🇲🇾 KUALA LUMPUR • Lorong 1/77a: Of Ending and First-Times

This street was where I ended my first day in Kuala Lumpur but it served as the rendezvous of my many first-time experiences and encounters so it meant so much for me.

[Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory, Peninsular Malaysia, West Malaysia, Malaysia]

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Lorong 1/77a—this was the name of the street that challenged my backpacking skills for the first time outside the Philippines. After an hour of bus ride from Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 to KL Sentral and a train ride from KL Sentral to Bukit Bintang, the next thing to do was to walk and find Lorong 1/77a. This street was where the guesthouse I'd be staying for the night was located.

So I was here. The smile on my face was big. The exhaustion and hunger were very weak to overthrow my happiness and excitement. Finally, I found Irsia BnB, my guesthouse for the night. Actually, I just stayed in Kuala Lumpur less than 24 hours and the primary reason why I booked an accommodation in this progressive Malaysian capital city was to have rest. I didn't have any plans yet to explore this metropolis. It just served as my jump off to my true destination—Penang Island—four hours away by bus.

Kuala Lumpur wasn't part of my itinerary but just because this city is ▼ MALAYSIA's transportation hub, I had to enter this city, hence, most of my first-time travel experiences and encounters happened in Kuala Lumpur and I do feel good about it.

When I stepped on the pavement of this street for the first time, I wasn't aware yet that it was already the street I was looking for—the first street I explored outside the Philippines. I realized I was already on the right street when I saw the name of my guesthouse.

The Guesthouse

I approached the guesthouse called ▼ IRSIA BNB
▼
I stayed in a dormitory-type room with bunk beds. There are other guests when I entered the room. They were all white travelers. I was the only Asian inside our room.

(bed and breakfast). The gate was closed. It was almost 10 o'clock in the evening when I was here. "Anybody here?"

Afterwards, an Indian-looking (but he could be a Pakistani, I'm not sure) man opened the gate for me. I just learned he needed to wake up to open the gate for me. Anyway, it wasn't my fault. I've informed them beforehand that the estimated time of my arrival was 08:00 PM but due to the delayed flight, I was late.

At the reception area, I saw the man at the front desk checking some files until I saw my name in one of his documents. He checked his computer, asked for my passport and requested a valid identification card from me. After providing the things he was requesting, he checked me in.

My room was located at the third floor. I had to remove my shoes before I took the stairs. I saw many pairs of shoes at a corner near the stair so I was well aware of the implication. I had to follow the house rules.

There were two white men sleeping when I entered the room. I had to be careful not to wake them up as a matter of respect. My bed was at the upper deck.

The room was very quiet. So when I unloaded my stuff (some were packed using a plastic bag from the grocery back home), I was creating a noise. Dang, the plastic bags were noisy. It was an awkward moment actually. The bed also created noise every time I moved.

Anyway, I left my things. I went out of the guesthouse to explore this street. This wasn't really a part of my itinerary but I had to explore this street because I was looking for a nice place to eat. I was particularly looking for a restaurant that offers rice meals.

A street fam-tour and the search for food

I walked on this street at night alone with a firm conviction that Malaysia is safe for a solo Filipino traveler like me. I had no choice but to stand firm to this belief, otherwise, I would kill myself in hunger. The worst thing for me during backpacking is getting hungry so I allot a deliciously ample budget for food.

Lorong 1/77a was the opposite of my expectations. Based on Google Maps, it was located in a district near the shopping centers and major roads in Kuala Lumpur so I thought this street had traffic problems. Well, I liked the actual setting.

There were no noisy cars passing on this street when I was here. The people weren't on the streets too. They were inside the establishments located along this street. Restaurants were well-lighted so I was aware that this street wasn't dead. There was a thriving business and economic activities.

I continued my search for a rice meal. Beside Irsia BnB was I think an Indian restaurant. It was full of people so I opted not to dine there. The next restaurant was closed. The third was about to close. The fourth was partly closed and this was the first restaurant abroad where I dined. A photo of a rice meal was also displayed in the restaurant. Pak! Ganern!

The name of the fourth restaurant is ▼ KAFETERIA IKHWAN
▼
I enjoyed the food, but more than the food are these countless first time travel experiences that taught me to believe that the world, though getting smaller, is complex.

. I said it was partly closed because only the area close the street was open for dining. The chairs and tables in the other parts of the restaurant were already kept. The lights were turned off too. I think I was their last customer. There were two Malaysians when I entered the restaurant.

Anyway, the food I ordered was their bestseller. I actually asked what was their bestseller and one of the crew told me it was the ▼ NASI GORENG USA (DAGING/AYAM)
▼
The moment I saw the food, I was at least relieved to know that the food is somehow related to my Filipino comfort meals.

. Without any hesitation, I ordered their bestseller at 7 ringgits (~80 pesos).

