Around the World in 33 Days: Kuala Lumper

I know it’s taking me for ages and a day to post all of my Asian adventures. But real life has been taking all my time up lately. I’m officially a Barista at Starbucks and I’m in love with the job! But more on that later… ugh I’ve got so many “more on that later” posts to catch up on. First Malaysia! 

Kuala Lumpur wasn’t what I was expecting. I knew it was a city but after Bangkok and Siem Reap… Kuala Lumpur was a shock for a different reason.

It reminded me of Manhatten. Tall buildings and noise! Yet it had a different feel. And boy was it hot! I kept to my new routine of showering at night because I would get so sweaty walking the streets. 

So my first day was spent on a wee little nap after my $8 cab ride to my hostel. Then I walked over to the Twin Towers….

And realized that there’s a fancy semi air conditioned walk way from the towers to about two blocks from my hostel. 

It’s crazy because that walkways was 98% of my 20 minute walk to the towers. 

There was a HUGE mall there by the towers. 

And a park….

And Llaollao!!! Aka my favourite food to eat with Ana in Murcia!

I swear that wasn’t my dinner though. Because a 4 minute walk from my hostel was Kuala Lumpur’s food street!!

And yes you guessed it! I ate for less then $2 and it was amazing!

Dim Sung one night…

And a sit down meal the next night…

Lenka had told me I needed to see Batu Caves. By the time if got to KL I was in a penny pinching mode. So I googled the caves. They’re free to go to and it costs like $1.24 round trip to take the train out.

So I did a little bit of city seeing before I caught the train out. 

I got to the Batu Caves...

and just followed the crowd till I saw the Buddha.

I didn’t realize there were soooooo many steps!! 

But the view was lovely from the top and the caves are actually a temple, although the temple was under construction while I was there. 

The caves were still pretty cool though. 

On my walk back from the train station I ended up meandering through a kind of sketchy side of town… and seeing the old and new buildings was pretty and sad.

There were still some cool things to see in Chinatown as well. And I picked up postcards and other treats for my friends!

I had to be up early the next day for my flight to Singapore! 

My final stop before heading home and another big city. and i was hoping the wifi was good in Singapore as well. I'd been growing accustomed to talking to Jimmy nearly everyday. And at one point I'd Facetimed my dad. He'd just gotten an iPhone before I left so when we facetimed for the first time he was floored by the fact that I was on the other side of the world and were were chatting normally.

Despite the internet and easy access to my support back home I had reached that point in my trip where I was excited to be heading home but sad that I’d be unpacking my pack in a few days. 

But also… Christmas was within reach!

Cheers,

A Pre-Post Asia Pondering

Once again I was reminded of one of the things that I love about traveling. It expands your comfort zone and breaks you all at once. It breaks you in the worst way and then you’re left to rebuild yourself into the new version of you. Never is it an easy task and if you cry, that’s okay.

When I had booked tickets to Bangkok I was fresh into my adventure. Barely three days into my trip and my original plans had gone to shit. The hostel hadn’t gotten back to me and honestly I being home for Christmas was looking really nice. Not to mention Jimmy had invited me to his EMT formal in January. So finishing my trip early and with a bang seemed like the best idea!

I remember booking the tickets and I was so excited. I stayed up half the night looking for things to do and places to see. It was all a brilliant sparkly new idea. Then somewhere along the way I decided it was going to be better to swing by a few countries. AirAsia made that an easy decision.

I booked tickets and hostels while in Prague. Although admittedly I put off a lot of the hostel booking because it was stressing me out.

The closer Bangkok got the more I started to over think it. People were pointing out how dangerous South East Asia was, especially for a solo female. I was getting in my own head because I had my Macbook along for the ride.

And then I was getting jacked up on the idea that I didn’t speak the language. Taxi’s were the easiest way to get about but what if they took me an extra long route on purpose? I didn’t want to be a typical tourist getting ripped off. Clearly I over though the entire thing and it stressed me to the max. It broke me.

I flew from Prague to Oslo to catch my flight south. I had an hour layover in Oslo. Just enough time to disembark, pass security, grab a coffee and have a near meltdown.

I was standing in the line to get my exit stamp from the Schengen Line when I was thinking “Maybe heading home would be best.” I’d been feeling sick to my stomach and weepy since I left Lenka’s that morning.

Then I passed boarder control and I was past the point of no return. So I tried to psyche myself up and give myself a pep talk.

Because honestly the last time I’d come so close to quitting an adventure was January 2011 when I was standing in the Shannon immigration line at 5 in the morning. I had to firmly remind myself that the last time I felt this scared was the beginning of a life changing trip.

The fact that I had kept the tears at bay didn’t keep me from sending long, loving text messages to my family, friends and Jimmy. Because I figured hey if anything goes wrong at least everyone knows I love them.

That 13 hour flight felt twice as long. I felt borderline sick the entire ride. I tried to journal out my fear. I got no sleep and ended up watching movies.

I landed in Bangkok and went through boarder control without a single issue. By this point I had a headache and was exhausted. It was 7 something local time. The time difference would continue to fuck me up the entire stint in SEA.

The twelve hour difference between Thailand and New Jersey meant that everyone was busy with their own lives at home. I flailed and tried to get a hold of someone to talk me down because I felt a full on melt down coming.

No one was there.

So I sat in the Bangkok airport and cried.

I totally broke.

And I leaned into the brokenness and fear that had been tinging the last day and a half. I cried it out while everyone at home was moving on with their day totally unaware that I felt the most alone I’d felt in years.

The only thing that kept me from booking a flight home was the fact that I didn’t want to board another long haul flight of 13+ hours to get home. That and the fact that I was sure I’d never forgive myself for giving up right before the true adventure started.

