Day 20: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Wednesday May 31st, 2023)

Today I wanted to stick with my morning routine, so I woke up at 6:00. I did some journaling, and then an upper body workout followed by meditation. The workout was comical because it was in the 4'*4'(ish) shoe box of a "pod" that I was in. But it was better than nothing! 

Afterwards, I figured I'd get sweaty during the day so didn't bother showering. I changed and got ready then headed out to get breakfast. The hostel has a deal with the cafe downstairs where if you leave a review, you get free breakfast! It was about 8:00 now, so I went to do that before leaving. I needed to leave by 8:25 to catch the train to the batu caves where I was meeting some people from the Kuala Lumpur group chat. I got a chia yogurt pudding bowl with an iced latte, that I ate really quickly. I was able to leave on time and hussled to the train station. 

When I got to Batu Caves, I recognized the girl I was meeting based on her description. My sim from Singapore still isn't working, so I connected with her ahead of time as to when and where to meet, and what we both look like. 

When we got to the cave area, it was filled with various temples and shrines. In addition to shops where you could buy bananas for the monkeys, food, drinks, souvenirs, etc. 

We walked up to the main entrance to the Batu Cave. Then slowly made our way up the 250+ steps. The steps were slippery and narrow, plus filled with monkeys. So it was a slow journey. But in the heat, it was also for the best. Although it was early, I was still dripping with sweat from the heat and humidity. 

At the top, the cave was beautiful. The rough walls were jagged and almost cathedral like. It had one main temple inside, along with various shrines. In addition, it had bats, monkeys, pigeons, chickens, and roosters. I think this was the first time I ever saw a chicken or rooster in a cave. We looked around, and then headed back down the steep slippery slopes. 

We went back to the train station around 10:15, but then figured out that the next train wasn't until 11:00. So we went to one of the cafes to get a snack. We both got a fried dough puff filled with potatoes and veggies. 

We went back on the train and then went out separate ways once back in Kuala lumpur. We were both hot and sweaty and wanted to go back to our respective hostels to shower and regroup. I also wanted to go to the Singtel store to try and get my sim fixed. But when we went to catch the train back in Kuala Lumpur to her hostel and the Singtel store, they said we had to take a bus to transfer due to construction. So she decided to walk and I took the bus to the next train station since I was going farther. But once I got dropped off by the bus, I realized that it was the train station right next to my hostel. So I went back instead to shower and regroup. 

I called Singtel, but the number didn't work. So I headed to the store instead. It was about 12:30 now and I just wanted to get this fixed and done with. It would have been a 30min walk, but in the heat, I figured the train was worth it. So I went down a few stops and walked to where the store was. Only to find that it didn't exist. The corner that Google maps shows it on had a school, bobo tea shop, and some random shops. But no singetel or even wireless stores. 

While I was there, hot and frustrated, I got a bobo tea. It was probably the first time since high school that I have had one. But it reminded me why I never get them, because they're too sweet. It was nice and refreshing, but gave me a stomache ache due to all the sugar. I'm not really a sweet tooth person - I like savory things - so this was much too sweet for me. 

There was a large market across the street, so I thought maybe the store would be in there - or at least a similar store that could maybe help. There were several wireless/mobile shops. I asked three about Singtel, and they all said that they don't have or support that carrier. So I asked how much the cheapest sim card was instead. So for 18RM (~$4 USD) I got a new sim with 1GB data. It isn't a lot, but I'm only in Malaysia for 5 days so I figured that would be enough. Plus, for ~$1/day, it was worth the convenience for me. Although you can get around without data, it makes things a lot easier. Especially catching public transit or changing plans if something goes wrong. 

After the sim, I headed back to my hostel. By this time, I was hot, sticky, and tired. I thought, maybe I'll take a take a dip in the pool or take a nap. I hadn't used the pool yet, so I swung by on my way up to my room. I went through the changing room to access it and put my hand in. It was nice and refreshing. But looking around, it was also in the center of the cafe that was downstairs - which was filled with people eating lunch. I didn't feel like being in a bikini surrounded by people eating lunch. Especially in an area that is so conservative. 

