We were here in Kuala Lumpur last March for about 6 weeks, then took the train north to spend two weeks in Ipoh and Penang. But KL really drew Kat back, and I have to admit that she is right: this is a damn fine town! For a “large” city, ie, one with a lot of people, we find it very livable, and unusually GREEN! It is such a pleasure to see trees, parks, and mini forests throughout town, instead of solid fields of concrete. Here’s my other reasons I like it here:

• Many countries we have lived in offer limited public transportation out of the city, except for buses. Having a train that goes north to the Thai border is an asset, and we found it pretty east to cross the border from Thailand, when we arrived, so that gives us easy access. We have stayed in Penang, Butterworth, and Ipoh so far, but have not trained south yet, but we will. There is still so much of Malaysia to see.

• We have a nice one bedroom apartment with a balcony and amazing view, and even though it can get noisy with construction nearby, it is very livable. Our room lacks a sink, but otherwise we have a burner plate, hot water kettle, microwave, and they even brought us an air fryer. We cook basics and don’t get too elaborate, but with so many food options we don’t find a compelling need to cook.

• Our apartment has a gym and a pool, but both are limited. The pool is mostly covered since its on the first floor, and not the roof, so not very practical for laying out. For lap swimmers it’s ideal, but we found a nice Plan B.

• Across the street is a commercial building with a hotel and business offices. They also have a pool on the 27th floor, and for less than $12 USD a month, we paid the fee (see pix). The gym in the building is better than our apartment, but still lacking, so I bit the bullet and sprung for a nice gym membership at Celebrity Gym. It’s a reasonable 17 minute walk and the gym has as complete a selection of bar and dumbbells as I have ever found, plus good, well taken care of equipment, and a nice shower. Last time we were here (for two mo.) I did not find it practical to commit to a four month membership—which many chains require—but they offered me a convenient “opt out” package for our 90 days here, so that was cool.

• In Thailand and Vietnam, a scooter was part of our life, but here, not so necessary. It IS a city, and GRAB is convenient and cheap, and we’re using it for food deliveries, too, especially since it tends to rain every afternoon right around dinner time! It IS rainy season, and we’re getting it, but it’s not continuous or oppressive, and it keeps things cooler with a nice breeze, which means less AC, more fresh air.

• No problem finding food at a great selection of groceries and malls, all within a short walk. Living in a big city IS quite practical for many things, and even though we’ve not been to the movies, the options are here.

Malaysia overall is a pretty easy stay for 90 days (for Americans), since no visa is required. They do require a Locator Form upon entry, but it’s an easy process. We do have the option of visa runs, but we’ll look into that if/ when we need to.

When Kat and I left the US in 2019 our very loose “plan” was to find four countries to bounce in and out of and not worry about residency. Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia (Bali) all fit that need, and it’s nice to have a Southeast Asia option, as well as a Balkan option