Jeffrey’s Journey

Kuala Lumpur is a really cool city. It’s ethnically diverse, the food is cheap and tasty, and the people are pretty friendly. But I just don’t feel it. I know that Malaysia is big and it’s just not KL that Malaysia is composed of, but I want to move on. Is it wrong? Am I not giving it a chance? Probably so, but my gut just tells me at this point in time, I don’t want to be here. Since my experiences in London, I try to never ignore my gut feeling, a lesson that was more expensive to me than most people know.

I’m sure Malaysia is awesome in it’s own right. I’m sure there’s many adventures out there and amazing places I couldn’t imagine, but for now, I’m out. It’s not Malaysia, it’s me. I say that with no ego or sarcastic undertones.

I’m sure one day I’ll be back. Perhaps, like relationships, travel is about timing. Malaysia is probably a wonderful girl, but because of other circumstances, this relationship wasn’t right. Maybe if Malaysia had been my first stop in this trip, I would have loved it. But now wasn’t the time. I’m extremely weary of big cities, and after being in Asian Cities for so long, I want a drastic change. I feel as if I am slowly falling asleep and I need that jolt that widens eyes and keeps me alert. Malaysia will be too comfortable for me at this time.

My plan is to go to Singapore for a few days and see what happens. But there is no way in hell I’m staying in Singapore for more than a few days (if I could help it) because it’ll be so outrageously expensive and… well, clean (and where’s the fun in clean?).

One interesting note about Malaysia: It’s a Muslim country. There are Asian Muslims everywhere, which still causes my brain’s gears to momentarily clog. 

After being repeatedly hassled by customs over my bamboo bongs in the Hanoi airport, I finally made it to Kuala Lumpur at 2:30 am. When I arrived, the streets of KL were void of all signs of life but with the wee hours of daybreak, out came the hustle and bustle of city life.

After not being able to eat the last few meals, this morning I woke up and looked for food. I found a noodle place, and it was there I managed catch a ride with a nice local lady to the KL Tower. Then I walked to the Petronas tower, the former tallest building in the world (it’s the one with the bridge in the middle). There, I met a 24 year-old girl, who is also a lawyer from Kazakhstan, and now I’m at the internet cafe waiting for her to finish shopping so we can go to the market.

After spending a few hours on the streets of KL, my impressions of this city are:

1) WOW. This ultra modern mall has just as many fancy shmancy labels as Rodeo.

2) There’s a crazy colorful diversity of fashion going on in the streets. You’ll see Asian Muslims with colorful headscarves, Indian women with a traditional sari but the up to date bling and fashion in the same outfit, and the MTV inspired youngsters, walking along the same street, side by side. There’s all sorts of people in different shades of browns and yellows, most speaking Mandarin, English, and Malay. Love it!

3) I can’t believe it’s so clean here. After spending the last few months in different SE Asia cities, this place is sparkling clean.

4) Ah. Finally I am able to express myself and get valuable feedback in return. No language barriers. No more asking, ‘Where is the (fill in the tourist attraction here) and then having the locals answer, ‘yes, yes!’ nod their head, and walk away. I think that’s why I’ve been talking more than usual. And better yet, I can also speak Chinese and be understood! I’m enjoying this.

5) My hostel is an absolute dump, but the budget accommodation scene is absolute crap I hear.