Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal   We arrived in Portugal at 11:30 in the morning, and immediately jumped on the metro from the airport to Baixa-chiado station, in central Lisbon.  It was a quick 5 minute walk to our hostel on Calle De Flores.  We were greeted by Rueben, an uber charismatic Portuguese, with great English and a quippy personality. He gave us a load of great information about the hostel (rated #3 in the world, and for great reason), some area info, and a walk-through of our digs.  We were given 2 flowers in celebration of International Women's Day, which was very cute.    We decided to nap for a bit, before venturing out, considering the red eye from NYC was tiring, and we wanted to be able to walk around and take everything in without the sleep deprivation haze.  After the needed snooze, we took off towards a Baxia-Chiado station to catch the metro to the train station to pre-book our overnight train to Madrid for the following day. (Because it sells out, we wanted to be sure to get a sleeper cabin)   After grabbing our tickets, we came back to the metro station and began walking through the now lively streets in the city square. The streets were full of performers, panhandlers, couples out on dates, business people getting off work sipping on Sangria, and nicely dressed gentlemen asking if we wanted "mary-wanna".  The streets themselves were cobblestone paved with native travertine, and the up and down hills were lined with sometimes colorful 6 story buildings, with wrought iron balconies displaying freshly washed linens and garments, pots of ivy and ferns, and the occasional Portuguese puffing on a cigarette.   Shops and cafes scatter the main floors, with welcoming patio tables, beckoning you to sit and people watch while imbibing in a cerveja or sangria.   We wandered down to the bay to see the sunset over the water watch a band perform for the crowds, and then headed back up to the main strip and grabbed some dinner at one of the cafes.  We had the Cataplana. A delicious assortment of seafood and potatoes with broth and a couple of Super Bock beers.   We made our way back to the hostel by 8:15 to take advantage of the free sangria night, and the flambéd chorizo, done in a ceramic dish. (I'm going to get one of those!) We had a fun chat with some of the other guests hanging out in the "living room" of the hostel (an Israeli from Nazareth, a French girl, and a woman from New York who had been there for a month and was now planning to move to Portugal full time after falling in love with it)  Looking forward to a good nights rest and taking a train to Sintra tomorrow for a day trip.    

One foot out the door...

New York City 3/7/17 There is something magical about New York City. We all know that. You can't visit the city without soaking in some of the cultural smorgasbord mystique the the Big Apple is famous for.   It's particularly exciting to experience the city alongside an NYC newbie, and witness the head swiveling awe, grins at each street corner, and even the frustration at the sometimes confusing subway system or an overpriced ($9.50) Times Square tourist hotdog (and the realization that you must ask in advance "how much" or simply refuse and walk away when you are handed said hotdog). A lesson was taught, that you venture down side streets and away from the hubbub and see where the New Yorkers eat: hole-in-the-wall, standing room only, 99 cents a slice, New York pizza, as it was in this case. It's also quite amazing how much can be fit inside a layover of 18 hours.  I must, however, give credit to my days as a flight attendant, because I'm certain that not everyone would realize they could actually cram so much in, without having had to do it on countless other layovers, some often shorter.  We may have only spent 5 minutes or so at each location, but my sisters bucket list is now a smidge shorter, and we got 30,000 steps in (thanks Fitbit), so I'd call it a success. I'd also like to throw a nod to Dayuse.com, and more importantly to my super considerate boyfriend for booking a room for 2 sleepy travelers.  I would have been a zombie without having a solid 5 hours of sleep after our red-eye into New York. (I can't sleep on planes because of my chronic back issues). We were able to day sleep upon arrival at 8am, get showered, and check out at 3pm to cruise around before heading back to JFK for our midnight flight to our first stop of the Sisters European Backpacking Journey. In 7 hours, we'll arrive in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

Day 57 - Batu Caves

I dropped my bag in a locker at the train station this morning, after checking out of my hotel. I took the monorail to KL's central station, and then took the regular north to the Batu Caves, a large cavern temple full of bats, birds, monkeys, and statues.

The monkeys were extremely aggressive here, ripping things out of peoples hands, pulling on purses and stealing bags, etc. Little boogers.

After climbing the steps to the cave, I came down and watched a woman do a henna tattoo on someone. It was really pretty, so I sat down and had her decorate my hand as well.

I made the mistake of dropping of storing my bag at the monorail station by my hotel, instead of the central station, so I had to go all the way back to pick up my bag, before going getting the train to the airport. That was dumb! Luckily, I had plenty of time before my flight to Singapore.

 

 

Day 56 - Twin Towers Observation Deck...Finally!

I drug myself out of bed early this morning, because I was bound and determined to make it to the top of the tower today. It's closed tomorrow, my final day in Malaysia, and this was a MUST DO on my list.

Even though I got there 2 and half hours before they started selling tickets, there was still a pretty big line ahead of me. I stood in said line until they opened, and just barely got a ticket. (YES!) I had a 2pm spot, so I just killed some time until then.

