So, another very delayed post about the last leg of my trip in Kuala Lumpur.
After a night on my last night bus of the trip I wasn’t as rested as I had wanted, the night bus wasn’t as good as the Vietnamese sleepers where you can recline almost flat – instead these were more like normal coach seats. As we pulled into KL and I got off the bus I saw Sophia asleep on a bench in the station. As it was 5am and we hadn’t much else to do at that point we just snuggled up and got a bit more shut-eye.
Eventually we decided to head on to where I was going to be staying, the Reggae Mansion I had heard so many good stories about. Sophia was going to couch surf which I would have done but as it was my last nights I wanted to be central and to relax. It turned out the Reggae Mansion was a very good choice – it was a very upmarket hostel which had good Wi-Fi, lots of seating areas, free breakfast and water and generally was amazing. The beds had lots of privacy with a curtain so it was like a hotel to me!
As we arrived around 6.30 I couldn’t check in so I passed out on a sofa while Sophia planned what she needed to do while we were in KL. After a couple of hours we decided to try our luck at getting a free breakfast and we were thrilled when we managed to get a 3 course breakfast with coffee for free – very happy girls!
We spent the next few days having a wander around KL as although Sophia had been before she hadn’t had a good look around. I had to be rather careful with some rather bad looking blisters I had sustained while diving but I still managed some good walks! I met up with Guilleme, the guy I met in Saigon who I also saw in Chiang Mai, to do some electronics shopping and was very pleased he was able to help me with my laptop purchase as Low Yat Plaza was like nothing I had seen before, the choice was overwhelming so it was very much appreciated having someone with me who knew what I wanted!
We visited the Helipad Bar which is what it says on the tin; a bar on a helipad. It was simply stunning to watch the sunset over KL and the Petrona Towers and Menara KL Tower and enjoy a cocktail. The prices weren’t traveller friendly but to sit with one and watch the sunset was amazing! We went out for drinks with Sophia’s couch-surf host and his friends after the Helipad bar and had a great time, the world cup was on so the Germans with us were very keen on watching that and very nicely the boys kept us topped up with Jack Daniels. We were pretty tired though so we were pleased with our 1am finish – we thought we had lasted well!
I spent a fair amount of time wandering around Chinatown and down towards Low Yat, I fell in love with all the old colonial buildings and was daydreaming about how lovely they would be to restore and revamp. I had heard mixed reports about the Central Market but I loved it – it was more touristy than lots of the other markets I have been to and not as cheap but compared to the UK there were lots of bargains so I picked up a few things as gifts and for peoples birthdays. The Art Deco exterior of the market was fantastic, it was so well made it was shame that there wasn’t a better setting to be able to sit back from it and just admire its form.
I went to Merdeka Square and once again, I was thrilled with the architecture and the history of the location with it being where the Malay flag was raised for the first time in 1957 it was pretty atmospheric . I had a visit to the City Gallery which is just off Merdeka Square too and it was very informative as well has having a pretty awesome miniature model of the city set with a light display and information on the building of the city – I thoroughly geeked out and enjoyed myself. One evening Sophia and I headed to Little India for food and although it was smaller than we expected (the clue should have been in the name!) we had a great time and enjoyed the atmosphere.
I went to visit the Petrona Twin Towers, the iconic image of KL. I was unlucky in the sense that when I turned up there were no remaining slots to go up the towers at that point but they did have one available slot left in the evening which I snapped up as I was due to leave the next day and didn’t want to miss this opportunity. So when I got back in the early evening (too early for the sunset unfortunately) I finally got to go up the towers – when I had mentioned to my brother that I was going to go to KL he said I had to go up them for him – I stuck to my promise! The building is amazing and as you walk around looking at the equally amazing views you are struck by how fantastic buildings like this are. I think I might still prefer the Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh but then the day was slightly clearer. I really enjoyed my visit to the tower but then I like going up something tall wherever possible to see the bird’s eye view of the place I am in. I am not scared of heights either so I am the one trying to stand on the glass flooring which many other people are avoiding like the plague!
I visited where Sophia was staying after going up the Petrona Towers, by the time I got there it was dark so we had sushi on the roof which had a pretty amazing infinity pool looking over the city towards the towers I had come from. It was stunning and I know where I will be staying next time I go to KL! WOW! That was the night I said goodbye to Sophia and put her on the night bus to head back to the island while I would be heading home the next day.
Unfortunately I didn’t have time to visit Batu Caves which was a shame but I was surprised by how much time KL took to look around. I really enjoyed KL and would happily find work here for a year or so. I really liked the atmosphere and the people I met here were fantastic. I had wanted to go up the Menara tower too but city life is too expensive to do everything and with a city this great I hope I will be back in the future.
Spending time in such an amazing city with a good friend was a perfect way to round off my trip. I was in denial about having to go home but had decided that the best way to make it easier was to surprise someone. As such my darling Mum knew no real details about my last days travelling as she thought I was arriving home a couple of days after her and Dad had set off for a holiday. I also wanted to surprise two of my oldest friends so Facebook was kept in the dark with some slightly misleading/delayed (though truthful) updates. To surprise my Mum I had to get my brothers, sister and Dad in on the act, Mum is used to knowing everything so covering up an operation like this was a feat in itself.
As such when I left KL I was excited to seeing everyone. I love the fact you can check your bag in at the central train station in KL and then just you and your hand luggage head to the airport. So easy! My flights were as straightforward as could be – flew to Abu Dhabi and then into Manchester –it was a little odd flying backwards against time but it worked really well. I left KL at 8.30pm local time and arrived into Manchester at 7.30am the following morning. My awesome brother picked me up from the airport and after me talking non-stop and lots of hugging I finally got home to sneak around the back of the house to surprise my Marmee. It was amazing! I had led her to believe I was going to skype her that morning and instead I turned up! I think she was a little annoyed to be left out of the loop but also very pleased to see me! Later when I surprised my friends after involving their husbands and Mums I got another similar reaction!
So with all of those hugs, smiles and laughter I brought that particular six month adventure to an end. And oh, what an adventure!
A Girl Called Freedom 