square. Merdeka Square has a lot of monumental structures. A typical tourist destination. The central ground had an expo setup, which highlighted the technological advances that the Malaysian government was planning for the betterment of its people. Later in the evening we visited the Central Market but had to return soon. Well you might have guessed the reason by now. Yes, cause of Zeyn.
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| Poor people prepare their own breakfast - Maggie, eggs and sausages |
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| Christmassy everywhere |
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| When you got umbrellas and it ain't raining, you sword fight |
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| Sultan Abdul Samad Building |
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| One at the expo grounds |
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| Can't read it? Its Batik |
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| Museum scenes |
After dinner, me and Granal decided to step out. Night was comparatively cold. After playing rock and scissors to decide the direction at every cross road, we wondered from our place to Merdeka Square, to China Town. The silent roads of day are transformed into race tracks as roaring cars and motorbikes take to the street. A 2+ km long night walk and then we return back to our beds
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| Night at China Town |
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| Monastries |
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| Temple |
Day 3 was meant for a visit to the Menara Kuala Lumpur but after check out and some local breakfast we had to head to airport. Yes, Zeyn was sick again. We got a cab to the airport. The cab driver was a Sikh Malaysian with Indian roots. The cab driver was more than happy to discuss Malaysian politics and corruption, making us feel better of India in those terms.
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