Hello/Goodbye Kuala Lumpur

July 12, 2014 at 10:15 pm  •  Posted in Inspiration, Learnings, Malaysia by

My vow of silence began the second we hit the tarmac in Kuala Lumpur. I undertook this vow because I wanted to “mentally prepare” myself for Bali. Bali, a ginormous milestone for Project Equator, amassed a multitude of “when I get to Bali, I am going to do [insert aspiration here]” promises like a snowball. “When I get to Bali I am going to start running more often.” “Well when I get to Bali I am going to finish all of my schoolwork.” “When I get to Bali I am going to cook all of my own food and eat super healthy.” I was saying these things way back in Greece, and now I felt obligated to carry out these ambitions my younger self conjured up all those months ago.  In addition, I wanted to prove my mom wrong. When I announced that I would be taking a vow of silence for all of Kuala Lumpur, she exclaimed, “Pssshhh. You and silence? Good luck with that!”

Nobody expected to get much out of Kaula Lumpur “the layover,” and we had nothing on the agenda other than to sleep off a persistent jet lag. The air possessed a thick, musty odor that reminded me of L.A. only fruitier. Our hotel’s appointed driver held a white piece of cardboard with “SHARPLES” penciled on the front. He was very accommodating, super-friendly and we were all having a great time until he blurted out, “Don’t worry. Be happy. I will not kidnap you.” What?! “Ok… Thank you?” I for one wasn’t worried about anyone kidnapping me until you just brought it up. Wow. What a great introduction to Kuala Lumpur that further solidified the idea that staying inside our hotel room for the duration of the visit would be a good idea.

Two hours in and my vow of silence stood strong. The hotel room, a massive, modern pad occupied by Jones, Otto, and I, looked right out onto the Petronas Twin Towers. The jet lag kicked in about an hour or two ago and I only now retained consciousness by staring out the window. Otto and I decided it was time for bed and began our nightly routine. For some reason, I felt like ordering warm milk beforehand, I’m not sure why but it just sounded really good. Since I could not speak, I scribbled on a piece of paper, “Can you call room service and order some warm milk please?” Otto, who almost always has my back, made the call.

Eight hours later I was chatting up a storm. Yeah, I know, my mom’s always right. My vow of silence amounted to a whopping twelve hours, and for eight of those twelve, I was asleep. Between the stunning views, that time when we didn’t get kidnapped, and the failed attempt at a vow of silence, Kuala Lumpur definitely proved itself as, not a layover, but a destination of Project Equator.

I used my vow of silence time to jam in a ton of school work, next to the pool :)

I used my vow of silence time to jam in a ton of school work, next to the pool :)

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