After coming down from the mountain, I was transported back Gili T along with Pierre, Gunda, and Kiley. We all met up for dinner at the night market and then headed back to our hostels for an early night. I was able to procure my own cabana for under $10 through some fast talking, but they upped my price to $15 the next day when they realized my deal was way too cheap, but they gave me free breakfast to make up for it. It was pretty amazing, it was the first time I had my own hostel room since I started traveling over 4 months ago...It was so glorious to finally sleep alone and have complete peace and quiet.
After a few days of doing absolutely nothing in Gili, I made my way back to Bali via speedboat. I was hoping to get transferred to Denpasar, where the airport is located, but the farthest they would take me was Sanur. Thus, I found my way to the same hostel I stayed at last time, The Big Pineapple. I had a down day to do my laundry and catch up on blogging before trying to make my way to Kuala Lumpur.
When I got to the airport, I moved through security and found the AirAsia check in gate, but as I handed over my itinerary I was informed that my flight didn't leave from the airport I was standing in. Rather, it left from an airport that wasn't even on Bali, but on an entirely different island in Indonesia, Borneo, 839 kilometers (521 miles) across the ocean. In my paper-thin defense, the airport I booked my flight from was named Balikpapan, I mean come on, it has Bali in the name! To my dismay, I wasn't allowed to transfer tickets or get any sort of credit, not even for the baggage fees I had already paid. Thus I was forced to purchase a new ticket from Denpasar to Kuala Lumpur. Whereas my initial flight was set to leave at 11 AM, my new one didn't leave until 5 PM, giving me a lot of time to hang out at the airport and reflect on how my University education was working out.
With 8 hours to kill, I made my way to a little shopping area past the airport where I spent my morning in Starbucks and afternoon in Burger King. If you have free wifi and power outlets, you have my business. I arrived in KL around 8 PM, but by the time I got through customs, took the 75 minute bus into town and walked over to the monorail station, it was approaching 11. I stumbled into the cheapest hostel I could find and hoped for a good night's rest, but the dude across from me was talking on his phone and blaring music at 2 in the morning and the kid above me started watching anime at 4, so my slumber was a hodgepodge assortment of naps.
KL is nothing like what I had envisioned. I was imagining an average size city with a few skyscrapers and a rather poor economy, but that was not the case at all. It's a city with futuristic ambitions; Locals playing on smart phones, sprawling shopping districts, ultra efficient monorail and train systems, and some very stylish skyscrapers. The modernism is partially thrown off by the conservative apparel though. The vast majority of men and women don't show much skin, even wearing jeans and long sleeves amidst the 33 degree heat (91 Fahrenheit). It's also pretty 50/50 on women adorning the traditional Muslim headscarf, the hijab.
The hostel I was staying at wasn't even full backpackers. Nearly everyone in my room was Malaysian, but when I'd go to the other floors I'd see Caucasians. Maybe I got put on the Asian floor, but Caucasians are asians too, so in my mind there shouldn't be segregation against them just because their bad with math and computers. During my second night, a girl ran into my room at 4 AM after being held at knife-point... in the hostel. Her English was broken, but she had either been asked for money from the guy or the guy had given her money and wanted sex in exchange. Either way, when she didn't comply, he pulled a knife on her. We couldn't contact the police because she was in fact an illegal immigrant...Who would have thought they have illegal immigrant issues here as well? Thus one of the guys walked her to a different hotel since the assailant had apparently already fled the scene and the coast was clear.
The next day, I walked past the wanted signs of the previous night's attacker, whose picture was now posted on the entryways to each level of the hostel, and made my way to the monorail station to see some of the city. I met up with Daphne, who I had met in the Gilis to explore Chinatown, which was several blocks of wall to wall stalls filled with knockoff purses, watches, jerseys, and hello kitty apparel. She too was in a creepy hostel, with questionable roommates. I don't know why the hostels are so creepy there, they are built like prison cells with no natural light allowed to enter.
One day I decided to go to the Petronas Towers. I was a little confused when I arrived because I was under the impression the Patronus was a mythical creature created by JK Rowling, so I was expecting something like that. However, what I found was the third largest skyscraper in the world and the most impressive piece of modern architecture that I have ever seen.. The twin towers are absolutely stunning in design and sheer magnitude, like Redwoods in a field of Dandelions. I have never felt smaller in my life than standing in front of those buildings. Which is ironic, because I'd never felt taller than in Malaysia. I was generally a full head and shoulders above the males and close to a foot taller than most girls. Though to be fair my new running shoes add a few inches to my height, putting me over the 6 foot mark. And when you factor in the 5 inches of upward hair growth I have experienced, I'm probably nearing 6'6.
