Kuala Lampur – Petite Plus, Meow!

Here we go. The last instalment of PPMeow’s Asian Adventure. (Sorry it’s taken me so long to post)

The last of the three cities I visited was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I left Toronto, Canada with weather of -11 degrees Friday, February 27th…. to arrive in KL to +38 degrees on Sunday evening, March 1st! 😮

It was so hot ALL-THE-TIME there!

KL is the capital and most populous city in Malaysia. And was the ‘home-base’ for my 3-week trip to South-East Asia, as my friend Dee lives there.

With the weather being oh-so hot, it was difficult to get motivated enough to leave air-conditioned quarters to venture out into the crowded city for exploring.

Also, it was in this city that I totally got hooked on Game of Thrones – and managed to binge-watch all 4-seasons during this trip. Yup! I did it. And I’m not at all sorry. 😛

But, as compelling as Jon Snow is, I did manage to see and do things in this fashionable city…

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers, are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur

kuala_lumpur_malaysia — The towers at night…magical!

The main religion there is Islam, with significant Buddhist, Hindu and Christian minorities. And such a wide variety of fashionable people out and about all the time from each of these religious groups. I was very tempted to take random shots of people’s outfits to show you what I mean … buuuuuut I wasn’t sure that would go over so well with the locals, so sadly I have no proof to show in this post. But believe me – some highly fashionable folks out there friends!

On the Rapid Lite Rail headed into downtown KL

The subway system there is pretty great – so long as your destination is close to a subway station. Otherwise, the streets of KL can be a real challenge to maneuver alone. Roads on a map have been compared to ‘spaghetti noodles’ – not at all like the convenient grid system of Toronto streets I’ve come to know and love.

I arrived shortly after the celebration of Chinese New Year … so many of the cityscapes and shopping centres still had decorations and lanterns hung…

THE FOOD!!!

Lucky for me, Dee had a long-list of delicious meals I HAD TO TRY while I was visiting… and everything I ate while in Malaysia was amazeballs!!!!

The dish on the left (below) is Laksa soup. There are two basic types of laksa: curry laksa and asam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. The one I had was curry laksa, I’m pretty sure. 🙂

The dish on the right (above) is Nasi lemak, the national dish of Malaysia. It is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf. Basic simple nasi lemak typically comes with with an egg, anchovies, cucumber, and sambal belacan. This dish is so popular and tasty that people sometimes eat it for all three meals of the day.

My first oyster eating experience of my life! Slimey….but tasty!

My first coconut of the entire trip!!! mmmmm….coconut!

THE SHOPPING

There are so many shopping malls in KL! All with the A/C blasting to give everyone a bit of relief from the blazing heat, I’m assuming. IT’S SO HOT THERE!!!

The Central Market is an award-winning tourist attraction and shopping destination, while preserving the significance in showcasing the nation’s arts, culture and heritage.

Some of the cute fascinators and headbands on display …. I really had to control my impulsive shopping habit while I was out and about.

For this reason, I was strict with keeping my purchase limited to super unique and unlikely to find anywhere else 😉

Here’s what I BOUGHT:

You remember me needing an East-Meets-West outfit for Vietnam, right? Well, I picked up that batik wrap skirt from KL’s Central Market.

In that same store I found this lovely lightweight navy & green hibiscus floral patterned fabric … that didn’t look like much when I unfolded it…. but then when worn it was the coolest soft pant ever!!! Can’t wait to rock this for summer in Toronto (if the weather cooperates, that is).

For my fellow 80s kids out there…. do you remember those jellybean shoes of your youth? Well guess what I found in the shops of KL? YUP!!! Jellies for Adults!

I couldn’t decide which pair I liked more….so I bought both! 🙂

When it comes to accessories … there are so many adorable things. I just couldn’t decide. But lucky for me that Dee picked these up for me – THANKS DEE!!! They have quickly become my favourite go-to pair of earrings.

Suddenly I *moustache* you a question… 😀

The last piece of uniqueness for my closet was this uber soft, reversible vest-scarf-hoodie thing.

At first glance the pattern of this garment drew me in, dark and light grey patterns. But upon closer inspection, it was so interesting and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, that it had to be mine. 🙂

It’s already gotten many ooh’s and ahh’s when I debuted it to the office last month.

And in true tourist fashion, I hit up a local grocery store to pick up some hot sauces and tea as souvenirs for my folks. PS: That TomYum paste yields delicious soup – check & follow my Instagram for proof friends 😉

SWING DANCING FOR ST PADDY’S DAY

Last, but certainly not least, was KL’s Swing Dancing scene!!! I was lucky enough to check out two dances while I was visiting… and got to celebrate St. Paddy’s day in my newly tailor-made gingham dress from Vietnam.

Did I mention it was motherlovin’ HOT in this country! The moment you step outside you are sweaty-kins …. so lindy hopping in this heat was madness that made your EYEBALLS sweat.

