Phuket, Thailand

From Kuala Lumpur, we flew directly to Phuket, which is Thailand's largest island.  We arrived late on the evening of January 16th and promptly passed out at the hostel.  We opted to stay around Patong Bay, the entertainment and shopping hotspot on the western coast of Phuket.  Our hostel was located a mere 5 minutes from the beach and we spent the entire next day, relaxing on Patong Beach with fresh-cut fruit and tropical drinks.  The weather during my stay in Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia was consistently in the mid-80s if not 90s.  The sun was so strong and within a few short hours of lying out, I was several shades darker and branded with unpleasant tan lines.

In the evening, we got tickets to see Simon Caberet, the island's most renowned show featuring highly believable "lady boys."  The show boasted lavish sets and brilliant costumes.  The beautiful performers lip-synched and danced to songs from all over the world.  Much to my surprise, they even performed to some K-pop music!  It was such a fun time and I was thoroughly entertained for the whole thing.

After the show, we headed to Bangla Road to check out the nightlife.  Dozens of bars, pubs, and nightclubs lined the streets.  It reminded me of a raunchier Bourbon Street in New Orleans, with scantily clad tourists and locals trying to lure vistors to back alley peep shows and go-go bars.  In an attempt to appease tourists, this island has turned into a highly commercialized and over-crowded vacation spot.  Perhaps that's my only complaint about Phuket.  While the beaches are unmatched in terms of natural beauty, the crazy, loud tourists that roam the streets at night put a slight damper on the island's charm.

The next day, we embarked on an all-day speedboat tour of Ko Phi Phi, a group of 6 islands that has some of the most beautiful beaches and striking rock formations in the world.  The tour group picked us up from our hostel super early in the morning and transported us to Phuket Bay, on the eastern side of the island.  There, we boarded a speedboat and departed the pier for a 45-minute journey out to Phi Phi Ley.

David and I, with our tour guide

First stop at Phi Phi Ley was Loh Samah Bay.  There, the crew anchored the boat and we all got a chance to go snorkeling and swimming, surrounded by thousands of colorful tropical fish.  The color of the water was unreal - a perfect cue of greenish turquoise, and the rock formations surrounding us were absolutely stunning.  Next, we quickly stopped by Viking Cave, a famous site known for prehistoric drawings on the cave walls.  Unfortunately, tourists are no longer allowed to enter for safety reasons, but we were still able to observe the entrance and take photos.

Viking Cave

After that, we reboarded the boat and headed to Yong Kasem, also known as Monkey Beach for obvious reasons.  On this small tract of sand, dozens of well-fed wild monkeys roam freely, happily accepting our offering of mini-bananas.  They were not scared of us at all and practically posed for all of our photos.

Then, we headed out for Pileh Cove, a beautiful lagoon surrounded by towering limestone rock formations on every side.  There is a small opening where boats can slip through.  I had never seen anything like this before.  The sheer view took my breath away.  Next, we pulled into Maya Bay, which was where the movie "The Beach" was filmed.  Maya Bay had such fine, perfectly white sand.  It was truly a tropical paradise.

After that, we arrived at Phi Phi Don, where we had a beachside buffet for lunch.  I can't get over how delicious Thai food is.  I love how it integrates so many fresh fruits and vegetables.  In total, there were maybe 25 people on our speedboat. 

Our last stop of the day was Khai Nok Island.  There, we had a few hours of free time to just relax and enjoy our time on the beach.  Finally around 4:00pm, we boarded our boat for the last time and headed back to the pier.  It was an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable day.

Phuket was exactly what I dreamed a Thai paradise would be like.  It was a bit crowded and over-commercialized, but the beaches surpassed my expectations.  Next stop on the world tour is Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, far removed from the hustle and bustle of KL and the rampant tourists of Phuket.  Stay tuned for more adventures in Thailand!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

It's finally time to catch you up on my travels.  My flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was at 12:30am on January 15th.  After having dinner at home, I met up with David, my travel buddy for the trip, and we took the airport shuttle to Incheon Airport.  There, we unexpectedly ran into several other Fulbrights: three who were heading to Australia and two en route to Singapore.  What a small world!  I slept for the entirety of the flight and before I knew it, we had arrived in Kuala Lumpur Airport, as the sun was coming up.  We ate breakfast with our friends and then parted ways.  Then, we took a bus downtown, checked into our hostel, and began exploring.

