Kuala Lumpur

Before the Malaysian Airline flight disappearance, had most people even heard of Kuala Lumpur?  Other than the Petronas Twin Towers, I knew nothing. The city is well-connected to Singapore via bus, so I saw it as a great excuse to spend a couple days there at the end of my vacation.    

I first visited Batu Caves, which is a religious site of Hindu temples that are guarded by a giant statue of Murugan (god of war).  By the way, I don't use the term 'giant' lightly:

At over 40 meters tall, this is the biggest Murugan statue in the world

The caves are on the northern edge of the city, but they are easily reached by train or taxi. As a lover of public transportation, I obviously took the train.  

The climb is a steep 272 steps, but I stopped frequently to check out the statue and the boring view (and also to avoid sweating profusely in the ridiculous humidity). 

Aside from the caves, there is not much else to see in this area

The caves, themselves, were interesting to see.  There is a dark cave on the left side, which offers a guided tour and is worth the admission fee. The guides talk about the animal/plant habitat and continuous conservation efforts. 

The main cave houses several hindu temples and drawings.  There were some religious ceremonies happening when I visited, but none last very long and the entire site doesn't require more than an hour to see.  

Gate at the top of the staircase

This is what the main cave looks like inside

One of the temples in the cave

On the way back down, I noticed the infamous monkeys (not sure how I missed them while I was going up).  These monkeys act like they own the staircase and their actions are totally unpredictable.  One moment, they are sitting nicely. The next moment, they are running up the railing and stealing food from people.  I stayed far away, although I did notice a mama with a tiny baby that just held on while she climbed around. 

The next generation of creepy monkeys!

There are some more temples at the bottom of the staircase that are also worth a quick visit.  They were doing some sort of statue-cleaning ceremony when I was there but I got bored after a a few minutes of atonal music and prayers.  

On my way back to the city, I noticed some tired women on the train that made me laugh. 

Malaysian signature sleeping pose!

There are several interesting buildings to check out near the city center, which include the old train station and the national mosque.    I was amazed by the architecture of the train station, which looked very Moorish and completely out-of-place in Asia. The building now houses administrative offices. 

Old train station in Kuala Lumpur

Near to the train station is the national mosque, which is straight out of the 70's in its design.  It's almost comedic.

Exterior of the Malaysian National Mosque

I was happy that they allow non-muslims to enter the prayer area

By this point in the trip, I really started feeling like I was in the middle east.  Malaysia is a Muslim country, but I didn't realize just how different it would be from places like Thailand and Vietnam.  A lot of women wear scarves on their heads, most people have a darker skin complexion than other parts of Asia, and the architecture has a strong Middle-Eastern influence. 

Ironically, the country's tag line is: "Malaysia - Truly Asia".  It makes me wonder if this was a deliberate response to a perception that Malaysia is unlike other countries in the region. 

I'm not sure I agree with this slogan

A modern city emerges in the background

Another well-known area worth visiting in KL is Chinatown.  Petaling street is famous for its cheap goods (I use the word cheap in reference to quality, not price).  

Main gate at one end of Petaling Street in Chinatown

I fully intended on trying some street food in Chinatown, but I just couldn't bring myself to take the risk.  Regardless, it was fun to witness the activity and the types of items on offer.

If you like Kebabs, this is the place to be

A street food vendor prepares hot pots for hungry customers

The majority of luxury hotels and business offices are located in the City Center district, which looks like any other big city I have seen. The speed of development is quite evident in this area, where cranes seem to outnumber existing buildings. 

KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center)

Perhaps the biggest (and certainly the most iconic) tourist attraction in Kuala Lumpur is the Petronas Twin Towers.  I may care more about architecture than the average person, but I think anyone would find these towers impressive - especially at night, when the buildings are lit up.  

Towers glisten as the sun begins to set

What's inside the towers, you ask?  There is an observation floor at the top (with a pretty hefty admission price), offices throughout the bulk of the building, and a large shopping mall in the bottom four floors.  

I was actually somewhat surprised to see that there was no security, whatsoever, to enter the building.  In India, you can't even walk inside a suburban hotel without passing through a metal detector, but anyone can enter Malaysia's most recognizable building without even a glance.  

The towers literally light up the night sky

Every time I passed the Petronas Towers, there was a group of people taking "selfies" in front of the building.  Although I normally hate such a narcissistic activity, I got caught up in the excitement...

