The Cloudy Waypoint - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2 min read

It’s been a while since I went back to KL. Went back this time with a close friend, no real agenda, just wanted to be back for a bit.

We landed on a rainy morning, which honestly set the vibe perfectly. Didn’t really feel like doing much so we just hung around the hotel and waited it out, watching the city streets get properly soaked from above.

A rain-soaked KL intersection at night, with a Nando's billboard glowing above wet roads and red traffic lights.

A KL monorail passing overhead at a wet nighttime intersection, with a lone pedestrian crossing below.

Once the rain died down we headed to Grumpy Bagels. I’d been wanting to come back here for a while — the bagels are genuinely good and the matcha is solid. Nothing fancy, just a good café doing its thing.

Two iced matcha drinks alongside bagel plates with fries and dipping sauce on a wooden café table at Grumpy Bagels.

After that we ended up at GMBB, which I honestly didn’t know what to expect from. Turns out it’s this whole creative hub with a bunch of studios and gallery spaces, the kind of place you wander into and end up staying way longer than planned. Some genuinely interesting work on show.

Colourful neon light sculptures shaped like flowers made from recycled pots and plates, glowing in a dim gallery space at GMBB.

Rattan chairs and a rocking chair arranged around a patterned rug on a white gallery floor, with black objects laid on the carpet.

A highly detailed miniature diorama of a rundown mechanic's garage with a yellow classic car inside.

A miniature diorama of a cluttered workshop with a wooden table, small iron chair, shelves full of tools, and a tiny toy truck on the floor.

A detailed miniature kampung scene in a glass display case, complete with a zinc-roofed house, a yellow car, and lush tropical trees.

An artist's studio wall covered in paintings and sketches, shot at a tilted angle with a paint-splattered ladder in the corner.

A large glowing circular light installation resembling a sun, seen through a glass window with a palm tree silhouette beside it.

An IKEA shark plushie sitting on a bench with smiley face cutouts, next to a surfboard and gallery posters at GMBB.

A large canvas painting of a cartoonish blue figure holding a small green plant, leaning on an easel surrounded by other artworks.

A ceiling installation of dried flowers and botanical sculptures casting dramatic shadows across a beige gallery wall.

That night we tried to go stargazing for the Geminids meteor shower. The peak was supposed to be that night and we’d been looking forward to it. We drove out, set up, looked up, and got absolutely nothing but clouds. Classic. I’m posting the photo anyway because honestly it kind of sums up the whole attempt perfectly.

A long-exposure night sky shot showing thick cloud cover with only a handful of faint stars peeking through, a tree silhouetted in the corner.

The next couple of days were more low-key, visited a campus in Ampang, and yes, we also made a detour to Low Yat for electronics. Don’t judge, it had to be done. No pictures from either, it was more just vibes.

Then on the last night we went up KL Tower.

A sweeping aerial view of KL's highway interchange lit up at night, shot from the top of KL Tower.

The Petronas Twin Towers glowing white against a dark KL skyline, surrounded by a sea of city lights.

Merdeka 118 towering over the KL skyline at night, its illuminated outline cutting sharply into the dark sky.

Last morning, went back to Grumpy Bagels. We also spotted a yellow Vespa parked outside and started talking about how we should all get one someday. We will, eventually. Maybe.

A spread of two bagel plates and a banana dessert with an iced matcha on a dark café table at Grumpy Bagels.

A bright yellow Vespa GTS parked outside Grumpy Bagels, with a second grey Vespa visible in the background.

-- Zhun Hao

Published: Dec 16 2025

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