Day 50
We headed back to Changi airport to head to our next stop in Malaysia. I realized that I should spend some time enjoying the world’s nicest airport before we left, so Jay Hong brought me to see the Jewel and the incredible…well, I don’t even know what to call it, but it’s incredible, if you’re ever in the area. This was the shortest flight of our tour - we practically started descending the moment we reached cruising altitude - and we were all very amused that AirAsia was running meal service on this flight, because we were barely even able to have our tray tables open. Also, many of the Dins were mad at me because I randomly assigned all of their meals and had no clue what anyone would be getting, good or bad. Sorry. Thus is the life of a TM. Those who got good meals were happy with this plan. At KLIA2, we boarded the van that the Harvard Club of Malaysia called for us and took it to our accommodations, which were in an amazing location right on amazing Petaling Street in Chinatown. Needless to say, we had a great dinner. Also, Merdeka 118 was nearby - the second-tallest building in the world. I had no idea about this ahead of time…it’s absolutely terrifying at night. We all just sort of looked up at the same moment and said “what is that building????” and cowered in fear.
Day 51
The next morning, we were honored to meet up with several Class of ’28 Harvard students in KL, who showed our group all around the city. We enjoyed some yummy lunch (including the “NBA Chicken Chop Rice” labeled with the bears from We Bare Bears, which of course I had to try), the famous Petronas Twin Towers, the subway, some really tall frozen yogurt at a mall, the great outdoors, and last but certainly not least, a bookstore where I bought a travel book. That night, we enjoyed dinner and a cultural exchange with the Young KL Singers, a local choir. After our fearless MD Carolyn led both groups in a shared warmup, we were blown away by their performance for us. It was incredibly moving, and having the chance to sit down and listen to a live choir perform after all these hectic weeks on the road reminded me what a privilege it is to have the chance to do what we do in the Dins, and to make the memories that we will all cherish for so long. Anyway, we sang our set for them, which they really enjoyed, and we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.
Day 52
The next morning brought a whole new experience. We finally met our esteemed host Karen, who has been hosting the Dins for a long time in KL. She was ecstatic to meet us and we enjoyed a special performance and lunch at her high school. Afterwards, we bid Karen farewell and had some time to ourselves to relax until dinner. Many Dins chose to nap or watch Netflix in the hotel, which was justifiable, given that at this point, exhaustion had well past set in, and sickness and food poisoning were abound. Myself, Lee and Mattheus enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at a rooftop pool at a hotel downtown. Incredible decision. One of the best decisions we have ever made. Anyway, Karen hosted us, along with some friends, for a lovely homemade dinner at her house that night. We were so thankful for all of her generosity to host us, and the dinner was delicious. As a thank you, we sang a couple of short songs for her guests, who wouldn’t be able to attend the performance the next evening. We reunited with our student tour guides in the evening to hang out some more. We visited a few of the bars near Chinatown and got to know each other better before turning in for the night.
Day 53
Our last day in KL was our busiest, no doubt. Myself, Mattheus, Lee and Sean hired a local guide to take us on a Malaysian food tour, which was a very cool experience. We literally just went around the city to different spots trying all sorts of different Malaysian foods. Thankfully, our guide took good care of my allergies (yes, as in any well-structured story, you’ll find out why this detail has been mentioned so many times) and I really enjoyed getting to try the many different kinds of food available, although we were stuffed by the end. We then took a contingent up to the Batu Caves just north of the city, hiking the rainbow staircase up to the stunning and dramatic caves. Our fatal flaw, though, was that we had a bag of fruit that we had brought from the food tour. The monkeys at the caves were incredibly aggressive, and we had to literally hide the fruit under our shirts to stop them from jumping all over us trying to take it. The caves were awesome, though, and we then headed back to the hotel to get ready for our evening performance. At Harmony Hall, our event was open to the public, and we sang a fun set for a lively crowd. Back at the hotel, we hung out with Lee and Jay Hong for the last time, who would be finishing their respective guest appearances at the end of this stop. We also attempted to re-pack all our things, which at this point in tour, is absolutely disastrous to attempt.
