At the beginning of the journey from Cebu, the Philippines to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia there were feelings of joy and anxiousness as this was Pamilya Abilla’s first international, family trip. The timing was perfect as their daughter, Cora, just turned 14 months old: a good age to start flying.

There was a bonus that allowed Cora to fly for free (on the lap): because she was under 2 years old. Any infant under the age of 2 can fly for free if they sit on your lap. These, combined with the fact that there was a good rate for the roundtrip tickets, and there was no hesitation when deciding to head to Malaysia. They took Air Asia, which was affordable, but caused the primary inconvenience of the trip: a flight change that was the result of the airline overbooking the first flight, which led to Cora’s first flight ever to be onboard Philippine Airlines. It worked out for the family because they had a connecting flight and a baby, so the agent was sympathetic and rebooked the trio on Philippine Airlines to make the connection. So if you plan on booking a flight make sure you understand the risks and plan accordingly. The flights were relatively uneventful with a minor bit of turbulence here and there. After arriving, securing their bags, and a taxi, Pamilya Abilla made their way to The Red Hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur, which would lead to another peculiar situation, and a reminder to train your mind to see the good in every situation.

The journey from KLIA was smooth and without traffic as Chris, Steph, and Cora landed at 3 AM local time. No traffic at this time. After the 1 1/2 hour ride to the city at its center, they arrived at The Red Hotel. Mind you, it was the middle of the night in a new city, and no familiarity with the language other than phrases learned mid-flight. The building was tall and shining in the city at night. Once the family entered the lobby through the large sliding glass door which was motion activated, they went to the front desk. There wasn't, however, anybody there. “Santa", the group’s airport driver, had to call the number listed to alert the receptionist.

All in all, it took more than 45 minutes to get from the lobby to the room. After being informed that the hotel no longer offered a breakfast buffet (which was fully paid for) the hotel planned to serve pre-packed breakfasts instead, Pamilya Abilla dropped the luggage off in the room and decided to see the rooftop pool. Once ascended, they walked toward the pool. The view was incredible: you could see the Petronas Tower a few kilometers away and was in the shadow of the KL Tower (7th tallest cell tower, worldwide). All of the stress had disappeared. This moment is why travelers should try to see the good in every situation instead of letting minor inconveniences (grand scheme) ruin the trip. It was a sign of things to come, as the family’s luck was about to change for the better.

On the first day, Pamilya Abilla was planning to relax and regain some energy lost in transit. They scheduled one thing: a long walk around the city. After resting, the group ate packed breakfasts offered by the hotel (spicy chicken, rice, noodles, and egg: throughout the trip). It was tasty and provided energy for the walk. Steph and Chris, and their baby, Cora, departed, but first asked advice from the hotel office (now open) about where to go. The office recommended the train to KLCC and a visit to the Petronas Towers and KLCC Park. After hauling the stroller across a walking bridge, which straddled a fast-moving river, the family made their way to one of many public train stations Kuala Lumpur has to offer. One thing to note is that Kuala Lumpur is a very clean city, with almost no garbage or homelessness (in sight) in the areas stayed or visited. The bad luck changed as it turned out the public train had no fare for the present month to promote a city-wide effort to encourage tourism. Even if there isn’t a promotion the fee is quite affordable. The family left KLCC station and walked around the area which seemed to be swallowed by giant sky-scrapers until the trio found KLCC Park. This park was home to many trees, plants, and rolling hills, and all of it looked very healthy. The park had wifi, clean/cold drinking water, bathrooms, a huge playground, an outdoor waterpark, a running track, and a water fountain show, every night: all free. The whole park experience was insouciant. Then came the Suria Mall, a high-end mall, located at the entrance to KLCC Park, and the base of the Petronas Towers.

