#mymalaysiadiary

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■ REAL TALK ■ I haven't written a "Real Talk" since before my trip to Malaysia, so I thought this was a good time to post one. Simply put, it is difficult for me to open up and share anything about myself, and I was very disappointed by the reactions I got when I shared the news of my trip. Especially from other FAs. I received a lot of "Why Malaysia?" and "Is it cheap there, or something?" and "You're going ALONE? Traveling alone is boring." and even "Sounds decent." I also received a lot of silence. What bothers me is, if I had been going to London, or Paris, or Rome, or Dubai, I would never have received these questions and reactions. But because I chose to do something unique and travel somewhere off-the-beaten-path, I was met with negativity and indifference. And from flight attendants! The very people who should be the most readily excited for their fellow traveler. Even though it's usually MY broke ass that I wish was going, I am always happy and excited when friends and co-workers tell me of their travel plans. I was hoping for the same courtesy. Per usual, I expected too much. But once I got to Malaysia (& got some sleep), all my irritation melted away. For the narrow-minded people, I felt only pity, that they were not able to see what I was seeing. Malaysia exceeded my wildest expectations, and I came back to the States forever changed. I decided the best way to deal with the negative comments was to laugh about them. See my highlight "Doing Me." My message is this: don't let those who choose to walk in the mainstream make you feel like your travel destinations are not as sound and valid as their's are. Whether your goal destination is Malaysia, London, or Antarctica, the way you perceive and experience that location will be wholly unique and unrepeatable. You will walk away happier, wiser, and at peace. #RealTalk #WednesdayMotivation #WednesdayWisdom #MyMalaysiaDiary #HatersGonnaHate #Travel #FlightAttendant #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #PutraMosque #Putrajaya #PinkMosque #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #JetSetter #InstaTravel #SoloTravel #Reflection #SoloAdventurer #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Masjid Putra Putrajaya) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Ah8AXhrxX/?igshid=1apeeabcnm88n

[coffeeonaplane]

■ BATU CAVES ■ BATU CAVES ~ HIGHLIGHTS (Part One) 🇲🇾 The Batu Caves break all boundaries of history and culture. The limestone rock face containing the Caves is researched to be around 400 million years old. A group of Chinese settlers began digging out the area for natural resources around 1860, and it became the sight of a prestigious Hindu temple over the next couple decades. 272 wooden steps were built in 1920, and later replaced by concrete steps (more weather and wear-and-tear resistant.) The stairs were painted in rainbow colors in August of 2018. The gold statue is Lord Murugan, the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated. This is actually the third tallest statue of a Hindu deity in the world, and standing at a formidable 140 feet, he is THE tallest statue in all of Malaysia. It took 3 years of construction and 300 liters of gold paint to complete Lord Murugan. He was unveiled in January 2006 during Thaipusam festival. For more footage, please see my Highlight entitled Batu Caves! #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BatuCaves #BatuCavesMalaysia #HinduTemple #Colors #Rainbow #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #RainbowStairs #StairwayToHeaven #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #Murugan #TravelPorn #MustSee #WhereHaveYouBeen #InstaTravel #LordMurugan #SouthEastAsia #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Batu Caves Malasiya) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1uIhD7heS3/?igshid=o5ntmrpa43ai

[coffeeonaplane]

■ BATU CAVES ■ The Batu Caves break all boundaries of history and culture. The limestone rock face containing the Caves is researched to be around 400 million years old. A group of Chinese settlers began digging out the area for natural resources around 1860, and it became the sight of a prestigious Hindu temple over the next couple decades. 272 wooden steps were built in 1920, and later replaced by concrete steps (more weather and wear-and-tear resistant.) The stairs were painted in rainbow colors in August of 2018. For more footage, please see me Highlight entitled Batu Caves! #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BatuCaves #BatuCavesMalaysia #HinduTemple #Colors #Rainbow #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #RainbowStairs #StairwayToHeaven #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #PictureOfTheDay #TravelPorn #MustSee #WhereHaveYouBeen #InstaTravel #Asia #SouthEastAsia #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Saniswaran Temple Batu Caves) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jX3XpByOQ/?igshid=imkqyqbecl1c

