Second Overseas Vacation - Malaysia

I can't remember how we ended up with Malaysia as our foreign trip for this year and well, I can't help but compare the country with Bangkok and Singapore.

Though the guidebook indicates a lot of stuff to do in Malaysia, Leo and I were just in the capital which is Kuala Lumpur or KL. As Leo refused to go anywhere else outside of the capital, we opted to just explore the city instead. And what would you expect in a cosmopolitan city but malls--and lots of it.

Most of the malls that we visited are very high-end. First time that I saw an LV shop in each mall (well, except for Bangkok where the brand is also common). Price-wise though, Bangkok is definitely better. I can't help but convert to peso every purchase that we would make and though some of them are same if converted to peso, Bangkok is definitely cheaper. I can't wait to return there someday.

My feet also hurt from all the walking that we did. As we did not book a tour, we were pretty much left to our own devices. I don't know if that was better as we had to walk A LOT, but it made our time more flexible. I don't know though if I would want to do it again.

The hotel that we stayed, Hotel Maya, was also very impressive. It's known to be a boutique hotel meaning its furnishings are not what you would expect from a hotel. You would say that it was the highlight of our trip and I don't mind paying their rather pricey fee (it's a five-star hotel, I think).

I was taken aback though by some of its people. I bought a twister meal at a KFC at the Suria Mall and the cashier was almost rude. He was not smiling and spoke in an abrupt manner which totally turned me off. At the hotel, the person who checked us in was not very friendly. There was also no bell-boy present to help us with our baggage and show us our room. Heck, it took us a day before we found the mini-bar in our room (it was well-hidden and if my husband was not poking around, we would not have found it).

At least, we were able to experience Malaysia. For a country though that's encouraging tourists to visit their country, I can't find any reason to return.