I am a world traveler. These are my stories.
“OMG! I wish I could do that!”
Each time I have a conversation about the trip, this phrase comes at me. Often followed by “one day…” or “but, I could never…”
This year, since I am living everyone’s dream, I thought it would be ungrateful of me to ask for anything for Christmas. As such, I’m making up more of a ‘Hope’ list for you, my friends, than a “Wish” list for myself this holiday season.
From roller coasters to the Hilton, Kuala Lumpur was pretty fun.
In KL, you can find nearly anything you want. Big malls, skyscrapers, mosques, even Starbucks; English is the one of the official languages.
Though, not everything makes sense…
I had some good food in the street; grilled stingray.
Inside the mall named Times Square is a very strange theme park called Cosmo’s world. That’s where I made this.
Further proof that I need a camera man.
KL was not the goal, though. KL, serving as the headquarters for Air Asia, is a means to an end for anyone trying to reach nearly any place in Asia within a budget. With most international flights under $100 US, it’s hard to pass up.
If an island is what you are looking for, check out Langkawi. An hour on a very small plane with some great scenes and you’ll be bouncing around a little island with plenty of beach to keep you busy. Check it.
Langkawi Island was fun, no doubt. The roads through the “mountains” here are windy and fun and dangerous. I got carried away on my little scooter and started dragging hard parts on the pavement through the turns.
There are advertised white and black sand beaches, though after visiting both, I think the white sand was just a little more attractive.
Another reason to visit Langkawi is the ferry boat to one of my favorite places in the world, Koh Lipe. The Malaysian harbor is beautiful at sunrise; which is important because you need to be there early to catch the boat.
It’s a quick was to get to Thailand, but make sure you can get a visa on arrival. Some members of the European Union cannot, and may be in for a shorter stay than they bargained for.
Wrap Up:
Yes, the Hilton is still awesome. Yes, the Hilton is still expensive.
Roller Coasters are just as much fun as you remember.
Flights to Langkawi are cheap and fast. Much better than 3 hours vomiting on rough seas.
Arrange your Thai visa ahead of time if you need to. Koh Lipe will send you back to Malaysia with the next boat if you don’t.
Yes, it’s true!
I’m back in Istanbul for a couple weeks and will be taking some Turkish language classes and drinking my weight in Turkish coffee.
The new phone number is +90-0539-871-9069, so give me a ring if you are in the neighborhood.
I just attended a Couchsurfing.com group meeting tonight, ate gland & intestine sandwiches, and already have plans for the weekend and a snowboarding trip planned for Sunday. I truly appreciate the people of this city.
What’s not to love from a country that is famous for mustaches?!
