- January 3, 2026, Saturday.
- Being back in Southeast Asia after weeks in the frigid cold felt like home - especially if it's a country close in culture (apart from geography) to the Philippines. It's been a decade since the last time (and my first time actually) to Malaysia, and I did not have much time to revisit some of my favorites, or do things I missed out on during my last trip.
- Malaysia was not really part of the plan. But because the flight back to Manila from Tashkent involved an extremely long layover in Kuala Lumpur, my family decide to just spend a night in KL and take the next-day flight back to Manila. The schedule was also in my favor: early morning arrival in KL, evening flight to Manila. This gives me almost two full days to (re-)explore KL.
- After checking in at Holiday Inn Express in the city center, I immediately put on my Baju Melayu and went to the Petronas Towers. Arguably the most recognizable landmark in the whole of Malaysia, the twin towers opened its doors in 1999 has been one of the tallest towers in the world. The towers are owned by the country's national oil company, PETRONAS. Due to time constraints I didn't get to go inside (yet again, as in 2016), but at least I now have my trademark photoshoot with the towers! (Thank you to phones now having the 0.5 zoom function!)
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| Am I really in Malaysiaaaaa? I AMMMMM. |
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| COME EARLY. It gets crowded really fast!! |
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| It took me so long to take this photo because the crowd just appeared from nowhere. The crowd wasn't even that bad yet, but still annoying. But hey, there's a rainbow!! |
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| Petronas, sun, birds, rainbow. Malaysia tourism should hire me. HAHA. |
- For lunch, I had a super last-minute planned meet up with my long-time friend, Kalpana. Despite our short meet-up, she knew how much I loved Indian banana-leaf-style dining and brought me to the perfect place: Bala's Banana Leaf. The restaurant is located in Taman Lucky, just west of Brickfields.
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| Can we please not wait for another 10 years to meet again???? |
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| Their food is IN-CRE-DI-BLE!! |
- Kalpana had to leave after lunch so I did my Amazing-Race across the city center, mostly in Little India (Brickfields), Pasar Seni, and Chinatown. I was supposed to shop for some Indian kurtas in Brickfields, but wasn't able to find anything that really suited me. Still, it was nice to see and hear KL's Little India. It is always such a mood booster to be there!
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| Brickfields, how long I've wanted to see you again!! |
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| Love the arches (see sidewalks.) |
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| This gate was a gift from India to Malaysia, built in 2015. |
- I took a Grab car (faster and with air conditioning) to Masjid Jamek. It was renovating when I last went there, so I wanted to appreciate the mosque a bit more this time around. Actually, even this time, part of the mosque is also having a bit of renovation work, but at least not a significant part of it. Built in 1909, the Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque ("Jamek Mosque" for short,) it was the city's main mosque until the National Mosque was constructed in the 1960s. It was built in a mix of Islamic architectural styles, typical during the British colonial era in Malaysia.
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| Jamek Mosque. This was a bad angle because you can see the restorations being done. |
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| Inside the mosque. |
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| A better angle. |
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| Best to take a photo from across the Klang River. |
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| See! Easy peasy. |
- One hop away from Jamek Mosque is Pasar Seni. Originally a wet market in the 1800s, it gradually sold dry goods, or these days, souvenirs. The building, Art Deco in style, was built in the 1937. It still is my favorite place to shop for souvenirs as it is convenient, with AC, and has a nice food court.
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| Old Market Square Clock Tower. |
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| Pasar Seni and its giant kite!! |
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| Pasar Seni main entrance. |
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| Inside Pasar seni. |
- My next agenda, within Chinatown, is a place that I just chanced upon while browsing through Google Maps shortly before my family flew to Central Asia. Kwai Chai Hong was opened in 2019 in the backstreets of Chinatown, and is meant to make people relive how Chinatown was like in the 1960s through interactive art. It is open from around 9am to midnight and entrance is free. The area has many businesses like quirky and artsy cafes and restaurants that add life to the surroundings of Kwai Chai Hong.