The Towers also contained a mall, which was full of Christmas decorations, which made me feel a little nostalgic for home. I'll even admit I ordered a coffee and sat there for a few hours, soaking up all the Christmas joy, with the giant trees and flashing decorations. I was so impressed by the Petronas building that I headed back there the next day to make a few time lapses of the clouds passing over the towers.
During my week in KL, I made most of my meals to save money, grilling hamburgers and hot dogs that didn't have any change in color when cooked...Seriously, they stayed blood red. You don't feel very confident in your stomach's digestive powers whilst looking at it, but then you realize you bought a ten pack, so you best be crossing your fingers. I also ventured to some fast food places after stepping on a scale that claimed my weight was down to 150 lbs. I mean, I know I'm shrinking but that can't be possible, I'm praying that thing was broken! At McDonalds. I learned I could get a Big Mac meal for roughly $3. To put that in perspective, a single Skittle cost $11 in Australia.
Some people know I have crazy diets. Sometimes I'll go cold turkey and not eat any junk food for 3 months, replacing meals with protein shakes...And other times I'll gorge on junk food, replacing meals with cans of Pringles. My diet in KL was equivalent to what would happen if you told a 7 year old to buy groceries, gave him $50, and then dropped him in front of Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory... It was a pretty disgusting and shameful few days to say the least.
I was so lazy in Malaysia that at one point I was lying in bed and the only thought that ran through my head for an entire hour was, "Cadbury milk chocolate, you are the greatest thing that's ever happened to me". I was a complete waste of oxygen for most of my time there. Plus I smelled awful some days because I was too lazy to shower after I'd walked around the city for like 6 hours and been super sweaty. Since my room was just 2 local Malaysian guys I didn't really feel the need to impress anyone.
On one hand, when you're a backpacker, the big cities aren't usually what you're looking for, but they are cool to visit from time to time. I spent a week in KL, which was a little excessive since I didn't accomplish anything of value, but it's nice to have downtime. I was able to take care of some Christmas shopping, mail a few things back home, and get caught up on my blog, uploading pictures, and relaxing. I also ordered some stuff for my brother to bring to me when he meets me in Thailand. To all the people that told me get a polarizer lens kit...shit's about to get real!
When the time arrived to leave, I decided to switch up my route back to the airport and take the speed train instead of the bus. The train was incredibly fast, getting me there in 30 minutes. However, when I meandered up to the departure gates, I noticed the Air Asia stands were hard to come by, and a slow sneaking, familiar feeling started creeping into my head...Did I really go to the wrong airport again, for the second time in a week? Absolutely I did.
Turns out Air Asia operates out of a completely different terminal...but that terminal is basically a different airport. Thus I had to hitch a bus 40 mins to the LCC terminal. Epic Fail. Navigating your way through the airport was madness. Depending on which country you are headed to, you have to check in through different security areas. For Thailand, you have to pre-scan your bags and get your ticket through a special section of check-in counters. After you check your bag, you leave that area and then go back to the main terminal to go through immigration and then you head through security a final time for your carry on stuff. Wheeeewww, so even though I left from my hostel 4 hours before my flight was supposed to leave, I only got to my gate with 45 minutes to spare. Madness! My flight also ended up being delayed for an hour, but no formal announcement was made either over intercom or on the flight boards, but that's just how it goes. So after all that I was finally on my way to Thailand, where I didn't do any research or planning on how to get from Hat Yai to Krabi, but that my friends is a story for another blog....
Random GoPros
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| One last look at the Gilis |
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| I totally look like a slutty schoolteacher in this photo |
With 8 hours to kill, I made my way to a little shopping area past the airport where I spent my morning in Starbucks and afternoon in Burger King. If you have free wifi and power outlets, you have my business. I arrived in KL around 8 PM, but by the time I got through customs, took the 75 minute bus into town and walked over to the monorail station, it was approaching 11. I stumbled into the cheapest hostel I could find and hoped for a good night's rest, but the dude across from me was talking on his phone and blaring music at 2 in the morning and the kid above me started watching anime at 4, so my slumber was a hodgepodge assortment of naps.
KL is nothing like what I had envisioned. I was imagining an average size city with a few skyscrapers and a rather poor economy, but that was not the case at all. It's a city with futuristic ambitions; Locals playing on smart phones, sprawling shopping districts, ultra efficient monorail and train systems, and some very stylish skyscrapers. The modernism is partially thrown off by the conservative apparel though. The vast majority of men and women don't show much skin, even wearing jeans and long sleeves amidst the 33 degree heat (91 Fahrenheit). It's also pretty 50/50 on women adorning the traditional Muslim headscarf, the hijab.
