- 57 Rain In the Philippine Province
- 56 Complacent in KL
- 55 Batu Cave
- 54 Temples in KL
- 53 KL at night
- 52 KLCC Park
- 51 Arriving in KL
- 50 Chao Vietnam
- 49 Hanoi
- 48 Thien Mu Pagoda
57 Rain In the Philippine Province
I was unsure where to go next, but I heard that it’s summer in the Philippines. So I jumped on a plane to Cebu City. After a way too long overlay in Manila and one gruesome(so loud) night in Lapu-Lapu I hopped on a bus to the north of Cebu island. I will stay for a couple of nights in a Nipa Hut inspired house.
Contrary to the expected warm weather it’s raining cats and dogs here. The locals are happy because it’s a much-needed cooldown after days of 35+ degrees but for me the rain and coldness (only 25!) it’s a little underwhelming. As a lady I met in New Zealand earlier this year put it: “The summer has been a bit shit.”
Nipa Hut in Daanbantayan and rain
Intermediate rainfall doesn’t deter me to enjoy the province life here as much as possible. Since I have been here in the Philippines already before it feels a bit like coming home. The people are the sweetest and the nature so nice. I love going to the small Sari-Sari stores and taking a tricycle to the next town.
Probably won’t swim here today because of the rain
56 Complacent in KL
I feel like I am getting better and better in planning my energy levels during long term travel. It’s super exhausting to travel from place to place every day and do all kinds of tours. It is not sustainable. I know some people can do it, but my pace is my pace. So I try to take plenty of rest days in between travel and tours.
After Vietnam, I felt like I needed some stationary time. 10 days in Kuala Lumpur in an AirBnB helped a lot. Also having a healthy routine of running on the treadmill in the morning, exercising in the gym, journaling and meditation. I felt my energy coming back and even worked on a couple of smaller projects.
View from my laptop
There are lots of positives about Kuala Lumpur. It’s clean. The public water supply from the faucet is not as toxic as in Vietnam (or other countries) which makes brushing teeth, salads, and ice cubes safe everywhere. The food was diverse and delicious. Indian, Chinese, Malay and western food – you name it. But they also had relatively cheap Australian oatmeal, oat bran and psyllium husk. My gut biome was happier than ever. Would I still get fat there if I stayed longer? Probably.
I just feel good here. I still haven’t seen everything the city has to offer. I also enjoy the whole multicultural atmosphere there. I can see this being my base to explore more of Southeast Asia. It was a nice place to recharge my travel batteries.
Only negative so far: It is very car focused. Walking outside a mall or park can be pretty inconvenient.
Small snack-size meals wrapped in banana leaf
55 Batu Cave
Inside the atrium of the Batu Cave in the north of KL
View from the Atrium into the cave
Entry to the temple inside the cave
54 Temples in KL
Hindu Temple in Chinatown
Hindu, Chinese Buddhist, Muslim and Christian worship sites can be close together or even on the same street here in KL.
53 KL at night
52 KLCC Park
51 Arriving in KL
I had a window seat during my flight from Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur, and the partial cloudiness offered interesting views of the landscapes across Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Malaysia.
View of Laos from the airplane
I arrived in KL on a hot but mostly clear afternoon, experiencing a brief 30-minute thunderstorm shortly after. I’m staying in an apartment in Bukit Bintang which is in the city center. Despite it also being busy, I immediately felt at home here in KL.
Petaling Street at Dusk
50 Chao Vietnam
I am leaving Vietnam after 3 weeks here. It was the first country I visited in the Sinosphere really, and it blew my mind.
I enjoyed the extended stay on the beach of Da Nang and the hustle and bustle of the cities like HCMC and Hanoi. I successfully dodged all motorcycles and ate some amazing Vietnamese street food.
Entry to Ngoc Son Temple in Hanoi Old Town
There are beautiful and exotic spots here that really opened my mind. But I found Vietnam in some places to be very touristy and a little superficial. I know those spots are popular for a reason, but can feel soulless after a while. The train street in Hanoi being a prime example. It’s cool to see the train up close for sure. But really why are we there? Just to take another cute selfie like it hasn’t been done a million times on Instagram? The deeper beauty of nature and religious places I can understand. But some of these Instagram spots remain a mystery to me. Maybe best to avoid those in the future.
Everything is super organized and the service is at such a high level here. The language barrier is another thing that keeps you from interacting with locals in deeper meaningful ways. But luckily a few Vietnamese are undeterred by any barriers and I had some interesting conversations through translation apps.
I’ll take a couple of days rest in Kuala Lumpur now. I think it’s a great hub to explore more of South East Asia. I’m not certain where I will go after that. I hope to get more off the beaten path again after that.
49 Hanoi
It might be me coming down with a cold or just the sheer exhaustion. But even after a full day I feel like the Oldtown in Hanoi is super overwhelming and chaotic. It’s hard to put into pictures but it’s feels so crowded, dense and not clean. It’s an experience for sure. One or two days in Hanoi is about the extent I will stay here.
This street wasn’t too bad.
This was.
48 Thien Mu Pagoda
