Goodbye Borneo, hello Kuala Lumpur

December 30 – 31, 2015

We decided to welcome the New Year in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. We flew out of Borneo on December 30th to check into our hotel, explore the surrounding area, and relax.

We booked a room at the Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral Hotel. It wasn't cheap, but it had a great location, 40 seconds from KL Sentral station, from where you can get everywhere. The room was large, modernly furnished, clean, and truly fantastic. One of the better hotels I've stayed in, and it even had a beautiful rooftop pool.

We were supposed to be in KL around noon, so I was hoping to do some sightseeing. Unfortunately, the plane was delayed for some rather strange reasons. We were out of fuel! Instead of flying from Tawau, Borneo, to Kuala Lumpur, we flew an hour late to Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, to refuel! Our plans had to be revised, and we only went to Chinatown, mainly for culinary purposes.

By chance, meaning by taking a wrong turn, we ended up at Central Market. I'd heard about this place before, but somehow I'd imagined it differently—less modern, more traditional. We were greeted by a large building with small boutiques inside. You can buy gifts and souvenirs here. We took one look and then hurried to Chinatown. After satisfying our hunger, we wandered around Chinatown. Honestly, it didn't impress me. There were plenty of stalls selling knock-offs and noisy restaurants, but for me, it lacked character. Therefore, we decided there was no point in returning and would focus on other attractions.