Asia- The Conners are back for more!

by kinsay20December 31, 2018December 31, 2018

You could say that my husband and I have a slight obsession with Asia! In the past five years we have been to Japan, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar , Laos, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. This year we decided to check out two new Asian countries-South Korea and the Philippines.

What keeps drawing us back you may ask? Each of the countries is so different, but all such rich and distinct cultures. All much different than our own. In my opinion, there is nothing more satisfying then learning , exploring and experiencing other cultures. Not all of our Asian experiences have been glorious and splendid. But that is part of travel! How boring would it be if everything was always comfortable and predictable!

We set out on our journey with a first stop in Tokyo. We have been to Tokyo a few times now, and whenever we have a layover the debate is how long should we extend it. We just love Tokyo so much! Not wanting to take too much time away from the new destinations, we decided 2 nights in Tokyo on the front end of the trip and 1 night on the back should be good!

Thankfully, (for the first time in a long time) our travel to Asia was smooth sailing! No delays, no issues!We arrived at Narita Airport and took the train into Tokyo- arriving just in time for an early afternoon dinner! The train took about an hour and is an easy ride. The thing you first notice about Japan, is how helpful people are. While the trains system and many signs are in Japanese, if you are lost or need assistance, most locals are more than willing to help.

The immediate excitement of Tokyo is overwhelming as you walk down the brightly lit streets! Overwhelming, in a good way! Imagine NYC but times 10, cleaner and just so rich with culture! Now, perhaps the Japanese feel this way about NYC when they visit?

We were craving some fresh sushi, and nothing beats the sushi in Japan! We found an awesome conveyor belt sushi place, which I am convinced we went to on our honeymoon 5 years ago, but hubby wasn’t sure. With our travel backpacks and gear in tow, we had to squeeze our way into the small establishment. Restaurants in Tokyo , are often very small. Some only with 5 or 6 seats. This one, although small, had probably 20 or so seats, and no restroom. But boy, oh boy was the sushi good!

Sake tasting

The damage– all of our plates

After dinner we checked into the gorgeous Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku. We had stayed here on our honeymoon and loved it! Shinjuku is one of the coolest areas to walk around in Tokyo! It is very central and easy to get on the train to anywhere else in the city.

Our room was as lovely as we remembered , with gorgeous views of the city! We enjoyed cocktails in the executive lounge , with even more fabulous city views!

The next morning we set out to explore an area we previously enjoyed – Shibuya. Shibuya is a huge commercial and business area with two of the busiest rail stations in the world ( Shibuya and Shinjuku). Shibuya crossing is known as the busiest intersection the world! It is really something!

It seemed rather quiet for a Saturday morning for Shibuya, but it certainly picked up as the time went on. We had an amazingly delicious ramen lunch! The food is also one of the reasons we love Tokyo ( and Japan in general). The Japanese know how to do food. They take so much pride in their cooking and it really shows!

Vending machine ordering is very common in Japan—

Conner (aka hubby, aka John) is the navigator when we travel, and he does such a great job! We decided to explore an area of Tokyo we had not yet seen before- “Electric City”or Akihabara. The Japanese love their video games and electronics! This is seen everywhere-but electric city was insane ! It was huge buildings , all 5-6 levels , one after another filled with all sorts of gaming. Everything from the “claw” grabbing machines featuring anime figurines, to dance games and virtual reality- even horse racing!

Vending machines are EVERYWHERE

I got in trouble for trying to take a video of the gamers– oops! But just imagine– pure craziness!

every old school video game ever made

We had a blast walking around our favorite city all afternoon! Navigating the trains in Tokyo can be confusing – even my amazing hubby navigator needs some time to figure it out–

That evening we had another amazing meal ( you really can’t go wrong in Tokyo), followed by cocktails in the hotel lounge and even a stop at our old favorite Karaoke bar! We had randomly walked into it on our honeymoon and had a blast! Finding it again this trip was just awesome! We chatted with some locals and watched as a beautiful ladyboy sang some tunes. (Lady boys are pretty common in Asia- and they love to sing karaoke!)

