Learning To Find My Way One Country, One Mistake and One Kindness At a Time

Day 2/3 - A Hop-on Hop-stop Adventure

Completely recharged after a good night's sleep and another ice-cold shower, I went downstairs to talk to the receptionist before setting off for my first day in Kuala Lumpur (KL). But it wouldn't be me if my spontaneity didn't make an appearance right off the bat. On my way to the KLCC LRT station, I was actually just looking for a place to get some breakfast when I passed a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour ticket booth. It looked like a great way to get an overview of the city, so naturally, I booked it on the spot — a whole two-day package, mind you(!) — without properly researching it.

A decision that sounded great at first – until I got a taste of Kuala Lumpur traffic. Instead of continuing on to the station as I had originally planned, I followed the advice of these other tourists standing arouund waiting. "Hurry! The bus will be here any minute," they assured me, so I darted to a nearby kiosk to get something to eat before the bus arrived.

Well... apparently, we were all equally optimistic first-time tourists, because I would have had enough time for a five-course meal! Almost two hours later, the bus finally arrived – and by then, I had already spent what felt like an eternity sweltering in direct sunlight. Once I was finally seated in the air-conditioned bus, I quickly realized why it had been so delayed. This wasn't really a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour – it was more of a Hop-on Hop-stop experience. But honestly, I wasn't even angry. I had the perfect opportunity to sit in the upper deck of an air-conditioned bus and observe everything that was going on outside: how the traffic moved, how the people lived their daily lives, how different the architecture was compared to Germany and, of course, all the vegetation that was so completely different from anything I was used to (back home).

Kuala Lumpur slowly passed by outside the window while life carried on all around me. It almost felt like watching a documentary.

When I suddenly spotted a huge – and I mean truly HUGE – plant that looked a lot like an aloe vera, I felt the urge to jump right out the bus window just to take hundreds of photos. What a sight! I still remember that plant more vividly than some of the official attractions on the tour. Maybe I should've recommended adding this extraordinary giant as an official stop on the tour, because honestly, some of the official stops couldn't compete with one gigantic plant.

Since the bus was taking forever anyway, I had plenty of time to decide which stop I wanted to explore first. One stop I definitely didn't want to miss was the World Peace Gong near the KL Tower. I really wanted to pay it a visit and maybe give the monument, with its message of global harmony, a gentle tap. Looking at current world events, maybe the gentle tap was a little too optimistic. Perhaps I should have slammed it like my life depended on it. After my short exploration, I got back on the same bus and continued the journey.

The bus crawled through the Kuala Lumpur traffic while the city slowly unfolded outside the window. Every now and then, the other travelers and I would exchange a few words about our plans for the day and our travel itineraries. We complained jokingly about the traffic or simply pointed out interesting things we spotted along the way. Somehow, the journey itself had quietly become part of the experience.

To be honest, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building was one of the things I was most excited to explore. After reaching the stop, I stepped off the bus giddy with excitement despite the almost unbearable midday heat. As the bus slowly pulled away, it revealed that the building on the other side of the street – the one I had been so eager to see and learn about – was beautifully wrapped like an oversized birthday present. The "under construction" sign was truly the cherry on top.

Luckily, on my side of the street, there was another area to explore: the Freedom Lawn: a large open space with a beautiful view of the surrounding buildings. While strolling around it, I noticed different small groups of university students looking over at me curiously. Apparently too shy to approach me, they kept watching from a distance. Eventually, I sat down in the shade at the bus stop and smiled at them. Immediately, three girls gathered around me and asked if they could interview me.

We ended up chatting for quite a while about my journey and my life back home. As young women themselves, they were especially curious about a woman my age travelling alone through Asia. They asked me questions like how I had learned English, how I could afford to travel for such a long time and how I managed to put my job on hold for several months.

All of them were studying to become teachers in the near future, which led to an interesting conversation about different education systems around the world. We talked about how important it is to learn languages beyond our mother tongue because they allow us to connect with people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Funny enough, we were living proof of precisely what we were discussing. None of us was speaking our first language, yet we were sitting there, happily exchanging ideas and stories.

I felt like we could have talked for hours, but unfortunately, they had a bus to catch, and ironically, I had another hour's wait for mine.

Back on the bus, I visited a few more stops before eventually making my way back to where the tour had started: the Petronas Twin Towers. By the time I finally made it back there, I was famished. Since I had skipped lunch and had nothing in my stomach thanks to my spontaneous bus adventure, I headed directly into the shopping mall next to the station in search of food.

And yes... my first proper meal in Malaysia turned out to be Korean bibimbap. Not exactly the authentic Malaysian cuisine I had imagined, but it was absolutely delicious, and at that moment, I honestly couldn't have cared less. I have to admit, food is rarely the main character in my travels. While lots of travelers seek out hidden culinary gems and local specialties, I am usually the person who gets way more excited about a plant or an animal and completely forget that I was hungry in the first place.

So after filling my stomach, I made my way outside again because I had one more thing on my list: the KLCC Lake Symphony Light and Sound Show. Watching the colorful fountains dance to the music in front of the illuminated Petronas Twin Towers felt like the perfect ending to my first real day in Kuala Lumpur.

By then, it wasn't just my stomach that was full — my heart was, too... already brimming with memories I know I'll treasure for a long time.

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Thanks for reading! I would really appreciate any feedback or corrections. If you would like to start from the beginning, you can find the previous parts of my journey here:

Day 0 - How a Dream Became Reality

Day 1 - How I Almost Ended My Trip on the Very First Day

I hope you’ll join me again for another chapter of my journey.