I was gently gathering the pieces of my broken self when my mum messaged me back. With none of the gentlness I though I needed.To say the least it wasn’t the response I had expected. It was harsh and it was something that I would tell myself. It was just what I needed.

And that was that. I wiped my eyes, blew my nose, shouldered my pack and went to the taxi queue.

That was when Asia officially started. The hardest part of that entire trip was leaving the Bangkok airport. And as I write this post I’m reminded of another trip that the hardest part was leaving the airport. November 2011 I backpacked Spain for 12 days all on my own, it was my first solo backpacking endevour. The hardest and scariest part of that trip was leaving the Madrid Airport.

So in life, I think the thing that makes us all the most scared of doing something is our preconcieved idea of what lays in the next step. Weather that step is leaving an airport or sending an email to an agent.

The fear is only in our heads.

That was the most poinent lesson of this trip. That all the things I thought were scary were just in my head. If I just ignored those voices that said something should strike fear into me I had the best day.

There were times in my trip where I didn’t feel safe. Where I felt out of my depth. Where I felt off kilter and awkward. Where I felt alone. Where I felt lost and afraid.

In one particular instance of wandering where I felt unsafe, out of my depth, and close to tears I was hit with the most profound idea. That just because I’m scared doesn’t mean that a place is scary. And if you find the fear that’s within you is based on your external surroundings then you should challenge it. Push your limits and break that fear. Because there’s a vast area on the other side where fear used to live and now you can move in there. Your comfort zone can expand into that place that used to harbor fear. And that’s just what I did. Over and over and over again.

Two weeks in South East Asia saw me doing things daily that scared me shitless. But at the end of the day when I’d text everyone or update Instagram I was proud to talk about my day and the things that I saw. I never really shared all my fears because by the evening they seemed so far off and petty.

What I love most about my travels is that every time I face down something new. I graple with it every day of my trip and I come home someone new and changed.

Travel breaks you.

But it also rebuilds you.

Around the World in 33 Day: Czech Republic

My first afternoon in Prague was consumed by de-bugging. I took the bus and then the metro to get to Lenka! After meeting up with her we went off to wash my belongings.

I spent almost 4 hours washing, drying, wiping, and throwing away everything that was in my pack. The purge resulted in $20 being spent on washing and drying. The repurchase of a hair brush (yes it’s a bedazzled Frozen brush). And the need to repack a perfectly packed pack. Over all nothing irreparable. And it felt damn good to get to Lenka’s flat and just relax and know that I would only have to endure the itching for another week or two till they healed. Turns out they stopped itching three days later. Bonus!!

But after Bugageddon Lenka and I took a little stroll around the city and my inner fangirl started to crawl out. Because my second most important reason for going to Prague was because Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is set there!!!!! First reason being Lenka was there!! There will be a WHOLE post on the DoSaB sites! 

So then since we missed the customs office being open my first day my second day in Prague we got up early and went to collect the package that I had sent Lenka. It was a Thanksgiving essentials! Because the grand American Holiday was a day away!!

Fetching the package was hysterical. So we had to go out to the head Prague Post Office/ customs office.. I think. It was all very official. So we had to take the letter that Lenka got saying it had arrived to a document office where we got the original in coming paperwork then had to go to another office to get it stamped and Lenka had to prove she was Lenka. Then we went back to the first office and handed over the verified papers and collected the little bundle of joy!!

Then Lenka went to work and I trotted all over Prague!

Look at what an amazing and lovely city it is!

Thanksgiving Day dawned beautifully and I did nothing but try to scrape together my Asia trip. By this point I had only booked a ticket to Bangkok and I had no fucking clue what I was going to do! So I tried to make plans. But got nothing much accomplished except burning the pie crust.

So when Lenka got home from work it was time to start Thanksgiving!!

It was epic and delicious and come one!! We made that…

IN PRAGUE!!!

After we ate Thanksgiving we polished four bottles of wine and called it a night after wandering Prague to have a drink at a bar.

The day after Thanksgiving we got up early to catch the bus to Lenka’s house!! We were picking up the car so we could visit a Castle!!!

But first we took a funicular up a mountain!

And I beheld Lenka’s city and the majesty that is the Czech Republic!!

We went to the castle and I was in love and wanted to move in right then and there! Sadly I was unable to do so.

Instead we went to a Nativity Museum in the village right underneath the castle. It was another Christmasy adage to the trip and I loved it!

Speaking of Christmas… The Prague Christmas Market Opened!!!!!!!!!!

And I obviously had to drag Lenka there! We wandered and had a wonderful time people watching and mulled wine sipping.

The highlight of my first go round of the market was what happened on our way back. We inadvertently got involved with a bachelor part from the Netherlands. Long story short it was funny and he asked us questions and tried to get our numbers.

So the COOLEST part of Prague was the Magical Cavern! Never heard of it? Google it and go see it in Prague. It’s part gallery part art itself. The artist Reon Argondian used plaster and wire to turn the house into a work of art to display his art! It was worth the time to walk up the hill and worth the $1.12 to go in! So everyone should go see it!

The pictures really don't do it justice!

On my way toward the Christmas Market i stopped by to see the infant of prague!

It was much smaller then I thought it would be. It's there in the middle of that alter. He's maybe a foot in height.

And here are a few more photos of my various Prague wanderings!

^The John Lennon Wall^

To get to Saint Vitus Cathedral you have to go into the Prague Castle compound so you get a screening by the military, aka metal detector and bag check. 

More Charles Bridge!

As in many cities I fell in love with Prague and left a bit of my heart there. It's such a cool place and I loved eating all the Czech food! I'll be back again soon. But I had Christmas Markets to see in Dresden before I went to Asia!

Cheers,