Good morning, friends! It’s been quite a gap between my last post and this one. I had hoped to find some time to write over the weekends but to no avail. So here’s my attempt at recapping what Zihah and I did on our third day in KL back in July.
First thing in the morning, we took a trip to the outskirts of the city where Batu Caves are located. In recent years, there has been an increase in visitors to this Hindu temple, especially after all 184 steps of the temple were painted in bright colours! I also just found out that the golden statue of Lord Murugan (right photo below) is the third tallest statue of a Hindu Deity in the world.
Merchant’s Lane, Petaling Street
After our pretty much gruelling hike at Batu Caves, we headed straight to Merchant’s Lane for lunch. During my research before arriving in KL, Merchant’s Lane has been mentioned in numerous blogs as one of the most Instagrammable places in KL, but I was on the fence on whether to include it in our itinerary, considering that we wanted to go to a cafe that actually serves good food and not just another aesthetically pleasing space.
Upon arriving at Petaling Street, we had to look around because we weren’t sure what the cafe looked like from the outside until we found a vintage green door with a classic reflective signage right above it and bearing the cafe’s namesake in red. The door unveiled a staircase leading up to the cafe and I was completely charmed all the way through.
Beautifully rustic. Imbued with nostalgia. A trip down Merchant’s Lane felt like an old-charm retreat that effortlessly beckons its visitors to stay longer than intended.
We ordered Pippit’s Nest (left photo above), which comprised of deep-fried aubergine slices, onion rings and chicken tenders and topped w/ cheesy sauce and mayo. For my main course, I ordered the Italian Chow Mein (right photo above), which was essentially Italian spaghetti with chicken rendang and I was so blown away! My verdict: Merchant’s Lane was – and still is to date – the best Asian-Western fusion restaurant that I’ve ever been to.
Thean Hou Temple
On the evening of our second day (read here if you haven’t!), we met Saffy and managed to consult her for ideas on places to visit in KL because there was just too many! So, she recommended visiting Thean Hou Temple, a six-tiered Buddhist temple atop Robson Heights.
Built in 1894, it is said to be one of the oldest and largest temples in Southeast Asia. The heat was scorching by the time we got to the temple but we were gifted with some of the best panoramic views of the city. Another must-go to those who haven’t!
After the visit to the temple, Zihah and I parted ways to meet with our friends.
Believe it or not, I took yet another trip outside of KL that same day to go to Shah Alam and meet with Sam and Novel from YSEALI Fall 2017, a programme that I attended in the US! We hadn’t met each other since the programme ended, so I knew had to make the trip. It felt quite surreal to reunite with the both of them and we had a lot to fill each other in on our lives, but unfortunately our meet-up had to be cut short because I had to go back to KL for another meet-up. We told each other that this wasn’t a goodbye and I was then on my way back into the metropolitan KL with a fulfilled yet heavy heart, especially at not knowing when we would meet again.
K-Fry at KLCC
From Shah Alam, I got a Grab straight to KLCC to meet up with (another) Sam and Waly for dinner at K-Fry for some Korean fried chicken and melted cheese. To this day, I have no words to describe the experience, so I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. My verdict: PLEASE OPEN A BRANCH IN BRUNEI!
And with that ends our third day in KL! I could really feel the burn in my legs, more so than the previous day, but it was so worth it.
Stay tuned for our fourth day in KL i.e. our day trip to Melaka!
The Rustic Trove 