The Detour That Became the Destination

Kuala Lumpur was on our radar. It just wasn’t supposed to be part of this trip.

We had talked about visiting Malaysia before, even retiring there because of cost of living and healthcare… But this particular adventure was supposed to be India. Kuala Lumpur entered the picture for a much less glamorous reason:

We were trying to get home.

After war in the Middle East shut down airspace and blew up our carefully planned return from India, getting home became a puzzle. The obvious routes weren’t working, last-minute economy tickets were outrageously expensive, and every search seemed to lead to another dead end.

So we stopped looking for the obvious way home and started looking for the possible way home.

Eventually, that search led us to Kuala Lumpur.

And suddenly, a place we had thought we might visit someday became our next destination.

So, How Did We End Up in Kuala Lumpur?

We had planned this trip pretty carefully. We flew to India in Qatar Airways business class and were supposed to fly home on Emirates business class—both booked with points, because if you’ve read my introduction to points and miles, you already know I have champagne taste and a pathological aversion to paying retail. Our original itinerary would take us through the Middle East on the way home, which seemed like a perfectly good plan when I booked it.

Then a war started.

Almost as soon as we left home, the situation in the Middle East escalated and airspace began closing. We made it to India, but it quickly became clear that getting home on our original Emirates itinerary might not happen. Suddenly, those beautiful business-class award tickets I had spent so much time finding weren’t worth much if the airplane couldn’t actually fly through the airspace between us and home.

If you’ve been following along with our India travels, you can catch up on our earlier India posts here. What had already been an incredible trip was about to take a very unexpected turn—and I was about to get a crash course in just how valuable flexibility can be when travel plans completely fall apart.

There’s a lot more to the story of how we eventually got ourselves home—including some frantic flight searching, a very expensive economy ticket I refused to buy, an unexpected extra week in India, and the moment I realized Kuala Lumpur might be our way out.

It’s also the story I’m telling on an episode of Wheels Up, Windows Down, the travel podcast I co-host with Ric from Fork in the Road Trip. We come at travel from very different directions—he’s the road-tripper who likes to slow down and see what’s along the way, while I’m usually figuring out how far I can fly on points and looking for a way to get deeper into another culture.

If you’d rather hear the whole slightly chaotic story, you can listen to the episode here.

Or keep reading, because what started as a solution to a travel problem turned into a few days in a city we were very happy to finally have an excuse to explore.

First Impressions of Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur started winning us over before we even left the airport.

We flew into Kuala Lumpur International Airport and were immediately impressed by how clean, modern and organized everything felt. Immigration was automated and ridiculously easy, and after all the uncertainty and complicated logistics that had brought us there, breezing through the airport felt almost suspiciously simple.

Then we did something you are absolutely not supposed to do.

We walked out of the airport and engaged one of those driver guys lurking around the exit offering rides.

I know. I know.

But sometimes travel rewards questionable decisions. Our driver turned out to be incredibly nice, the price was great, and before long we were on our way into Kuala Lumpur wondering if perhaps our improvised detour was going to work out just fine.

Staying at EQ Kuala Lumpur

Our home for the next few days was the EQ Kuala Lumpur, which I had booked through the American Express “The Hotel Collection” program for a fantastic rate, perks, and credits! With “The Hotel Collection (THC)” through Amex Platinum, we received $100 hotel credit, early check in, late check out, breakfast for 2, and room upgrades when available. In addition, Amex Platinum cardholders get $300 hotel credit per 6 months. So, for 4 nights in this gorgeous hotel, we paid just over $900 with taxes and fees, and got $300 of that back. Subtract the $100 hotel credit, and we were around $500. Not bad!

And this hotel was posh.

It was beautifully located, our room was fantastic (we got a small upgrade to a higher floor with a view of the Petronas Towers), and it immediately felt like we had landed somewhere far more luxurious than the price I had paid suggested.

And then there was breakfast.

Calling it a “breakfast buffet” doesn’t really do it justice. The spread was ridiculous—in the best possible way. It was one of those hotel breakfasts where you make a plate, sit down, notice an entirely different section you somehow missed, and immediately realize you’re going back for round two.

After weeks of traveling through India, rerouting flights and figuring out what on earth we were doing next, landing at the EQ felt like a very soft place to land.

Kuala Lumpur was already making a pretty good first impression.

