Happy New Year!

New Year’s Eve started with a half day of work that was crazy busy due to the year end closing (life of a finance person).  While it was nice having so much to do that made the 5 hours in the office fly by, I probably could have used the other half of the day to really get some things done.  But in the end, I gladly welcomed the extra time to chill out in the afternoon before the nights festivities.

Food Friday 13 - A little bit of Malay, a little bit of Lebanese

Usually these posts will have just a week's worth of new foods, but seeing as I haven't posted in a while you all will get a taste of some things I've eaten in the past 2 weeks.

Thanksgiving Thursday, my coworkers asked if I'd like to order delivery lunch with them and I figured it'd be a good opportunity to try something new.  Plus it would probably fill me up more than my granola bar and apple (it's not easy to grocery shop when you're homesick).  They showed me the menu to choose from and of course I had no clue what I was reading because it was all Malaysian food and none of it had descriptions!  Luckily my friend Mary helped me out and I decided to go with nasi goreng pattaya.  Yum!  This dish is fried rice, not like the stuff you get from Chinese takeout in the US, with seafood and then all wrapped up into an egg omelet and topped with chili sauce.  It was surprisingly really tasty, though I did pick out the fish cakes because those are not my most favorite.  

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Part 3 Shopping and Tips for Travelers

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 3^rd 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. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Part 2 Petronas Towers

Whenever I go to a new place I like to do some research beforehand on tips for the area.  Lately I’ve been turning to travel blogs or trip advisor reviews because then you get people’s firsthand accounts of what they experienced and less of the general guidelines which can be a bit dramatic.  One thing that people continuously wrote about was that KL is EXTREMELY hot and humid.  I laughed when I stepped out in the afternoon and said, oh it’s so nice here!  Most reviewers were not from Singapore where we live on the equator and where cool temperatures mean low 80s, hah!  Not to say that it was SO much cooler than Singapore but I did notice I was much more comfortable than usual in Singapore.  And given that I opted to dress more conservatively than I usually do in Singapore as Malaysia is a Muslim country, I found myself able to handle longer pants and sleeves easier than in Singapore weather.

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia - Part 1 Batu Caves

The truth this week is that I have fallen off my blogging wheel and need to get writing and posting so that I keep anyone who still reads this entertained.  Luckily, I went on another adventure this past weekend so I’ve got something to write about for you besides my feelings!

Saturday morning I was woken abruptly when Ethan was calling my phone…umm who does that at 6am?!  The answer is your friend calling to wake you up because you are supposed to be at the MRT going to the airport!!  It seemed that I very confidently set my alarm for Saturday morning for 6:30am instead of 5:30am…all I know is that I’m thankful I had packed my bag the night before (plus for an overnight you don’t need too much) and I was able to get out the door in 10 minutes without forgetting anything!