[coffeeonaplane]

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“Traveling — it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” ― Ibn Battuta I've always thought this quote was beautiful, but honestly, I never fully grasped the real meaning until I went to Malaysia. When you see these beautiful places with their amazing historical value, you're just dumbfounded. Awe-struck. There are no words. Then, later on, despite the fact that know you can never do justice with the limitations of verbiage, you can't stop talking about what you saw. What you experienced. It becomes more than a memory. It's in your very being. The Batu Caves are a perfect example of that. I knew from the first time I heard about them, that I must see this location. I knew, from photos and videos, that the scale must be enormous, but nothing could have prepared me for what it felt like to be there. Let me tell you: Instagram and Pinterest cannot capture the beauty, wonder, or size of this place. Not even close. I was, in fact, speechless. The Batu Caves might be the most incredible location I've ever seen. It felt like I could feel the earth forming and becoming what it is today. For more footage, please see my highlight! #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BatuCaves #BatuCavesMalaysia #HinduTemple #Colors #Rainbow #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #photography #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #TravelPorn #Statue #StairwayToHeaven #RainbowStairs #Murugan #Selangor #MountainSide #InstaTravel #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Batu Caves Hindu Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jUbYUhAN5/?igshid=12pkqmxjz5o6u

[coffeeonaplane]

Come with me And you'll be In a world of pure imagination Take a look And you'll see Into your imagination We'll begin With a spin Traveling in The world of my creation What we'll see Will defy Explanation If you want to view paradise Simply look around and view it Anything you want to, do it Want to change the world? There's nothing to it ~~~~~~~~~~~ The Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park hosts over 5,000 species of butterflies, but the real treat here is the tranquil and zen atmosphere of the place. I'd been walking for many hours by the time I visited this park, and it was a welcome retreat. So peaceful. Photos taken on 08•19•2019 #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #ButterflyPark #Butterfly #KLButterflyPark #MyMalaysiaDiary #PeacefulRetreat #Zen #PureImagination #Magic #Colors #InstaLove #InstaTravel #fountain #oasis #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #JetSetter #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Butterfly Park (Taman Rama-Rama)) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1sAM6Chkl2/?igshid=jhesayih3skq

[coffeeonaplane]

Amazing Street Art!! 🦋🦜🍃🌈 (Part Two) The area within Bukit Bintang, around Jalan Alor, was - until recently - a very run-down, dirty series of dingy alleyways and side streets. The city has made great strides in renovating, cleaning up, and (literally) brightening up the area! What used to be dark and dank is now bright and cheerful! I love to see the potential in people and places realized! Waste not, want not. 😉 Photos taken on 08•21•2019 #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BukitBintang #JalanAlor #Renovation #CleanUp #MakeOver #StreetArt #Art #ArtPorn #Colors #Rainbow #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #Selfie #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #Butterfly #Talent #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1p1N6sBcfn/?igshid=1fnpb322igvvo

[coffeeonaplane]

Amazing Street Art!! 🦋🦜🍃🌈 (Part One) The area within Bukit Bintang, around Jalan Alor, was - until recently - a very run-down, dirty series of dingy alleyways and side streets. The city has made great strides in renovating, cleaning up, and (literally) brightening up the area! What used to be dark and dank is now bright and cheerful! I love to see the potential in people and places realized! Waste not, want not. 😉 Photos taken on 08•21•2019 #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BukitBintang #JalanAlor #Renovation #CleanUp #MakeOver #StreetArt #Art #ArtPorn #Colors #Rainbow #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #JetSetter #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #Butterfly #Talent #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1p0qqHBYJa/?igshid=oqe7p91q2c02

[coffeeonaplane]

