Malaysia: Fireflies and food in Kuala Lumpur, Kamper and Ipoh!

It wasn't part of my plans but I'd heard some of the best food around could be found in Kamper, a small town about 2 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and wherever the food is good, I'll be good to. So me and Kevin took a detour into Kamper and Ipoh on the way to KL. Funnily enough I may have prayed to a romance God, had a dip in a pretty waterfall and checked out some temple caves that would have given Batu Caves a run for it's money but Kamper and Ipoh really did end up being all about food for me. 

Making noodles for 25 years!

Me and Kev were either eating or talking about it. We ate noodles by a guy who has been doing it for 25 years! This guy is so good there's a reason it takes so long there's probably a queue of 10 or 15 tables in front of you!  We tried Mister Donut for the first time and I can't say I was impressed as it tasted under cooked and sickly. Somehow some favorite Japanese dish I'd eaten a lot while I was in Tokyo ended up being on the menu of a fancy restaurant we ate in with Kevin's mum and dad. It wasn't as nice as I remember, just rice with cheese on the top and rather sickly to but the portions sizes are obviously too small to get sickly in Japan.

Romance themed temple

I tend to think I'm templed out but that's not exactly true, I still really enjoy the bright and colourful ones just like The Temple of Supreme Bliss, which I may have forgotten to mention in my post about my time in Penang. It's the largest buddist temple in South East Asia, fantastic and a must see. I'm glad Kevin came with me as the walk up to the temple didn't look very fun in the hot sun. We stopped to get laksa on the way to, which was a first for me and really yummy mixture of everything from lobster to lemongrass paste!

Temple in a cave

I really enjoyed seeing the temples in Ipoh and Kamper. A couple were like the one at Batu Caves but the artwork was far more fascinating and interesting. It was more spooky to as the power kept cutting out every 5 seconds! There was a wacky romance temple that even featured characters from the TV series Monkey Hero! I'm not sure how quickly offerings are supposed to work but I guess I must of done something wrong as I'm still waiting for my 'love' wishes to be granted. I also got to 'let it all out' at the childrens' traffic park running around whilst making car noises...

Me and Kevin (red shirt) getting drunk for free

The food theme continued in KL as me and Kevin went to a wine tasting event. I felt a little out of place in my faded t-shirt and baggy fisherman trousers but people were friendly and welcoming. I met some really funny and charming characters and It was so interesting listening to their how they had all ended up in Kuala Lumpur stories. Some had come to study, some to find themselves and others had simple been travelling and loved it so much they'd never left! It's just  a shame I got so drunk I couldn't remember peoples' names afterwards haha!

Can you spot any fireflies?

Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful, ultra modern city, with towering skyscrapers and awesome food, In fact some of my favorite meals have been eaten right here in KL. There's a lot to do here but it's my 3rd visit and my time was short, which is why I didn't do much this time round but there was something I've been wanting to see. Go see the fireflies at Kuala Selangor (kelip-kelip in Malay)! It had been raining on and off the day we went so we were a little concerned we wouldn't get to see any as they don't like the rain but much to my excitement I got my first glimpse of  a green blimp as we driving up to the swamp, then another and another. We got our tickets and somehow Kevin managed to persuade the staff to let us queue jump in front of the long line of tour groups. We stepped in our little rocking boat, which was swinging all over the place and we spent the next few minutes chatting with the Russian couple sat in the boat behind us and looking at what we thought were just flashing LED lights in the bushes but as we neared the bushes to my excitement I realised they were the flies! Me and Kevin began snapping our cams aimlessly but with no luck at getting a decent photo and I had no luck at getting any to sit on my hand either, they just died when I tried! Seeing the kelip-kelip was an interesting experience but it was a little disappointing as they looked no different from green christmas lights. However, I'm sure in the right weather it must be a magical and romantic experience.

After we got back me and Kevin drove around the city taking more photos and had dinner at a gorgeous open air restaurant opposite the twin towers called NZ. The portions here are so HUGE even I struggled to eat it all but it in the end it was so tasty I managed it. On the way back to my hotel Kevin tried to convince me to come out with him and some friends to a nightclub but I was tired and I had to leave in a few hours. It was time to say a sad goodbye to Kevin and KL and an exciting hello to my one of my best friend's Lina, her boyfriend Raf and my next destination the PHILIPPINES!