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| Ummm that sign says Malaysia instead of America...WTF? |
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| This elephant is tough to read...Is he sad based on his posture or mischievous based upon his stare |
The next day, I walked past the wanted signs of the previous night's attacker, whose picture was now posted on the entryways to each level of the hostel, and made my way to the monorail station to see some of the city. I met up with Daphne, who I had met in the Gilis to explore Chinatown, which was several blocks of wall to wall stalls filled with knockoff purses, watches, jerseys, and hello kitty apparel. She too was in a creepy hostel, with questionable roommates. I don't know why the hostels are so creepy there, they are built like prison cells with no natural light allowed to enter.
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| This temple wasn't as amazing as the temple that is my body |
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| I was a little underwhelmed by the amount of Hello Kitty merchandise |
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| Reaching for the sky |
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| China Town |
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| I need to work up the courage to try this, it's like a Chia Pet infused strawberry |
The Towers also contained a mall, which was full of Christmas decorations, which made me feel a little nostalgic for home. I'll even admit I ordered a coffee and sat there for a few hours, soaking up all the Christmas joy, with the giant trees and flashing decorations. I was so impressed by the Petronas building that I headed back there the next day to make a few time lapses of the clouds passing over the towers.
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| This is how you claim the sky... |
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| Racecar spelled backwards is racecar...You've been palindromed |
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| Christmas!!!! |
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| Such a modern city...was not expecting that at all |
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| Not a bad view from the backside either...451.9 meters high, 88 stories. |
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| I actually got inside these twins, unlike the ones from the Rinjani tr....Ewwww now I'm just being creepy!!! |
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| Malaysia. Messi. Mustache! |
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| When the sky turned grey, it was like a poster-board for evil corporations |
Some people know I have crazy diets. Sometimes I'll go cold turkey and not eat any junk food for 3 months, replacing meals with protein shakes...And other times I'll gorge on junk food, replacing meals with cans of Pringles. My diet in KL was equivalent to what would happen if you told a 7 year old to buy groceries, gave him $50, and then dropped him in front of Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory... It was a pretty disgusting and shameful few days to say the least.
I was so lazy in Malaysia that at one point I was lying in bed and the only thought that ran through my head for an entire hour was, "Cadbury milk chocolate, you are the greatest thing that's ever happened to me". I was a complete waste of oxygen for most of my time there. Plus I smelled awful some days because I was too lazy to shower after I'd walked around the city for like 6 hours and been super sweaty. Since my room was just 2 local Malaysian guys I didn't really feel the need to impress anyone.
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| Funniest thing about Asia...Petrol is so cheap all the fast food places deliver |
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| The McDonalds Prosperity Meal Deal.......CURLYS!!!!! Upon seeing them I had to listen to Tenacious D - Drive Thru |
When the time arrived to leave, I decided to switch up my route back to the airport and take the speed train instead of the bus. The train was incredibly fast, getting me there in 30 minutes. However, when I meandered up to the departure gates, I noticed the Air Asia stands were hard to come by, and a slow sneaking, familiar feeling started creeping into my head...Did I really go to the wrong airport again, for the second time in a week? Absolutely I did.
Turns out Air Asia operates out of a completely different terminal...but that terminal is basically a different airport. Thus I had to hitch a bus 40 mins to the LCC terminal. Epic Fail. Navigating your way through the airport was madness. Depending on which country you are headed to, you have to check in through different security areas. For Thailand, you have to pre-scan your bags and get your ticket through a special section of check-in counters. After you check your bag, you leave that area and then go back to the main terminal to go through immigration and then you head through security a final time for your carry on stuff. Wheeeewww, so even though I left from my hostel 4 hours before my flight was supposed to leave, I only got to my gate with 45 minutes to spare. Madness! My flight also ended up being delayed for an hour, but no formal announcement was made either over intercom or on the flight boards, but that's just how it goes. So after all that I was finally on my way to Thailand, where I didn't do any research or planning on how to get from Hat Yai to Krabi, but that my friends is a story for another blog....
Random GoPros
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| The monorail, so amazing! $1 takes you anywhere. |
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| The majority of people drive motorbikes instead of cars |
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| Sardines.... |
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| I hope when the moment comes you'll say, " I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give, I saw so many places, the things that I did. Yeah with every broken bone, I swear I lived". |
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| My broseph and I were obsessed with A&W as kids....can't beleive there's one in KL |
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| I had to gopro the towers a few blocks away just to get them into a single shot! So massive |
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| There's a slight chance I could use a haircut |
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| Such a cool shot using the GoPro |
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