Malaysia & Cambodia
- Mia Tortolani
- Feb 12, 2017
- 2 min read
The two week Tet holiday (Vietnamese lunar year) led us to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia! Check out the latest travel video:
Malaysia:
Day one: We loved KL! Upon landing, we immediately noticed how diverse and modern the city is, especially when compared to Saigon. We landed in KL in the late afternoon and took a beautiful 45 minute drive to our hostel, the Reggae Mansion (loved it!). After getting settled, we ventured out to Petaling Street and the Central Market. Turns out most markets have TONS of knock off purses... not quite what we were looking for, but I'm sure someone is beyond pleased with their new "Prata" handbag. Later on in the day we headed up to our hostel's rooftop bar and hung out until the "new year" started.
Day two: Woke up bright and early to take the train to the Batu Caves. Millions of steps (ok, I rounded up) and a lot of sweat later we reached the caves and the Hindu temple inside. We weren't quite sure what was going on, but the caves were filled with Hindu families bringing their children to the temple and carrying things - we really had no idea what it was, but it was fascinating to see. We walked around the caves and the surrounding area for a bit before heading back into KL and adventuring around the Petronas Towers and the ~lovely~ downtown area.
Day three: We slept in (9am, SO LATE!) and enjoyed a lazy morning before braving the head of Merdeka Square and the National Mosque, which turned out to be closed to non-Muslim tourists. Then, we checked out the Islamic Art Museum which was beautiful... and not just because it had wifi and air conditioning!
Day four: Another early morning! We hiked the HELL out of Bukit Broga, a mountain about an hour outside of KL's city center. We reached the top sweaty and out of breath (and I mean really sweaty), and sat for a while taking in the dope view. We made it down just as it started to rain and headed back into the city. Nailed it.
Cambodia:
Phnom Penh: Highlights from the capital city include: renting a boat and jamming/sailing along the city, Tuk Tuk tour of the city and some great sights, a BUFFET, some delicious cold noodles, and a lot of learning. Phnom Penh was equal parts exciting and difficult - traveling with our professor, meeting local college students, and learning about the genocide painted a very difficult but real image of modern-Cambodia.
Siem Reap: Siem Reap is like Disneyworld for the backpacker: temples, pub street, night markets. A beautiful, small city that seems like it caters to the western tourist. Despite the tourist-y nature of Siem Reap, I absolutely loved it there! Even with food poisoning the Angkor Wat sunrise was breathtaking (almost as awesome as the crowd of tourists behind me). After throwing up, I adventured around the night market by myself and left with a few fun souvenirs...probably not for you btw.
Up next? Da Lat, Vietnam and more Saigon love!
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