Kuala Lumpur

If you have never been to Malaysia, you should put that on your bucket list.

The throng of multicultural people swarm the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, affectionately referred to as KL. The city buzzes with life every hour of the day, from dawn to dusk.

Feel the excited chatter around you as you pause in front of Berjaya Times Square (one of the many malls in the heart of KL) to take a picture. The warm afternoon sun is beating on your back, and you can feel beads of sweat forming at the crown of your head.

The weather is humid in Malaysia, because this is a country without four seasons. The only season you get is one of rain and sunshine.

Look around you at the various faces; you'll see the three main flavors of Malaysia (Malay, Chinese and Indian) and some foreigners, their white faces pink from the heat. You have to walk fast, before you are engulfed by the surging stream of people.

What's that smell? Oh, that's the aroma of Indian curry from the restaurant down the street, mixed with the smell of exhaust from the speeding motorcycles. You cringe at the slow-crawling traffic, which seems to stretch from one end of the city to the other. Every minute feels like an hour to the drivers.

Drivers are blaring their honks impatiently at the other vehicles around them. Observe their annoyed expressions. Sometimes, you may catch a driver muttering under his breath. The motorcyclists nonchalantly ride their bikes swiftly through the traffic, and at that moment, every driver in his car is wishing he owned a motorcycle. You make a remark about how awful the traffic is, and a nearby Malaysian nods in agreement. "This happens every single day in KL," she tells you.

Your stomach rumbles. You've spent the whole afternoon shopping, so it's definitely time to take a lunch break. As you walk, you notice the array of restaurants on each side of the street. You can find all the flavors of the world here!

Nasi Lemak

As you settle for a plate of Nasi Lemak (a typical Malaysian dish of coconut steamed rice served with a scoop of spicy sauce known as "sambal", fried anchovies, peanuts and complemented with cucumber slices and a hard boiled egg), you find yourself wondering about this unique city which never sleeps.

At night, the city springs to life like never before. From a high vantage point, the city is a blanket of shimmering lights, pulsing with energy. The roads are flowing rivers of silver and gold as the vehicles whizz through the busy streets. The city has never looked so beautiful.

The clubs are palpitating with youngsters, dressed to the nines for a night they probably wouldn't remember after several shots of alcohol. Skinny underaged girls in skin-tight dresses giggle fervently as they totter in ridiculously high stilettos, their long, lacquered nails glinting as they fish around in their shiny purses for their fake IDs to enter the clubs.

The bouncers glance at their faces and assume they must be over 21. Thick fake lashes frame their black-rimmed eyes, and their colored contact lenses embellish their beauty. They're nowhere near 21; most of these girls are barely out of high school!

Nothing is ever like KL, a magical city throbbing with life from daybreak to nightfall. As you wander down the streets at night, notice how the street lamps bathe the pavements in an orange glow, and how the moon hangs in the velvety sky above. You can't see all the stars because they are blocked by the skyscrapers that are scattered throughout the city.

Stop walking and look around you. You'll notice how KL is a lot more charming at night. When you open your heart to the city, you'll see its true colors and feel its heartbeat.

*I don't own any rights to all the pictures posted here