Our travel story usually begins with a cheap flight, and this one is no different. A year ago, we saw a huge sale for flights from NYC to Singapore over the Labor Day weekend for only $550 USD. Since we hadn’t been to Singapore before, and the timing worked out, we jumped at this opportunity. Once we started planning the trip, and realized that Kuala Lumpur was only a hop and a skip away, it made sense to combine the trips. Continue reading
The magnificent Batu Caves are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Malaysia. They are considered the most important Hindu temple outside of India, dedicated to Lord Murugan, a Hindu deity. Thousands of devotees and tourists from around the world make the pilgrimage to the caves each day, especially during the annual Hindu festival Thaipusam, that usually falls in late January/early February. The limestone forming the cathedral-like cave is said to be around 400 million years old.
Kuala Lumpur was added to our itinerary when we found out that it was only a short flight from Singapore. It didn’t hurt that there are also frequent and cheap flights between the two cities. We decided that a two day trip was just enough time to visit the Petronas Towers and to get a quick taste of the city. Compared to the high-costs in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur is a great destination for budget travel, with cheap food and reasonably priced accommodations. Continue reading
In Kuala Lumpur, we continued our eating streak, fitting in 4-5 meals a day. I’m not kidding. We started early in the morning each day, and we ate all the way until night, and repeat. It’s probably a good thing that KL is a big place and we got to walk around between meals to help digest the food.
When it comes to eating out, there is a great variety of cuisine in Kuala Lumpur, all for very affordable prices. The food reflects the ethnic mix of the local population with a vibrant mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian with influences from across South East Asia. Malaysia is known for its love of rich flavors and generous use of spices and ingredients such as coconut milk, lemon grass, kaffir lime, tamarind, ginger and galangal. When it comes to spices, few foods illustrate this as well as the national dish – Laksa. Continue reading
One of the most iconic sights in Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Twin Towers. The 88-story buildings are located right in the heart of the city. They were once the tallest in the world, but now only retain their title as the tallest twin towers. At night, the brightly illuminated skyscrapers stand out in the vast city like two beacons of light.
life after 9to5 