Arrived in Kuala Lumpur

After a late morning breakfast I take a bus to Kuala Lumpur from Melaka. It is approximately a 2 hour ride. I have a food tour booked this evening at 5:30 PM so I hope I gave myself enough time to check into my hotel, rest and get to the meet up point. I am not feeling the best. My sinuses are acting up but I decide to power through the evening.

Hotel

My hotel is nice and new. The only problem is the plug is hidden in this compartment that doesn’t quite fit my adapter. I have to call the front desk for assistance and after 20 minutes we finally figure it out and I am finally able to plug in my gadgets, albeit awkwardly.

Chow Kit Food tour

I don’t feel great but I force myself out to the food tour. Doing a food tour first thing always gives me more confidence when I am out eating on my own.

We first stop at the market where we get to try some fruits. Many I have tried before but I am always happy to try them again.

We next stop for some roti and noodles. Some of the bread is filled with egg and accompanied by different sauces. We each get our try to make our own bread. It is harder than it looks so I leave it to the expert.

I learn about torch ginger which is an ingredient in many Malaysian dishes.

And we are to have cendol which I will not complain about. The guide uses this as an opportunity to get the group to try the durian. I am hesitant but partake anyway. It gets easier to handle each time I try it.

We stop next to get a Geeget burger. It is a beef burger that is halal and distributed to vendors who use interesting toppings.

We then try three different laksas (noodle soup). We are warned about the increasingly spicy of the choices but I find myself loving all of them and one of the spicier ones being my favorite. Have I developed a liking for spicy foods again?

I finally get to try Ikan Bakar (grilled fish). It is another dish I have been wanting to try but been too scared to order. This is a tasty mackerel.

My tour guide takes us to the last remaining village in the city. He doesn’t think it will be here long because it is getting forced out by new development. It is intact for now but the surrounding areas are all filled with luxury developments.

We try some satay. It is good but I feel myself start to get uncomfortably full so its hard to eat. We also try this fish paste in a banana leaf. I am not a fan.

Finally we try Nasi Lemak – fried chicken, rice, and sambal in a pandan leaf. I am excited about this because its been on my list. It is very good. We also have a mango shake and a dessert to finish it off. Everyone is very full after this so we take a walk and have a great view of the city.

I still do not know the way around the city yet since I just arrived. I’m pretty tired but I brave taking the free bus back to my neighborhood with a couple who were also on the tour. I don’t know where it will stop but its got to be a shorter walk than if I walked from where I am at ~ 45 minutes. I watch on google maps as we travel. It seems to be going in the correct direction then makes a turn away from where I want to be. I get off at the next stop with an anticipated 10 minute walk. The area I am in is very lively and crowded and I still don’t know where I am going. It takes me about 20 minutes to find my hotel but I eventually get to where I need to be. The area I am in sort of reminds me of a mini-times square. There are street performers and crowds. I am exhausted but try to have my wits about me because if there is an area to be pick pocketed, this is it. Maybe I’ll return when I have a ounce of energy.

The next morning I still feel like garbage. There is no coughing and no fever. Just this lingering sinus issue. I take some meds, get a quick breakfast from downstairs and decide that my grand plans for today are definitely not happening. I force myself out after around noon to visit some temples and get lunch.

That’s a tall thing in the middle of nothing.

I visit the highy recommended Mee Tarik Restoran to try the beef ramen. They hand pull all their noodles locally. My visit didn’t start well. Line is very long but seems to move pretty quickly and when it comes time for me to be seating they keep passing me by and seating people in line behind me. Eventually I get directed inside where there are no empty tables but as soon as one opens up they put another party there. I make a big deal about being passed up again and eventually they tell me to sit at this round table with four other girls who don’t seem to mind. As a solo traveler you are often overlooked even sometimes seen as a nuisance. It can be annoying at times.

The beef ramen is good but I find myself jealous of the girl at the table who ordered the braised beef ramen. That looks really good. If I return I will get that and an order of dumplings.

I walk around Chinatown a bit, visit a temple, and find a cute bookstore made from a repurposed theatre. I also see a couple more Chinese new year dragon performances.

Some hidden artwork pictures such as this Yayoi Kusama portrait.

My energy does not last though. Though I have no fever I am visibly sweating more than everyone else and just overall feel run down. I might be legit sick. Back to the hotel to rest. Hopefully a little rest now will keep me from being out multiple days of travel.

Sunrise at Borobudur

One of the most popular things to see in Yogyakarta Indonesia is the Borobudur temple. This 9th century UNESCO temple is considered to be the largest Buddhist monument on Earth.

I am going to see it at sunrise.

Borobudur temple sunrise viewing is probably the best sunrise viewing I have ever witnessed.

