Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur is a dynamic and modern capital. I came for two reasons--the delicious food and the fact that my flights connected there.

As my CS host Mike told me, eating is a national pastime. It didn’t take me long to witness and experience this hobby. The ethnic diversity of Malaysia, with its Chinese, Indian and Malay populations, contributes to its culinary greatness. On my first night, Mike took me to a local Chinese outdoor food court. There were stalls selling wonton noodles, dim sum, fried noodles, fried rice and other items. We each drank a refreshing coconut. To fill our stomachs, we savored chicken and beef satay (skewers dipped in peanut sauce); and curry laksa (noodles with tofu and meat in a curry broth). Other foods and drinks I sampled include nasi lemak (rice with curry anchovies wrapped in a banana leaf), roti canai (thin, flaky Indian flatbread), banana leaf rice (rice with veggies, dhal and curry laid out on a banana leaf; Indian), char key teow (thick noodles with prawns, eggs and shellfish), sugarcane juice and long-an juice (fruit). I simply ate and ate as everything was scrumptious!

The second reason I came to KL was due to my Air Asia flights. Air Asia is the biggest budget carrier in Southeast Asia with flights to many destinations. The airline is based in KL and thus many travelers end up visiting KL even though it was not there original plan. The airline is strictly no frills--nothing is free (not even water). To keep ticket prices low, the airline does not allow passengers to consume their own food or drink; the airline limits checked bags to 15kg; the airline has seats narrower than usual. I think that it is bearable to fly with Air Asia for a few hours. However, my eight-hour flight from the Gold Coast (in Australia) to KL was unbearable, mainly due to the narrow seats. I felt squished!

As for sightseeing, the most prominent landmark in KL is the Petronas Twin Towers, featured in the film Entrapment. My CS host Mike took me on a nighttime tour of KL on his motorcycle. I got the opportunity to view the magnificently lit towers. The next morning, I waited in line for one hour before obtaining a ticket to the twin towers’ sky bridge, which is on the 41st floor (the total number of floors is 88). Other attractions include the National Mosque. Chinatown, Little India and Merdeka (Independence) Square.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney is similar to San Diego, both in its sunny weather and pristine beaches. In fact, I felt that Sydney is more scenic due to its numerous coves and rocky coastline.

In my opinion, one should come to Sydney for its natural beauty and not for its architecture, sites or culture. Since Australia’s history is relatively brief, there isn’t a whole lot of historic buildings. Most of the old homes are 19th century outfits with porches and terraces. In terms of culture, Australia is very similar to the U.S. Thus, I was frankly a bit bored with what I saw in the city.

However, one aspect of Sydney that makes it interesting is its diversity. This truly is an international city, with various cuisines and languages. In particular, I noted the huge numbers of Chinese, Korean and Japanese people. Because of this, Sydney resembles a mini-London.

I spent most of my time in Sydney “bushwalking” or hiking along its coast with the companionship of some great CouchSurfers. It is amazing that one can find pristine nature a few minutes away from the CBD (central business district). On the Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach walk, I was able to admire the blue-green water (Sydney is approximately the same latitude as San Diego; I wonder why its waters are more turquoise and clear than SD’s), various coves and modern sculptures on display. On the Manly Scenic Walk, I found myself hiking in a forested pathway with views of the CBD, bays, ocean and headlands. I also spotted various birds and lizards. And all this was in the city! Lastly, my favorite bushwalk of them all was north of Sydney, in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. There, several CouchSurfers and I hiked to a few headlands to admire views of both the ocean and the bay. We also spotted a few caves.

Two observations caught my attention. First, Australia (or at least Sydney) is pricier than I expected it to be. Prices here are on par or if not more expensive than that in the Euro zone. Of course, it does not help that the U.S. dollar is approaching parity with the Australian dollar. Price examples include over $4 for a gallon of milk (explain this to me as Australia is one of the largest dairy-producing countries in the world), at least $2/lb for any fruit, $10 for a sandwich and over $3 for a bus ride.

The second observation is concerning Sydney’s inefficient and user-unfriendly public transportation system. Sure, Sydney’s network of buses, trains and ferries is superior to that in most U.S. cities. However, it is inefficient in that there is no smart card that one can use on any transport, nothing like Hong Kong’s Octopus or London’s Oyster (in which the passenger can seamlessly swipe his/hard card over a reader without needing to know the fare beforehand). Thus, buses are frequently late due to passengers fumbling for change to pay the driver. Moreover, to complicate matters, the bus fare is dependent on the number of zones traveled, which means that one has to ask the bus driver for the fare (again a waste of time). Tickets with ten rides are sold, but unfortunately, these are only for travel in the same zone.

Lastly, I was very surprised at the number of European tourists in Australia. Sure, they are avoiding their winter, but in this economic climate, I was surprised at how many European youths were able to afford $25 and upward hostels and nights of partying in Sydney.

Valencia, Spain

Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, is known for paella (Spanish fried rice) and for hosting the America’s Cup (sailing event). A couple of highlights from my experience here:

First, I really enjoyed visiting the Centro Cultural Bancaja, a free museum sponsored by a bank. In Spain, several banks have foundations which have museums with temporary exhibitions year-round. These exhibitions cover art and science. In this particular institution I visited, there were two excellent exhibitions. The first was Joan Miro’s representation of the female figure. Miro’s art is entertaining as it is similar to children’s art, with scribbles everywhere. The second and my favorite of the two is an exhibition on China, which covered Chinese cities, characters, feng shui, architecture, family and environment.

I also enjoyed visiting the futuristic-looking City of Arts and Sciences. I did not expect Valencia to be at the forefront of architecture. This park contains several notable buildings, the whale-shaped Palace of Arts, the Calatrava-designed bridge, The Hemisphere, The Oceanarium and the Museum of Science.

Lastly, I had to try paella, as this is what Valencia is most famous for. I ate paella Valenciana (chicken) at a bar where they were serving it as a tapas that came with a drink. Delicious!