94. New friendships found at the pub crawl
I both appreciate and despise content on Instagram that says something like "attention solo adventurer travelers, try this tourism hack!". It's really nice to see more people exploring the world in their own way, but why the constant commodification of it all? It's so exhausting to see. I don't need hacks and content pushing, I just want to figure things out and not get scammed.
I found myself wandering the streets of Kuala Lumpur with not a soul to help me. I was in a vulnerable state, but it's not a problem for me. I'm used to operating alone in my daily life. However, being alone in an unfamiliar place got me thinking that I should make some local friends, just to help me navigate the place, the culture, just life in general.
I decided to walk around the hostels and sign up for a pub crawl. There were 11 names on the list - good, 11 new potential friends? I'm a foreigner and I think it wouldn't be such a bad idea to find some locals or fellow travelers to share a beer with. To be honest, I don't really like going to clubs, but I love to dance. I'm new to the city, so why not?
As nighttime rolled around, I was a little bit anxious, trying to muster up the courage to talk to random people for the next few hours or so. I showed up at the bar and I only found 3 people sitting at the table. I was a little relieved that it was going to be a small group of people for now. I was anticipating a big cluster of partiers. I was mentally preparing myself about that.
I'm making nice local friends along the way. I'm safe and sound and trying to update my life on the blog. Don't you worry!
~ barathon girl,
<3 K