The tummy was happy and I left the restaurant with beautiful memories in my heart. I continued my solo night walking tour on this street for the purpose of sight-seeing. I had energy once again. Thanks to that nasi goreng meal.

This street was where I ended my first day in Kuala Lumpur but it served as the rendezvous of my many first-time experiences and encounters so it meant so much for me. You know, 'first-times' are big deal for me. It's just sentimental and I don't want to forget those moments that's why I tend to write first-time stories.

• Lorong 1/77a is the first street I explored outside my country ▼ PHILIPPINES.
• Lorong 1/77a is where I booked my first accommodation outside the Philippines.
• Lorong 1/77a is where I found the first restaurant I tried outside the Philippines.
• Lorong 1/77a is where I ate my first food outside the Philippines.

After a little night walking tour covering this street, I went back to the guesthouse. My cousin video-called me via Facebook messenger with my family around her. Instant homesickness made me weak. I missed them badly.

This street ended my first day in a foreign land. The next day would be another adventure and challenge. I would commute again. That would mean I have to find the bus terminals and train stations like I did the past hours on my way to this street.

Of course, there are more stories to share. I wasted some of my travel funds because I used a wrong train. I paid more than 5 times what I should pay because of a wrong stupid decision I made. So if I had many travel dramas and stories on my way to Lorong 1/77a from KLIA2, expect that there will be more stories on my way to Penang Island from Kuala Lumpur. Ready for the next chapter? | to be continued... |

This episode is the last installment of the Chapter 01 of this Blogserye. Hang on for Episode 07 under Chapter 02 (On the Road from KL to Penang: Travel Misfortunes and Wrong Decisions).

✈ BLOGSERYE 03: MALAYSIA-THAILAND BACKPACKING + MOTORBIKE RIDING FOR THE FIRST TIME OUTSIDE PH

Blogserye 03 is a series of narratives and stories about my first backpacking abroad covering Malaysia and Southern Thailand.

CHAPTER 01CHAPTER 02

CHAPTER 01 SUMMARY: ▼ Five (5) Tourist Stops (Not Spots) to Spice Your DIY Itinerary Below 24 Hours in KL
▼
If you loaded this page expecting for tourist attractions to see in less than 24 hours in Kuala Lumpur, I'm sorry to disappoint you but this is not a story of tourist spots but tourist stops. Yeah, stop here, stop there, stop everywhere.



Chapter 01 is all about first-time stories. Will this boy from the province with relative fear in roaming a big city survive his first day in a big metropolis for the first time outside PH?

✈ EPISODE 01: ▼ Flying from Metro Manila to Kuala Lumpur with Drama in Between
▼
I was shaking, quite speechless for outspoken words but the voice within me is speaking too much that it's so hard to handle...



✈ EPISODE 02: ▼ Travel Drama in Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2)
▼
My anxiety as a first-timer almost escalated to panic level. So there's no such thing as overacting because sticking to reality is the name of the game here.



✈ EPISODE 03: ▼ KLIA2 to KL Sentral by Bus: My First Land Travel Outside PH
▼
I was showing physical awestruck signs overtly while inside the bus because I was seeing different races. There are Malays, Indians, Chinese, black and white men. This country is so multicultural! This is my first bus ride in Malaysia!



✈ EPISODE 04: ▼ Reaching KL Sentral and How I Acted Dumb Stupid
▼
You may not believe this but I felt so ignorant about this. There's no train station in our province so encountering a self-service machine like this in actual setting is new to me.



✈ EPISODE 05: ▼ KL Sentral to Bukit Bintang: My First Train Ride Outside PH
▼
The monorail runs overground. I saw the city of Kuala Lumpur in a general perspective up close—the modern skyline, the lush parks, the mosques, the busy roads and the residential areas. I enjoyed it.



✈ EPISODE 06: ► Lorong 1/77a: Of Ending and First Times

Coming Soon!

BLOGSERYE 03 SUMMARY: ▼ MALAYSIA-THAILAND BACKPACKING + MOTORBIKE RIDING FOR THE FIRST TIME OUTSIDE PH
▼
As a millennial, this is not conforming to the 'trend'—doing it because your friend do it. For me traveling is a form of continuous education. No masteral and doctoral degree could ever teach you the way traveling does.



◄ BLOGSERYE 02 BLOGSERYE 03BLOGSERYE 04 ►

Map Showing the Location of #KualaLumpur

► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] The above story is the Chapter 06 of Blogserye 03.

[2] This post was filed under the category "Night Explorations." See more posts related to this below.

[3] The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

[4] All photos are mine.

[5] The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try or see the properties or places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time so it's not my responsibility to update all the information on this blog because once published, I already consider it an archive and I won't update my narratives because I want them to become my references of what have happened in the past. I'm very particular of the dates because I want my amazing readers to understand that I am writing stories based on my perspective and insights on the day of my visit. You can see dates almost everywhere on this blog. Exempted from this rule are my travel guide posts that need to be updated.

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