Day 53 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: My Final Destination

I just BARELY made my flight this morning. Luckily, it was delayed for a half hour. I thought I had planned plenty of time to get to the airport. I got up before dawn, and walked a little over a mile with my pack to the bus station, to catch the 401E bus to the airport. When I didn't see that bus in sight, I asked and was directed to the regular 401 bus, which also goes to the airport. I didn't hesitate, and just paid my $1 and got on. Well, I should've realized the "E" in 401E stands for express (duh), so I ended up being on a bus that wove it's way through the city making stops in what was now becoming morning rush hour traffic. We sat through 9 lights at one intersection trying to get through, while I was anxiously checking the time repeatedly.

I made it just before ticketing and baggage drop closed. Phew!! A quick hour flying above dense Malaysian Jungle, and I was arriving in KL at the smaller of the 2 airports, which handles more domestic and regional flights.

My first impression of Kuala Lumpur is great. Like Georgetown, it seems very organized, modern, and culturally alive. It's a melting pot of all nationalities living and working together harmoniously. I'm surprised by the number of Indians and Middle Eastern people here, but I suppose it's a great alternative if they want to escape the living conditions in their respective countries. The population seems to be a pretty even mix of Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, and a Hindu-Buddhist amalgamation (the 2 religions are combined somewhat in some parts of SE Asia).

I'm staying in the heart of the city, in the Bukit Bintang area, near massive sky scrapers, the largest shopping centers I've ever seen, and Malaysia's Iconic Twin Towers that were the tallest buildings in the world until just recently. I'll be visiting them tomorrow.

Dinner tonight was in one of the massive malls near my hotel. I've done my fair share of hawker or street food during my trip, and actually eating sitting down in an air conditioned building sounded pretty darn good. The food court was very large, and served nothing nearly as crappy as our mall food! A lot was prepared on the spot, and the selection of different delicacies made it hard to choose a meal, but I opted for fried oysters, rice, and 5 flower iced tea.

When the rain came, I jetted back to the hotel and enjoyed the desert I picked up on the way: a doughy on the inside, crispy and flaky on the outside pastry with Nutella and walnuts. It was cooked on a wooden dowel, and was basically a big spiral that you peel sections off of. OMG was it fabulous.

A tiny but cozy hotel room, a belly full of yummy new foods, and the sound of the rain and the bustling city, made for a very happy girl tonight. :)