Singapore & KL – An Intro into Asia

Singapore Slinggin’

Our gateway into Asia, like many, was Singapore, Although we were only there for one day, we were intent on getting as much of the Singaporean experience that we could. From Raffles to the the downtown bay we did it all.

Singapore had a very different vibe to Jarrett and I, it seemed a little too planned for our liking but still a beautiful city. The nice thing about the city is the variety in infrastructure – anything from massive skyscrapers with boats on top, to stunning colonial buildings, and even sports fields in the middle of the bay. The most spectacular view of the city truly is at night when all of the buildings are lit up in a variety of colours, which change every minute or so.

Of course while in Singapore a must do includes spending nearly 30 SD on an original Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel. Although expensive it is more of an experience than just a deliciously refreshing drink. While we were sipping on these stunning drinks we took in the original ambience of the Long Bar and indulged in several “free peanuts”. All in all the 60 SD on drinks was worth it, especially since it was Jarrett’s Birthday!

Knocking Back the Best Drink Ever - Singapore Sling at Raffles

Wandered onto a soccer field in the middle of the harbour

Although we did not spend very much time in Singapore, we enjoyed it and would recommended as a gateway into Southeast Asia, especially if it is your first time, as it has the similarities to both western and Asian lifestyles.

Kuala Lumpur

One of the skyrises in Kuala Lumpur

Our first stop in Malaysia was KL which was our first real introduction into the hustle and bustle described as Southeast Asia. The minute we stepped out the airport doors we were struck by humidity, horns, traffic, smog, and people. Although a bit overwhelming when you are trying to find a bus, it was also pretty exciting as we were entering a new phase in our journey and a whole new type of adventure.

After finding our bus into Central KL we relaxed for an hour or so during the bus ride until we stepped off the bus and were bombarded by taxis – something we had not prepared ourselves for – clearly being marked as tourists. So after nearly 7 hours of travel we haggled with a taxi for a price to our hostel, who ended up having no idea where it was. But finally we arrived….welcome to the next 4 or 5 months.

After settling in and getting a map we headed out on the city where we ran into shopping, skyscrapers, bars, and everything else. Right off the start we could tell this city had a lot to offer including stunning scenery all around.

Restaurant in the Golden Triangle - KL

Batu Caves

An hour or so outside of KL are the Batu Caves which are millions of years old but have more recently been used as a place of worship for Hindus. There are no words to describe the magnitude of the caves and the sense you have while watching the Hindus partake in worship practices. All I can say is that you feel lucky to have the chance to witness these caves and see the practices being carried out. There is no charge to visit the main caves, but to see the some of the other caves charges do apply, although not expensive – between RM 1 – 11.

The stairwell approaching the Batu Caves

To reach the caves you have 3 real options:
1. public bus for RM 2.5
2. taxi
3. tour

We opted for public transit which wad actually pretty easy to do, you just need to find the bus station outside of Bangkok Bank, high rise building, and look for bus number 11.

When approaching the gates into the caves all you can really see is a massive golden Murugan statue and 272 stairs that you must climb to enter. Watch out while you climb the stairs, there are monkeys everywhere and they will steal anything that looks easy to grab – cameras, shopping bags, purses, etc. While we were there we watched as a monkey eyed a mans shopping bag and it was gone before he knew it. Also, a lot of people feed the monkeys which I would really not advise as they are still wild animals even though are use to people being around. The monkeys tend to get jealous if you are feeding some and not all of them, and with out warning they will bite or attack you for a snack, we also witnessed this.

This monkey stole the guy in the blue shirt's bag!

City Shopping

While we were in the city we could not resist the urge to shop for cheap knock offs at Petaling Street in Chinatown. This street offers what I expected…every stand is filled with Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, Rolex, and on and on. We had a lot of fun on this street, we left with a set amount of money and bartered until it was nearly gone. With RM 260 ($ 80 CAD) we bought a Jimmy Choo bag, 3 LV wallets, a scarf, Paul Smith pants, a DVD, and a pair of Volcom shorts. Although fun, bartering is tiring. One thing that we found important to remember is how much you really are arguing over, sometimes it is only a few cents.

While in KL we also hit up one of the major discount electronics malls, Low Yat Plaza, a 6 story building filled with anything electronic you can think of…this was definitely a tiring experience and ended up not being all that much cheaper then home, especially for the amount of effort we expelled. Check out Haggle City for more details on our recommendations based upon our efforts.

Spoil Ourselves

Our last couple of days in KL we decided to treat ourselves to some relaxing time in a nice hotel, a few months living in hostels and cars really gets to you after a while. So, we booked a couple nights in the Shangri La – a really nice hotel! This was a really nice rejuvenation for us and was worth the RM 485 ($ 150 CAD) a night. I would really recommend these types of treats for anyone who is staying in hostels for extended periods of time.

Fire Flies

Malaysia is 1 of 2 countries in the world that have fire flies so we could not pass up the chance to see them! Unfortunately we did this during our hotel break and were not thinking to do our research which resulted in us totally getting ripped off! The fire flies are about 80KM outside of KL and you can take a tour, taxi, or bus out there. We opted to take a taxi because buses stop running back to KL at 7:30 and the fire flies do not come out until around 8:00. So we hired a taxi straight from the hotel which ended up costing us RM 400, yikes! We should have known better then get in, but we did and at least he waited for us while we hopped on a boat to witness the spectacular sight of natural Christmas lights sparkling all over the trees along the river valley. Our boat captain was really good and let us get really close to the fire flies and he even captured one for me to hold…real life tinker bell right in my hand! I would definitely recommend for people to do this while in KL but do more research on the ride out there. The boat itself in not bad, RM 40 for the boat which holds up to 4 people.

Jackie at Kuala Selangor Fireflys!

In all Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are great as introduction cities into Southeast Asia. Both cities are very different and offer different experiences.