A 3 day trip is a great city break back in Europe and that is exactly how we treated our time in Kuala Lumpur (KL) we went out sightseeing all day and tried to fit in as much a possible but like with all city breaks there is still so much to go back and do.
I have talked about airbnb many times on this blog and a few weeks ago when we were looking for an airbnb in KL we came across Shin. A lovely, friendly and bubbly woman who likes to treat her guests like long lost friends. As soon as we booked with her she started chatting to me on whatsapp, It was awesome, she started asking what we wanted to do and that we must all share food, Nathan and I loved that she wanted to go out to eat with us on the first night!
We landed and got the bus to KL Sentral train station where we sat and waited for Shin to pick us up and take us to her place in an area of the city called Titiwangsa. After a few hours downtime Shin drove us to a night market outside of the city that was completely local and there was no one with a camera that looked like a tourist so I didn't walk around taking too many photos.
Shin said she loves food and she basically wanted us to try everything. So walking around the market we tried the following.....
Asam Laksa - a curry flavoured soup with mackerel which is a Malaysian speciality.
Dim Sum which is from China but very popular in Malaysia
A corn on the con cooked on the BBQ.
Otak otak which is Coconut leaf filled with fish paste and cooked on a BBQ. When it is cooked you peel open the leaf and pull out the contents which to me was like a soft salami hot dog but not at all fishy.
Waterapple and Guava chopped into pieces was delicious.
Apam Balik which is kinda like a pancake with coconut, corn and syrup.
The night market was awesome and it was so good going with a local who could point out all the things we should try. Shin was so generous as well as she would walk off and pay for something and then insist we try some.
On Tuesday we headed to the Batu Caves on Tasha's recommendation, we both thought they were great. We got off the train and were greeted by Hanuman.
We went into Ramayama Cave where models had been made to tell the story of the Hindu deity Rama.
Then we headed to see the statue of Lord Murugan. It is the biggest statue of this Hindu deity outside of India.
We climbed the steps to the Temple Cave where people were making offerings and carrying out prayers.
There were so many monkeys running around everywhere.
It was great, we really enjoying seeing Batu Caves and the statues. I have to add that it was probably one of the hottest times of my life. Sweat was literally running off of me! KL was so unbelievably hot!
Next we headed to Central Market for some lunch. Another delicious soup.
As we went to leave it started to pour with rain so we had a walk around the market, craft style shops and saw a fish spa for £2 for 15 minutes so we decided to give it ago.
It was absolutely hilarious Nathan put his feet in and started screaming and laughing and making so much noise everyone was turning and laughing too! His feet were so ticklish.
A family came over and asked me why so many fish were eating my feet. I explained there was probably a lot of dead skin from 8 months travelling for them to feast on.
Afterwards our feet felt amazing and we walked to China Town.
Then to the Chinese Temple.
Then the mosque.
And finally back to Shins to take a well needed shower.
On Wednesday we went to one of the best museums I've ever been to, The Islamic Arts museum. The first exhibition is all about the features of a mosque and there are models of the most architecturally fascinating mosques from around world.
I also found it amazing to be able to stand next to the Kiswa which was actually the curtain that hung on the Ka'aba door for the entire year in 1964.
There was a wonderful exhibition on the Qur'an, the different styles and handwriting.
The museum was excellent and one of the most interesting collections I have ever seen, I really loved it. We then caught the monorail to a place for lunch then we headed to the KL Tower.
Another hot walk and we eventually arrived at the tower. We took the elevator to the top and had a beautiful clear view of the city.
And the Petronas Towers.
That evening we headed to little India where we had amazing food. We started with lentil cakes.
Then we had a mix of vegetarian dishes and buttered chicken. It was all beautiful.
On Thursday morning our new friend Shin walked us to the monorail and waves goodbye to us at the platform, promising to keep in touch.
What a lovely lady and a lovey city.