■ BATU CAVES ■ The Batu Caves break all boundaries of history and culture. The limestone rock face containing the Caves is researched to be around 400 million years old. A group of Chinese settlers began digging out the area for natural resources around 1860, and it became the sight of a prestigious Hindu temple over the next couple decades. 272 wooden steps were built in 1920, and later replaced by concrete steps (more weather and wear-and-tear resistant.) The stairs were painted in rainbow colors in August of 2018. The gold statue is Lord Murugan, the Hindu deity to whom the temple is dedicated. This is actually the third tallest statue of a Hindu deity in the world, and standing at a formidable 140 feet, he is THE tallest statue in all of Malaysia. It took 3 years of construction and 300 liters of gold paint to complete Lord Murugan. He was unveiled in January 2006 during Thaipusam festival. For more footage, please see my Highlight entitled Batu Caves! #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BatuCaves #BatuCavesMalaysia #HinduTemple #Colors #Rainbow #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #RainbowStairs #StairwayToHeaven #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #Murugan #TravelPorn #MustSee #WhereHaveYouBeen #InstaTravel #LordMurugan #SouthEastAsia #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Batu Caves Malasiya) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1jY0w8BBGS/?igshid=pfbmaxrb4asm

[coffeeonaplane]

08•20•2019 This photo came about because I was looking for a way around the sun being directly behind the Petronas Towers. It makes for dark, high-contrast photos that don't properly capture the aesthetic of the area. My solution? Photograph the reflection of the towers in the fountain pool. I think the result is beautiful and relaxing. #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #PetronasTwinTowers #PetronasTowers #TwinTowers #Reflection #fountain #PetronasTowersFountain #Mirror #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #JetSetter #photography #aesthetic #WhereHaveYouBeen #InstaTravel #TravelPorn #PhotoOfTheDay #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Petronas Twin Tower Outdoor Fountain) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1YR8k0hYxt/?igshid=182q2q8hzd526

[coffeeonaplane]

Wow. You don't see that every day... The stairs of the Batu Caves. A little teaser for things to come. #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BatuCaves #BatuCavesTemple #BatuCavesMalaysia #BatuCavesKL #HinduTemple #Colors #Rainbow #StairwayToHeaven #272Stairs #YouDontSeeThatEveryday #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #JetSetter #WorldTraveler #PhotoOfTheDay #PictureOfTheDay #aesthetic #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Batu Caves Temple) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1YQcZwhVjQ/?igshid=100wbxohah1tj

[coffeeonaplane]

08•16•2019 Greetings from Malaysia 🇲🇾 I got to see the Petronas Twin Towers (the tallest set of twin towers in the world) with my own eyes tonight. That's something I've been wishing for since 2002 - the first time I saw the film "Entrapment." Malaysia has been a goal and a dream destination for quite some time. I wish I could say that my first 11 hours here in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, have been nothing but amazing, but that would be a lie. Countless things have gone wrong, despite my meticulous planning, and now I'm stuck with a phone I can't use (unless I'm connected to hotel WiFi), and no way to charge it (my brand new outlet/voltage converter exploded on its second use.) I won't tell you how many times I've cried today. I'm actually inspired to write a piece or two about how much more difficult travel is for someone with an anxiety disorder. Let me know if you'd actually have interest in reading something of that nature. Well, Kuala Lumpur is beautiful, but I've been awake for about 55 hours, so good night! #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Malaysia #KualaLumpur #KL #MyMalaysiaDiary #Sights #PetronasTwinTowers #petronastowers #ProfesionalTourist #JetSetter #photography #aesthetic #PhotoOfTheDay #TravelPhotography #KLCC #Lights #Night #WhereHaveYouBeen #NightSky #NightLife #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at PETRONAS Twin Towers) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1OnxZLBsqj/?igshid=1b4fx5f0biwyv

[coffeeonaplane]

