Solo Travel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Monday, April 08, 2019
Thinking about it, I have never really thought much about traveling alone. It isn't even on my bucket list because just getting out of the comforts of home to travel to unexplored places (for me) even if I'm traveling with family or friends seems daunting enough because I can get really anxious. Again, every time I leave home, it is always out of my comfort zone. Having been to a few new places last year, I decided that I am finally ready to travel on my own. I booked a flight to one of Philippine Airlines' newest routes from Clark to San Jose, Mindoro in October. Heck, I don't even know what I can see in that part of Mindoro! I figured I had plenty of time to research since the trip is still months away.
But alas! The Big Guy has plans for me. My first solo travel actually came sooner rather than later than what I have planned. This March, I was supposed to travel with my aunt in Kuala Lumpur but unfortunately, she was not allowed to get out of the country by the Philippine Immigration officers. I am sharing this because I hope some of you can learn from our experience. My aunt is a public school teacher so she is considered a government employee. I am actually unaware of this during that time but government employees are supposed to secure a travel order signed by their department head if they are going abroad. In her case, a travel order signed by the head of Department of Education - Region 4. She already passed one a few weeks ago but the paperwork needs to go through several other department heads to get to the regional. It can take months! I know she should've gotten one earlier but there is no guarantee of the timeframe of when it'll be signed especially since she is traveling not for work but for leisure. We certainly did not expect it would end up with her having forfeited plane tickets because she was not allowed to travel by our immigration. I think it's kind of unfair considering some corrupt public officials can travel freely and a mere public school teacher can't. But that's another story.
And there I was, planning to refund my tickets because I don't think I can do it alone. If it was a domestic flight then sure, maybe, probably. But this is international where English is not even their native language! My parents, bless their hearts, knew that I needed this experience. They knew I needed to travel alone since I am always the "I can't do it." kind of girl. This year, it was my new year's resolution to say yes to new experiences and said yes is what I did.
I left PAL's ticketing office with my roundtrip tickets still in my hands and my family drove me to the airport. I felt like my head was going to explode. I was so nervous that I got a had a bad stress headache when I got to the hotel. Haha!
Well, that's a long intro! I have no idea how to go about this entire post since I did not really follow my itinerary. I was traveling alone so I took my time in between places. Yes, I was not able to visit everything on my "To See" list but I think there's a beauty in just walking around, taking your time and taking it all in. I am just going to share everything about this trip in installments so it won't be too long. But for now, just read below to see all the highlights of my trip. I will still be writing individual posts about some of the sites in the coming blogs so watch out for that.
They have 2 main terminals called KLIA 1 and 2. KLIA1 is used by Malaysia Airlines and other international carriers while KLIA 2 is where all the AirAsia flights depart and land, much like NAIA 2 is for Philippine Airlines. Contrary to what I initially thought, these two are not separate airports just two different terminals connected by a train. My plane from PAL landed in KLIA1. I had to ride the train going to the other terminal to get to the immigration. It's free by the way and you just have to wait for the train to arrive since it is just back and forth between the terminals.
And there I was, planning to refund my tickets because I don't think I can do it alone. If it was a domestic flight then sure, maybe, probably. But this is international where English is not even their native language! My parents, bless their hearts, knew that I needed this experience. They knew I needed to travel alone since I am always the "I can't do it." kind of girl. This year, it was my new year's resolution to say yes to new experiences and said yes is what I did.
I left PAL's ticketing office with my roundtrip tickets still in my hands and my family drove me to the airport. I felt like my head was going to explode. I was so nervous that I got a had a bad stress headache when I got to the hotel. Haha!
Well, that's a long intro! I have no idea how to go about this entire post since I did not really follow my itinerary. I was traveling alone so I took my time in between places. Yes, I was not able to visit everything on my "To See" list but I think there's a beauty in just walking around, taking your time and taking it all in. I am just going to share everything about this trip in installments so it won't be too long. But for now, just read below to see all the highlights of my trip. I will still be writing individual posts about some of the sites in the coming blogs so watch out for that.
The Airport
I wish for our country to have airports as nice as this.
Getting Around the City
I found that it's easy to commute in Kuala Lumpur. After a day, I got used to navigating through LRT and MRT routes which is the most convenient way of traveling in the city. Aside from their railway transit, you can also ride the bus, a taxi or get a Grab. As with any other Asian countries, it is recommended to steer away from cabs since fares are not always standard. Even the locals in Kuala Lumpur recommended that I get a Grab instead for convenience and better rates.
Batu Caves
There is a reason why Batu Caves is one of the sites you should see when visiting Malaysia. They painted the steps and now it is more colorful than ever. It IS very Instagram-worthy. Don't forget to bring your own water because the weather can get so hot and bottled water is a bit pricey up top after climbing those flights of stairs. Also, refrain from bringing food. The sound of plastic alone can alert the monkeys and they can get pretty aggressive when they're hungry.
I will do a more detailed post about Batu Caves on my next blog.
Petronas Twin Towers
I have seen many photos of it. It is a nice looking piece of architecture but I really was not expecting much. However, I was definitely awestruck when I finally saw them in person.
Masjid Jamek
Masjid Jamek is Kuala Lumpur's oldest mosques. It was declared as one of Malaysia's Heritage sites. Even if you have a different religion, they encourage tourists to go inside and know more about its history. There are even guides inside letting tourists know more about the building's story.
The Central Market and China Town
Central Market is the place to go for souvenirs. It is an old building but is surprisingly well-kept. Inside there is an area for Malay, Chinese and Indian souvenirs. There is also an area for chocolates and sweets. Everything is affordable. You can even haggle for a lower price. Unfortunately, I am not that great with haggling. But I still took home plenty of goods as a souvenir. I loved my time shopping here. The Central Market is also located near China Town where there's more of other souvenirs and other items.
Around the City
You will enjoy walking around Kuala Lumpur especially if you are a fan of great architecture. I know I was not able to go around the tourist sites I've seen on other people's blog and itinerary but in a way, I am glad that I didn't because I was able to enjoy it more. The city made me fall in love with it more that way. On my second day, all I had on my itinerary was Masjid Jamek and I just walked around the city from there. These sites are near one another so I had no problem navigating. I was lost in a good way that day.
St. John's Cathedral
This is the most famous and the only Catholic Church I was able to google in Kuala Lumpur. I made it a point to visit a church during my stay there because hey, I was all alone and did not have any single problem traveling around the city. I have to say thanks to the Big Guy up there for sending me angels along my trip.
Jalan Alor
How can I leave Malaysia without sampling their food? Plenty of blogs and vlogs informed me that Malaysia is a great place to go on a food trip. They are so right! Even the street food here are delicious. Jalan Alor is Kuala Lumpur's most famous food street. The entire street is closed for tourists. My Grab driver had to park a street away so I had to walk a little to get to the actual street. I was alone but did not feel like it because of all the tourists in the area. I will definitely grab another meal here when I come back.
All in all, it was a great first solo travel experience. I come and go as I please, there are no other people to wait for and there are no dramas as you occasionally would when traveling with family and friends (You know what I mean. Teehee.) This will definitely be the first of many solo traveling that I will do. I highly recommend Malaysia, especially for first time solo travelers. The people are so friendly and helpful. They are also good in English so it's very easy for tourists like me to ask directions and tips. Plus, Kuala Lumpur is just like Manila but cleaner and better transport system. Hay, I wish we could have better airports and LRT's here.
There you have it, folks! I hope you enjoyed this photographic journey of a post through Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I will be posting a more detailed post about some of the sites so I hope you get back here and check them out when I do.
Ciao!
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