I love travelling – most generic hobby heard from so many people
and I too love travelling – but just not it, also all the adversities it brings, all the new experiences it makes us go through, all the uncertainty it puts us in, saying yes to all the drama – love all these things

be it losing the luggage at the airport, soaking in the city views and sunset, enjoying the spectacular infinity pool views, currency getting struck at the metro ticketing machine, celebrating birthday, trying thai food for the first time, enjoying ice creams, new varieties of food, missing trains, shopping in the new city, Roaming at the beaches, roads, outskirts, islands, skyscrapers, temples – Using metro, bus, car, train, plane, ferry, bike, cable car, walk, run – enjoying the hot sun, witnessing the city in rains – you name it – this trip had every shade of adventure – absolute drama – 100% fun

This is our kind of vacation and I think that’s how it should be
new place – new experiences – refreshing vibes

Planning the itinerary of our own – booking the flights in advance, choosing the hotels with best view – searching for a good Food, planning activities, exchanging currency, activating esim, immigration, buying insurance, saving wherever we can, shopping at 7/11, chocolates at duty free shops, making new friends from different countries etc etc – loved every bit of this experience, And a huge thanks to my wife – for her patience and energy throughout.

this trip gave a strange comfort – haha now I can confidently say that we can take anybody to Malaysia on a guided trip

to begin with – we lost the baggage at Kuala Lumpur airport, found only one out of two and it was really disappointing to witness this.
you can imagine – you are in a new country for a vacation with your wife and she loses her bag which contained all her clothes, footwear, essentials – basically everything!
initially it was difficult, really difficult, eventually we understand that it was not in our control and did all the formalities and raised a complaint at the airport and with heavy heart and jetlag and hungry stomach – went to shopping in the new city which was not part of our itinerary

At KL Sentral mall, After having worst tasted mushoom burger at Burger King as breakfast + lunch – then Shopped at Max Store at Kuala lumpur – booked the Grab (like uber in India) to hotel
Our Day1 was not going as planned – but we were just going with the flow

and we get a whatsapp notification saying – Your lost bag is found – somebody had mistakenly taken it and it was already 7.30PM – our fight landed at morning 8.15AM
Ufffffff- that relief!
that feeling of holding on to the belief it will be found for sure and finally finding it – bought so much relief and the first smile on my wife’s face for the day – we were relieved!

reached the hotel – my wife was thinking we would get no windows view – tada – surprised her with entire city view from our room at 36th floor – got freshen up – then went out for Dinner looking for an Indian Restaurant – found one – had the best food for the day – went to super market – bought cake and some other essentials and reached back hotel – called home and spoke to parents and told about the drama of the day – and then it was 12 ‘0’ clock and it was my love’s birthday – celebrated the intimate birthday soaked in the city view with an Infinite love for each other and then received our lost baggage at 2AM and we called it a day – That one single day had all the emotions packed in – Fear, disappointment, relief, surprise, celebration. Truly unforgettable. this day will be remembered for sure!

Read about our day wise experience here – “From Twin Towers to Infinity Pools: Malaysia in 7 Days”

Living the city 

Kuala Lumpur was a vibe in itself. I was lost looking at the monumental Petronas Twin Towers – standing below them made me feel tiny and amazed at the same time. At night, the city came alive – roaming under the city lights was magical.

The country overall felt clean and organised – many streets were spotless, people followed lane discipline, and there was a certain calmness in the way life moved. Locals were approachable for anything, and the best part – almost everyone spoke English. Never once did language feel like a barrier.
We even visited Little India – and it was like stepping back into Indian vibes, with shops, food, and culture all around. It gave a sense of connection in the middle of a foreign land. 
And yes – I met people from across the world – France, Netherlands, Bangladesh. Strangers who became friends in small conversations. It felt so good to connect beyond borders – travel really does bring people closer.

Overall it was a great experience
and I truly feel our mind gets expanded when we put it into new horizons, new experiences!
you can read about similar topic here – when you choose new/hard things – your mind will thank you!

My Reflections

Coming from a middle-class background, this trip was more than just a vacation. It was a proud, emotional moment. The little kid in me who once dreamed of flying internationally – he would be so happy to see this day.

And travel taught me so much:

1. One should love the adversity the travel brings to make the most of it – that’s where the stories are made.
2. If we can maintain the same emotions even when the things are not going as per our plan – we have aced our emotions.
3. To Think Big – One should step out – see how big the world is, learn how different the cultures are, what are the opportunities, how people converse, what are the new businesses etc etc.
4. To make everlasting imprinted memories – you don’t necessarily need to rush and cover as many places as possible – one needs to look into as much details as possible about a single place and actually live in that moment.
5. And one should know the priorities – when its fun time – its 100% – and when its work time – it should be 100% as well – at times we might need to mix it – at times we shouldn’t and we should know these priorities.
6. Malaysians impressed me – I observed that people were very organised, Well dressed, follow lane discipline, follow their routine, doesn’t waste time on silly things, very pleasing, approachable, Clean, looks professional
7. Never saw anybody wasting time
ನಮ್ಮ ತರ ಕಾಂಡಿಮೆಂಟ್ಸ್ ಹತ್ರ 15 ಜನ ಗುಂಪು ಹಾಕೊಂಡ್ ಹರಟೆ ಹೊಡೆಯೋದನ್ನ ಎಲ್ಲೂ ನೋಡಲಿಲ್ಲ – In fact I saw people solving puzzles while travelling in metro, bus
8. Time is certain – but life is uncertain – it can give you any experiences anytime – Having insurance is Mandatory – when the luggage went missing – though we were sad – we were relieved because of the Insurance – I successfully claimed the baggage delay allowance.
9. While travelling by flight – make sure to add a luggage identifier as a luggage tag or some other identifiers – it would really help – keep all essentials in cabin baggage, and split clothes between bags when travelling as a couple.

This trip gave me refreshing vibes, countless memories, and a bigger perspective on life. The world is vast – and the more you see it, the more your mind expands.
This was my first international trip – and it has my heart forever.

See you in the next episode!