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Selamat datang! My entry into Malaysia moved very quickly. Since I’ll be using carry-on with a bunch of budget airlines for my trip through Southeast Asia (yes, AirAsia included), I am restricted to a 7 kg max. No problem. As a self-identified expert packer, I have learned how to really make the most out of very little. The process of immigration in KLIA was as swift as my bag was light. So far things looked pretty good. Speaking of looking good, my AirAsiaX flight into Kuala Lumpur (KL) was incredibly pleasant. I’d just like to say I don’t think I’ve ever ridden with as diverse a group as passengers before. I’d say about two dozen ethnic backgrounds could be easily identified and we had all the colors of the racial rainbow. Likewise, the staff was the most diverse group of flight attendants I’ve been serviced by, except maybe Emirates Air. Additionally, they were also probably the most attractive flight crew I’ve ridden with, across all genders. I approve.

The transition into KL from KLIA2 was not necessarily short but it was rather pleasant, although surprisingly more costly than Seoul (KRW 2500-3000, < USD 3). If someone wants to explain the economics of exchange rates, I’d love to hear it. The service was quite friendly.

With my arrival, I finally managed to get some real grub in: legit chicken curry and fried tofu on rice. However, I managed to mess up some construction occurring on Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, where my hostel is located by not watching my step on the freshly layered concrete. Well, luckily this was the only mistake I made for my first city on the trip.

Day 1

KL does not have as many people seemingly flocking around as most of the other major cities I have been to. Something about that makes it seem less like a city. The observation could have also stemmed from my goal to avoid Bukit Bintang (insert neighborhood name later), where all the major malls and tourist traps are located.

However, I’d say Chinatown, where I stayed was somewhat touristy, especially with Lunar New Year approaching. It’s kind of cool to see how Malaysia does holidays. I haven’t been in a country yet where I can see Arabic and Chinese and English all appearing around me with the same frequency. Out of the languages I could recognize easily, here are the ones I heard walking around the streets from non-foreigners: Bahasa Malay, Hindi, Thai, Mandarin, English, Arabic, Bengali, and Urdu. Out of the languages I am slightly familiar with: Tamil, Gujarati, Bahasa Indonesia, and, I think, Hokkien. Pretty darn impressive.

The language diversity probably gives way to their eclectic entrees. There was a multitude of food I wanted to try but alas, my body was not feeling incredibly well so I could only cover some ground. I’ll cover two dishes I could try and my thoughts.

Mee Goreng, like a number of other Malaysian goodies, is cooked in banana leaves. Thank you based god. The banana leave flavor really makes the fried-ness of the dish seem unnoticeable at times.

Nasi Kandar is basically biryani before you add the meat. For real. Not really that impressed because both my mom and dad know how to knock the ball out of the park when it comes to making legit biryani.

Likewise, the architecture and famous sites included multiply backgrounds: Muslim, Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, Christian, and likely more that I probably did not get to see. (I bet there’s a synagogue in Malaysia somewhere.) To be honest, even though I have good relationships with folks from a number of faiths, it’s really unbelievable to see so many faiths coexisting in one place, and appearing to be doing that well! It’s incredible to be able to walk around a Buddhist temple with a Hindu shrine viewable in the distance while hearing the qibla from the masjid down the road. Initial impressions in this front are very good.

However, very much unimpressed by the inequality that is so apparent. You actually do even have try to imagine, KL’s urban planning already juxtaposed the poor around the rich for you.

Being in a developed country and already having experienced poverty, it was a privilege to be able to go through KL and see its own without feeling as a part of it. Nonetheless, seeing it can make one distraught. However, I am a tad conflicted in my thoughts. Is it better that there is seemingly little segregation between the poor and the rich or is it better when economic strata fall in line with community layout? To learn more about Malaysia’s current economic situation, learn more from the World Bank, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research, and the Heritage Foundation.

I’ll end my blog on KL on a good note. There are a number of massage parlors run by the blind (an unsettling common phenomenon in KL it seems) and I happened to go to a very-well reviewed one that I cannot help but praise. Fair warning, give in to the pain, you’ll be glad you did (the Time Out page is a bit old but rather accurate).