Kulala Lumpur - back to the city from the jungles and islands of Sabah.
Honestly, I thought Kuala Lumpur would be just another city, but it proved to have so much to offer that we really felt we could have spent a couple more days and not run out of things to do.
First things first: Eat delicious food...we booked a tour with Urban Adventures Kuala Lumpur. A half day food tour through Little India, China Town and a few other areas...honestly, it was the highlight of our stay. We ate so much we could barely move.
The tour was very reasonably priced...which for us is a must, because we are a family of six, and our guide was a young Indian man (unfortunately I forget his name, but he was so knowledgeable, and such a great host). He was funny too. One of the first things he taught us was how to dance to Indian music. He said you take one hand and screw the lightbulb, take the other hand and pet the dog...try it...and you get the picture...or maybe you had to be there...lol. He explained to us about the history of Little India in KL and Little India 2.O as he coined it. Little India was relocated to the Brickfields area in 2009 from the center of KL in order to become a bigger and better settlement for the Indian immigrants. According to our guide, this move was made in order to impress and assure the Prime Minister of India on one of his visits that his people (a large immigrant Indian population) were being treated well and had a nice area to reside in the city. This part of town is very vibrant with the sounds of Indian music, smells of delicious food and incredibly colourful and interesting shops. I was actually disappointed we didn't have more time to wander here, because it was really fascinating...but delicious food was waiting, so we had to continue our tour.
Walking around in Little India 2.0 (Brickfields)
Stop #1: Delicious Banana Leaf Rice (the first meal and one of our favorites of the day).
Iced Milo, YUM!
I love food tours. We got to eat in some very local small restaurants that have the most delicious food you could ever imagine.
This place is a hidden gem.
Dessert.
Clay pots for cooking the curries.
We learned about the Ananda Marga Yoga Wellness Centers also known as "The Path to Bliss". Ananda Marga is a global spiritual and social service organization founded in 1955 by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar).
Stop #2: Sweet and savory deep fried Indian snacks and treats.
Stop #3: sticky, sweet gulab jamun (sticky saffron-flavoured dumplings), these are seriously super sweet.
We watched these guys making roti...yum!
We learned that this part of the city we were in was a poorer area, and housed a large population of blind people. As a community project, this massage center employed blind people to help them make a living.
The sidewalks were also equipped with braille type paths to assist in guiding the blind people living here. It was really fascinating to learn how the community can use these simple enhancements to improve the quality of life of those living here.
We stopped at a Toaist Temple and learned about the ways of praying. The kids actually had a chance to try to ask for answers to their questions. It was really interesting. You shake the cylinder with wood sticks that have numbers on them. Shake until one stick falls to the ground. You drop two stones, and if they are both on same side then you have to start over, if they are on opposite sides (kind of like Yin and Yang) they you take your number to a lady at the counter and she would give you a piece of paper with the answer to your question. Like I said, a really interesting process.
Stop #4: Cendol (shaved ice, plum sugar, kidney beans and coconut milk jelly).
Stop #5: Banana fritters...the best in Kuala Lumpur - there was a huge line up to prove it, but worth the wait.
A little rest while we wait for our banana fritters.
Delicious.
The main station in Kulala Lumpur.
Petaling Street (China Town)
Stop # 6: A variety of Chinese noodle dishes and dumplings. By this point we were so full it almost hurt to look at the food, but we just had to taste a little of everything. It was an explosion of flavors, and each dish was unique.
Pork dumplings.
Rat tail noodles...interesting texture, and good flavor, but I think the name turned me off, and I just couldn't find the love for these.
Delicious crispy noodles.
Heading to check out the Central Market
After a quick peek inside the Central Market, which is a very touristy market selling souvenirs and goods to visitors, we took the LRT downtown to see the Petronas Towers.
A performance in the mall at the Petronas Towers (a very upscale mall with designer brands).
Walking in the gardens around the Petronas Towers
View of the towers from the Traders Hotel. This is said to be one of the best places to take in the scenic skyline. We opted to relax here for a bit and enjoy the view, rather than going up the towers, which would have set us back a pretty penny, and we wouldn't be able to see them!
A plate of nachos and a cocktail to end an incredible day.
There is a really nice park at the base of the towers, with a great rubberized track for runners and joggers. Also a kids playground and splash pad. We would have loved to have more time to enjoy this area, but our trip was too brief.
This marked the end of our trip to Malaysia. The first leg of our summer adventure was over. The next day we flew back to HCMC and took a few days to prepare for the second part of our summer vacation - a tour of Vietnam.
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