I Heart Kuala Lumpur

The infamous Petronas Towers

So it turns out that my initial impression of Kuala Lumpur wasn't just a knee-jerk reaction to being relieved to be out of Manila but that I really DO love this city. Whew!


Inside the luxury mall at the base of the towers.
And this is just a TINY little part of the
structure. It's pretty incredible.

The first thing I noticed upon arriving yesterday was that I saw more white people within five minutes here than I did in five days in Manila. Literally. So I could immediately tell I would blend in more and could make my way around less conspicuously, which was a nice reprieve. So today I took full advantage of my total anonymity and did what I do best while in a new place: I walked.


Cold Drink of the Day #1. I don't actually
know what it was, and it wasn't very good,
but it was cold and cold is good here.

My first destination was, you guessed it, Petronas Towers. You've surely seen the images of it, the two enormous twin towers that are joined by a walkway about halfway up. At the time they were built, they were the world's tallest building, a record they held for 6 years (until Taiwan totally showed them up). They're still the world's tallest twin building but, let's be honest, that's not nearly as impressive. Either way, they ARE impressive both in height and sheer overall magnitude.

By the time I got there (only about a 15-20 minute walk), I was, as is usual for me now, dripping with sweat. So, despite me not being even a little bit of a shopper, I was super grateful for the very upscale mall that is situated at the base of the towers. Mostly, I was glad for the AC and the cold drinks in the mall. I drink a lot of cold drinks these days. It is amazing just how much sweat one gal can produce in a single day, as it turns out. I've been hot places before, I've been humid places before, I have NEVER been to such a stiflingly hot and humid place before. It's kicking my butt.

But I refuse to let it keep me from doing what I want to do so I keep pressing on. I have, however, figured out a pretty good system. I don't even bother taking a shower in the am before leaving (gross, I know, but there really is NO point) and I head out to do what I want to do. Then I head back to the hotel around dinner time to cool off/refresh/shower/change before heading back out in the evening to enjoy the "cooler" temps. Pretty genius, I have to say.

The Bukit Bintang district, my home in
Kuala Lumpur

Tonight my outing was to simply enjoy the area my hotel is in. Turns out I scored big-time and am located in an excellent spot, right in the heart of one of the most popular areas of the city: Bukit Bintang. It's known for being the shopping and entertainment district of the city and when you walk out at night, it's slightly reminiscent of NY's Times Square. It was really nice to be in a place where I felt so safe and totally comfortable walking around outside in a place bustling with people and activity. I love that, I love being in places that thrive at night. That being said, it also helps that there is a bubble tea stand located there. Because, as we all know, you can never go wrong if bubble tea is involved.

Best shoes I've seen so far on this whole trip. Oh, how I
wish this picture did them even a little bit of justice.