When I got back to my "pod" room, it was still so hot. I was sweating just sitting there. So I went to the front desk to ask about the A/C and if there was any way to make it colder or turn the fan up. They fiddled with it, which only made it hotter. They said to give it 30min, so I decided to find a cafe for some proper quality A/C instead. I didn't have anything planned past today, so I needed to do some computer work and trip planning anyways. 

I grabbed my laptop and headed to a cafe around the corner. I didn't want another coffee or tea, but I had not ate lunch either, so opted for a snack instead. It wasn't exactly my favorite menu, but the A/C was so cold and refreshing that I wasn't about to leave. I opted for some fried calamari as a snack. 

I stayed for about two hours and got my trip planned for the next week or so. I booked flights, buses, ferries, and hostels. 

While I was there, it started to pour rain and thunderstorm! I quickly dashed back to my hostel, ducking under all of the sidewalk overhangs. 

It was a little after 5:00 now, and there was one more area of the town that I wanted to see. Well, technically a few, but I was just going to see one. I still hadn't seen little India, the twin towers, or Medeka Square. But Medeka Square was just down the street from my hostel and considered the "center" of KL as where they declared independence. So with it being close by and having historical significance, I walked down for an evening outing before the hostel dinner. Even though it had rained and it was evening time, it was still so hot out. But I could tell people were enjoying the "cooler" afternoon weather. The park was filled with people taking photos, flying kites, playing frisbee, etc. The park was beautiful though, and more well maintained than other areas I had seen. 

After walking around, I could tell my body was still overheated and I was starting to get a heat rash. My forearms, inside of my elbows, back of my knees, shoulders by my arm pits, and neck under my chin all have slightly red bumby skin. Which I'm concerned could turn into excema if I don't do something. I knew my body has to be able to cool down and dry out from being hot and sweaty all the time. 

When I got back to the hostel, I checked the A/C. But my room was now hotter than it was in the hallway! I asked the front desk, and they said that they would call a technician. I figured that was not a quick fix, so I asked to change rooms instead. They had an open 4 bed mixed dorm on the mained floor, which was fine as long as the A/C worked. Thankfully, it had its own direct A/C unit rather than the ducted A/C that the upstairs rooms had. Plus since it was on the first floor, the floor itself was also cooler. I moved my stuff into that room, cranked up the A/C, and sat on my bed for 10min to cool off. 

At 7:00, there was a free Malaysian dinner being hosted at the hostel. After cooking off, I went to the common area to join. There were about 10-15 people who joined from all different countries - Australia, England, U.S. France, Netherlands, Ireland, etc. 

The dinner itself was okay, it was red rice with cucumbers and boiled eggs. But more people showed up than signed up, so it was mostly rice. I had a small portion of rice, about 5 cucumber slices, and half a boiled egg. I was still hungry, but I didn't want to fill up on just rice. 

There was a group of seven of us who all sat together and chatted for a while. Someone mentioned that the towers had a light show going on at 10:00, which sounded fun to see. I probably should have went to bed, since I had an early flight the next day. But I wasn't that tired and I wanted to also see the sites while I was here, and I hadn't seen the towers yet. So we all headed towards the MRT station. 

Once we arrived, the towers were gorgeous. They were all lit up against the dark night sky and accompanied by the moon. We went out around the other side to see the fountain light show, only to find out that it ended at 10:00, not start. 

So one of the guys that was with us suggested some late night food that he knew of that was not too far away. Since I was still hungry, I thought that sounded pretty good. When we arrived, it was a complete local scene, we were the only tourists. It was like a nice hawker center, but all ran by one company. There were waiters in uniform and one menu. You could either go to a buffet style line where they pile your choice of protein in top of rice and then cover it in sauces or select from individual menu items. I opted for a cheese roti as a snack. Roti is like a cross between naan and a crepe. It's just bread and water like naan, but thin like a crepe. 

Afterwards, we headed back to the hostel. It was either a 20min walk or 20min by train, so we opted to walk. Once we were back, I showered, packed, and headed to bed. They all took a dip in the pool, which I desperately wanted to join for. But I need to be up by 5:00 tomorrow for my flight and it was 11:30 by now. I don't do well on less than 5 hours of sleep, so I felt like I had already pushed it by not keeping with my routine and going to bed at 10:00. So this was a good compromise.