Global Wanderer

19/3/24 – 20/3/24

104 days since getting back from Seoul, and I’m off again – this time travelling through a strange mix of countries and cities, all joined by their ancient history. First up, however, is a short stay in KL!

I’d booked flights through AirAsia from Perth to Delhi, and after several flight time changes, I was offered 2 choices – either an 11 hour layover, or a 28 hour layover. I opted for the latter, booked a hotel room in downtown KL, and decided it would be a good opportunity to get out and about.

Despite being forecast for clear skies, when I landed in KL, all I could see were rainclouds. The kliaEkspress is the best way to get into town, in my opinion ($25AUD for a return ticket is decent value), however after having caught the train TO the airport in Perth that morning, I have to say that we are absolutely spoiled with that new train line.

I hadn’t been to downtown KL since an exchange program in 2017, and the new development is really beginning to show. Instead of building more and more *ugly* highrises, KL is investing in the revamp of some of its older buildings (an example of which I’ll get to later!).

I’d booked a night at the new Lyf Hotel in Chinatown, having scored a great deal online – highly recommend this place, as it’s in a good location on the western end of Bukit Bintang, has brand-new facilities, and breakfast at the on-site cafe. After checking in, the heavens opened. Just my luck!

Finally, around 7pm, the rain slowed to a trickle, and I was able to head out. I’ve always loved eating / trying foods from around the world, and when I went on exchange back in 2017, I chowed down on everything and anything that was put in from of me – giving me a healthy love of Malaysian food in the process. I figured that on my KL layover, I could go and stuff my face with food – and that is exactly what I did.

About 20 minutes walk from my accommodation is Jalan Alor, also known as one of KL’s most famous ‘foodie’ streets. The half-kilometre street is lined with street food vendors, cheap plastic table and chair restaurants – and a large amount of people. I wolfed down a plate of seafood kway teow and a mamak mee goreng, and washed it all down with a copious amount of teh tarik (black tea with pulled condensed milk – if you haven’t tried this, you are missing out!).

After sleeping off my food coma, I packed my bags and headed downstairs to the hotel’s attached cafe for breakfast – rendang and eggs! Given that my night in KL wasn’t exactly part of my initial plans, I hadn’t made contact with anyone there – I also thought that one night wasn’t exactly long enough. I can’t say I was surprised, however, when I posted a photo on Instagram and had an instant flood of messages from friends of mine from exchange, asking what I was doing in KL, where I was going, who I was seeing, and when I’d be back. Most of these guys moved to Europe, the UK, or the USA for university, so the majority of them weren’t in the country, but they still wanted to know what I was going to get up to there. Yi Heng, whose family had hosted me, was quick to point out that I was obviously going to stock up on proper Malay food, and left me a standing invitation to come back over when he was home from Germany to stay with his family. Another friend, Sitara, was home from the UK for the Easter break, and despite the short notice, organised a quick meet-up before I headed back to the airport. The hospitality, warmth, and friendship that these guys all showed me, even 7 years on, was amazing.

Just a tiny section of this weird and wonderful bookshop!

We had a wonderful catch up at a bar in the basement of the REX-KL building. This place used to be a cinema, until it burnt down in the 70s. It then became a cinema again (deja vu?), before burning down AGAIN, in 2002. Instead of tearing it down though, it has been repaired and developed into a cultural centre, with a small art gallery, a bookstore that looks like it SHOULD be an art gallery, and several cafes and eateries. It definitely highlighted how development in KL is changing!

After saying my goodbyes, and promising to be back soon, I caught the LRT back to KL Sentral, and hopped back on the kliaEkspress, airport-bound. Next stop, India!