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| On the way to Kwai Chai Hong, with Merdeka 118 at the back. (Merdeka 118 is currently the tallest building in Malaysia, and second tallest building in the world.) |
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| Kwai Chai Hong entrance. |
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| I love how this place looks. |
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| With the red bridge at the entrance, and wooden windows. |
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| Playing with kids. |
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| I sneezed. |
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| Street view. |
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| It's so nice to feel like a kid again. |
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| Care for a chat? |
- I later cooled myself at a milk tea place in Chinatown before going back to the hotel for a short pause. Later that night, as I was looking for dinner at the mall near our hotel (Pavilion Kuala Lumpur), and wondered why there were so many people, especially the police. I eventually realized that the mall was the venue for the official launch of the Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism campaign. The current Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, was the main man of the event. However, I'm also sure who else the people wanted to see: Michelle Yeoh. As the face of "Malaysia Truly Asia" since the 2000s, and perhaps the most globally-famous Malaysian through playing prominent roles in major films (e.g. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Wicked, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Crazy Rich Asians, Memoirs of a Geisha, and more), she was the perfect person to promote Malaysia!
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| The other funny thing that happened: so I decided to have a quick dinner before rushing to the event to see Michelle Yeoh. I passed by Gindako, which sells takoyaki with various toppings and sauces. It has been a restaurant I've been wanting to try for a while now but kept forgetting. Manila has only two branches currently (SM Mall of Asia, and SM North EDSA). Well, now it was right in front of me. And yes, it was a fast, filling, and flavorful meal! Just what I needed! |
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| Got to have a nice view (and a nice zoom courtesy of my phone.) |
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| Michelle Yeoh talking with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. |
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| We love you toooo Michelle Yeoh!! |
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| VIPs! |
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| Proof that I was really at the event. |
- Michelle Yeoh left the event after the countdown to the official launch. I was still in shock that finding dinner led me to finding Michelle Yeoh! A series of performance took place after the countdown; representatives from various cultural groups, government organizations, and some local Malaysian celebrities showed how talented and colorful Malaysia is, and continues to be.
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| Malaysia Truly Asia. |
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| I love how the Prime Minister is framed by the flag in this photo. |
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| See the twin bear travel mascots? |
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| Firemen doing some stunts. |
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| A late new year celebration I guess. Makes up for not seeing fireworks at all in Tashkent. |
- My first day in Malaysia was nothing short of nostalgic and surprising. I was worried that I wouldn't have time to do a lot, but got a lot more than what I had planned. I guess the Lord was giving me a bit of reward for surviving Central Asia (for better or worse) from the planning stage to arriving in Malaysia in one piece! Although my day in KL was a gift that kept on giving, the best part was that it wasn't the end of my adventures in KL just yet!
** Check out my other adventures in Central Asia and Malaysia here!
KAZAKHSTAN
Part 1: Ascension Cathedral, Shymbulak, Souvenir Shopping - here
Part 2: Charyn Canyon, Kaindy Lake, Kolsay Lake - here
Part 3: First President Park, Kok Tobe, Museum, Metro Stations - here
KYRGYZSTAN
Part 1: Ala-Too Square and Museum, Souvenir Shopping - here
Part 2: Issyk-Kul, Konorchek Canyon, Burana Tower - here
TAJIKISTAN
Part 1: Iskanderkul Lake, Souvenir Shopping - here
Part 2: Hisor Fortress and Dushanbe City Tour - here
UZBEKISTAN
Part 1: Tashkent - Amir Timur Square, Broadway - here
Part 2: Samarkand - Gur-e Amir, Souvenir Shopping - here
Part 3: Samarkand - Registan, Bibi Khanym Mosque, Shah-i-Zinda, Hazrat Khizr Mosque - here
Part 4: Samarkand - Ulugh Beg Observatory, Afrasiyab Archaeological Museum, Ishratxona - here
Part 5: Bukhara - Lyab-i Hauz and Surroundings - here
Part 6: Bukhara - Ark of Bukhara, Bolo Hauz Mosque, Chor Minor, Po-i Kalyan - here
Part 7: Tashkent - Museums, Besh Qozon, Khast Imam Complex, Metro Stations - here
MALAYSIA
Part 2: Batu Caves, Putrajaya, KL Tower - here
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