The next morning we set out for our next stop Seoul, South Korea! Tokyo , you never disappoint, and the more time we spend with you , the more we love you! If you haven’t been to Japan, put it at the top of your bucket list- I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Ja Matane ( see you later),

Kinz

The Conners Conquer Mt. Bromo

by kinsay20January 6, 2018January 6, 2018

We departed via metro train to the Singapore airport around lunchtime- next stop, Indonesia! We were a little disappointed to find out our flight was out of terminal 4- a newer terminal that doesn’t have all the glitz and glam that the rest of Singapore airport is famous for. We had seen specials on all the fascinating things at the Singapore airport and were looking forward to exploring- oh well. We did have access to a nice lounge where we had one more bowl of Laska for breakfast- yum!

And Conner really likes thing Asian 100 plus drink – like an energy gatorade type beverage

Our hour long flight on Air Asia was delayed 2 hours. Once boarded, the flight was quick and we soon arrived in our first Indonesian stop, Yogyakarta on the island of Java. A rather large city, Yogyakarta is located in Central Java, and is the only region governed separately by their own Sultan. Indonesia consists of about 18,000 different islands, Java being one of the largest.

Going through customs was quick and easy, and we didn’t need a visa, only our US passport. As soon as we stepped outside, we were swarmed with taxi drivers begging us to pick them as our driver. Conner had googled how much it should cost to get to our hotel and the drivers were all asking for much more. In many Southeast Asia countries we have learned it is best to negotiate the price before getting in the taxi. One man finally lowered his asking price and we compromised. He was very nice and spoke good English. He gave us his card and said to call him if we wanted him to be our tour guide to the temples the following day. Driving through the city, we immediately felt like we were in the SE Asia we remembered from other cities such as Bangkok, Siem Reap, Saigon. Singapore and KL were not typical SE Asia cities. They were so clean with everyone well dressed, and traffic flowing smoothly. Yogyakarta, known by the local as Jogja, definitely had a rougher, more rugged vibe. Hectic motorbikes and cars driving without any apparent order. Three, and four people on one motorbike, often times even a small baby or child. We arrived at the beautiful Jogja Dusun Village Inn, a lovely fortress like hotel. It was such a pleasant, earthy place somehow in the middle of a crazy city. The pool area was so lovely, and our room so pretty!

We enjoyed a nice lunch at the restaurant overlooking the pool.

A torrential downpour rain began, and it was quite pretty to watch. It lasted hours though. It was ok though, to have time to relax a bit. The staff in the restaurant was so nice and friendly. One guy was hilarious and entertaining. He recommended a fabulous restaurant which we walked to for dinner.

We texted our driver from the airport and arranged for him to pick us up in the morning for tours to the temples. The next morning he texted us saying he had a family emergency but offered us his friend to drive us. We felt a little uneasy about that, so we ended up booking a tour driver through our hotel.

The driver took us to the beautiful Borobudor Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the world , built in the 9th century. The second we arrived we realized we were the only white Americans. In fact, there weren’t any other obvious tourists. Everyone seemed to be Indonesian. They all stared at us. I read in other travel blogs, that Indonesians commonly stare very hard at tourists, and also like to ask a lot of questions. As we walked up, approaching the temple, we began getting asked by many if they could take a picture with us. Lines started forming around us. They all wanted a picture! There were many students as well, who wanted to practice their English. They were assigned to speak with tourists over the holiday break, and had little grading cards we had to fill out for them. They each said the same few questions, some better English than others. They asked “What is your name?”, “ Where are you from” and “what do you think of this place?”. We had to sign our names and circle if their English was “good enough” “Pretty good” or “excellent”. I gave them all excellent, but Conner was a harsher grader giving some “ good enough”. Conner definitely stood about a foot taller than the locals.
It was really, really hot, and we were both definitely sweating. Remember, with buddhist temples shoulders and legs must be covered. Typically shorts on females is not allowed, and they will sell you a skirt and/ or scarf for shoulders if you are not dressed appropriately. The temple was very crowded, but very impressive!

Women, children, men, people of all ages kept asking us for pictures. Now I know how celebrities must feel 😉 It was pretty flattering actually. Women loved my makeup, and the kids all thought Conner was an athlete. I was interested to see many Muslims at the temple, since it was a Buddhist temple. We spent about 2 hours walking all around the temple compounds.

