The first thing you'll notice is the endless rainforest of palm trees as you descend on Kuala Lumpur, reminding you that no matter how many modern skyscrapers grace this skyline, it is entwined with the jungle. Next you'll be alerted to the fact that this is a conservative religious country, much more so than I would have guessed. Only 60% of the population is Muslim; yet it's the official religion of the state. Trains include "ladies only" cars and have signs in other cars prohibiting "indecent behavior" (depicted as kissing silhouettes). Malaysian Airlines edits its movies for content to remove any material it considers offensive and displays a prayer message prior to takeoff (which I've heard is common for Middle Eastern airlines, but this was my first time seeing one). That said, Kuala Lumpur is interesting: It's the only city I've visited in which you can hear the call to prayer one minute and Christmas music the next. It's Asia, after all, so there's still a strong embrace of Christmas pageantry, though less than 10% of the population is Christian. The mall displays put ours to shame, and I'm not kidding when I say you'll hear Christmas music everywhere from airplanes to restaurants to museums. I should mention, too, that although conservatism is pervasive, people can dress the way they wish. We, of course, wore long sleeves and pants, and I had a bug-repellent scarf that doubled as a head covering when we visited Masjid Negara.
One of the best parts of Malaysian culture is the food. With a growing reputation as the culinary capital of Asia, Malaysia offers a blend of influences from its diverse population that brings flavor and intensity. A casual South Indian lunch, an elaborate Iraqi midday snack, a four-course Peranakan dinner--each meal left me delighted. Even Malaysian Airlines had good food. True story.
I'll close with this: We visited Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, George Town, Bangkok, and Tokyo on this trip, and of all those, Kuala Lumpur was my favorite. It gave me what I needed--a jaunt outside my comfort zone into something new--and it left me fulfilled. The striking contrasts amongst the neighborhoods here keep this city interesting. Anyone who doesn't stop in KL on their way to other places is missing out.
We purchased economy seats from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines but were able to bid for a business class upgrade. This was worth it in so many ways. 1) We were given access to the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge in Hong Kong, which is one of the best airport lounges we've seen. 2) The lie-flat seats and meal are nice to have on a 4-hour flight. 3) The priority lane passes we received saved us at least an hour of standing in line for immigration processing. From the airport, there's an easy train (the KLIA Ekspres) that takes you right to KL Sentral Station. Take a taxi from there to your hotel, and don't be surprised if it takes a lot longer than you'd think. This is a city of one-ways and disconnected streets. What looks doable on a map might not be, and that's even more true when trying to map pedestrian routes. Don't rely on Google Maps (it will inevitably fail you), and don't be afraid to ask locals for help. We wouldn't have caught any of our trains without them!
We fell in love with Singapore immediately. It's hard to explain, but I feel like Singapore is a little bit of a lot of places we've been. It was an easy city--calm, inviting, breathable--and even with its proximity to the equator, the weather was remarkably pleasant. Its use of the riverfront is something we could never get tired of--from Boat Quay to Clarke Quay, to Riverside Point, to the Marina. With the blend of cultures, we could never run out of interesting dining options. It's small enough to get around easily, but big enough that we weren't bored. We could live in Singapore.
An interesting side note is Christmas, since we were in Singapore on Christmas Eve and Day. We partly chose this destination because we thought with the small Christian population, Christmas wouldn't be a big deal (and therefore things would be open). Let me tell you. Asia does up Christmas more than the U.S.--that's right, MORE. I'm talking about Christmas music in every store, restaurant, elevator, and even people's ringtones. So, this meant that a lot of restaurants were actually closed on Christmas Day. This is because they treat Christmas Eve somewhat like New Year's Eve. It's seen as a night to go out drinking and stay out late. So our plan backfired slightly.
We flew from Hong Kong to Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Siem Reap, Cambodia to Hanoi, Vietnam back to Hong Kong on a variety of airlines. Singapore Airlines was delightful--one of the best airlines we've ever flown--ever! Sure, Business Class helps (we used some United miles for it), but honestly, Singapore Airlines' medium-haul Business Class was better than Cathay Pacific's long-haul. There's something to be said for that. They even had a tea menu with unusual specialty teas that they discussed with you.
New York and Las Vegas had a rendezvous in Southeast Asia: that's Bangkok. It's swanky. It's gritty. It's impossibly hot and crowded. It's got a reputation. Run-down buildings abut the high-end Iconsiam Mall. High-end five-star hotels that I can't afford are down the street from hostels I'd be leery to set foot in. Everyone has their own reason for going to Bangkok, and ours was that we hadn't yet been.