The first thing that struck me about Malaysia was how ethnically diverse this country is.  The architecture throughout the city is undoubtedly influenced by Malay, Chinese, Arab, and Western culture.  Street signs are often written in 4 languages and just walking around, one hears smatterings of foreign tongues.  After I returned from my trip, I did a little research on the demographics on Malaysia and quickly realized that my observations were spot on.  Malaysia contains speakers of 137 living languages.

Native Malays make up the majority of the Malaysian population at 50.4%, Chinese make up 24.6%, native and indigenous populations 11%, Indians 7.1%, and the remaining population is split among people of European and Middle Eastern descent.  What is most impressive is the fact that all these people can not only coexist peacefully but respect and admire each others' cultures.  If only we could say the same for countries in Central Africa and the Middle East.

Fulbrights in KL Airport

After walking a bit downtown, we headed across town to the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park.  The park was somewhat on the smaller side but it contained lush greenery and 6000 butterflies.  It was a nice and peaceful way to start off the day of sight-seeing.

After that, we headed to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, which at a whopping 20.9 acres, is the world's largest free flight aviary.  There were so many exotic and beautiful birds just walking around the premises.  It was quite mind-blowing.

The park was absolutely enormous.  It took us a few hours to walk through the whole thing.  The exhibits were very thoughtfully laid out and the landscaping was just superb.  I hope I'll make it back here one day.

Malaysia is not only boasts ethnic diversity, but religious diversity as well.  Islam is the largest and official national religion, with 60.4% of the population.  But nearly 20% identity as Buddhist, nearly 10% as Christian, 6% as Hindu, and a small percentage also practice Confucianism, Taoism, animism, and various folk religions.  On the walk back into town, we passed several notable religious landmarks.

Islamic Center

National Mosque of Malaysia

Islamic Arts Museum

Amazing Skyline

Then, we continued our tour to the historic Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Central Market, and Chinatown.  Although it is no longer in use, the old railway station is quite stunning; almost reminiscent of a Parliament Building in Western Europe.  One could easily spend an entire day in Central Market, browsing through the stalls that sell traditional crafts, souvenirs, and handmade items.  We continued along to Chinatown, which has some of the best food in Kuala Lumpur.  Restaurants line both sides of the street and there's a ton of energy and life in this neighborhood.  It was a great place to have lunch and just people watch.

After a delicious meal, we moved onto Petaling Street, which is famous for its counterfeit goods and dirt-cheap prices.  As we continued walking, we stumbled across several small, ornate temples, representing every religion that one could imagine.  First was Guan Di Temple, one of the oldest Chinese temples in Kuala Lumpur.  This temple was named after the God of War, China's greatest warrior.  Surrounded by a smokey haze of incense, there was a sense of mystique and tranquility exuding from this place.  I learned that many native Chinese come here to worship Guan Di for protection and to make wishes.

Next, we stumbled upon Sri Maha Mariamman Temple, perhaps the most famous Hindu temple in Malaysia.  Built in 1873, it is also the oldest in Kuala Lumpur.  The temple's most outstanding feature is the elaborate five-tiered tower, which depicts Hindu gods and was sculpted by artisans from southern India.  The colorful and striking artwork was unlike that which I've ever seen before. 

In the evening, we took the monorail to KL Tower, which competes with the nearby Petronas Towers for being the main landmark of Kuala Lumpur.  We were able to go to the top of the tower and get a 360-degree view of the whole city.  With its lively atmosphere and bright lights, Kuala Lumpur is surely a city that never sleeps.

The next day, we visited the world famous Petronas Towers, which were formerly the tallest buildings in the world, until they were surpassed by Taipei 101 in 2004.  But at 452 meters, they still remain the tallest twin buildings ever built.  Unfortunately, we were unaware that elevator is closed on Mondays, so we couldn't go all the way up to the skybridge.  At the time, it was rather disappointing but on the bright side, it gives me a good reason to come back!  Suria KLCC, a lavish, trendy shopping mall is located at the base of the Petronas Towers.  We spent some time walking around there and then in the nearby park.  Pictures do not do justice to this spectacular landmark.  When the sun reflects off the metallic exterior, this structure actually seems to glow from miles away.

Unfortunately, it was soon time to head back to the airport.  On the way, we stopped by Little India, which is super lively and fun.  No matter where you turn, Kuala Lumpur is full of color and energy.  Every neighborhood has a distinct culture and in some ways, I felt like I was transported to several different countries during this short trip.

 

 

Well, that concludes my 48 hours in Kuala Lumpur.  If we had another day there, perhaps it would've been more relaxing and we would've been able to explore the local hangouts.  But that being said, I feel like we saw so many things and really maximized our time there.  All in all, it was a great start to our epic 2 week journey.