Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia>>>>>Surabaya, Indonesia
After a month of much needed kitty, kitchen and komfort (oh yes, I did spell it like that!) time in KL, it was finally the day to repack the freshly bathed non-jungle-smelling backpacks and hit the jetway again. This time we were bound for the most populous island nation on earth on our maiden voyage. We were ready for two full months loaded with culture, ruins, waterfalls, volcanoes, beaches and a yes, a touch of hippie zen. 🧘♀️
Upon leaving, we missed our fur kids sooo much! It seemed like Juara might miss us too because she tried to crawl into our backpacks before her “real” parents got home. It was a terrific housesit and we’ve already secured an opportunity to return. Fortunately, we had something to take our mind off the sadness, as we met up in Kuala Lumpur’s Little India with new Chilean nomad friends, Francisco and Andrea on the last night. Fortunately, we all reeked a little less than the last time we saw them at Uncle Tan’s in Borneo.
We went to the restaurant Punjabi Rasoi in the Brickfields and it truly lived up to its high five-star Google rating. We gorged for about $20, which included two entrees, an appetizer, two drinks and included service charge, which is often the norm in Malaysia.
India meets Kuala Lumpur. Haven’t seen these in awhile 😍
The vibrant alley outside our balcony at the Cozy Hotel. That’s the name, not an adjective to describe it. ($21/night) It was here we reacquainted ourselves with the toilet/shower combo where puddle jumping to pee is strongly encouraged, as well as living in a bed box. Feels a bit…uh cozy…after our time in a giant, beautiful home. However, the location couldn’t have been better…a five minute walk to KL Sentral, near the bus that would take us to the airport the following morning for $3/each. Much better than the $23 train we rolled in on. Live and learn with that mistake. Yikes.
We saw this poster for a Chinese Medicine consultation and medicine for about $4 at the Buddhist Maha Vibara Center. Would love to take advantage of this next time.
The next day we arrived to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) where the lounges and services are just phenomenal. With our hands-down favorite Capital One Venture X card, we had eight lounge choices and two of them were land, not airside. This means they could have also been visited upon arrival to the city. The Sky Suite lounge also offered the “fast track” which meant we got the option to bolt through immigration after our two-hour stay like this Olympian. However, there were no lines anywhere thanks to digital technology so we’re not sure it was actually an added perk. Regardless, we felt like we were big pimpin’ with our participation coupons…
And most probably because it was landside, the Sky Suite was also totally empty and stuffed with chairs designed for a brandy-sipping grandpa. Sadly, brandy, nor wine, was included in the entry. Beer seems to be the limit for alcoholic lounge freebies in Malaysia…and Indonesia, we would soon learn. The lounge also had mini lounges within the lounge for families, work groups, (or cigar smoking.) When we arrived at 10:00 am, “only” to-go breakfast boxes were provided, alongside fresh orange juice and lattes.
We suffered until the lunch and beer rolled out 30 minutes later. In the meantime, Mandy got shoved against her will into a muscle-pounding bliss chamber, which were complimentary in the lounge.
At noon, we spent ten minutes at immigration and security before arriving at our second lounge, the Travel Club Lounge. In addition to the normal food buffet and drink, this lounge had views of planes, a prayer room, showers…
…and even an airport hotel…INSIDE of security. We’ve rarely seen this luxury before and were amused to see it was only $68 for the night. Apparently, there are three others within KL’s airport. Why, oh why, is this not a mainstream concept?!? I guess allowing stranded or overnight airport campers to sleep folded over on a steel hardened chair with a bar up their back and a roller bag as their pillows is more profitable for the airports? Hmmm….We would soon see another airport terminal hotel; this one in capsule form.
Off we went! The very crowded flight speaks to the population density of this country and the sea of hajibs before us, to the predominant religion. We then headed two hours and forty minutes southEAST and gained an hour. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, but we’ll take it for early sunrises again. 7:00 felt a bit late for us early birds in KL. Our flight cost 6400 Capital One points for two tickets, or about $23/each.
And with that, Greg floated into another milestone! We recently met another nomad couple who has been to 191 of 197 UN countries and is aiming to visit them all. It makes us ponder…should we consider that too? 🤔 The answer is…unlikely.
A Brief Exploration of Surabaya
From Kuala Lumpur, we flew into Surabaya, Java, which is Indonesia’s second largest city of 3 million people. It’s known as the “City of Heroes” and played a predominant role in the country’s struggle for independence from the Dutchies. Since we were more than ready to get out of the city, this melting pot of architecture was a quick one-night stopover for us before working our way west, so we only got a brief glimpse of its Chinese and Dutch influence.
The name Surabaya comes from two words…Sura, meaning shark, and baya meaning crocodile. Legend says that these two animals fought in the river near the city which inspired its name. Outta Malaysia and into Indonesia, we’re definitely back in the land of motorbikes, but the vibrant colors prevail in Surabaya’s Chinatown, which was about a 15-minute morning walk from our hotel.
It had several blocks of Chinese influence…
…but as soon as you crossed the very silty-looking river, we bizarrely entered Zona Europa.
This included some charming Euro alleys, and poignant street art.
It was strange to see Dutch names here, on streets which we mostly had to ourselves.
The Indonesians kicked the Dutchies to the curb following 1945 to 1949 during the bloody and armed Indonesian War of Independence. Still, there are plenty of signs of their existence, including what may have been a former Masonic lodge.
This collection of food vendors is a former tram stop building, a shady place where Surabaya locals waited for the tram’s arrival in 1897. With a depth of 70 cm, it can be estimated that the height of Surabaya City from sea level at that time was lower than it is today. Based on photographic archives, this was also used as a horse drawn-carriage and vehicles parking lot at the old times. The trash bins nearby were also as cute as they could be.
Crumbling buildings sadly best used as photo ops these days.
When we flew into Surabaya, there were minarets as far as the eye could see. One thing that makes the mosques different here than any place we’ve been is the sheer bursts of Crayola color combined with gorgeous geometric design. The aesthetics are beautiful.
Another burst of color could be found at our home for the evening called Pop! hotel for $21/night
…where the rooms were brightly tossed with the most putrid of shades, and the free breakfast, which we shared amongst the raucous chatter of Chinese tour groups, was large with lots of new things to try including a bowl of red tapioca jelly type balls topped with coconut cream. Not exactly the image of health we shot for in July. Ahhh…back to the life of fast travel! 😅
