Weekly #7: From city life in Kuala Lumpur to paradise in the Philippines
Our stay in Kuala Lumpur came to an end and we flew to my dream destination: the Philippines. It was a crazy week in which I probably experienced the happiest and the saddest moments of our trip so far. Isn’t it fascinating, how happiness and sadness can be so close to each other? Scroll down for photos from this week, including the fascinating Kuala Lumpur skyline and pretty Filipino waterfalls.
Sad news
Thursday, 13 February 2020
Because we extended our stay in Kuala Lumpur, we had to go back to the reception and change rooms. Just before we left our room, we found a cockroach in our room. When we mentioned it at the reception, we got an upgrade to a room with a view on the Petronas Towers. It wasn’t our intention but of course we didn’t say no to a better room. Waking up with a view on the Kuala Lumpur skyline. Wow! We didn’t even have to leave our room anymore to go sightseeing, haha!
We experienced Kuala Lumpur as a metropolitan of malls and highways rather than concept stories and walking paths. Many of the best rated cafes and restaurants were located in malls and are best accessible by car. We really had to get used to this kind of life. Kuala Lumpur is not really a pedestrian friendly city and we missed strolling around in small streets, what we usually like in big cities. In that regard, we liked Bangkok and George Town much better. But with that having said, those malls also have some good cafes, restaurants and - our newest discovery - massage chairs. This was a fun experience!
The day ended with a sad call from home. When my parents called me late at night, I instantly knew what they were calling for. My grandma passed away. I knew the moment would come but I was speechless nonetheless. She recently quit using medication and we had a video call for the last time to say goodbye a three days ago. This night and the following days were really hard for me but I was also very grateful to have Kai by my side.
Street photography in Kuala Lumpur
Friday, 14 February 2020
Today we discovered the colonial architecture of Kuala Lumpur, as well as the neighbourhoods of Brickfields (Little India), Bukit Bintang and Chow Kit. Some heavy rain and thunderstorms approached Kuala Lumpur later in the afternoon, so we used the time to start planning our next couple of weeks of traveling. We will be heading to the Philippines soon! The time that goes into planning and booking our travels is really something I underestimated before we started our world trip but it is really nice to have all the flexibility to change our plans. In the evening we take the monorail to visit a street food market.
Visiting Thean Hou Temple and the Beverly Hills of Kuala Lumpur?
Saturday, 15 February 2020
Today we visit the Thean Hou Temple (1894), also known as the Temple of the Goddess of Heaven. It is one of the oldest and largest temples in Southeast Asia. Dedicated to Tian Hou, a goddess said to protect fishermen, the temple is also a shrine where many come to worship Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Apparently this is also a popular wedding location, as there were a few wedding shootings going on. I always enjoy watching these kind of photoshootings! The temple is located on a hill and offers amazing views over the city. The combination of Chinese lanterns swinging in the wind, the historical architecture and the modern skyscrapers on the horizon make a visit to this temple something magical.
After the temple visit it was time for coffee! Many of the cool looking cafes I found online are located west of the Kuala Lumpur city center. We had some time left, so we decided to take a Grab to the Huckleberry cafe, located in the neighbourhood of Bukit Damansara. The area reminded me a lot of Beverly Hills. We saw some huge mansions in the hills and everybody was dressed either super fancy or extremely sporty. I might have had the best (and biggest) French toast of my life at this cafe! The freshly baked brioche was crunchy and topped with caramalized walnuts and banana.
We spent the afternoon in the rooftop pool again, while overlooking the skyline of Kuala Lumpur. It is really impressive to see the Petronas Towers and the Kuala Lumpur tower from here! Just like the other days, it started raining heavily in the afternoon so we headed to the nearest mall again to get some dim sum.
Bye Malaysia, hello Philippines!
Sunday, 16 February 2020
The Philippines has always been a dream destination of us and I’m so excited to go there! The (direct) flight from Kuala Lumpur to Cebu takes about four hours. We didn’t got checked for fever this time but we had to fill out a pile of forms with information about our health and the countries we’ve visited in the last 30 days. We started our ritual of arriving in a new country directly at the airport: getting a local SIM-card. Mobile data packages are incredibly cheap and we opt for a 30 days roaming package (72 GB) for €18,24. We already exchanged our last Malaysia Ringgits for Philippines Peso at the airport in Kuala Lumpur so we’re ready to book a Grab to our hotel. The traffic is crazy here in Cebu City and we have a bit of a culture shock coming here after Malaysia. In no other city we’ve seen so many people on the streets, so many security guards and so many cars honking. There is literally standing a security guard armed with guns in front of every store and hotel. Traffic in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur is nothing compared to the traffic here! But we arrived in our hotel safely, watched some YouTube and went to bed early. We only stay for one night in Cebu City and are planning to catch an early bus to Moalboal tomorrow.
