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{"id":189,"date":"2017-03-21T12:56:31","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T12:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jenniferanandary.com\/?p=189"},"modified":"2019-02-10T14:09:41","modified_gmt":"2019-02-10T14:09:41","slug":"my-first-solo-traveling-experience-kuala-lumpur-malaysia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jenniferanandary.com\/2017\/03\/my-first-solo-traveling-experience-kuala-lumpur-malaysia\/","title":{"rendered":"My First Solo Traveling Experience: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have always wanted to do a solo traveling.<\/p>\n

Friends who are close to me, they know that I am that kind of person who enjoys alone time. I like going to the movies alone, I like going to a caf\u00e9 alone, I like raiding the mall alone, ah you name it. I like doing any kind of activities alone.<\/p>\n

Some people would say it is sad, but seriously why though?! Why do you have to be with someone else if just yourself is more than adequate? I always think myself as my own best friend. And as much as I love all my friends and their company, I love my own company too.<\/p>\n

But traveling solo is another thing though, especially if you go abroad.
\nHere are few things that make me hesitant to go solo traveling (maybe some of this are on your list too!):<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

No one can help you take your photo!<\/strong> Unless you ask a favor from stranger. But God knows what kind of photo could result from a stranger\u2026 it can be blurry, slanted, blablabla. And if you vacationing abroad (which, let\u2019s just be honest, afford us quite a money) we do hope for at least a good photo, don\u2019t we? A nice one, not one that being taken from a selfie-stick. I may consider using a tripod though, but for me tripod is quite too big to carry around…<\/li>\n
You can\u2019t split bills with your friends.<\/strong> Name it the hotel room, the ride, or the meal.<\/li>\n
If you got lost, then you are lost alone.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Around the end of January 2017, my friend Chicha told me she was going to stay in KL couple of months for job training. She told me to come and go on trip with her, although she could only join me on weekends. The new year 2017 vibe was still fresh then, and I couldn\u2019t think of a better time to tick off my 2017 resolution that is solo-traveling. It was the perfect timing. Just like that, I booked a flight. It was a 5 day trip, not completely solo (Chicha will be with me for 2 days), but the other 3 days I was all by myself.<\/p>\n
Why did I think KL was perfect for my 1st time solo-traveling?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n
It was KL, Malaysia, it is not too far away from Indonesia.<\/strong> Many Indonesians live here too, so I am pretty confident being alone here.<\/li>\n
They speak Melayu which is not so different from Bahasa<\/strong> (though later I found myself used English more than Melayu there).<\/li>\n
Our currency (Rupiah) wasn\u2019t so bad if converted to Ringgit<\/strong> (at least that time I went). I found out that meal, accommodation, and transportation fee in Malaysia is affordable. Or maybe it was because I just came back from Japan 3 months ago so everything seemed cheaper in KL, I don\u2019t know hahaha.<\/li>\n
I browsed about Malaysian transportation system, and it was all well-maintained.<\/strong> Mass transportation system is crucial for a solo-traveler since I would avoid using taxi, or online-taxi (Grab, Uber, etc) cause it costs more. And really, what\u2019s the point of traveling if you get on taxi all the time and do not meet with other traveler or locals on your way? Train is my favorite choice of transportation, hands down. It is cheap, fun, and time-efficient.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
How was my verdict about my first solo traveling experience in Kuala Lumpur? It was so much fun!!! I do see myself doing solo trip again some time later. I do think the key to enjoy solo-traveling is: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, and RESEARCH.<\/strong> If you are traveling solo, you are definitely need to browse the net before you go, don\u2019t be lazy!<\/p>\n
For example, I thought solo trip would be expensive (especially accommodation-wise), so I browsed like crazy, and voila! I found a budget friendly hotel in KL, with private room! I was afraid to sleep in a shared hostel for my first time solo trip, so the hotel I found was perfect cause it was a private room, in the middle of Chinatown (means I can easily find yummy food everywhere, that\u2019s another plus!), and walking distance to the train and bus station. What could I ask for more?<\/p>\n
$\"\"$
Common area of Lantern Hotel in Chinatown. Look at that pretty mural!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
The interior.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
Read about this yummy Air Mata Kucing drink in a blog, and guess what?! It is exactly in front of the hotel. How lucky am I? Only costs 2 Ringgit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
View from my 3rd hotel dining area, Melange Boutique Hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
From my research I also found and fell in love with GoKL bus<\/strong> though. It is FREE<\/strong> of charge, and they go around KL. You just need to print or screen capture the buses route (there are a few routes, don’t get confused), and there you go, you can roam around KL with literally zero Ringgit come out of your pocket. There was one day of my trip where I just roam around KL with this bus, and I only use my money for meal.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$
GoKL bus. Pretty in pink!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
Inside the GoKL bus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
The train station. Vintage but very clean.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
The train route directory. Dear PT. KAI, we need this kind of directory in our train, not just stickers!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I do encourage you guys to go on a solo-trip. You may like it or not, you can decide later on, but I think it is something that anyone should try at least once in a lifetime.<\/p>\n
My tips on solo-traveling:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u2022 Research!<\/strong> Either it\u2019s about the accommodation, transportation, or the itinerary.<\/strong> You can be flexible about the time though because you are traveling solo. I didn\u2019t make any itinerary for this KL trip. But since I\u2019m a planner kind of person, I still make plans so I don\u2019t waste my time wandering too much. I make plans every night for the next day trip.
\n\u2022 Dress comfortably.<\/strong> You will be walking all day, so forget those heels, or uncomfortable mini skirts. I know mini bags are cute and trendy right now, but please, bring a bag that could contain your basic stuffs (mine are passport, wallet, camera, cables, powerbank, water bottle, tissues, etc). My personal pick is a crossbody slingbag since it\u2019s safer, and it\u2019s easy to grab anything from it. Better with zipper though, cause again, you can\u2019t be too careful.
\n\u2022 Forget about being shy to ask someone to take your photo.<\/strong> Chances are you won\u2019t meet them again tomorrow anyway, haha! It is still hard for me to practice this tips myself, still working on it…
\n\u2022 Get a local number for internet connection.<\/strong> Don\u2019t depend too much on free wifi, you can\u2019t be cheap about being lost in someone else\u2019s country! First thing I did when I arrived in KL was getting a local SIM Card for my phone.<\/p>\n
$\"\"$
Batu Caves. It is a little out of KL but very easy to reach using train.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
Selfie cause too afraid to ask stranger for a photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
Sri Mahamariamman Temple. Walking distance from the Lantern Hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
Murals everywhere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
$\"\"$
Dataran Merdeka.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
The milo ones are the best. The Kit Kats are too sweet for my liking.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$
Went to Malacca too. But that’s for another post!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n
Thank you for being so nice to me for my first solo trip, dear Malaysia!<\/p>\n
$\"\"$ <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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