Arriving back in Jogja city we spent the afternoon walking all around the city- probably a good 7 miles or more. We saw very few other tourists. That night we had delish Thai food. I had vermicelli noodles with prawns- so good! We then walked around the popular Maliboro street, where there is shopping, restaurants and pubs. We had a couple of beers ( yes, I had beer because wine was too expensive- typical in SE Asia.), at a cool place with live music and pool tables.Conner played pool and I chatted with some interesting people. Lusi, a waitress was very sweet and brought me some black rice dessert to try.

Luis introduced me to her boyfriend, an investor from the Netherlands, who was in Yogyakarta with a job to preserve the Borobudur temple. He had invested in a bio- chemist who invented a product that is organic and cleans algae and other things from ancient temples. The product had been UNESCO approved and he had already had jobs in Tibet. His plan is to eventually get approved to do temples in Siem Reap and Thailand.
I really enjoyed the band- they were so good! I requested “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart. They didn’t know it, but looked it up and I taught them how to play it and sang with them. It was so fun! Conner and I chatted with a guy from London, another from Belgium. Really nice guys who are political advisors. A cute older woman selling fans who had seen me earlier at our Thai dinner, remembered me and came over to say hello. She was so sweet but didn’t really speak English. Her smile was so warm and kind. I purchased a beautiful blue fan from her- definitely would be needed in the daytime heat!

The next morning we awoke and had the hotel arrange another driver to take us to the other famous temple Prambanan. It was near the airport , so we timed it so we could just go catch our flight to our next city, Surabaya, right after the temple. Our driver was really great and explained so much on the ride. He told us his family was from a very small village of 400 people about an hour away. The village makes brown sugar, and he taught us the whole process of how it is made.
We loved the temple! It was just as marvelous as the Borobudor, in my opinion , and way less crowded. Part of the temple compound had HIndu characteristics as well. Conner took a try at archery, and did pretty well! We had more admirers ask for pictures.

Arriving about an hour before our flight to the super small airport, we went into the lounge area. It was pretty disappointing, with cold food and really dirty bathrooms. Our flight on Wings air, part of Lion air, was delayed 2 hours. Argh! This was not an airport we wanted to spend more time in. It was hot, and nobody could seem to explain in English to us, why the flight was delayed. Conner and I came to the realization that about 90% of all flights we have taken have been delayed. Again, I am equating this a quantity versus quality issue. More and more and more flights, less likelihood of good quality and accurate schedules.
We boarded the old school propeller plane, and set off for Surabaya, in East Java, the second largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. We chose to skip Jakarta, hearing from so many that it was just an overly crowded city not worth visiting. I have had patients who lived there, and said it was good to live, but to visit not so much.

We hired a taxi and had about a 45 minute ride to our hotel Swiss Belinn. Surabaya was much more modern then Yogyakarta, with many sky scrapper buildings. Our hotel was pretty nice- the room very clean and modern. We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant and relaxed. We booked our day tour the next day to Mt Bromo, a huge active volcano. We paid 3 million in Indonesian money- about $220 USD.

The driver picked us up at 7am and we had a 3 hour drive towards to volcano. The drive wasn’t bad, and I enjoyed seeing the sights and villages along the way. Once at the volcano base, we switched to a jeep (included in our pre paid deal). We crammed into the front seat of the jeep, me in the middle of Conner and the driver. There were no seatbelts, and I was a little scared as we drive around the curves up the mountain.The jeep driver was more talkative then our car driver. He pointed out potato and green onion crops along the way, as well as a Hindu village area. Arriving closer to the volcano, the terrain switched to desert sand-like, formed by lava flow. It was really neat!

The driver loved taking selfies and pictures with and of us- which was really sweet, except when he was driving around cliffs! The volcano was so incredibly beautiful! We climbed to the top passing all Indonesian locals- once again the only white Americans/ Westerners anywhere in sight. Again, locals wanted pics with us- celebrity status! I didnt mind 🙂

The smoky, active volcano was by far one of the coolest things we have ever seen. Standing at the top, looking into it , the sound of a roaring ocean- or I guess lava in this case, is what we heard.

