The Traveller
My First International Trip
Malaysia, May 2016. My first flight, my first time abroad — and my first dance in front of a thousand people.
- Where
- Kuala Lumpur & Penang, Malaysia
- When
- May 2016
The story begins with excitement
I had been working for about three years and had seen three or four states in India. Now I was planning my first international trip — and my first time on a flight. For most Indians, the budget comes first. My savings weren’t going to take me to Europe yet, but they could take me to one of the countries I had always wanted to see: Malaysia.
Shopping, as always
I was super excited. I shopped for clothes, footwear, sunglasses, perfumes — you name it. Guess how close I stayed to my shopping budget? I ended up spending about as much as my return ticket. Nothing new for me: my shopping bills always come out around three times what I planned.
The first flight
The first flight of my life: AirAsia, departing 23:10 on 1st May. I reached the airport in the evening and checked in, goosebumps and excitement sky-high — with one tiny worry. Would I find vegetarian food in Malaysia, or would I be fasting for four or five days? All my travel companions were non-vegetarian.
The first dance, ever
I was one month past 24 and had never danced in public. On 5th May 2016, in a crowd of nearly a thousand people, I started with a few weird moves… and then I danced my heart out, not bothering about the moves at all.
Exploring the unexplored
- Petronas Twin Towers
- Kuala Lumpur Tower
- Batu Caves
- Batu Ferringhi beach, Penang