Our second day in KL was pretty low key. We took our time getting up and grabbing a quick breakfast in our hotel. We stayed at the Nomad Sucasa which worked great as they provide suite style rooms that have 2 bedrooms. In traveling with 3 people it can be difficult to find places that can accommodate a 3rd bed (without a huge charge). I highly suggest this spot if you’re looking for the same thing we were. Plus they were decorated for Christmas which was so nice!
After breakfast we gathered our things and took a taxi out to the airport. The drive took around an hour and we were lucky enough not to hit any traffic. We had left enough time to accommodate if there was any traffic so it meant we had lots of time to waste in the airport. However, the new KL airport is very nice and filled with plenty of shops to keep you busy. Glenn and Ethan were kind enough to follow me around as I compared nearly every purse in the whole airport before making my purchase. I had ringgit to use up before leaving and since the exchange rate is not great it’s better to use up the money in Malaysia then to exchange it once back in Singapore.
Finally it was time to board our flight and we were back in Singapore just after 6pm (even with some delays in landing). It’s such a quick and easy trip going to KL via airplane. Budget airlines here (such as Tiger Air that we took) make it really affordable to do these short trips as well. Plus Glenn seems to have the magic touch when it comes to getting us upgraded to the emergency row seats for free! Tip: always ask when you’re checking into the flight if its full and then they usually just bump you into the seats that would otherwise cost more money.
So to end my posts on KL, I wanted to recap some tips for travelers (especially women).
First of all, Malaysia is a Muslim country though Kuala Lumpur is a big enough city that it has become a bit Westernized when it comes to what is acceptable to wear. Based off of what I had read, I figured it was a place that I would feel more comfortable if I dressed more conservatively than normal. There were plenty of women in shorts and tank tops but when it came down to it, there are lots of women in long dresses and head scarves (which Malaysian women dress beautifully and I spent much time just admiring their outfits, I might add). Also to note, if you want to go to the Batu caves or other temples, you need to have your shoulders and legs covered. On my first day, I wore capris and a light, flowy long sleeved top. It was great for the caves since I was covered enough, but the flowy top allowed me to stay cooler in the warm temperatures. On the second day, I wore a ¾ sleeve dress with leggings underneath. I didn’t feel like I was constricted in clothes and I could have probably worn shorts if I wanted, but I never felt uncomfortable or like people were staring at me for showing too much skin. Another note on what to wear, sneakers or closed toed shoes! First of all they are comfortable, and second you’ll want them with dealing with the bathrooms…
Alright ladies, let’s talk squats (and no not the type that you do at the gym). Squatting toilets are much more common in Malaysia than in Singapore. In Singapore it’s usually 1 out of all the stalls that are a squatter, while in Malaysia it was half and half. If you’re like me, you simply opt to wait a tad longer to use a “Western” toilet. If not, good luck with the squatting toilet. I would give you advice but I have not used one before and still don’t understand how you can make it out of there without getting messy. Squatting toilets are basically fancy holes in the floor that you squat over to do your business. Ok so I mentioned that closed toed shoes are important for the bathrooms. So the Western toilets aren’t completely the same either. Women can sometimes use them like squatting toilets and stand on the edges (they must have insane balance). They also have umm…as my good friend Amber referred to them…bum guns. Point blank, they use spray hoses to wash off instead of toilet paper. This means there’s water on the floor of the bathroom and I assume you’d prefer not to have it splash on your feets! BTW, remember to bring your own tissues in case they are out of paper.
That’s enough bathroom talk for one blog post! Next up is carrying a purse. Now all the tips I read included lots of horrid accounts of pick pocketing, people stealing bags, motorbikes grabbing bags and dragging people, etc. Because of this, I have a small pouch that clips around my waist and sits flat against my stomach under my shirt, noooo it is not a fanny pack! This is actually really handy for the sheer fact that you don’t have to worry about a purse. I wore my pouch there in fear that if I had a purse it would be taken in less than 5 minutes of me entering the city. Well I was wrong and wished I had a purse for the ease of getting money out without lifting up my shirt (note- I wear the pouch over a camisole so I don’t expose my midriff, it saves everyone lots of awkwardness). In any city women need to be vigilant about carrying a purse i.e. make sure it zips all the way and consider a cross body purse. Now I can’t promise that you won’t get your purse snatched, but for the sights we saw, I could have had a purse, again keeping in mind that you need to be aware of it all the time.
And those are my tips for travelers. Again, these are just from my experience in KL and you should consider where you will be traveling and what your surroundings will be like. But I hope that these are helpful for another female traveler going to KL!
I enjoyed our quick trip to KL, though it was brief and included just a couple sights it was nice to get out of Singapore and experience a new place!
:O you gave my secret away!!! hahah
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