We spent a good amount of time enjoying the view and sounds until it looked like a bad rain storm was approaching. We rushed down the super steep volcano, trying to beat the storm. Some locals tried to sell us variance of items- peanuts, hats, bracelets.

Once back at the bottom we found our jeep driver buddy, who wanted more pics and then we headed back down the mountain.

Once back to our faithful original car driver Conner inquired about where we could have some lunch. The driver said if we could wait about 30 minutes, he would stop at a place we would like. Well, we waited and waited- about 45 minutes until he stopped at a place. It was very underwhelming- or overwhelming depending on how you look at it. The place was a huge cafeteria type setup , not appearing very clean or organized. Everyone inside was local and nobody spoke English. Approaching the front, we assumed we had to order at the counter. The man handed us a menu with all Indonesian writing. No pictures Nothing, We had no idea what we were ordering. I tried to ask the man for “chicken?”, “fish”? He looked at me puzzled. Conner, frustrated said “ just pick the first thing on menu, thats probably safe”. Umm or their local speciality like fried chicken toes??? Eventually another customer walked up who sort of spoke English. He pointed out a beef soup to me and another beef dish. Ok fine- sold. We sat at a dirty table waiting for our food. It arrived and was eh—- let’s just say this was a praying we don’t get sick moment. This happens in travel and you just have to go with it.

Back in the car we headed back on the 3 hour journey to Surabaya. Getting back to our hotel we were exhausted. Settling in for dinner at the nearby famous and gorgeous Hotel Majahapit was all we had energy for! It was lovely!!

One major downside to the Swiss-Belinn hotel was the very loud , and very early Muslim prayer call at 4:30am. We respect other cultures and religions, and have awakened many times in other places due to prayer calls. The difference at Swiss Belinn , was that they opened the pool at 5am after prayer, so all the children were loud and screaming/ playing at the pool from 5am on. And we had a room overlooking the pool.

In most Muslim dominated cities, the hotels have an arrow on the ceiling pointing toward where they are to pray-

But the next morning – Christmas Eve, we were heading to the islands- yay! The Gili Islands- what a dream come true ❤

For those traveling to Indonesia, I would say Yogyakarta and its temples are amazing! The volcano Mt Bromo also unbelievable!!! But be prepared for cities that are crowded, with traffic and not great food. One thing I will say, Indonesians are welcoming, sweet and sincere people. Way more friendly and curious about us than Singaporeans or Malaysians.Yogyakarta and Surabaya are great destinations for well-seasoned travelers- perhaps those with previous South East Asia experience. I would not put it as the first choice destination when going to Asia for the first time.

Where do I think are great first time travel spots to get acclimated to Asia? I think Tokyo, Japan is a fabulous start to begin travel in Asia. As far as Southeast Asia, I think Chiang Mai, Thailand, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Hoi An and Saigon, Vietnam and Luang Prabang, Laos are great first timer destinations! Feel free to message me for any tips/ suggestions 🙂

More on the beautiful Gili islands coming soon

<3,

Kinz

The Conners take Asia, 3.0. New places, New adventures….

by kinsay20December 22, 2017

There’s just something about Asia. My husband and I first travelled to Asia in 2014 on our honeymoon. We were fortunate enough to visit 5 countries that trip- Japan, China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. We fell in love with the different cultures and knew we would have to return. To read about our honeymoon adventures click here- Conner Honeymoon

Last year we visited Laos, Myanmar and Thailand (again- new area). While each country is very distinct- they each have their own charm, extensive cultural traditions, and deep routed history. They all are wonderful in their own ways. I can’t even explain how much I have learned from visiting these amazing places.

This year we are heading back, this time to 3 new countries- Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

We typically travel with backpacks when doing our longer international journeys. This was a bit of a challenge for me to get accustomed to, as I am an indecisive packer, and always felt like more is, well more. But I have had to learn that less is more.

There are many pros to traveling with a pack. For starters, you can board flights easier, not having to check in a bag. You also can catch connection flights and get out of airports faster when not checking a bag. You also don’t run the risk of your bag getting lost in transit. Additionally, moving around cities is much easier with a pack on your back instead of trying to negotiate large crowds, busy metros, stairways and curbs with a suitcase or rolling bag.

