Arrival
My flight back to the U.S left from Bangkok so I when I left Bali, that’s where I was headed. When I decided to book my flight for Bali, I knew I wanted a flight with a long layover in a country that I hadn’t visited yet. My options were either Singapore or Malaysia, due to the flight times, I decided to go with Malaysia. I arrived in Malaysia at 7:30 am. My return flight was scheduled to leave at 6:05 pm. I had to make the most of my 10 hour layover, more like 8 hours when you take into consideration going through customs. Prior to leaving Bali, I did research on what sights I should try my best to see. I debated having a taxi to take me around but I also didn’t want to spend a lot of money so I decided to take the cheaper route which was to take the bus into the city. The airport is actually on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. First, I headed to the ATM to exchange money and then I followed the signs and found the bus terminal. I told the clerk that I wanted to go to the center of the city and she told me which bus to take. The ticket cost a couple of dollars. We arrived in the center of bustling Kuala Lumpur about 45 minutes later.

My itinerary for my short layover was Central Market, Petronas Twin Towers and Batu Caves. I could see the towers from the freeway but I didn’t know exactly where to get off. So I got off when it seemed that we were pretty close. I walked a few blocks and found a McDonald’s which was a godsend because I needed to charge my phone and I wanted to use the WiFi. I also was a bit hungry and I enjoy going to McDonald’s in foreign countries because usually their menus are quite different from the standard menu available in the U.S. I don’t eat McDonald’s in the states so when I’m abroad I allow myself the indulgence.

Central Market
After I left McDonald’s, I headed to Central Market. In the Central Market there are restaurants, shops, and lots of souvenirs to choose from. I found a shop that sold jewelry and I bought a few really unique necklaces. After I left Central Market, I went off to find my way to the Petronas Towers.

Petronas Twin Towers
I ended up taking a cab since I didn’t want to waste time trying to find my way on foot. There is also an observatory deck and a skybridge that allows you to walk between the towers. Since I was short on time I was quite content admiring the towers from the street. After I left the towers, I went to a local Starbucks to use the WiFi. Then I headed to my final stop, Batu Caves, before heading to the airport.

Batu Caves
Batu Caves was highly recommended so I knew I had to see the caves. So I took a cab to the caves which was about 15 minutes outside of the city. The cab was about 10$. It was a bit rainy but luckily it was only drizzling. There were lots of tourists but it wasn’t overly crowded. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. As I walked up the countless stairs, I saw several monkeys. I read beforehand if you go to the caves then you should definitely take a tour so luckily the next tour started about 10 minutes after I arrived. The tour was really fascinating, it was eery because it was very dark even with the flashlights and the headlamp that I had. You could hear the sound of the bats. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take many  pictures because my phone had died and my Ipad didn’t have a flash. After the tour was over, I explored the other parts of the cave. The cave itself is huge. I spent a couple hours at the cave before I headed back to the airport. I decided the cheapest route to the airport would be public transportation so I looked at the map near the subway and found my way to the airport. I made it with enough time to relax before heading back to Bangkok.

Although my time in Malaysia was brief, I enjoyed my quick layover. I found that people were willing to help to me when I was obviously lost. The public transportation was easy to use. I would like to go back and spend a few days to see more of Malaysia. If you ever have a long layover in Kuala Lumpur, I would definitely recommend that you leave the airport and see as much as you can. The airport also arranges tours for layover of at least 6 hours or more but I figured it would be cheaper if I did my own thing and it was. Never pass up a long layover, especially in a new city!