I was fortunate enough to have visited Kuala Lumpur for a few days in December 2025. It was a pretty big bucket list to check off, as I have always wanted to visit. I spend three days whipping around on the double-checker tour bus, making stops along the way.
Iâve wanted to visit for years, and it absolutely lived up to the hype.
I spent three days ripping around the city on the double-decker hop-on, hop-off tour bus, jumping off whenever something caught my eye. Skyscrapers, temples, markets, street food, neighborhoods I couldnât pronounceâfull-on tourist mode, unapologetically activated.
And yes⌠pubs were involved.
Because cultural immersion is about balance. đť
From my home base in Hanoi, the Asia road trip continued to Baliâand the craziest part? Three flights for $190 USD total.
Asia travel math just hits different.
One thing that really stood out while taking public transportation from the airport was the presence of women-only train cars. It was the first time Iâd encountered that setup since visiting the UAE in 2024.
I actually learned this lesson the hard wayâI boarded a women-only car by mistake. Totally unintentional, despite the signs being very clear once you actually slow down and look. Someone kindly pointed it out, and I stepped a few feet into the next car. No drama, just a reminder that different cultures operate with different norms.
Moments like that are part of why I travel. They force awareness. You donât have to fully understand or agree with every custom to respect that it exists and learn from it.
Malaysia was fascinating from a cultural and architectural standpoint, and Iâm genuinely glad I went. The city is impressive, the infrastructure is solid, and the experience checked a long-standing bucket list item for me.
That said, itâs probably a one-and-done destination for meâand thatâs okay. Not every place has to be a repeat visit to be worth experiencing.Â
Here are some more pictures of the architecture, which was the reason I visited. Malaysia. Malaysia is home to one of the largest congregations of skyscrapers in the world. The country ranks fourth in the global listÂ
The Burj Khalifa[a] (known as the Burj Dubai before its inauguration) is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it is the world’s tallest structure, with a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding the antenna, but including a 242.6 m spire)[2] of 828 m (2,717 ft). It has also been the tallest building in the world since its topping out in 2009,Â
That surpassed Taipei 101, which had held the record for a half-decade.
Another cool admission is that I visited Taipei, Taiwan, with work in the early 2000s. It was my first trip to Asia, and I did not go back for over 20 years. They were still building Taipei 101, but I clearly remember going there. There was a mall, movie theater, and restaurants that were completed.
Before Dubai rewrote the record books, Taipei 101 was the building everyone talked about. Formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, it stands 508 meters (1,667 feet) tall and held the title of the worldâs tallest building for several years.
One of its standout features was its high-speed elevators, built by Toshiba. At the time of completion, they were the fastest in the worldârocketing passengers from the 5th to the 89th floor in just 37 seconds, hitting speeds of 60.6 km/h (37.7 mph). You donât ride those elevatorsâyou launch.