me in front of the Petronas Towers — next thing to learn is how to take better pictures

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April 2025

Malaysia turned out to be the perfect little escape - short, sweet, and calm. Starting off at the KL Sentral, where the first order of business was obviously a pit stop at 7-Eleven. Later, my hotel greeted me in style with a Nissan GTR parked right outside! Malaysia sure knows how to make a first impression. Add in a balcony view of the Petronas Towers, and it was hard not to feel like I’d just leveled up in real life.

Food played a major supporting role in this trip. From my first-ever matcha tea at the Grumpy Bagels to a classic Teh Tarik, I basically ate my way through KL. Between meals, I did the responsible tourist thing - sightseeing! Admired the Petronas in the blazing sun, dipped into an infinity pool, and also explored a few museums. There was gorgeous architecture, gunboats on display, and even a throne from my very own city! Imagine traveling all that way just to find my hometown sitting pretty in a museum exhibit. Talk about feeling right at home, thousands of miles away.

Part of the journey is the end, and it concluded with a final goodbye through the airplane window, with the city glittering below like it was waving back. Kuala Lumpur may have been a quick getaway, but it packed in a combo of gorgeous sightseeing, walking thousands of steps, some food adventures, and a whole lot of “next time, I’ll stay longer.” See you again soon, KL... you’ll always be my tower-ing crush.

selfie aboard the KL Sentral — aboard the KL Sentral

7 Eleven at the KL Sentral — first stop at the 7 Eleven, of course!

Nissan GTR right outside my hotel — sicc GTR right outside my hotel

beam e-scooters rental parking zone — pretty cool rental e-scooters concept

matcha tea and bagel at Grumpy Bagels — first time trying the matcha tea

balcony view overlooking the Petronas — hotel balcony view with the Petronas in the background

Teh Tarik tea in a white mug — Teh Tarik, the national drink of Malaysia

dinner at a restaurant with outdoor seating — dinner time with some local cuisine

creme cheese bagel and cold coffee — my love for bagels is infinite

sunny selfie in front of the Petronas — the crown jewel on a very sunny day

public drinking water fountain — something about the crow and the pitcher

inside view of the As Syakirin Mosque, meaning the grateful ones — inside the As Syakirin Mosque

duck bowl at the museum cafe — duck for lunch

me in Inception if Nolan had my number — some might even say you can't have enough of me

creme brulee milk tea — creme brûlée milk tea @ Machi Machi

back to basics, can never go wrong with some pita bread shawarma

Portuguese ship model in museum — huge boats. with guns. gunboats.

ceiling design at IAMM — gorgeous ceiling design @ Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

carved wooden throne from Hyderabad — thousands of miles from home ...

board with some history of the wooden throne — ... only to find my city mentioned in a museum!

bread based meal at the hotel — pretty solid early morning meal

Turkish Pide at the restaurant near my hotel — some Turkish Pide for lunch before departing to the airport

Uncle Roger at the airport — gotta catch Uncle Roger next time

prayer area at KLIA — prayer area at the KL International Airport, lots around the city too

dinner at Old Town before take-off — dinner before take-off

Old Town coffee — take my heart to the old town road

window view from my seat in the airplane — thank you, KL. you've been kind. <3