Crazy bus drive to Moalboal
Monday, 17 February 2020
I had chosen our hotel in Cebu City because of the proximity to the bus station. The friendly receptionist mentioned that the mini van stop is even closer than the bus station and also, that the mini vans are a quicker way to get to Moalboal. When we arrive at the minivan station, there is already a bus to Moalboal waiting to fill the last three seats. The driver puts both of our suitcases on one seat and directs us to get in the van via the back of the car. We position ourselves on the tiny seats on the back row and we were ready to leave. Three hours of crazy traffic! From two lanes they make easily four and cars, tricycles, scooters and bikes pass us from left and right at the same time. The further we went from Cebu City, the greater the views became and the more excited we got to explore nature. In Moalboal we took a tricylce (some sort of motorcycle attached to a sidecar, a very common transportation option in the Philippines) to our hostel. We had a look around town (it has a very laid back backpackers vibe, we like it) and had some iced latte and a smoothie bowl at Shake for lunch. It started raining like crazy so we didn’t really got to see the beauty of the town yet.
Discovering 3 waterfalls in Cebu
Tuesday, 18 February 2020
The island of Cebu is known for its waterfalls and there are a ton of different waterfalls to chose from. Kawasan Falls are the closest but (based on social media and recommendations) also the most popular and thus the busiest waterfalls. For us a reason not to visit them. We made a list of waterfalls that seemed to be less crowded (Google Maps and Instagram are very helpful for sorting that out) and picked three to visit.
Binalayan Hidden Waterfalls
After an hour drive from Moalboal, we arrived at the first one: the Binalayan Hidden Waterfalls. At most of the waterfalls, you pay a small entrance fee for the waterfalls (around €1,95) and a voluntary contribution for the local guides. At some waterfalls, it is mandatory to go with a guide. They help you on the trail, with finding the best spots to jump and to make some photos. Since the recent outbreak of the corona virus, we also had to sign some forms that we’re healthy. No cold, no fever, no breathing problems. Check, check, check. Ready to go!
We were guided by two locals. Having private guides is a great way to learn more about local life, about the nature and about the country. When we arrived to the waterfalls after a short 15 minute walk, we were blown away by the beauty of them. The fact that we had them all to ourselves, made it even more magical. We had a great time swimming under the falls, watching our guide jumping from the cliffs (that were way too high and scary for us) and swinging around with some ropes hanging off the trees. I could really stay here forever but we wanted to visit some other falls so we left after about 1,5 hour.
Dao Falls
Just driving a few minutes further, you can find the Dao Falls. The trail to get to the falls was a bit more challenging and involved an instable bamboo bridge, walking though a canyon with water till our knees and climbing many stairs. The whole trail was stunning with lots of palm trees, milky blue waters and impressive cliffs. Getting to the waterfalls was just the cherry on the cake. What a beautiful spot! And just few other people around.
Inambakan Falls
Some say that the Inambakan Falls look very similar to the popular Kawasan Falls. They are known for having a beautiful 100-ft waterfall that plunges into a wide pool of blue water. Surrounded by lush jungle greenery it is indeed an amazing scenery and every level has some new amazing views and cool down opportunities to offer.
As if this day couldn’t get any better, we had booked a back and shoulders massage in Moalboal for the evening. A perfect relaxed end of a perfect day. I had multiple moments of gratefulness today, I just couldn’t believe the nature is so beautiful here, that the people are so incredibly friendly and that we could even enjoy all of that with just very few other tourists. We are so so so lucky.
Moalboal Sardine Run
Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Unfortunately, another day of heavy rain and wind storms await us in Moalboal. But Moalboal has a handful of cool cafes so we don’t have to be bored! We have some good iced latte and vegan brownies at Smooth Cafe in Moalboal and when it stopped raining later in the afternoon, I decided to do some snorkeling to see if I can find the famous Sardine Run. The Sardine Run in Moalboal is a year round natural phenomenon of millions of sardines swimming in schools just off the shore in Panagsama Beach. Unlike swimming with whale sharks in other parts of Cebu, it’s completely ethical as they are not fed by humans and the marine area is protected. I didn’t expect much but when I saw the first few sardines, I was completely blown away. Literally fish everywhere I looked! So many, that the water looked completely black in some areas. When the sun came through, the fishes were reflecting the light of the sun rays. It was absolutely mesmerizing! When I also got to see a turtle (my favorite animal!), my day couldn’t get any better.
After a fun and relaxed day, I had a very tough and emotional evening. Tonight the funeral of my grandma took place. The last days have already been hard, as it wasn’t easy not to be with my family during this time. I spent a lot of time video calling with my family, with recording a speech and with thinking about all the great memories I have of my grandma. Thanks to modern technology, I could watch the funeral live from my phone. Bye grandma, I will miss your motivating, honest and loving words so much.
It was a very sad and a very beautiful week at the same time. Next week we will explore more of the Philippines. Can’t wait!