Far East Texans: Kuala Lumpur Edition

I can't believe it's been a month since my last blog. The last few weeks leading up to our baby moon were my worst. I was constantly nauseous and all I wanted to do was sleep. I was beginning to worry about the timing of the baby moon. But I was determined to enjoy every bit of the trip no matter what.   Ram had been very good about keeping everything a secret, so I was ready to discover all the surprises!

On May 15 we took off and arrived in Kuala Lumpur 7 hours later. We were greeted by a driver from the Shangri-La Hotel (surprise no. 1). The minute we arrived and the car door opened, a mob of people came towards us welcoming us by name and congratulating us with a bouquet of roses. I felt like a celebrity! They automatically upgraded our room to a suite upon arrival because I was pregnant. Talk about service! ••WARNING: I'm about to start my 5th month so I definitely look pregnant since the last time you saw my food belly. Can't believe we're almost half-way through!••

Welcome Wagon!

Our hotel was located in the city centre, so there was plenty to see within walking distance. Unfortunately the forecast was hot and rainy for our entire stay (a common theme for all the cities we visited), but that wasn't going to stop us. Later that afternoon we were scheduled for a massage (surprise no. 2) but it was in a different hotel. So we walked in that general area and came across a mall, so we popped in for a bit. Then massage time came and Ram led me to the exit and right across the street was the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. That's where he booked me with a certified prenatal massage therapist (hard to find one on this side of the world). I was in heaven.

After the massage, we walked back to our hotel.  Just in time for happy hour. The hotel has a club lounge that offers complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, and happy hour daily. It was perfect timing since I was in need of a snack, and Ram a drink:)

My happy hour...

...Ram's happy hour

That evening we walked to a nearby thai restaurant and had our first taste of yummy asian food. In the surrounding area there were plenty of fun bars that were in huts but it seemed too hectic for us, so we passed. I don't mind going to a bar, but I won't go if it's too crowded, too much potential for accidents. These days I'm like mama bear, don't get too close to my stomach or else!!!  

The next day Ram arranged for a private tour with a driver. It was raining heavily in the morning, but luckily by the time we arrived at our first destination, the rain stopped. Unfortunately for us, the rain didn't cool the city down. It was as hot and humid as ever. We drove about an hour to reach the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves is a limestone hill that houses a series of temples. Though Malaysia is predominantly Muslim, KL was definitely Hindu.  I was hesitant at first to take the 272 steep climb up, but Ram assured me he would walk with me slowly and we could take as many breaks as needed. As we got closer to the steps we started to see the monkeys. Ram assured me that as long as we didn't mess with them, they won't mess with us. After a few false starts, I decided to keep my head down and focus on the climb. And I'm glad I did:

Monkeys were all over the railings and steps

Entrance to Batu Caves

Next we went to Monkey Hill. A place specifically to feed and watch the silver leaf monkeys common to the region. I kept my distance but Ram dove right in and fed the cuties.

Afterwards, we drove another 45 minutes to another part of town where we could take a boat ride to see the fireflies. Since you can only see the fireflies in the dark, we had some time to kill. Our driver took us to a chinese restaurant on the harbour. We had some of the best chinese food ever here. Then off we went on the boat to see the fireflies. It took 20 minutes to get out there and what a sight! It looked like Christmas all over! The fireflies shone bright white (weird, I thought they would be yellow) and lit up all the trees. It was impossible to capture, as you can see. It was a very cool experience despite the fact that people kept trying to catch and "play" with them, which was not cool.

Attempt to capture fireflies. FAIL.

On our third and final day in KL we decided to check out Little India and China town. It was cool to see the markets there. I loved how both areas blasted music like it was a block party:) We spent our final night at Sky Bar where we could view the Twin Towers. The towers are twin sky scrapers and were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998-2004.

Little India

China Town

Twin Towers view from Sky Bar

KL was a great initiation into the far east. The city is huge and widespread like Houston, which made sight seeing a little time consuming, but it was worth it. Here's the link to the entire album if you want to take a look: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AZN2rNo3bt2FA

Next stop, Bali!