What We Did in Kuala Lumpur

Our time in Kuala Lumpur was short —my time was really short. I only had one night before flying home, while Vuong stayed another three days before continuing on to Vietnam. But somehow, even in that tiny window, KL managed to make an impression.

We headed to KLCC Park, the big green space right at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers. If you want that classic Kuala Lumpur view, this is the place to get it. The towers are impressive in photos, but standing underneath them at night, all lit up and towering over the city, is something else entirely.

One of my favorite moments in Kuala Lumpur actually happened without leaving our hotel. We headed up to SKY51, the rooftop bar at EQ, just before sunset. We sat on the outdoor terrace with a drink and watched the sun disappear over Kuala Lumpur, and then, almost one by one, the lights of the city began coming on below us. By the time it was completely dark, the skyline was glowing. It was one of those times when you don’t really need to do anything — you just sit there and watch the city change around you.

For a city I hadn’t even planned to visit, Kuala Lumpur was doing a very good job of winning me over.

After the sun went down and the temperature dropped a bit, and because apparently our travel philosophy is see something beautiful, then immediately find something delicious, we went for kunafa — the warm, crispy Middle Eastern dessert soaked in syrup and layered with cheese. Kuala Lumpur is such an international food city that eating kunafa in Malaysia somehow made perfect sense.

Then we hit a night market, which is much more my speed than going back to the hotel early. Food stalls, people everywhere, lights, smells, things I couldn’t necessarily identify but absolutely wanted to try — it was exactly the kind of place that makes me feel like I’ve actually arrived somewhere rather than just passed through it.

And that was basically my Kuala Lumpur experience: one night, two iconic towers, one night market, some excellent kunafa, and a very strong feeling that I hadn’t given this city nearly enough time.

Vuong, lucky man, got three more days.

I got a flight home.

What Vuong Did in Kuala Lumpur After I Left

What to Do With a Few More Days in Kuala Lumpur

While I headed to the airport and began my long journey home, Vuong had three more days to explore Kuala Lumpur. He ventured beyond the city center to see some of KL’s best-known sights, including the colorful Batu Caves, the King’s Palace (Istana Negara), and the beautiful Thean Hou Temple. I’ll let him fill in the details—and tell me which ones were actually worth the trip—but his extra few days gave us a much better look at Kuala Lumpur than my whirlwind one-night visit alone could have.

Vuong’s Extra Days in Kuala Lumpur

After Jennifer left, I had three more days in Kuala Lumpur, so I got to see some of the places we couldn’t fit into our one night together. Batu Caves was probably the most memorable—the enormous golden statue of Lord Murugan, 272 brightly colored steps leading up into the limestone caves, Hindu temples inside, and monkeys everywhere. And yes, you have to climb all 272 steps to get to the main cave. The monkeys are entertaining, but keep an eye on your stuff. They’re used to tourists and aren’t shy about investigating anything that looks like it might contain food.

I also visited Istana Negara, Malaysia’s King’s Palace, and Thean Hou Temple, a beautiful Chinese temple sitting high above the city with red pillars, elaborate roofs, lanterns, and great views. I enjoyed all three and would recommend making time for them if you have more than a day in Kuala Lumpur. My biggest advice, though: be prepared for the heat. It was seriously hot, especially with all the walking and stairs. Wear comfortable shoes, carry plenty of water, and bring a sun hat or an umbrella for shade. Better yet, get an early start before the worst heat of the day.

Kuala Lumpur: The Stop We Never Planned

Kuala Lumpur was never part of the plan. It was simply the place we landed when our original trip home fell apart—and I expected it to be little more than a convenient stopover. Instead, in just one night, we found a city that was easy to navigate, surprisingly polished, full of incredible food, and beautiful after dark. From watching the sunset and the city lights come alive from the rooftop of EQ Kuala Lumpur to standing beneath the Petronas Towers, wandering a night market, and eating kunafa along the way, KL turned out to be far more than a place to catch my flight home. Vuong’s extra few days only confirmed it: Kuala Lumpur deserves more time than we gave it.

And our trip still wasn’t quite over. From Kuala Lumpur, Vuong headed on to Vietnam, while I finally boarded a flight home. I’d have ten days to work, unpack, repack, and remember what time zone I lived in before getting right back on a plane. This time, I’d be heading across the Pacific to meet Vuong in Da Nang.

Because apparently the logical thing to do after finally making it home from Asia is… go right back.

Next up: Vietnam.