I have gotten much better at packing, and have learned some tricks. Packing cubes are ideal to keep things organized and compact. Travel underwear is ideal because it can be washed and dries very quickly. Silk robes bundle up very small and can be used to sleep in. Hubby likes his hybrid shorts that can be used as bathing suits also. Toms and regular tennis shoes are a must for lots of walking. I always still squeeze either a pair of wedges or heels into my pack- just in case, although I end up wearing them only once or twice. The only thing that really still challenges me is the liquid limits. I mean considering, hair products, skin and cleansing products/ lotions- to fit a month’s worth in 1 quart size ziplock bag is tough. I do like Lush’s “coalface” hard soap for face wash, and take it whenever I travel.

All packed and ready to go! Up at 4am to catch our first flight out of Washington DC Dulles , scheduled to leave at 7am. Kissing our sweet kitties Shiraz and Syrah goodbye, I was comforted knowing they are in good hands with our fabulous kitty sitter.

Arriving at the airport timely, we enjoyed great lounge access for breakfast. Arriving at our gate for an on-time flight, we were annoyed to hear the announcement overhead that one of the flight attendants was late. We were not able to board the plane because the attendant ( per announcement ) slept-in at her hotel and was “on her way”. Are you kidding? We became anxious knowing that we could not miss our connecting flight in Dallas, or we would be in trouble. Our flight from Dallas to Hong Kong was booked using America Airlines points and there weren’t any others out to Hong kong later that day.

The attendant arrived 25 minutes later than our scheduled boarding time. I couldn’t help but snarl at her dumb grin as we boarded the plane. I can understand situations that can’t be controlled (i.e. weather), but I can’t understand an ignorant woman who simply just didn’t wake up in time. We then sat on the runway as the pilot informed as that they were now fixing a maintenance issue. Really?? John (aka Conner, aka hubby for new readers), and I began frantically researching on our phones back -up plans in case we missed our connection. A nice steward came over and told us he realized our situation, and that they were trying to figure out an alternative plan for us. John also called the American Airlines priority help desk. Since he flies American Airlines for work travel too, he is considered Sapphire, which gets us priority access, lounge access, upgrades, etc. It is a nice plus sometimes. The woman on the phone offered to put us on a completely re-routed journey. Instead of going to Hong Kong, our only other option was to fly all the way to London, via British Airlines ( another one world alliance airline). From London we could then fly to Kuala Lumpur. So we basically would be back tracking and going all the way around the world. Considering our flight still hadn’t departed , we didn’t think there was any way we could make the connection in Dallas. We accepted the phone offer. The steward offered us the option to get off the plane in DC and try to board another flight from there, but that wasn’t a guarantee.

We arrived in Dallas with 10 minutes to spare before our original Hong Kong flight was to take off. We literally sprinted through the huge Dallas airport ( worst place to have a short connection). It takes quite some time to get from one terminal to another in Dallas. We tried though, thinking we had nothing to lose. We arrived at the Hong Kong gate just minutes after it took off. With a now 5 hour layover ahead of us, we begrudgingly found the American airlines help desk, just to confirm again that our only option was to go through London. It turns out it was. We had to go all the way out of security, and then re-enter via British Airlines. Thank goodness we were able to relax in another lounge area during our long layover. They were conducting actual real fire drills, which was interesting to watch!

I called American Airlines customer service from the lounge, expressing my many concerns. The fact that us missing the connection was the airline’s fault, made us feel as though they need to make it up to us. Here we are losing time, losing money on a hotel for a night, not getting all the miles points that my husband had paid for ( since we were switched to British air), amongst other things. After some very unhelpful customer service reps , I finally got a call back from a supervisor. She granted as each a $300 travel voucher, and said we could be reimbursed for other things ( i.e. hotel) via written request online. I sent a very detailed email, and as I type this ( 1 week later) I am waiting to hear back.

Eventually we boarded our 8 hour flight to London. Because of the whole fiasco , we also weren’t in the extra legroom seats that Conner paid for us. Not to sound spoiled, but an 8 hour flight is a very long time to be in a regular seat. I can handle it as uncomfortable as it can be. But Conner is over 6 feet tall, and being stuck in the window he had no room at all for his legs.