I almost regretted this 3 am wake up call for sunrise but I am definitely glad I went to see it.

I tried to nap during the car ride to the temple. Everything is still pitch black when I arrive. I arrive at the main building to check in and retrieve a sticker to show I have paid admission. The plan is to head out to the temple to watch the sunrise then head back to the main building for a buffet breakfast.

It is off in the dark with a little flashlight to the temple.

I get up to the top of the temple and soon the sun starts sneaking up the horizon.

I find the dragonflies flying around the temple at sunrise charming. Someone tells me their life span is very short.

I actually had tears in my eyes watching the colors off in the distance against the shadow of the mountains. I have never cried at a sunrise before.

The sun puts light on the temple so gently.

After the sun rises I view the temple in full light.

It gets quiet in areas as the crowd dies down. It really is a peaceful experience.

I descend the temple to walk to the main building get my buffet breakfast. Not memorable but I enjoy the coffee (I am so addicted).

Temple from the bottom looks very different

Video of the experience….very sorry about it being vertical.

After breakfast we head out to another temple. I am definitely going to nap on the way!

Angkor Small Circuit: Banteay Kdei

The Buddhist temple Bantaey Kdei is actually the last temple I saw in Siem Reap. I didn’t leave it to last in my posts because I believe in ending my temple posts with the more impressive Ta Prohm .

It isn’t as impressive as some of the others but it is peaceful and quiet and a nice end of two days of extreme temple sightseeing.

Angkor Small Circuit: Angkor Wat Sunrise

Angkor Wat is the most famous Cambodian temple. This 12th century temple was originally built as a Hindu temple and then later became Buddhist temple.

I am there early, before 5 am to be exact. Myself and probably thousands of other people are there to watch what is the wonder of the Angkor Wat sunrise. When I arrive it is still dark. I cross the water bridge with many other people in pursuit of a spot to watch the sunrise.

Viewing around the lake proves popular, the crowd is already deep enough that I am unable to get an unobstructed view. I am disappointed so I wander around and try to at least find higher ground so I can see. That plan isn’t working so I push myself up to the crowd and hope the people surrounding me are generous with sharing the view with my short self.

At one point I walk around the lake and peer back at the crowds.

I slowly watch the sky change. The temple comes more into focus as time passes.

My photos are coming out only so-so therefore I head into the temple for some sightseeing before the sun fully rises and makes it unbearably hot.

I start along the perimeter of the temple. I marvel at the stone carvings along the wall.

I head further inside the temple to look around.

There is a long line to get up to the next level since they limit the amount of people at once. Once I arrive up top I view the line below.

Its getting warm and I still have many temples to see for the day so I head out. Despite the crowds it is a lovely temple to visit.

Mekong River Delta

Today I head to the Mekong river delta. Today is just a short visit. A van picks me up at my hotel and we drive out to a launch area.

On the way we stop to see a bunch of Buddhas at Vinh Trang Pagoda.

We arrive at the boat launching site. We are shown a map to see the areas we plan to visit today.

First we stop at a honey bee farm. We learn about honey and royal jelly. We get the hard sell on the wonders of royal jelly. We get to enjoy a honey tea.

We try some local fruits: Mango, Papaya, persimmon, dragonfruit, jackfruit.

While we sample fruits we experience a musical performance. Singers sing local songs and we hear instruments I have never seen before.

video

It is now time to catch a ride to where we leave for our boat rides.

Apparently it is too far to walk or I would have walked it if I could. The transportation to the boat is a horse drawn carriage. Most people probably think that is quaint but I have vowed to not use animals for transportation like that anymore. When asked if we would like alternative transportation I and one other ask for something else. The other mode is an electric golf cart. Apparently it is a big deal because the guide keeps trying to talk me out of it. I know I am sort of being “difficult” about it but I am going to trust my gut this time. If there is an alternative mode of transport then I am taking it. There is a long wait but the cart finally arrive for us difficult ones. The distance doesn’t seem too far. I probably could have walked it.

It gets pretty crowded at the a launch site. Lots of boats are being filled with tourists such as ourselves. Eventually it settles down a bit.

We stop at a coconut candy factory. We get to see how the candies are produced. After sampling the candies I buy some to snack on during my travels. Unfortunately they don’t get too far since ants in my hotel room later in Siem Reap chow down on them instead 😦

We also get to sample some coconut liquor. I try a little bit, but not the type that is fermented with snakes, yuk.

We have another boat ride, this one motorized, to where we are to eat lunch. There are less boats in this area so besides the motors, it is very peaceful.

It is time for lunch. Look at those fried fish!

After eating I take advantage of one of the bikes they have to take a short ride around. There are fish, fruit and random animals around the property to look at.