after spending a few days in Johor Bahru, the sommelier and I jetted off to Kuala Lumpur for a short rendezvous. the sunset rivaled any we’ve seen, and that says a lot coming from this Native Texan girl.

as our iron bird perched its wings and stretched its legs to land, we could view palm plantations rolling out before us, the mountains providing a sunlit backdrop of orange dreamsicle.

we climbed into a taxi and headed east into city center, and even though the journey was long and winding and somewhat maddening, what waited for us when we finally arrived was infinitely worth the internal chaos.

venturing out for a quick bite to eat and maybe some late night fun, the sommelier and I soon found ourselves full and sitting in familiar wine surroundings.

the uber ride home showed fantastical sights, even for a smaller city of 1.6 million.

in the early morning we awoke in gracious awe of our surroundings, thankful for our late night internet searches for hotels with views of cityscapes and nightscapes and magnificent skylines.

soon the taxi cab driver was meandering through the crowded morning street to Pudu Market, where even the most fresh and crisp and breathable air was nullified in an instant.

after hearing the lyrical stall calls from the sellers and seeing the rainbow of vegetables and smelling all the morning caught fish the market had to offer, we sat for some local tea.

we then skipped across town to Chow Kit, passing through downtown neighborhoods whose decay ranked similar to even the largest global cities.

at times, it seemed the streets of Kuala Lumpur were swarmed with motorbikes, they filled the air with loud bangs and puffs of smoke.

finally arrived at the National Gallery of the Visual Arts, we slowly breathed in the transcendence of Malaysian art history from early stencils… (my personal favorite)

to art movement paintings…

and finally to modern sculptures…

each era displayed the deep history of the building of a nation, from colonial rule, to Japanese occupation, to the Malaysian Independence.

having filled our eyes with local sights and sounds for the morning, we took to a British Commonwealth favorite for lunch and beers.

we meandered around KLCC Park for an hour or so before heading back to the hotel, setting our eyes on some of the most interesting trees, those whose branches reach deep into the earth to take root, so that over time, each tree gains in circumference the work that tree puts in, a symbol of individualism in a historically colonially ruled country.

napping before our plane ride home, we felt refreshed for the reunion of our family, ready to take on the next adventure: Tioman Island.

Selamat Malam, friends.