A rare selfie in front of the towers

I really enjoyed Kuala Lumpur - not because it is "truly Asia" but because it "truly" redefines the stereotypes of Asia.  Local cuisine incorporates so many different cultures and offers such a memorable flavor palette.  My favorite Malaysian dish, Beef Rendang, is made with coconut milk, lemongrass, and curry (among other ingredients).  Seriously, where else in Asia will you find such an interesting combination of flavors?  

The mix of cultures is also evident in the architecture, the people, and even the fashion.  Kuala Lumpur may be on people's radars because of the recent airline tragedy, but it also deserves attention as a country worth visiting.  

Singapore

Singapore has a reputation for being sterile, boring, and expensive (not the best adjectives for boosting tourism).  But, it also has modern infrastructure, lots of expatriates, and warm weather year-round.  Overall, the city piqued my interest enough to spend a couple days there on my vacation.  Here's what I thought of it...

First impressions: Arrival at the airport was a breeze.  Passport control took about 15 seconds and the baggage claim monitor noted exactly when the first and last bags were placed on the belt.  Even the restroom encouraged people to rate its cleanliness (it was spotless, by the way).  Is this place an Asian version of Zurich?

FU sure knows how to clean a toilet!

Public Transport: I decided to take the subway to my hotel because I think it’s fun to experience public transportation around the world. Singapore over-delivers in this area as well. The map is easy to follow, trains are clean, and the other riders are quiet.  

City Life: My hotel was on Orchard Road, which has the biggest concentration of shopping malls I have ever seen in my life.  Basically every building has a mall in the first two floors and there are luxury brands everywhere.  If you combined all the Orchard Road malls into one, it would be by far the biggest mall in the world.

Two random things I noticed while exploring the city: 1) the escalators all move VERY fast, and, 2) the “up” escalator is not always on the same side.  This may not sound like a big deal, but if I see two escalators next to each other, the “up” should always be the one same side that traffic moves (right side in places like North America and central Europe; left side in UK, Australia, Japan, etc).  It’s a small point, but I hold Singapore to a higher standard of efficiency!

My first afternoon in Singapore, I had lunch in Chinatown.  It actually didn't feel very "Chinatown-ish" to me because everything was so pristine.  You can still buy plenty of cheap souvenirs and tasty restaurants, but you won't find any knock-offs.   

"Painted Ladies" of Chinatown

Downtown Singapore is really just a concentration of skyscrapers, although the adjacent bay area is much more worthwhile for tourists to see.  The amazing Marina Bay Sands is even more impressive in person (and, of course, it has a giant mall in the basement).  

Singapore waterfront

Marina Bay Sands 

Very cool double-helix bridge

Also in Marina Bay are some other tourist attractions (an art museum and an impressive urban garden). Across a double-helix bridge, there is even a cricket field that literally sits in the water.  Singapore has made great strides to reclaim land and it boasts some pretty impressive statistics about the land mass, which has grown dramatically as a result of these projects. 

By the way, there is also an "Olympic Walk", which makes me pose the logical question: Why would a city that has never hosted the games have an Olympic Walk?  Actually, I did some research and Singaporean athletes have only won a total of 4 medals in all Olympics combined!  Regardless of their Olympic success (or lack thereof), it was a good place to view the skyline.  

Singapore: Future olympic host city?

Unlike most cities across Europe, cathedrals are not among the top tourist attractions.  I actually passed a very cute looking church one afternoon and walked inside, just to find that it is now a leasing office for luxury residential units.  I took a picture of it anyhow.

Faux church in Singapore

Nightlife: I got the impression from my friends that locals and expats do not integrate very much.  We went to dinner in a mall, so I can only imagine where locals go. (Food stalls?)  All joking aside, mall restaurants don’t have the same stigma like they do in the US, since the whole city is just a giant mall.  One word of caution is that alcohol is heavily taxed, so it ends up being disproportionately expensive.

Most expensive city in the world?  I was surprised to see that Singapore has the world’s highest percentage of millionaires (1 out of every 6 households, according to Wall Street Journal).  With that information in mind, it is not surprising that Singapore was also rated the most expensive city in the world.  To be perfectly honest, I did not get that impression in my short time there.  Nothing was cheap, per se, but far from the prices I paid in places like Zurich and Tokyo. 

My friend living in Singapore said that the real expenses are in expat-quality housing and purchasing permits to own a car.  With so many multinational companies taking advantage of the country’s infrastructure and low corruption, the costs of living have definitely increased quickly and low-skilled employees are finding it harder than ever to maintain any quality of life. 

