Wanderlust Wednesday: Kuala Lumpur

 Our last trip to Kuala Lumpur was almost two years ago now but I can still remember loving the capital of Malaysia. So instead of bore you with details, here are a few of my favorite things from KL:

1. The mega-malls. It is so damn hot in this city, that the only respite from the heat is to head into the malls. There are numerous mega-malls with amazing stores, but the best part about them is their movie theaters! We went to countless movies, each costing a mere $4! Some theaters gave you blankets, others you sat on a bean bag...and the theaters were always nicer than the ones I've been to in the states!

2. The districts: there is a china town, a little india, and tons of beautiful architecture throughout the city.

3. We were lucky enough to visit KL during their New Year celebrations, and they were so colorful, loud and fun!  

4.  The food. This is my favorite memory from Malaysia is all the delicious food. You can't go wrong (well you can if you don't eat the street food). We definitely suggest sitting down at a local cafeteria style place and ordering dosa!

5. One of the strangest things that happened to me in KL was when I was sitting at an outside table, zoning out on my computer, I looked to my right and there was a giant monkey just strolling right by me. I watched him and he just continued his journey onward, using the sidewalk like it was just another commute home from work. Only in Asia!

If you want to read more about our trip in Malaysia:

Here is our first experience in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

An old Wanderlust Wednesday in Penang, Malaysia

Another Wanderlust Wednesday in Malacca, Malaysia

Wanderlust Wednesday: Cameron Highlands

Located in Central Malaysia, the Cameron Highlands sits on a plateau that was first developed by the British in the 1920s. The Cameron Highlands have their own entire eco-system, and is one of the coldest places we went to is Southeast Asia.  As we journeyed up to one of the small towns in the Cameron Highlands called Tanah Rata, it looked as if we had accidentally landed ourselves in the British countryside, tea and crumpets included. It is also the same place where Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared...so we are took care to avoid tigers, headhunters, snakes, scorpions and basically everything that didn't involve tea or strawberries.

*our hostel- the actual sleeping part was in another building that looked straight out of English countryside. 

The Cameron Highlands don't have much in the way of actual towns, but most people come to enjoy the hiking, and the countryside anyway.

 While in the Cameron Highlands we took a "leisure tour" throughout the country side. This was actually the tour's name, and  despite this being a "leisure tour," we learned a very valuable lesson, never ever, ever be late with an Indian tour guide.

Our "leisure tour" through the CH lasted only a day, but they crammed in a greenhouse, a temple, a strawberry farm, a honeybee farm, a tea plantation, and a butterfly sanctuary complete with reptiles...so I'd say we saw quite a bit of Tanah Rata!

The "BOH" tea plantation pictures are below... the pictures that look like a green carpet over the land are actually black tea. We were proper British, or in this case Scottish (BOH was started by a Scot in the 1800's) and drank cups of tea while gazing absentmindedly at the plantation before us.

Our final destination was a butterfly farm. Brian held a surprisingly cute gecko while our guide explained to out about the 276 species of snakes that live in Malaysia, 5 being deadly and even a deadly centipede. After hearing this news and looking at too many snakes, tarantulas, and scorpions that oddly found their way into the butterfly farm, we decided trekking through the Cameron Highlands on our own was probably not the best idea.

The Cameron Highlands are beautiful and if you ever find yourself in Malaysia, they are worth the trip! And the chilly air gives a little bit of reprieve from Asia's extremely hot and humid weather.

Wanderlust Wednesday: Penang, Malaysia

Located on Malaysia's West Coast is the island of Penang. The little colonial island town, Georgetown, is the main destination on Penang. 

Long ago, Penang existed as an important trading destination for China and the Middle East, long before Hong-Kong or Singapore. Because of its importance as a trading hub, Penang's culture has sprouted around a mix of all different types of people, from countries all over asia, lending to a group of extremely unique cultures, for which Malaysia is famous for. 

While we were there, we stayed at a beautifully restored old Peranakan mansion turned hostel. Peranakan is a culture formed out of the descendants of 15th century Chinese traders.  Our beautiful Peranakan hostel was  located in the popular Love Lane, which curiously acquired the name because it was the road where wealthy Chinese businessmen kept their mistresses. 

So after checking in to our cozy place, we did what we do best and searched out the flavors of the city. Conveniently, Love Lane is only a few blocks from Little India, so we immediately found our favorite, banana-leaf lunches and relished the wonderful-ness that is Indian food.  

Shown below, most Indian food we had in Malaysia was served on a banana leaf, and for a few dollars you get a huge mound of rice. The waiter then comes around with side dishes. You mix it all in with your fingers and kind of shovel it into your mouth. If you have never tried a banana-leaf lunch, or South-Indian sweets, I highly recommend you track some down, the flavors will change your life, although I warn you, you will never look forward to your turkey sandwich lunches again.  

Penang on a whole is slightly weathered and decrepit, but the culture and food is astounding, and it has one of my favorite Little India's, so if you ever find yourself in Malaysia, head to Penang, bring sunscreen, and prepare to eat...a lot!

Wanderlust Wednesday: Malacca, Malaysia

Located on Malaysia’s West Coast, Malacca is an old port town and UNESCO World Heritage site. I love Malacca (or Melaka in Malaysian), not just because it has the best food in the world, but because it is deeply entrenched in history and each street felt like I was walking around in the 1800s.

 In 1511 the Portuguese settled Melaka, then in 1641 the Dutch took over, and finally the British in 1795.  Left-over from the intense colonization of Malacca is a beautiful rust-red paint,  that surrounds almost every building in the center of town (I still can’t remember the link between the Europeans and this paint job, but I will try and find out!). 

 Outside of the Europeans, there is also a large Chinese population. Starting in the 15th century, many of these Chinese settlers intermarried with local Malays and created a new culture, known as Baba-Nyonya.  The Baba-Nyonya culture thrives to this day and can be seen throughout the wonderful regional dishes served only in Melaka. Because of the Babas, Nyonyas, and the Portugese, Melaka is now known for its egg and pineapple tarts (seriously way more delicious than it sounds), popiah,  laksa, a coconut/lemongrass infused noodle dish, and cendol, a shaved-ice treat with jellies, coconut milk and cane syrup.

When we were in Malacca, we tried it all, although, cendol was my least favorite. My shaved ice (cendol) came with sweet corn and red beans in the bottom and was topped with molasses; not the best combination.   We stumbled into Malacca as a two-day stopover on our way to Indonesia. We couldn't bring ourselves to leave after two days, and we ended up spending ten days in this quiet town,  wandering around, eating all sorts of weird food, and meandering through the night market in Chinatown. 

If you ever find yourself in Asia, I highly recommend seeing Malaysia and staying a long-while in Malacca!

To hear more about our stay in Malacca and to see some amazing photos taken by B, click HERE. 

Obviously we are obsessed with food (who isn't?), so we made a video of us eating in Malacca...

  *side note: the best South Indian food EVER is located in Malacca. It is served on a banana leaf and you mix the rice and side dishes with your hand (right only).