KL

A five hour bus journey later and we arrive in the city of Kuala Lumpur. Much like Singapore, we found the metro and headed towards the station where we would find our hostel, Reggae Mansion. Sam chose it because it has a cinema. We never used the cinema.

Tired and beaten, we decided to get an early night. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be possible in a twenty-four bed dorm, but I was ready to try. The friendly member of staff explained the route to the room and gave us the code. I forgot it instantly. Thankfully, Sam was more alert, and we were in.

My first impression was: this is cool. The bunk-beds are built up against the walls. Each one has a curtain across it and there are lockers at the underneath the bottom bunk, big enough to fit an entire rucksack. Sam was excited because it was the first place we were able to test our padlocks. It’s not always the big things that excite backpackers.

My excitement soon dwindled when I matched my number with the bed. Top bunk. How the hell was I meant to get up there?

My first attempt at climbing the ladder proved that my legs and arms are quite short. But I found a way to lever myself up in the end. It’s a good job I don’t suffer from vertigo. Once settled, I realised I’d be sleeping in a luxuriously comfy bed for three nights, in a private little pod that I could actually change in. Again, the little things, like not needing to go to the bathroom to get dressed, are luxury.

Before I started writing this piece, I really didn’t know what I had to say about Kuala Lumpur. To me, it was just another high-rise city. Although it wasn’t what I expected. I suppose, because it’s in Malaysia, I assumed it would be quite dilapidated and dirty. It was neither of those. It was more like an underdeveloped Singapore and an overdeveloped Bristol.

So I’m taking this piece down a different path. In fact, I’m going to talk to you about my favourite aspect of travel.

People.

We didn’t meet many people in Sri Lanka because it was so guesthouse/homestay oriented. We stayed in a dorm once, where we did eventually meet fellow backpackers. Anyway, it turns out that Reggae Mansion is like a hub for meeting new people. They offer an all day tour called ‘The 7 Wonders of Kuala Lumpur’. We hadn’t really looked at tours before, apart from the massive tuktuk scam we went on in Sri Lanka that robbed us of a few thousand rupees. Hidden charges are everywhere in Sri Lanka, so be careful if you’re heading that way. But this 7 wonders tour seemed legitimate and a bargain.

It’s roughly 5RM to the £1, not bad for a full day and seven different places. Plus, the tour started at 10am. Even better.

We reached the lobby a few minutes early and sat on the sofa. The room started filling up and people were shuffling around or fidgeting in seats. We’d had a short chat with someone else going on the tour, but other than that, there wasn’t much conversation around. When the guide turned up, he did a quick register. Thirteen of us altogether.

For the first destination, everyone went off in their pairs or by themselves to explore the mosque we’d been taken to. Despite our separate ways, we all came together at the end and spoke about the one thing we had in common – the mosque. This was enough to break through the wariness you feel around new people, and from then on, the bus was full of voices. “So, where are you from? How long have you been travelling? How much did you save for your trip? Do you like travelling alone?” These are the critical questions that begin any friendship between one backpacker and another.

By the end of the tour, we’d had group photos and more in depth conversations. We also found out it was someone’s birthday, a girl from sunny England. So of course, we collectively decided that she needed to have a night out and arranged to meet at the rooftop bar in Reggae.

After a dry three weeks, the vodka went straight to my head, even after a whole plate of BBQ food and Sam’s leftover baked potato. Eating that night definitely wasn’t cheating. Then someone said ‘buckets’ and ‘card games’, and that was it. All dignity was lost through karaoke and struggling with stairs. But it was a night to try and remember, and one that would be difficult to top.

The next morning, I dragged people out of bed and demanded we get coffee before the hangover kicked in. As the morning ticked on, everyone else joined our breakfast table and lamented that they had buses to catch and bags to pack.

It’s a shame we all dispersed so soon after we’d just met, but that’s the way of the backpacker. You come and go as though you were never there.

But fortunately, we have Facebook.