Entering the Suria Mall, on all sides, were fashion stores like; Gucci, LV, Prada, etc… Pretty much any high-end store you could think of was in this mall. There was a variety of food options including; fast food, chain restaurants, a food court, and high-priced restaurants on the top floor. Along with the expensive places to eat, there was a plethora of things to do; a movie theater and science museum included. For Pamilya Abilla, the science museum seemed more appealing. After purchasing the Petronas Science Museum tickets ($8/person with infants free), the family meandered through the different science scapes located after a cool rainbow-lit tunnel. Cora’s favorite part was the playground where kids could learn by participating in educational activities like stacking blocks. Steph’s favorite part was a ride that flipped and spun with the rider inside to simulate the rotation of an atom. Chris’s favorite part was the speed radar machine where he set the new speed record by throwing a ball at a radar gun. The science museum had many levels, subjects, and even a cafeteria to enjoy. It was a fantastic experience and highly recommended. After the museum, the journey led to a Thai Restaurant, and back to the hotel to sleep and get ready to visit Batu Caves and the Kuala Ganda Elephant Sanctuary in the morning.

Waking up, seeing the room view, and enjoying the surprisingly tasty packed breakfasts made every morning a relaxing experience. After the morning routine, the couple and baby were picked up by their tour guide, “Jacky Chan”. The drivers liked to use familiar western nicknames to make the tourists feel comfortable. The first destination was in the city and required a long ascent over 272 steps that were wet, steep, and filled with monkeys (known for stealing from tourists) and other tourists and religious pilgrims. There is a small fee and a clothing requirement (women can’t show bare legs) to enter the holy sight. Once you met the requirements, the long climb began. It was a good trial for the trio, who also noticed there were many elders climbing the stairs in order to fulfill their religious duty as well. It is impressive to watch someone dedicated push past their limits as these people do. Every step was one of caution for Chris as he was carrying the baby, Cora, and couldn't afford to slip. Once summited, there is a feeling of reverence. Entering the cave is incredible as the relatively small entrance reveals huge chambers where the ceiling stretches over hundreds of feet at times. There is even a rock climbing community that had over a hundred climbing routes on the mountain that Batu Caves calls home. There is a smell of incense as the holy men performed their tasks. There were bats, monkeys, and even chickens in the caves which made for quite an exciting experience for Cora. The family of three finished the Batu Cave Trip by getting shots with their drone, buying some fresh fruit, then departing for the Kuala Ganda Elephant Sanctuary.

The drive from Kuala Lumpur to the Kuala Ganda Elephant Sanctuary took around 3 hours and had them winding through jungle mountains that lay home to a fearsome animal, the tiger. “Jacky Chan”, the driver/tour guide, explained stories where people have been left out in the jungle and were never seen or heard from again. Apparently, if you go into the jungle alone, there is a chance you won't come back. There are many animals that are beautiful in Malaysia, but, like the tiger, can cause you great harm. There are tigers, crocodiles, black leopards, elephants, venomous snakes/insects, and arachnids, living throughout Malaysia, and should be respected and prepared to ensure a safe trip. After making a brief stop to learn how local Malays harvest rubber (tapping trees by the hundreds) and finding out that the national flower of Malaysia is the hibiscus, Pamilya Abilla made it to the Kuala Ganda Elephant Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is a place where injured/hunted/abandoned elephants are rescued, given a home, then released back into the wild. This is a must-see place that you will remember as a fond memory for years. The entrance is free but guests are encouraged to tip and buy food and sugar cane (to feed the elephants). The sanctuary offers activities including; swimming with the elephants, and feeding the elephants. Chris, Steph, and Cora came on the wrong day for swimming but they got to experience feeding elephants by hand instead. One bushel of sugar cane cost $2 and guests are likely to buy many bushels as feeding the elephants can become very entertaining. Granted, these are wild elephants, so their behavior isn’t always predictable. Some of the baby elephants were slightly aggressive in their grabbing of the food and would often have crazy looks in their eyes. In the end, it turned out to be an incredible experience with no danger or stress involved. Cora’s favorite elephants to feed were the adult elephants, which were slightly less aggressive while feeding (used to it). After leaving the sanctuary and driving back to the hotel, our trip was coming to an end.

After a rocky start from, having an overbooked flight, no receptionist at the hotel, and then turning the trip around with amazing trips to KLCC Park, The Suria Mall’s Petronas Science Museum, making the pilgrimage up the stairs to Batu Caves, learning about the unique culture, people and animals of Malaysia, and feeding giant elephants, Pamilya Abilla, was ready to head home and thankful for their first ever international family trip. Kuala Lumpur (highly recommended).

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