Does Singapore live up to its reputation? Overall, I did find Singapore to be sterile – especially compared to all other Asian cities.  It is also extremely efficient, which I appreciate a lot.  However, I would never say that it’s boring.  Anyone who loves shopping will be in paradise, and there are plenty of opportunities to eat and drink all types of foods.  The airport has amazing connections, including some low-cost airlines that are much better than their European counterparts.  I could have stayed busy for at least a couple extra days if only I had more time.  Basically, Singapore offers almost everything that people could want, as long as they are willing to pay for it. 

Cao Dai and Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

Group tours are apparently my new hobby because I decided to book a second day to see some other sites around South Vietnam. Normally, I roll my eyes whenever I see a mass of people following a guide through the most touristy areas of a city.  However, given that I was traveling alone, the tours seemed like a good opportunity to meet new people and allow the tour operator handle all the logistics.  

Our first destination for the day was the birthplace of the Cao Dai religion in Tay Ninh province.  The religion emerged in the 1920's and now has over 3 million members- mostly in Vietnam but also scattered around the world. When we arrived at the temple, my first impression was that it looked like Pee-Wee's playhouse.  The shape of the building resembled a church but the colors and decorations were completely over-the-top. 

First impressions of Holy See Temple

Our tour guide began telling us about the religion while people began arriving for their midday prayers.  The majority of worshipers were women and they wore simple white robes.  There was also a small group of people wearing red, blue, and yellow to represent Confucianiam, Taoism, and Buddhism, respectively.  Cao Dai is touted as a collection of the best parts of many religions. 

According to an article in the New York Times, the religion was born after a Vietnamese civil servant received a heavenly message from God.  I couldn't help but remain skeptical... Is it really that easy to build a religious following? 

We proceeded into the temple and up to the balcony to watch the midday prayers.  Everything was set to music, led by a group of instrumentalists and young singers.  The sound was very unique and slightly too atonal for my ears.  

Musicians lead the prayer service. 

The inside of the temple was just as ostentatious as the exterior, but it was offset by the pure white robes that most people were wearing.  Each of the church members remained focused on the music, with bowed heads and very little movement.  Sporadically, they would place their forehead onto the ground and come back up in a carefully orchestrated series of movements.  

Prayers begin at Holy See Temple

Everyone is carefully focused

According to my tour guide, the temple was constructed without a blueprint.  All construction decisions were divinely communicated and construction was very slow.  Despite the over-the-top decorative elements, a lot of the design themes were repetitive. Each window and column looked just like the others. 

Close-up view of the columns inside the temple

Looking into the temple from one of the windows

The main symbol of the religion is an eye, which represents the spiritual heart of each person.  Emerging from the eye are lines, which represent the light of the universe.  This symbol was present in many of the windows and throughout the temple. It looked a little creepy to me but I'm sure they would say the same thing about Jesus nailed to a cross. 

The religious symbol of an eye was highly visible

After about 30 minutes, the prayers ended and the worshipers quietly dispersed back to their daily lives.  They did not interact much with each other and no one paid much attention to the tourists.  

Quietly returning to daily life at the end of the prayers

To be honest, I found the experience very confusing.  I got the impression that religious members were attending out of obligation rather than faith. They went through the motions of the service but there was nothing more. No sermon/homily. No message about applying the religion in daily life.  No participation. Everyone just listened to the same chanting that they probably hear every day.  

I respect the moral principles of the religion but I just did not sense much emotion from anyone.  As we walked back to the bus, I saw a garden filled with potted plants and it was a great metaphor for what I had just seen.  The outward display of the garden was presented well and each plant was growing carefully in its tiny environment, but none were flourishing in their surroundings or adapting with the others.   

Potted plants in a garden alongside the temple

After lunch, we headed to the Cu Chi tunnels, which were used as hiding places used by Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War (which, by the way, is called the American War here). Before touring the grounds, a short video is shown with a lot of anti-American propaganda.  I am never one to blindly defend any mistakes of my country, but the bias in this film made Americans look like murderous tyrants who invaded the country without any reasons, whatsoever.  

Most Americans do not celebrate the country's involvement in the Vietnam war, but I found it interesting to hear the local perspective throughout the tour.  As they showed us the various traps that were used by the Viet Cong soldiers, it amazing that the Vietnamese soldiers were able to defeat such a technologically superior military power.  Proof that knowing the land makes a big difference. 

I would not want to get caught in this trap

The guide showed us how labor-intensive it was to dig the tunnels. It's not as simple as digging holes in the ground and leaving the dirt alongside.  Women had to carry the displaced dirt several kilometers away from the tunnel network, just so it would not be apparent to the American forces.   

