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Published: September 14th 2012
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I first traveled up the length of peninsular Malaysia in 2004, and wasn't exactly blown away. Rather, it was my least favorite of the 8 or so Southeast Asian countries I have visited.
Since then, I have stopped over in KL on the way to other places so many times that I've lost count. But somehow with each passing visit, though always short, I have grown fonder and fonder of the city and its surrounding areas. Each time, I have made a point of seeking out a new sight to photograph, or market to feast in.
In 2008, I visited the ultra modern Blue Mosque of Shah Alam, largest in Malaysia, with a capacity of 24,000 people. I also took in the KL's gorgeous night skyline, dominated by the twin Petronas Towers, from the shore of Lake Titiwangsa in the far north of the city. (see photos
HERE)
More recently, I took in the planned city of Putrajaya, with its man-made lake surrounded by mosques. Finally, I can't forget the time (my only time, in fact) that an airlines has put me up for free. Thank you, Malaysia Airlines, for 3 all-you-eat 5-star buffet meals and a night
of sleep that was no less than heavenly after 3 months of budget backpacking. If your goal was to sell me on revisiting Malaysia, it worked.
This time around, like all stopovers that come before the main stretch of your trip, I was high on my pre-travel buzz, still mentally stuck in go-go-go work mode, and barely (I mean barely) managed to squeeze in a good day drunk at the KL Reggae Bar into my busy sightseeing itinerary.
First and foremost, I had to see the Batu Caves. How had I not made the time for them until now? Arguably the most impressive Hindu sight outside of the subcontinent, the enormous netowork of limestone caves commemorate Lord Murugan and are a focal point of worship for the Malaysia's huge South Indian population. Had I been there during the annual Thaipusam, I might have had to fight my way up the 272 stairs with a mob of bleeding, pierced, punctuated devout Hindus. Instead, I was greeted with a family carrying an elaborately decorated child suspended in yellow robes up the staircase, and an army of pigeons being fed by women in burkas. The repetitive Hindu mantras reverberating off the
walls of the caves, coming from stalls selling Hindu religious paraphanelia and trinkets, were the icing on the cake that made me fall in love with the Batu Caves.
Most of the rest of my time in the city was devoted to markets, markets, and more markets. Just after my late night arrival, I treated myself to excellent street barbecue watered down with beer on Jalan Alor, a street crammed with barbecue stalls and chairs at the streetside. On previous trips in KL, I'd always stayed in the decaying budget dives of Chinatown and Little India, but this time I opted for a classier place (by my standards) in the Golden Triangle area more directly in the shadow of the Petronas Towers. The barbecue street alone was worth the new choice of location. I would highly recommend the
Classic Inn if you want to do the same.
The next morning I was off to breakfast at the Imbi Market, known for its hearty bowls of wake-up grub. This being my first trip to Malaysia since I have picked up conversational Chinese, I was quite pleased to be away from Taiwan but able to communicate with many of the locals
in their tongue, despite the Chinese Malaysian tendency to toss random Bahasa words into the mix.
Next, I made my way to Chow Kit's enormous produce market, where the canopy of umbrellas provided shelter from afternoon rains, and carefully places buckets caught the water that did make its way through.
Finally, I made a repeat visit to pretty Masjid Jamek, where a single worshiper stood out against a few dozen afternoon nappers, and then finished my day with an enormous bowl of Laksa (a spicy coconut noodle soup that is a signature dish of Singapore and Malaysia's Chinese-meets-Malaysian cuisine) at the highly recommended Old China Cafe in Chinatown.
And next time? Well, I still feel I have only just cracked the surface.
For more of my photos and travel stories, or to buy my book "Taiwan in the Eyes of a Foreigner", visit www.nickkembel.com
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Anja Serfontein
non-member comment
Pig's Head with a bizzare look like a cow
Hi Nick! I truly enjoyed your Malaysia re-visited blog. I feel in love with Malaysia when I did my first Backpacker-Trip in 1999. Those were the days... ha ha... I am amazed how we change our perception towards certain countries, cities and places in general over time. Taipei in the beginning still had a rough and ugly feeling to me - now I can see beauty were I previously just starred into the blank. Do you know what I mean? Last but not least - that pig's head looks amazingly like a cow head....