After spending four weeks volunteering at the Tropical Research and Conservation Center (TRACC), Megan and I hopped on a flight to represent TRACC at the Malaysia International Dive Expo in Kuala Lumpur. It took a full day of traveling to the big city before we arrived at our hotel then woke up early again to meet Robin (TRACC director) and John (another volunteer) for breakfast. Robin walked us through the event schedule and what he expected of us. Our job was to sit at the booth, share our experience, answer questions, and recruit new volunteers over the course of the 3-day event.
Before arriving in Kuala Lumpur, I didn’t have high expectations of the city hearing that it was a busy and dirty place, not safe for female travelers. I was blown away as we entered the event space at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Center which seemed much nicer than any conference space I attended while I was working. We took a series of escalators up to the exhibit hall, checked in, and found the booth that Robin set up the night before.
Visitors began arriving in the late morning as Megan, John, and I began our rotations making sure someone was at the booth at all times. We took turns wandering the exhibitor hall through the rows of wetsuits, fins, masks, and scuba equipment interspersed with booths selling dive packages and trips sprawling from the Maldives to the Philippines. TRACC was one of the only conservation groups and often got inquiries about what types of products or packages we were trying to sell. We managed to recruit a few future volunteers but, for the most part, people were there to shop for deals.
At the back of the room, a stage was set up to host different presentations and awards during the expo. Robin led a panel with a few other marine restoration groups in Malaysia and I took notes on other volunteer opportunities to look into. It was interesting to see the range of topics covered and I found the mermaid photo competition particularly entertaining.
As I sat at the booth, I was greeted by a couple of familiar faces: Nate and Amy. Nate was scheduled to give a presentation on Expedition Drenched and Amy won an award for an episodes she submitted to the underwater video competition. It had been a month since I’d seen them last and it was great to catch up and share my experience at TRACC and hear any updates on SV Millennium. It didn’t seem much had happened since we all abandoned ship.
After the expo ended each day, we set out for dinner and marveled at the endless selection of restaurants. Two of the nights we settled on a restaurant called Gravy Baby, an American restaurant that filled my home-sick tastebuds with joy. I stuffed my stomach with tater tots, buffalo wings, a cheeseburger, and a chocolate milkshake. By this point, I was starting to get sick of Malaysian food and needed a break from rice and noodles.
The expo lasted for three days and we were exhausted by the end of it. Megan and I planned to stay in Kuala Lumpur for a few extra days to decompress and catch up on computer work. I booked us an apartment on Airbnb and we moved our many bags across town to our new accommodation. At just $50 per night, I couldn’t believe the incredible two-bed apartment we were able to get. From the 25th floor, we could see across the city to the iconic Petronas Towers, and just a few floors up we had access to a stunning rooftop pool with gym and sauna.
The apartment complex was connected to a shopping mall with an organic grocery store and anything we couldn’t quickly walk to, we could easily order for delivery. Staying at the apartment reminded me of what it was like to live in downtown Los Angeles with all of the modern conveniences. I had a few things to shop for and it seemed the entire city was made of shopping malls since the temperature was too hot outside to do much else.
It was easy to get stuck living in the big city but our week in Kuala Lumpur was coming to a close and we packed up our things and got ready to head back to my favorite place in Malaysia: Tioman Island!