The openings to the tunnels were absolutely minuscule - even for Vietnamese standards - and the living conditions must have been intolerable.  

One of our group members enters the tunnel network

At the end of the tour, we all had the opportunity to crawl through a small portion of the tunnels.  Between the excessive heat and the difficulty to move in a crouched position, I was immediately uncomfortable.  I would have never survived in such conditions. 

Although much of the site was not original, it was very interesting to hear about the conditions during the war and, especially, the different tactics that were used by Viet Cong soldiers to defeat the American-led forces.

-- -- -- -- --

Overall, my trip to Vietnam was a great experience and I wish I had more time to explore other parts of the country.  Ho Chi Minh city proved to be a convenient base for exploring the region and it offered much more of a cosmopolitan nightlife than I would have anticipated. 

There is one memory that I will always associate with Ho Chi Minh City: motorbikes.  They have literally taken over the city and I can still hear the buzz of the engines in my head. As for driving rules, red lights are only a suggestion and sidewalks are not restricted to pedestrians only.  The chaos requires everyone to constantly be alert, but that is all part of the city's charm.   

Motorbikes fill the streets in Ho Chi Minh City

Walking through the city on my last night, I noticed all types of people.  The backpacker district was filled with young travelers from around the world, who appreciate the low costs and exotic environment.  Meanwhile, the luxury hotels and boutiques offered a level of quality that could appeal to even the most discriminating travelers.  My traveling style falls somewhere in between and I felt like I got to experience the best of both worlds. 

People's Committee Building at night

Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta is an absolute must-see for anyone visiting South Vietnam.  Not only is it an ecological treasure, but it also offers a welcome respite from the chaotic environment in Ho Chi Minh City. 

The drive took about two hours and I saw countless roadside vendors selling steamed bao, roasted animals (chicken perhaps?), loaves of bread, and fruit.  There were a lot of open-air restaurants filled with plastic chairs and hammocks.  The best part of the ride was watching all the motorbikes, carrying everything I could have possibly imagined.  With so much entertainment from my window, I barely noticed the time passing.  

We eventually arrived at the waterfront and boarded a large motorboat for a trip down the river.  We missed the floating market, which happens very early in the morning, but the environment was still beautiful to take in. It was evident that people here rely on the water for so many aspects of daily life. 

The scene along the river

A local watches the day pass on her boat

The tour guide mentioned that some boats come all the way from Cambodia and people live on them for months at a time.  Each boat was painted with a face-like design on the bow and was sheltered by only a small piece of material.  The small confines of these boats made my hotel rooms feel spacious in comparison. 

Houseboats lined up along the river

A local prepares food on his boat

Eventually, we reached a small village and walked through some shops and homes.  Everyone lives a very modest lifestyle and there is no such thing as air-conditioning or insulation.  The homes were built so close to the water that I can imagine there being a lot of flooding during the monsoon season.

The walking tour of the village allowed us to taste fresh honey, coconut candy, whiskey (infused with snakes!), and freshly-puffed rice. 

I can't believe I drank whiskey out of this jar

The tour guide gave us the opportunity to pose for a picture with a giant boa, but it was too active for any of us. The guide also mentioned that it is not uncommon to see snakes slithering around the roads and even in people's homes.  I don't think I will be spending the night here any time soon!

Unusual fashion accessory

After eating lunch at a nearby island, some of us rented bicycles and explored for a couple hours.  It was beautiful to see such lush vegetation and the simple homes scattered sparsely along the paths. Each home had access to the water and they all had boats docked nearby.  With no cars on the island and so few people around, I truly felt like I was on vacation.    

The trees provided a nice canopy over the paths 

One of the homes built along the river

Two Germans decided to try their luck at tandem riding, but they found that it is not as easy as it may appear.  After losing their balance a few times and barely making it across this narrow bridge without falling into the water, they splurged for a second bicycle!

Tandem riding is not as easy as the locals make it look. 

Before heading back to Saigon, we hired some women to take us on a boat ride through the peaceful waterways.  The sound of only insects in the trees and the water passing beneath the boat was so calming. 

Mekong "taxis"

Trying to blend in

Visiting the Mekong Delta is certainly not an "action-packed" tourist activity, but I found it to be a wonderful contrast to crowds of Ho Chi Minh City.  I experienced a small taste of what daily life is like for people in this region and was humbled by their lifestyle.  Many tour guides suggest spending multiple days in Mekong Delta, but I think a one-day tour was perfectly sufficient.  

Typical image from the beautiful Mekong Delta