Under budget and doing well for time I have decided to add a few more places to my trip. I love the freedom of travelling!
I got the bus from Shianoukville to Phonm Penh for $7 which was a 5 hour trip and straight from the bus station I got a tuk tuk for $7 to the airport and for £60 I was on an Air Asia flight from Phnom Penh Airport to Malaysia. After a 3 hour flight it was a 1 1/2 hour bus trip to Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station and a train to Masjid Jamek (2 stops away). I had pre-booked a bed at Reggae Mansion which was recommended to me by another traveller. Unfortunately the further from Thailand I get, the higher the cost of living gets. The hostel was £10 a night but was an amazing hostel. It was massive and so clean, staff were brilliant and it had everything a backpacker needs and more, like a cinema room!
For the first time since I started my travels I was travelling on my own but it didn’t phase me, I had my independence again and it felt good to have some time to myself. My first day in Kuala Lumpur I got myself a map but made the decision to just get myself lost and enjoy what the streets of Malaysia had to offer. I came across Central Market which used to be a fish market but is now a shopping mall, I walked through China Town to be surrounded with stalls selling fake designer bags etc. I visited a mosque, and a chinese temple and then found myself at a train station. I got a map and jumped on the train to KLL where the famous Petronas Towers are. The twin towers host the biggest shopping mall I have ever seen. Housing designer shops and restaurants. It was here that I had the most delicious malaysian dishes.
The next day I went on a tour with the hostel, for 70 Malaysian Ringgit, (about £13), it was a good way of meeting people and a great way to learn about some of the best places in Kuala Lumpur.
The population of KL is 50% Malay 30% chinese 10% indian and 10% native, and so there are many different places of worship. We visited a major mosque, a beautiful Chinese temple set upon a hill with a lovely view of KL and where I received a fortune and learned that I was born on the year of the Rooster meaning I am honest, careful, humorous, sociable and intelligent! We then had the pleasure of walking up 278 steps to Batu Caves to see the Hindu shrine. I didn’t find the steps challenging but I did struggle with my fear of the wild monkeys who seemed to think all handbags contained food for them! I was lucky enough to be left alone but others weren’t and there were a few ripped bags and angry monkeys!
KL was once a large tin producing place and we visited a small factory where we could see the process of pewter made into tankards, bowls and the Moto GP Trophy.
Next stop was the Palace. Malaysia has 9 Royal Families and every 5 years they take it in turn to be King. The Palace was lovely but we could only see from outside the gate just like at Buckingam Palace in London. After a few ‘cheesy’ touristy photos with the guards and much to our surprise, we were lucky enough to see the King arrive at the Palace by car. I was too busy photographing the moment that I missed him waving to us.
As I had met some people on the tour I was able to venture out to the city at night and was able to see the Petronas Towers lit up which was lovely.
Malaysia is a lot more western than Thailand and Cambodia, with designer shops, Nandos, Pizza Hut and more, but I am pleased to report I stayed away from them all and stuck to the street markets and malaysian food. Is the material girl in me fading away?!
Small Girl in a Big World 