The wait, and the multiple attempts to get a ticket were so worth it! The top was crazy high. I think the picture below puts it into perspective best. Those are all skyscrapers down below. KL Towers are not sitting on a hill or anything like that. All building. Completely insane.

That's a lot of floors... Had to pop my ears several times while going up and back down!

I also stopped at the skybridge, which is about halfway up the tower, at about the same height as the surrounding skyscrapers.

I'm so glad I was able to get up there!

On my way out of the building, I decided to catch a movie in the theater at the base of the towers. (22 Jump Street - super funny). I grabbed a bite to eat on food street, and made it back to my hotel by 10:30.

I'm feeling a little melancholy, with tomorrow being my last day on this epic journey. I have one last stop to make tomorrow, before my trip reaches it's end...

 

 

Day 55 - Batik Painting Class and City Bus Tour

I planned on visiting the observation deck of the towers today, and but once again, it was sold out by the time I arrived at the ticket counter this morning. :/ It's rainy and visibility wouldn't be the greatest today anyway, so I'll try again tomorrow.

Instead, I walked to a factory that creates beautiful batik fabrics. I signed up to take a class where I learned the process from start to finish.

I decided I wanted to try and replicate a floral henna pattern, similar to the ones I've been seeing on women in the area. My instructor basically told me I didn't have the skill to do the intricate details that kind of pattern would need, so I scaled it back. As soon as I started adding the wax, I realized he was right! The hot wax tool is really tricky to use. You have to keep it pressed tight down on the fabric, or the hot wax just free-flows and would muck up and ruin your project in an instant.

After tracing the pattern in wax, you use a watery (but dense in color) paint/dye, and use plain water to bleed the colors into each other. It acts differently than regular watercolor painting that I'm used to, but I think it turned out pretty good for my first try. :)

(I say my first try, because I bought one of the wax tools from them, so I can batik when I get home)

Below, are the pros at work. :)

I stopped by the mall for lunch because it was on the way to the bus for my city tour, and because the selection of food is just fantastic. I mentioned in a post from a few days ago, that the fast food is so much healthier here. I took this photo that pretty much sums it up. It looks like a buffet line, but this is a fast food restaurant!!!

There are a few fried dumpling type items, but most are asian veggies, shellfish, and a selection of rice and noodles to complete your bowl. The noodles are all freshly made and dried, and are cooked on the spot. Really delicious.

After lunch, I hopped on one of Kuala Lumpur's many modes of transportation, the KL Hop-on Hop-off bus. For the equivilalant of $10 US dollars, it's a double decker bus tour around the city, that you can get on and off of for 24 hours, jumping off at places you want to see. These are pretty much found in major cities worldwide now, but normally if something isn't with walking distance, I would brave the city bus for just cents to get to a place. But, it's the end of my trip and I'm lazy. Lol.

Tonight, I got fixed up for the first time on my whole trip, and went to a rooftop bar for drinks and dancing, overlooking the lit up towers.

 

The picture above turned out spectacular, even though I almost lost my iPad out the window on the 30th floor. :/

It was a late night, but I have to be to the towers by 7am if I want to make it to the top!!! Tomorrow is my final opportunity.

 

Day 54 - Kuala Lumpur's Twin Towers and Chinatown

I switched hotels because I realized that there are a ton in this area for half what I paid the first night. It's a little more of a dive, but just across the street from the other, and I won't be spending much time in the room anyway.
My bags were dropped in my room, and I took off towards the Petronas TwinTowers. These iconic buildings were the two tallest building in the world for years, and have been featured in countless movies (like Mission Impossible 3).
It's funny how excited I get, even simply seeing a building. I think it's due to the fact that I have such an interest in the world, and all the different pieces of a city or place that make it unique. These iconic places are like exciting fairytails to me, that become real when I'm in front of them. The closest thing I can relate it to, it is being starstruck when you see a celebrity, but I don't really care much about celebrities, just blips on the globe. :)

The tickets to the observation deck of the towers were sold out by 11am, so I wasn't able to go to the top today. :/ I'll try again tomorrow or the next day.
He mall at the base of the towers was massive, and a filled with high-end designer stores. It was nice to send some time in the AC, but I prefer bargain and local shopping at outdoor street markets. :)

So, I walked a few miles to Chinatown, to see what it had to offer.

I spent the the second half of the day wandering around here, and then walked back to my neighborhood, to the food street.

After battling the crowds all day, I just wasn't feeling it, so I walked around the corner and sat down at a quieter restaurant, still close enough to people watch, but not right in the mix. I ordered a Malay meal of crispy chicken, squid in chili paste, and rice with egg. I also got a little cup of roasted peanuts with dried anchovies. Interesting. :)

Stayed out fairly late tonight, hanging out with some other travelers, sharing some beers, and watching the crowds pass by.

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. :)