I landed in Malaysia at around 6 pm, and after taking a bus into the city, and then hopping on the monorail, I found myself kinda lost in the narrow streets of Bukit Bintang. Old, some abandoned, and dark apartment buildings unfold as I try to navigate the uneven sidewalks, with potholes and broken paving. Then all of a sudden, Jalan Nagasari appears, filled with people tourists, locals, food, music, drinks, 24 hour shops, and I felt like I just fell through a rabbit hole into wonderland.

I could walk around all day in the massive shopping malls, and then along the pedestrian-only elevated path from Pavillion to the twin towers in no time. I could also hop on the Rapid Rail and ride for 40 minutes out of KL central and another city opens up. I found it so ironic that KL is so connected in this regard, but people still find it difficult to commute.

KL is westernized and fancy in some places, historical in some other places, and run down in a few spots. It’s hard to expect what to see. The country’s long history of colonization, new growth and modernization has created a mish-mash of landscapes, architecture and food.

Most of the time I didn’t know what I was eating, only that it was the most delicious meals I had a long time. I don’t travel for food, but I could go around all night in Jalan Alor for those skewers and frog meat. I could also eat a fancy meal in Pavilion. Kway Teow on the sidewalk. Some other food I can’t pronounce in a parking lot.

In this culturally rich city, you could keep exploring the many elements of ethnicity and religion. It’s astounding to me that so much diversity can exist in one place, and the issues that are not talked about in the open. It’s a complicated city, and as a tourist who scratched the surface of the deep political and cultural scene, I’m hooked.