KL Swing peeps…pointing West to Canada 🙂

Here’s a few silly, sweaty-glowing faces of the KL Swing Gang who were totally welcoming and oh-so fun to dance with.

There you have it friends! You’ve relived my entire PPMeow Asian Adventure with me!!

Thank you for reading, following and commenting throughout my travels. Hope you enjoyed these recap posts. OH, and in case you’ve missed any previous ones….you can find them all below.

PPMeow Asian Adventure includes:

Asia: What to Know Before you Go – click here for blogpost
Clothes vs. Backpack – click here for blogpost
30+ hours of Travel – click here for blogpost
22 Days, 3 Countries – click here forblogpost
- Boracay, Philippines – White Sand Beach – click here
- Hội An, Vietnam – VLX – click here
- Hội An, Vietnam – The Ancient City – click here

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Hey Hey Hey! I’m back from nearly three weeks travelling South East Asia. It was a fantastic trip filled with good food, lots of dancing, new friends and shopping galore!

Y’all know I was anxious about doing such a BIG trip travel solo … PLUS, I was determined to fly without checking any luggage what-so-ever there.

Well, on the eve of my departure it turns out that my travel backpack ended up being larger than the allowable carry-on dimensions as per airport regulations.

Knowing that it isn’t easy finding larger clothes in the cities I’d be visiting … with all my many connections, the possibility of losing my luggage filled with PLUS SIZE clothing was terrifying.

And so last min, I transferred all my items into my trusty roller-bag and mini-backpack instead!

I was determined to get myself to the airport WITHOUT my winter coat.

So I dressed in the following layers for the 30+ hour journey to get to my first destination of my Adventure – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

**Pearson Travel Outfit:** Black zip from *Reitmans;* Fox scarf from *Suzy Sheer;* Printed pants from Forever21+; Batman Tee from *Ardene;* Black sneaks from Payless

The long flights there (with layovers of waiting in-between) weren’t so terrible. It was all pretty low stress until I arrived in Frankfurt Airport – my longest layover and last leg of my journey there. So I decided to treat myself to German schnitzel and beer, and was approached by two Indian pilots (one more handsome than the other) who asked if they could join me. Seems mama still gots it even after 20+ hours of travel grime – must be those sexy compression socks, makes pilots crazy friendly 😉

Did you know that there’s now a new 15-hour flight direct from Toronto to New Delhi, India? True story.

Moi … 20+ hours of straight travel and those sexy compression socks Pilots can’t get enough of 😉

After I drank my beer and said farewell to my new pilot friends, I made my way to get my boarding pass and was given misdirections by TWO different Lufthansa desk clerks one telling me my gate was Z-something …. only to get there and be sent back where I began. Grrrrr And then was issued a Stand By ticket …dun dun dun.

Luckily the third desk clerk I spoke to managed to secure me a proper seat with my ORIGINAL booking. **phew**

After 20-hours of continuous travel…the last thing you want to see on your airline ticket is the dreaded words: STANDBY~ akkk!

FLYING HOME

The journey home was pretty smooth……just ridiculously long. (That’s what you get when you fly across the globe on points friends.)

I woke up at 4:45am to take a 10min cab ride to the KL Airport Express Train (35min ride) to catch my morning connection from KL to Bangkok. Once I arrived there, I had a little over an hour to make my way through Bangkok customs and find my gate for my next connection to Beijing.

Cutting it super tight, right? I finally arrived at my departure gate to see that FINAL CALL all-red flashing sign — maybe the most terrifying feeling when you know you have yet another connect to make. This was the first time I flew Thai Airways and I have to say their airplane food was delicious!

The last leg of my journey in Beijing (who’s airport was completely nuts – zero signs written in English + No one lines up for anything! Just a mass of people mashing their bodies and luggage into each other until they get to a clerk at a desk – nuts!!!!) An elderly gentleman – a professor in Hong Kong on his way to his father’s funeral in Hamilton, Ontario, struck up a conversation with me. Seems I look most approachable and friendly in the last hours of lengthy travel days. Sigh…

Confucius says: “Man going through airport turnstile sideways is going to Bangkok.”🎊

Kuala Lampur. Bangkok. Beijing. Toronto. 4 countries, 30+ hours of time-travelling travel. It was the LONGEST Friday ever!!!

Ditching the giant travel backpack for a roller-bag was definitely the right decision! With all the swing dancing nights and visits to multiple airports to get to the various destinations we had planned, having a roller-bag totally saved my back!

Funny story… just as I arrived to the doorstep of my gf’s place in KL, I was praising how great my lil’ roller-bag has been these past 3-years it’s been with me…and just as those words utter on my lips – the handle broke! Leaving me to have to pull this mofo bag by the straps for the remainder of the trip. LOL!

Not to fear, I bought myself a lovely new roller-carryon for my return home (and checked my broken bag on my flight home…since I ended up buying a ton of things from all three cities – Kuala Lampur – Boracay – Hoi An).