Favorite Travel Destinations
Let’s talk about one of my favorite travel destinations: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Throughout my life I have been blessed to have traveled to some amazing places around the world from Singapore to Bali, to Bangkok, and many more. By the way, be sure to check out my previous blog article entitled “Traveling” by clicking here.
Trying new foods, learning new traditions, customs, and cultures, and meeting new people with different perspectives and stories from around the world will enrich your life greatly. If you are able to, please travel. To date however, my absolute favorite destination in the world is Dubai, and since my very first visit, I fell in love, and developed what I call my Dubai Dream. You can read more about that by clicking here.
But let’s talk about Kuala Lumpur, or KL as it is called. Simply put, KL is absolutely amazing. This bustling, ultra-modern metropolis, which is the capital of Malaysia, has a modern skyline, endless shopping and amazing food, sophistication, and fun. If you are a foodie like me, you will truly be in heaven. Just be sure to pack your stretchy pants.
Overall, I have no complaints about KL, but I must say that the weather can be extremely oppressive heat wise, and it seems to rain almost daily, even if only for a few minutes. However, Malaysia is very close to the equator, and I have learned that countries on or near the equator typically have high temperatures all year round, due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis. So, take heed as it can get extremely hot and humid, which can lead to a bad hair day. Hence why I wore my hair in a ponytail, or in some kind of updo for the entire duration of my trip, which was just under three weeks. I am a fall baby, born in November, and that kind of weather is my favorite, but if you enjoy heat, you will love KL.
During this trip, we, my mother and I, also did a side trip to Bali, Indonesia for a few days, since the flight is only three hours from KL, and we loved it! I plan to do another article about Bali in the near future, so stay tuned.
After twenty-three hours flying time, by way of Tokyo, Japan, words cannot express how happy I was when we finally landed in KL. It was a little after midnight, but we reserved our hotel as if we were checking in the night before so that we could check in immediately. Apparently, as long as you check-in prior to 6 a.m. it is considered the day before anyway. The funny thing about flying to this part of the world is that you would think it was the height of the afternoon based on the airport baggage claim area.
What I did not like however, is that once we deplaned, and arrived to the tram area which was to take us to baggage claim, we were told that the wait would be about fifteen to twenty minutes, but we could opt to take the bus instead, which we did, since it was scheduled to arrive in about five to ten minutes. Hello?! Did they not know that my flight, along with the other three or four flights that arrived with mine, were landing? Shouldn’t this have been scheduled better? But I digress.
The drive to the hotel was a little nerve wracking to say the least. I reserved a car in advance before we left the U.S., and it was easy to find once we passed through immigration and passport control, and obtained our luggage. However, traffic in KL can be bad. Really bad. I thought we were going to get dinged a good ten times because it seems that not everyone obeys the traffic laws, but I guess there are always some bad drivers in every country.
Our hotel called FACE Suites was located in the Golden Triangle area of KL, and is about forty-five minutes from the airport. This is a very popular area, since it is the shopping, entertainment and commercial hub of KL. I would absolutely stay at FACE Suites again! The staff was always friendly and ready to help with anything if needed. Taxi cabs were always out front so getting transportation was super easy. If we decided not to take a cab, the monorail station was only a five-minute walk.
We had a two bed-room unit on the twenty-ninth floor that had amazing views of the city (fifty floors total), with a full kitchen and living room, and each room was individually temperature controlled with its own remote. I loved being able to change the temperature in my room from the comfort of my bed. What I really enjoyed was that the unit looked exactly like the photos online.
Have you ever seen photos that were super amazing and you thought wow! This place looks beautiful! I can’t wait to get there, only to get there and it look NOTHING like the photos? I absolutely hate that, but in this case, I was pleasantly surprised. Additionally, the rooftop pool was breathtaking. The views were beyond beautiful.
Between resting, because your body will force you to rest especially after such a long flight and a thirteen-hour time difference, we had so much fun in KL. We visited the Pavilion Mall, Petronas Twin Towers, Suria KLCC, Atmosphere 360 Rotating Restaurant in Menara KL Tower, Jalan Petaling, Kasturi Walk, Central Market, National Mosque, King’s Palace, Naughty Nuri’s (The best ribs outside of the U.S. hands down!), Hilton KL for Brunch, DeepBlue at FACE Suites, Day trip to the City of Malacca (world heritage city) the Batu Caves, and much more.
The day we went to Atmosphere 360 rotating restaurant it was actually sunny! Seeing the sunset over the city was truly awesome! It was as if GOD was smiling down on me, since it was my birthday. The views were breathtaking and the food was delicious. The staff came over to our table with a brownie with a candle on a plate that said “Happy Birthday” in chocolate and sang to me. It was so nice.
I also learned in KL that an expat, which is a person who lives outside of their native country, cannot purchase any property in KL unless the property costs over the equivalent of $250,000 or more. As of the date of this article, that may or may not have changed, but that was the case when we visited. In a way, that is a good thing, to save the less expensive homes and properties for the citizens of that country. Whether or not you agree with this, you still need to respect it. We must always remember that regardless of where we travel, we must be respectful of and abide by that country’s rules and regulations. It just makes the experience better for all.
I love traveling to different parts of the world because it is like stepping into a whole new world of smells, languages, colors, sights, sounds and people. It is a wonderful experience that tunes you into how others live, how they love, how they create art, how they dress and much more. Experience life to the fullest! I can’t wait to see where my next adventure takes me! Here’s to more traveling in 2023 and beyond. Happy Travels!
