Over April break, I went somewhere quite far, farther than I’ve ever traveled before. It took 27 hours on planes and taxis, but after a long and grueling trip I made it to an incredibly beautiful country. When I first arrived in Malaysia, I didn’t know what to expect. I had done quite a bit of research, but nothing tops firsthand experience. There were ups and downs to the trip, like any vacation, but I have to say overall I loved Malaysia. It’s a beautiful country that I honestly think is too underrated. Prepare for a long article, because I have a lot to say!

The trip started in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of the country. Our first day was mainly spent on recovering after the ridiculously long flights. We went out to eat and did some window shopping around Bukit Bintang, an area with lots of malls and shopping. We were too tired to do anything else that day, so we returned to our hotel and slept. The second day was much more exciting. We started off our day at Kwai Chai Hong, a little touristy area with lots of art. It was very beautiful, and walking around was quite peaceful. There was also some art that was “interactive”, like a barber painted but a real chair put down. After this, we went to Petaling Street. On the way we stopped at this cute little cafe style place, where we bought these parfaits, one made with matcha and red beans, the other chocolate and nuts. I really enjoyed the chocolate parfait, but to be honest I don’t really like red beans, so the matcha wasn’t my favorite.

Once we arrived at Petaling Street, I was instantly reminded of the souks of Morocco. I suppose most countries have the same variation of outdoor markets, but the similarities were surprising. The setup was exactly the same, with little vendors on each side of you, though what was actually being sold was quite different. There were clothes, bags, fans, food, even tattoos being sold. Though I didn’t get anything for myself while there, I really enjoyed walking around and seeing everything. Our next destination was very similar. We headed off to Central Market, which was similar to Petaling Street but outdoors. We bought some things and moved along. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Merdeka Square and Masjid Jamek, before heading back to the hotel to rest. The majority of the morning was spent outside in the heat, so getting back to the hotel provided some much needed relief from the heat. We slept for a few hours before going to see the Petronas Towers. I have to say, they were beautiful. It was dark when we arrived, and the glow in the night sky was like a guiding star on our walk. We got close to the towers, and stopped at Suria Mall before we got up close to them. It was a very large hotel, so we spent a few hours just walking around. Once the mall closed, we made our way to the towers. They were incredibly bright and very VERY tall. Seeing them was one of the highlights of my trip.

After seeing the Petronas Towers, we headed to Jalan Alor, a popular food street in Kuala Lumpur. This area of the city thrives at night, so though we didn’t arrive until nearly midnight, people were still out and about. We got to try many different foods, including kebabs with some of the most tender meat I have ever eaten. We also sat at this Chinese place and ordered a bowl of noodles to share, which was just as tasty. My dad wanted to try octopus, which I also tried a bite of. It was not my favorite, but the seasonings on it were also very good. We walked through the street, trying different things and even just looking until we reached the end. We then made our way back and got to our hotel around 1 am.

The next day was equally filled with adventure. We planned to leave early but due to the previous late night everyone was tired, so we delayed our plans by a few hours. We arrived at the Batu Caves around 10 am, when the heat had already set in. It was surreal finally seeing something I had only seen in pictures, in real life. Everything was beautiful. There were monkeys on some of the steps just walking around, and around the site there were all types of animals. The true beauty, however, came from the cave itself. The Murugan statue welcomed us in, and after making our way up the 272 steps, we were inside the “cave”. There were some religious sites and statues, and in the middle of the cave there was a hole looking up to the sky. The site was breathtaking. On our way out, we were even able to catch a Malaysian dance that was happening.

The trip to the Batu Caves was very tiring in the scalding sun, so all we did after was visit a mosque, specifically Wilayah Mosque. To be honest, this was one of my least favorite stops. The architecture was beautiful, but it was the staff and the security that ruined the experience for me. They were quite persistent, and I was not let in until I bought a covering when we had typically found that most had been provided for me. As someone in a Muslim family with a mother who wears a hijab, I was surprised by the hostility. After our stop at the mosque, we got lunch and made our way back to our hotel to rest.

After taking a break for a few hours, we visited the Thean Hou Temple, dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu. I enjoyed this spot, and thought everything was quite beautiful. The visit was very enjoyable. Afterwards, we headed to the Sri Maha Mariamman temple, a hindu temple located in the city. The architecture was also very beautiful, but by that time we were all tired from the day and promptly went back to the hotel. The next day was spent in Malacca, as we had scheduled a day trip. We had fun, and saw a few sights. We also met some fun people who we had lunch with, some Australians. Apparently it’s pretty common for Australians to visit Malaysia since they’re so close! They were very nice, and we actually learned a lot about how things work in Australia. We got back to our hotel around five, and I was too tired for anything else. The next morning we had a flight to catch, so we all started packing.

Though our trip was not quite over, I do think this article is already long enough! Stay tuned and next week I’ll talk about my time spent in Penang and the Perhentian Islands. On one last note, I do have to say Malaysia was truly amazing. It was gorgeous and the people were so kind. The country blends together many different cultures, so it was truly an interesting trip.