Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s staff member
The second country on our grand ASEAN trip was Malaysia. I didn’t know what to expect from Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh, so I kept an open mind and heart. Even though the focus of our Malaysian trip was on an interesting historical town of Ipoh, we still had one day to see Kuala Lumpur.
We stayed the night at a very luxurious hotel Majestic, which is documented as a national heritage site. The hotel was built in 1932 and is one of the most glamorous places in Kuala Lumpur and a beautiful example of colonial architecture.
The hotel is favored by Royals like Prince Charles and Camilla, so we definitely felt pampered at the stunning property.
I also was excited to finally see The Petronas Towers, twin skyscrapers. They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers in the world! It is definitely worth seeing them as they are considered one of the new Wonders of the World.
I wish we had more time in the capital of Malaysia, but it was time to have adventures in the countryside and explore Ipoh. There we stayed at a very charming hotel WEIL that I highly recommend if you are ever in the area. The rooms are new, spacious and they have some very romantic suites for couples.
Ipoh is definitely an interesting city to see. In the middle of the 1900s, it used to be the world’s largest producer of tin and its booming success showed. Informally described by locals as the “town that tin built,” Ipoh grew from a sleepy village to a hotbed of cabarets, nightlife, and conspicuous consumption, a city fueled by the fortunes of the Chinese-mining towkays (bosses). But the collapse of tin prices in the 1980s curbed the city’s rise and soon Ipoh faded, leaving a pleasant aftertaste of yesteryear’s glamour surrounded by wonderful nature.
After a quick rest in our rooms, we headed a little bit outside of Ipoh to do water rafting as that was the activity our followers picked over exploring Gua Tempuring cave.
I haven’t had any water rafting experiences before, so I was a little bit worried, but what shocked me, even more, was that on top of water rafting we were surprised by ABSEILING! If you didn’t know, abseiling is the same as rappelling and it is a controlled descent off a vertical drop, using just a rope. We climbed and trekked through the jungle to our destination - a waterfall that we were supposed to rappel from.
I put on my gear and a brave face on, and despite an initial fear, I channeled my inner Tomb Raider and rappelled down like a pro :)
It was scary to make the first step back off the cliff, but I loved the adrenaline rush of abseiling so much that I went twice!
Feeling like I conquered my fear, I was ready to water raft and navigate the wild rocky river. It was honestly one of the most fun and adventurous days I ever had and I felt really powerful doing so many things that scared me and enjoying them immensely at the same time. If you ever need a female Indiana Jones as a friend, please hit me up :)
Useful Tip:
There are plenty of adventurous activities to do in Malaysia, but if you are going to explore the cities, make sure you wear modest clothes as Malaysia is definitely one of the most devoted Muslim countries I ever been to and you would want to be respectful.
The next day our group was separated for the first time. Angel’s followers voted for her to explore Ipoh and my and Sarah’s followers voted for us to visit one of the biggest Asian theme parks, The Lost World of Tambun. While I enjoyed rides, natural springs, and other great attractions there, I loved getting close to animals there.
While I am not a big fan of animals in captivity, I understand the importance of zoological parks. They provide a haven for endangered species (white tiger in this park, for example!) and share their observations and knowledge to make sure the species are well researched and protected. I was happy to see that animals in “The Lost World of Tambun” were all well-looked after, each had a few specialists observing them and many were in their natural habitat, unbound by the cages as the whole park is set inside the jungle and surrounded by limestone caves!
I fed deer, a hippo, got close to a lot of exotic animals (have you ever seen a bearcat?!) and made friends with the cutest raccoon. I had so much fun at the park and felt like a real-life Disney Princess!
Useful Tip:
If you like thrilling rides, The Lost World of Tambun might disappoint you as it is more of a water park and zoological park set in a real jungle, however it is a must-visit for everyone who loves animals like me.
On our last night in Ipoh, we went to explore the night market and tried some interesting and colorful deserts. They were not something I am used to, but it was really great to try new flavors. What I really got hooked on in Malaysia was white coffee, but the coffee in Bintan, Indonesia was even more delicious…But about that, in my next post!
P.S. Watch all my adventures in Malaysia via detailed Instagram Stories in this Highlight [click here]!