I suppose the frustration (stated clearly in my email), was that people work hard, save money and plan well in advance (6 months in our case) for a big trip like this. Why should the consumer be penalized for something not their fault? Airlines in the US have been gradually declining their quality over the last few years. They are all about quantity and less about quality.

To make things more uncomfortable for my poor hubby- the woman in front of him put her seat down for about 7 of the 8 hours. The media screen was basically in his lap, so even watching a movie to distract himself of the discomfort was difficult. We watched “ It” and tried to relax. We both were able to sleep a few hours of the flight.

Landing in London we had another couple of hours before our flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We again had to go out of security and then back through. The TSA flagged my bags. I had removed my quart ziplock with liquids as asked. They insisted on searching my other bags. They considered my makeup in my cosmetic bag as liquids. Um huh? I had traveled with a makeup bag separate from my liquids through 12+ countries now, without any issue. They said I had to get rid of stuff. I was livid. They considered another face wash I use, ultrabland, from Lush as a liquid. It is not a liquid. They also said I was “lucky” that they would not consider my contacts as needed to be in my liquid bag. “what???”, I said “ they are prescribed and I cannot see without them”. Contacts lenses in their original box with prescription on them are not a liquid! What was wrong with these people? The woman then said “ miss I’m sure you also have glasses!”. At this point I was so angry I started to cry. They continued to analyze all my belongings, even considering my cream eyeshadow and mascara as liquids. Complete jerks! I am all about safety and TSA security, but nothing they were saying made any sense, nor had I ever been treated and humiliated in that way before at an airport check point. I was very upset after they threw away about $100 worth of products. Conner tried to console me but I was just angry. I honestly think the rude TSA woman took my brand new Younique liquid foundation and ultrabland face wash for herself.
After I finally calmed down a bit we rested in the Malaysian airlines lounge before our flight. We definitely save money by having access to the lounges. We don’t need to buy food at the airport, and always grab water bottles for our flights. They of course provide water on the flights, but on a 14 hour flight, a tiny cup of water doesn’t get me very far. I like to have my own bottles.

We were able to talk to Malaysian airlines and get extra legroom seats! Things were looking up! Woo hoo! Thank goodness for that! This was a very long nearly 14 hour flight!

It actually was not bad, and quite enjoyable, considering how long it was. I watched two new movies I hadn’t seen- “The Glass Castle” and “ The Shack”. Both really good! I am notorious for crying during movies on long flights. This time was no different. Both movies were tear jerkers. Malaysian air fed us a decent chicken and potato dinner. We took a couple naps. I enjoyed watching one of my all time faves ‘ The Sound of Music”, and then we were fed breakfast prior to landing.

Landing in Kuala Lumpur, we were so excited to finally be in Malaysia! We had left our condo 36 hours prior to finally arriving! Malaysia does not require US citizens to have a visa of staying less than 90 days with a valid passport good for at least 6 months. Going through customs and immigration was easy. You pay a set price for a taxi inside the airport, receiving a receipt to redeem at the taxi stand. We suppose they do this to prevent over charging.

The drive from Kuala Lumpur airport into the city is quite long- at least an hour without traffic. We were amazed at how many billboards we passed along the way. It is crazy, and we have never seen anything like it! The Malays must love their billboards!

Arriving at the beautiful Doubletree Hilton around 9am, we both were in dire need of a shower and fresh change of clothes. Our room was very nice with complimentary treats and a great view!

After our showers we headed out to explore! We used the city metro system, which was pretty easy to figure out and very inexpensive.

metro token

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, consists of 1.6 million people- 50% Malay, 23.7% Chinese, 7.1% Indian, plus 11% indigenous tribes such as Orang Asli and Iban.
All of whom are considered Malaysian nationals.

We walked all around the city, exploring the downtown area, spectacular Petronas towers, and had lunch at an authentic Indian restaurant.

Malaysia has a large population of Indians, Chinese, As we walked around we definitely stood out. As opposed to other Southeast Asian countries, there were far less American and European travelers here. It was very hot, 90+ degrees and humid. We both were definitely sweating. We did so much walking ( probably 7-8miles) and needed another shower. We enjoyed the executive lounge happy hour that evening, with glorious views of the city.

