Kuala Lumpur: a trip made special by photos, Lydia and Ika, and roti

Kuala Lumpur has the reputation of being a city with "not much to see".  In fact, its listed in my guide book as the 3rd most recommend place to visit in Malaysia.  I however had a fantastic time in KL.  I felt like I got to experience China, India, and Malaysia all on the same trip.

Nicole, my CS host, is Malay-Chinese.  Her ancestors from 3 generations ago came to Malaysia to escape internal conflict in China.  She is 33 years old and teaches private Mandarin lessons, mostly to expatriates, for a living.

I met Nicole in front of the Starbucks at Kuala Lumpur City Center or KLCC, famed for its twin towers which are the tallest in the world.

Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia: a couchsurfing experience gone wrong

I took a 3 hour flight from Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.  My couchsurfing host in KL (I'll call her K) told me she could pick me up in the city center at 5:30pm.  So I took the skybus to Sentral Station, got there around 3:30pm, and spent 2 hours walking around and checking email until 5:30.

Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place.  I waited for 30 min, and then at 6pm I skyped called K.  She said went to mynews.com where she told me to wait for her and didn't see me.  I thought she came during the brief moment I left to skype her so I went back.  When I still didn't see her I skyped her again.  She said she was there but since I didn't see her, I realized I was at the wrong station.

Vientiane: Market tour, Cooking class, and Herbal Sauna

Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, but it attracts fewer travelers than Luang Prabang.  I decided the spend the day doing a cooking course.

I met the teacher, Nook, at Full Moon Cafe.  Nook is originally from Luang Prabang, and moved down to Vientiane.  Her cooking has become famous due to a Vietnamese chef, Nguyen, who featured her recipes on an Australian cooking show.

Luang Prabang to Vientanne Laos: an 11 hour bus trip

I decided to save about $50 by taking a bus from Luang Prabang to Vientiane instead of flying.  Unfortunately it left me with two options: Leave 8AM in the morning and miss out on seeing the National Museum in Luang Prabang, or take the night bus and arrive very tired in Vientiane the next day.  Although I was sad to only spend a day in Luang Prabang, I decided to take the morning bus.

Luang Prabang, Laos: climbing to the top of a waterfall

Luang Prabang, Laos is a UNESCO world heritage city. It has a village like feel to it.  Its a very small city with a population of just 50,000.  Its known for its Buddhist monasteries and natural beauty.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do in Luang Prabang.  I had contacted 2 couchsurfers to see if they were free to hang out and didn't get a reply.

I decided to go to Kuang Si Falls.  Because of the limestone the water flows down, it is filled with minerals giving it the color of turquoise.  My only regret is that I didn't bring my swim suit.  True the water was a bit cold, but it would have loved to swing on the rope and jump into the pools.

Hanoi, Vietnam to Luang Prabang, Laos: kindness that made me cry

Hang's friend knocked on my door to wake me up the morning after NYE.  I was up late writing in my blog (sometimes it takes me 1 hour for a single post!) so I was groggy when she woke me up. 

By the time I made it downstairs, Hang, Lang, and Luyen were sitting at the table.  Hang had prepared noodles with beef for us all!  I was so grateful!  After breakfast, I offered to help clean up but Hang said no, and told me to get ready.  So I took a shower upstairs, and started packing.  At some point, Fung came over and I heard him shout, “Nisha!  Are you ready?” from downstairs. 

Siem Reap, Cambodia: Angkor Wat, intriguing history, and Aspara dance

My hostel worker tried to persuade me to go to Angkor Wat during sunrise, meaning leaving the hostel at 4:30 AM. I wasn't thrilled about this and was dissuaded to do it by girls in my hostel who told me that it was very boring waiting for the sun to come up and then she was tired the whole day.

I ended leaving for Angkor at 8AM which I turned out to be a great time.  I had my own private guide for the day which cost $28 USD.  It was completely worth it.  He was very knowledgeable about the temple, shared Cambodian history with me, and took several photos for me.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world.  What I heard on a documentary that I didn't hear or read in the museum was that it was originally built by a king who wanted to portray himself as a god and thus ensure obedience from his subjects.  The museum stated that it was built to the Hindu god Vishnu.  Its built at the peak of Khmer architecture.