Iceland Day 2

Things have been a little hectic, being on the road and all. Right now we're holed up high in the mountains in Seydisfjordur at a coffee shop. Our data has also been spotty, otherwise we'd have updated much quicker. Unfortunately that means more photos to sift through, but no worries, below are photos from day 2 of our trip. We left Reykjavik a little late, around 10 a.m. and headed straight to Reykjanesfolkvangur, a national park. We climbed a tiny hill, stopped at a lake, saw horses, walked through a mud spots and sulfurous hot springs (Seltun) before we headed towards the town of Selfoss.

The odor from these mud spots are vomit-inducing but it's still really awesome to see up close.

Near this sulfur field in Seltun, we ate a small breakfast at a food truck. I had a ham and cheese sandwich with a potato salad, and Ms. Chan had a really delicious vegetable soup. We can't stress enough how nice people are here, and you'll read more about that in upcoming posts. The owners of the food truck, a nice old lady and her husband, gave us directions to Selfoss as our GPS wasn't working.

Selfoss was mostly a pit stop. We got gas and some snacks at a gas station and continued towards Solheimar eco-village. The entire village is sustainably-driven. We stopped at the coffee shop (below), where we were served by a half-Japanese and half-Filipino woman, who said she left Japan to follow and live with her husband.

We left Solheimar and headed to Geysir.

Walking towards the Geysir.

I have more photos and a video, which I'll probably update later. This Geysir erupted every 10 minutes or so.

Gulfoss waterfall was 10 minutes away. Here are a few pics of the scenery on the way!

Gulfoss!

After that we drove for quite a while to our next destination, Skogafoss. We passed the famous Eyjafjallajokull, a volcano that last erupted in 2010.

We were out of food and it was nearing midnight. We were hopeful we'd find something but everything was closed (even though it was still nearly bright as day outside). We stopped at this inn and even though the restaurant was closed, the chef, who was about to leave, brought us soup and bread, both of which were delicious. We thanked them and headed to Skogafoss, where we slept in the car for a few hours until daybreak.

We're on day 4 currently, but day 3 will be coming soon! We're about to go kayaking along the fjord.

Outskirts of Ipoh

Ipoh is surrounded by beautiful limestone caves and is about an hour drive from Teluk Intan, where we were spending a few days. We first stopped at Kellie's Castle, the ruined mansion of a Scottish planter. Then we traveled to a cave temple near the city. We were only able to take a look at one as the other temples had closed by then.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Note: I'll be posting about my two-week trip in Malaysia in increments based on locations. My trip began on Sept. 2, when I landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. From the airport I took a bus into the city centre and checked into my hostel, Backhome. I grabbed a map and plotted a path traversing through the heart of the city. I started near Central Market, which was five minutes from the hostel. These photographs are from the span of a few days.

Malaysia is quite the diverse country. It contains a mixture of Chinese, Indian and Malays and Islam is a heavy presence in the country. Walking through Kuala Lumpur, I saw these cultures clashing distinctively. For example, among the jam-packed roads and streets are Chinese temples such as this one.

These temples are filled with statues, flowers and incense.

These hung from the ceiling in a lot of similar temples.

Coconut water is bountiful and refreshing, just like in India.

Central Market is a blue and white two-story building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It hosts a wide-variety of stores where you can purchase garments, sculptures, jewelry, art and more. It also features a few eateries and a foot-cleansing station with garra rufa, also known as "doctor fish." I paid 10 MYR to put my feet in a tub filled with these fish that immediately flocked to my feet and began eating the dead skin cells. It's a weird, ticklish sensation, but you got used to it within a few minutes.

Behind the Central Market is an art gallery, showcasing the work of artists, some of who paint right there.

After sifting through the Central Market I ate at an airy and somewhat popular restaurant, Yut Kee on Jalan (street) Dang Wangi. The food I encountered is a mixture of Chinese, Indian and Malaysian cuisine, making it extremely flavorful. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of what I ate, so you'll have to take my word for it that the food in Malaysia looked and tasted great.

What I liked, if not more than the artwork at the Islamic Arts Museum, are the domes in the building that are prominent in mosques.

Little India was a little tricky to find but I think I walked through parts of it.

Here's the main part of Chinatown. The street food is delicious!

We went up the Kuala Lumpur Tower a few days later, as it's cheaper than going up the Petronas Towers. Also, I got to grab some pictures (below) of the iconic KL landscape from here.