We were able to eat enough in the lounge, that we didn’t need to venture out for dinner. We were pretty wiped out after all the travel, and walking. Not to mention the time difference of 13 hours back home.
We were asleep by 9 that night, which was good because we had big day ahead! Our breakfast the next morning at the hotel was one of the best hotel breakfast buffets we have ever seen. The only others of which are even comparable that we have seen are Tokyo Hilton, Myanmar Hilton and Beijing HIlton.

This breakfast was so impressive and delicious! Fresh made Roti with curry sauce, coconut chutney, fresh squeezed guava juice, lentil fritters, yellow watermelon, jajik salad, ….yum!

With full stomachs, we called an uber to take us to Batu caves. Uber is very popular in Kuala Lumpur ( known by many as KL), and is advertised everywhere. It is also very inexpensive! After only a 20 minute ride, we arrived to the Batu caves. The entry is free, with signs asking visitors to carry pails of clay up to the workers remodeling the structures in the caves. A steep set of stairs, brought us to the top.

The caves were very impressive with monkeys everywhere! These monkeys were way less aggressive than the monkeys we encountered last year in Myanmar. Mt. Popa in Myanmar had nice views, but the experience itself was tainted by having to take our shoes off and climb many stairs covered in monkey poo. Monkeys aggressively jumping over us and approaching people unafraid, grabbing things from them. Batu caves monkeys, were much more polite. They were cute , and their poo was not covering the grounds.

After the caves we ubered back into town and found a great food stall place for lunch. Food/hawker centers are very popular in Malaysia. We had delicious Penang style soup!

We spent the afternoon walking around the city more , exploring. We enjoyed the Butterfly park , as well as a 3D art museum, and many monuments.

The Malaysians did not stare or make us feel uncomfortable, even though we clearly stood out. They were nice enough, but not overly friendly towards us. I think we both agree, the friendliest people overall in our travels have been the Cambodians. They were just so incredibly friendly and nice. The overall rudest so far have been the Chinese in China (in Malay the Chinese are nicer/ more polite). In Morocco and Vietnam, we were definitely stared at by local groups of men, and harassed at times to buy stuff. Don’t get me wrong though- we came across very nice people in Vietnam and Morocco as well. The Japanese were reserved and mostly kept to themselves, but when they did interact with us, they were very nice. Oh, and the Thai! How can I forget mentioning the Thai! They were also another very friendly, welcoming group overall. The French in Paris were surprisingly very nice- not what we had expected hence debunking the myth that the French don’t like Americans.

Ok, back on track. So we enjoyed our afternoon and even came across a huge Comic con with hundreds of people in crazy and cool costumes!

We had these delicious sweet treats from a street vendor cooked in bamboo. We saw them featured on a travel special and just had to try them! They were so yummy!

We changed clothes to head back out for the night. We planned to see the Petronas tower fountain and light show. We were pressed for time so ended up eating dinner at a restaurant near the fountain, connected to the mall next to Petronas.

The Malays like their malls! They have huge, clean and beautiful shopping malls throughout KL. I should mention, KL overall is very clean. The architecture is amazing and so modern! Every building is like artwork! We kept thinking, “ Why can’t the US have buildings like this”.
Dinner was good and the fountain light show was awesome!

After the fountain light show we headed to Skybar. We had heard good things about this place, and were excited to check it out. There was no entry fee because we got there before 9pm. They had drink specials so Conner had a few beers and I got two wines for a great deal. We enjoyed the stunning views and music. A really beautiful nightclub! It wasn’t very crowded since we were there early, but I can imagine that place gets pretty busy!

The comic con people even came to Skybar

The next morning after enjoying that ridiculously delicious international buffet again, we packed up our stuff to head to the airport for our next stop- Singapore!!

KL, you were super interesting and we really enjoyed getting to know you!! We will see you again on our last night of the trip before heading back to the US!

harap sabar menunggu (stay tuned in Malay)-

<3, Kinz

Keeping up with Kinz

These are a few of my favorite things….Live, Love, Travel

adventure

Asia- The Conners are back for more!

The Conners Conquer Mt. Bromo

The Conners take Asia, 3.0. New places, New adventures….