Summer Travels: Malaysia, Malaysia
After two days touring Singapore and one day in Indonesia, it was time for the last stop on our trip before heading back to the Philippines.
We headed to the bus terminal around 8pm to catch a 9 o’clock bus for a 5-hour ride to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Singapore and Malaysia are connected by a short bridge, so it wasn’t difficult getting there.
However, because we were crossing international borders, there was an exit terminal from Singapore where we all received our passport exit stamp as well as an entrance terminal a few miles down the road in Malaysia where we got another stamp and had our baggage checked and scanned.
From the border crossing, it was about a 3.5 hour ride to the capital. It was dark and rainy and perfect for snoozing.
We arrived at the bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur around 2am and took a taxi to the apartment we would be staying in. We were all quite exhausted and morning would soon arrive for our first day of touring the city.
The first thing we noticed when waking up the next morning was the sounds coming from the nearby mosque. Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country, and every morning worshippers are called to morning prayers. It was an interesting experience to hear something like this for the first time.
After breakfast, we were picked up by our van driver who would take us around to the sites. The first day we saw the King’s Palace, Independence Square, the famous Petronas Twin Towers, several temples, and of course, some shopping malls. It was very hot in Kuala Lumpur, so even though I didn’t need to do much shopping, the air conditioned malls were a relief.
Once back to our apartment, it was time for dinner. Our apartment was equipped with a full kitchen, and a home cooked Asian meal was a nice change from eating out.
Our second day in Malaysia we were headed for caves and the mountains. Our first stop of the day was to Batu Cave, a Hindu Temple that sits in a cave on the side of a mountain. A giant golden statue of Kartiekeya, also known as Murugan, waits to greet visitors. It is famous for its 300+ stairs to the top and the monkeys that wait to greet climbers. They say if you give the monkey a water bottle, it will drink from it. But I didn’t see any thirsty monkeys that day. Nonetheless, it was quite an experience.
Next, was even further up in the mountains to a place they call Genting Highlands. To get here, we drove about 45–60 minutes up the mountain to a cable car terminal where we rode the rest of the way up through the clouds. At the top, we were nearly 5,000 ft in the air and truly in the clouds. A small town, shopping mall, and hotel and casino wait to greet those who make the trek up.
On the way down we had one more stop to a Taoist temple called Chin Swee Caves Temple. There we had a breathtaking view of the valley below. A giant Buddha statue sits nestled on the side of the mountain overlooking the temple grounds.
After the drive back down the mountain into the city and back to the apartment we were staying, it was time for a quick dinner, packing and our overnight flight back to the Philippines.
The first Asian journey was over and my three weeks in the Philippines was about to begin.
Until next time,
TTT
