Kuala Lumpur

After three weeks in Thailand, I was approaching the point where Americans aren't welcome to stay without a visa. Rather than paying the Thai government more baht, I decided to hop over to Malaysia to avoid having to get a visa. It doesn't hurt that nonstop flights on AirAsia to Kuala Lumpur are cheap. As soon as I arrived, the most exciting thing about the trip hit me. It wasn't the smell of Malaysian cuisine or the fact that I scored a five-star hotel for $40. No, it was the fact that I was alone. For the first time since March 25.  As an extremely social person, this may seem a bit odd that I was so excited to be alone, but every once in a while (say 42 days) sleeping alone is a necessity. Sorry, future husband.

The Petronas Towers

After sleeping in for the first time in weeks, I walked out into KL's muggy humidity and straight into the Pavilion Mall across the street from my cushy room at the Prince Hotel. I should treat myself to private getaways more often. It's great! Upon arrival, I felt like I was back in LA. I spotted a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and The Counter in the first ten minutes. After caffeinating and gorging on a grilled cheese and half-and-half onion strings and skinny fries, I wasn't ready to leave the AC, so I wandered over to what turned out to be the nicest movie theater ever. The $20 ticket price is worth it for the Pavilion Mall Gold Class theater. I snuggled into my reclining chair with feather blanket and touch-button waiting service for two hours of side-splitting laughter watching Pitch Perfect 2.

KLCC Park

After getting a fix of dirty American indulgences, I was ready to wander around a be a good little tourist. I walked on the sky bridge over to the Petronas Towers and sat in the park nearby for as long as I could bare the heat (5 minutes). Somehow I ended up back in the air conditioned mall at Sephora soon after. 

These little pancake-like things were delicious!

To make up for my lack of cultural experiences during the day, I went on a walking street food tour with Charles, my trust guide from Food Tour Malaysia. Their Off the Eaten Track street food tour is highly recommendable. I ate all kinds of delicious things, none of which I know the name of. I also tried Nasi Lemak, the national dish of Malaysia, which I thought was pretty gross. I'm not a fan of the anchovy flavor in the sambal. 

Stinky Stinky

The other exciting yet gross thing I ate was durian. If you've never had durian before, don't. It smells so bad that its banned in most hotels and I was told it is illegal in Singapore. Don't quote me on that though; I haven't fact checked it. Regardless, it tastes slightly better than it smells, but since it smells horrid, that's still not good. 

Batu Caves

On my second day in KL, I explored the Batu Caves, just outside the city. The first cave I entered was really weird. It was sort of like a Hindu version of It's A Small World inside a cave that is also a temple. On the bright side, it was cool inside the cave. The main attraction at the caves is climbing up a really long stair case to a less Disney-like cave. For the Hindu people, this trek is a sort of pilgrimage. There were a number of pilgrims with their babies who had an orange chalky substance smeared all over their bald heads. It was a site to see watching the family carry the babies suspended in a cloth hanging from long bamboo polls hiking up the stairs while wild monkeys played around them.