🇲🇾 Happy National Day 🇲🇾 On August 31st 1957, Malaysia declared its independence. I wish I could have stayed long enough to participate in Malaysia's Independence Day, but I'm grateful for all the memories I have. It is a great country. HARI MERDEKA!! Malaysia Forever! 🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾 #HariMerdeka #MalaysiaDay #NationalDay #nationaldaymalaysia #MalaysiaIndependenceDay #IndependenceDayMalaysia #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #PavilionKL #fountain #Waterfall #Architecture #ArchitecturePorn #aesthetic #Flag #MalaysianFlag #TravelPhotography #TravelPorn #SaturdayVibes #MyMalaysiaDiary #PhotoOfTheDay #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Pavilion KL) https://www.instagram.com/p/B12CjAChPzx/?igshid=1rl3ktqps27wf

[coffeeonaplane]

■ MENARA KUALA LUMPUR ■ Also known as simply KL Tower, this architectural spear is another of Kuala Lumpur's sky-piercing and most recognizable structures. Completed in 1995, it is the 7th tallest telecommunication tower in the world, standing at over 1300 feet, and the design of top was inspired by a Malaysian toy. Like the Petronas Towers, KL Tower graced many of my photographs. Here are some of my favorites. Photos taken August 16th through 21st. #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #MenaraKualaLumpur #KLTower #Telecommunications #HeliLounge #Sunset #SunsetPorn #Colors #InstaLove #InstaTravel #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #Selfie #AdultBeverage #photography #Architecture #ArchitecturePorn #design #tower #MyMalaysiaDiary #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at KL Tower (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wmPvBhvS_/?igshid=1ad5mir9tc59s

[coffeeonaplane]

■ PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS ■ As expected, I took entirely too many photographs while in Malaysia. The Petronas Towers - being a favorite tourist attraction for visitors - graced many of those photos in/from a variety of ways, angles, and vantage points, while scaling a variety of weather patterns and times of day. Here are my favorites. I honestly can't narrow it down more than this, so tell me: which do YOU like best? Photos taken August 16th through 21st, 2019. #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #PetronasTwinTowers #PetronasTowers #Petronas #Highlights #TouristAttraction #MustSee #InstaTravel #TravelPorn #ProfesionalTourist #photography #aesthetic #PhotoOfTheDay #TravelPhotography #WhereHaveYouBeen #MyMalaysiaDiary #Sunset #AdultBeverage #Drinks #HeliLounge #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Petronas Twin Tower, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1u9-xxBGCh/?igshid=x5knjwm9b8e7

[coffeeonaplane]

Is there anything more peaceful than a Sunday afternoon walk in the park? I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to share some of my favorite sights from the Perdana Botanical Gardens in Malaysia. Perdana Botanical Gardens, formerly Perdana Lake Gardens, was Kuala Lumpur's first large-scale recreational park, measuring 91.6 hectares!! It is located in the heart of the city and was established in 1888. The park served as place of refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city during colonial times. Despite colonial times being over, I found the garden still accomplished its original goal. While there, I felt like I was in a completely different world, where time, deadlines, and work schedules did not exist. Photos taken on 08•19•2019. #SundayVibes #WalkInThePark #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #BotanicalGardens #PerdanaBotanicalGarden #klbotanicalgardens #Canopy #Bridge #River #fountain #flowers #nature #Scenery #SceneryPorn #Beautiful #Jungle #ParksAndRecreation #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Botanical Gardens Kuala Lumpur) https://www.instagram.com/p/B14v50NBPCz/?igshid=kueltxtiiep9

[coffeeonaplane]

It's always Saturday night at the Heli Lounge. 🍸 #SaturdayNight #SaturdayNightFever #SaturdayShenanigans #SaturdayVibes #SaturdaysAlrightForFighting #AdultBeverage #Martini #Travel #Wanderlust #Location #destination #Views #Vacation #KualaLumpur #Malaysia #KL #HeliLounge #HeliLoungeBar #BestView #CityScape #TopOfTheWorld #Rooftop #AllByMyself #MyMalaysiaDiary #TravelPhotography #ProfesionalTourist #NightLife #NoFilter #CoffeeOnAPlane (at Heli Lounge Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/B10qeAMhWQ9/?igshid=v7bbwqtkn86s