We had a short, easy flight on Thai Smile from Penang, Malaysia. It even included a small meal. On the outbound, we flew Premium Economy on an ANA red-eye flight to Tokyo. Let me talk about this for a moment, because there are some things you should know. 1) ANA is a stellar airline, and although Premium Economy does not have lie-flat seats, I got one of the most solid, uninterrupted sleeping sessions I've had on an airplane. 2) Part of the allure of Premium Economy on ANA is that you get lounge access. With our flight departing at 12:30 AM, having lounge access seemed ideal. We were given access to the Thai Airways and Miracle Lounges, not knowing we could choose only one. We chose poorly. The Thai Airways Lounge was downright disgusting. The air conditioning was either broken or turned off, as we began sweating within minutes. There were so many people that we barely found seats--seats which were covered in stains from food and beverage spills. The bathrooms were terrible, and the food looked risky. All in all, it was an unpleasant experience. Had there been anything better in the airport itself, we would have left. I expected more from the flag carrier of Thailand in its biggest hub.
Back to getting around in the city itself--there's a super cheap airport train from which you can connect to BTS or take a taxi to your hotel. Bangkok is sprawling (and hot...did I mention it was hot?), and you will at some point need to take a taxi. When there aren't enough taxis to be found, you might get desperate and take a tuk tuk, which we did twice. It's fun, in a way, but also terrifying--especially as they pick up speed and keep pace with the cars and trucks on the road.
We landed in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon, as the locals still call it) at night. Our first impression was formed as we were whizzed along in a taxi dodging thousands of motorists on scooters--some in high heels, some with babies in front, some texting--in a city with seemingly no traffic lights, and pedestrians that manage to make their way through this mayhem, stepping out into the streets as if taking a leap of faith. Everything was in motion. On the sidewalks sat locals on tiny plastic chairs circled around tables with beer or fires cooking food. Neon lights were everywhere. Smoke from the street cooking blended with the general haze in the air to create an eerie glow from the lighting. Chaos was all we felt. I went to bed that night fearing we were in over our heads.
The next morning I reminded myself that if you don't hit the streets, it's not real. You can't reasonably say you've been to a place unless you've explored the city on foot. So we set out to do just that. In the process, we learned that everything seems scarier at night. Saigon during the day was a challenge at first, but we quickly got the hang of it and were thoroughly enjoying it by the end of our stay. Once you master the daytime, night doesn't seem so scary.
While I do miss the mayhem of Saigon, it was Hanoi that we fell in love with. Our first experience in Hanoi was having beers on the street in tiny plastic chairs like we saw in Saigon. What we were hesitant to do in Saigon, Hanoi made inviting. Walking the streets seemed easy. It's a beautiful, relaxing city, and my only regret is that our time was curtailed due to a flight cancellation. We love Hanoi and want to return.
Cambodia was totally different than any of the other places--much smaller and more rural. The reason we visited Siem Reap was to see the Angkor temples, and they did not disappoint. The food was outstanding as well, and I can only hope I'll be able to find Khmer cuisine in Chicago. Oh, and every person in Cambodia is the nicest person you will ever meet.
We flew from Singapore to Saigon, Vietnam to Siem Reap, Cambodia to Hanoi, Vietnam back to Hong Kong on a variety of airlines. Vietnam Airlines wasn't bad--they provided free meals, allowed same-day stand-by for no fee, and had nice planes. The only downside was no entertainment system at all.
As for Cambodia Angkor Air, it was a turd, and I would never fly them again. We got lucky on the way in, but on the return, our flight was canceled--apparently they do this if they feel the flight isn't full enough--which threw our plans into a tailspin. Add to that the complete lack of customer service, inability to select seats in advance or check-in online, and you get what I consider to be a terrible airline.
There really are no traffic rules here. It seems as though you're allowed to do anything, as long as you give others a heads up. For instance, sidewalks are not just for pedestrians. Scooters will often jump up and drive on them--in any direction!--if traffic on the street is congested. Beware.
After experiencing Saigon's traffic from a pedestrian's perspective, we were able to watch this mesmerizing scene from the calm of the Lobby Lounge in the Caravelle Hotel. Traffic whirls around the traffic circle around the Opera House in an endless stream. (Of course I stepped outside to film it!)
These children represent a mere fraction of the school groups in attendance at the palace that morning. Obviously, I'm normally irritated by children--but the exuberance of these kids wore me down into amusement. They were unreasonably excited by our presence. The smiling, the waving, and the relentless "hellos" and "how are yous" were really quite cute. Too cute to be irritating.
It was a four hour ride from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, and this was the view for most of it. I found the architecture interesting, and so much of it was new construction.
We spent a great amount of time researching which boats were the best for an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. We chose the Jasmine, and it did not disappoint. This is the view from the top deck.
Since it was New Year's Eve, our overnight Ha Long Bay cruise included dinner (with other cruise boats) in a cave. It was cool, but I did not like the banquet-style seating arrangements. This is one of the many shows that they put on during dinner.