Kuala Lumpur, the day everything goes wrong

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, completely ecstatic after a fantastic journey of several weeks through Myanmar. However, the (short) adventure couldn't have gone any worse.

This story is going to sound like a comedy, so you're allowed to laugh your way through this eventful trip to Kuala Lumpur.

I decided to tell this story because, contrary to popular belief, travelling isn't always a bed of roses and in the midst of adventure there are less positive moments. Situations that teach us lessons for future trips.

I'm travelling on AirAsia (a great surprise for a low-cost airline) between Yangon and Kuala Lumpur.

And even in Myanmar there had already been a kind of premonition that this day, Christmas Eve, wouldn't go well - I lost a jumper at Yangon airport. I went back, but there was no sign of it.

But let's start with the beginning of a long story in Malaysia: on arriving at Kuala Lumpur airport - after several minutes waiting to get through border control - I went to the cash machine to withdraw money (Ringgit), as I needed it to buy food and a bus ticket to KL Sentral station in the city centre.

After losing my shirt in Myanmar, I get another sign that this day isn't going to go well, as I forget my credit card in the machine. Fortunately, an airport employee realised and came running to give it back to me.

Next, I stop at a small supermarket inside Kuala Lumpur International Airport to buy lunch, as the journey to the city takes almost an hour - without traffic. The airport is about 55 kilometres from the Malaysian capital.

Mobile phone lost in Malaysia? Forget it...

Travelling by bus was the cheapest way I found to get out of the airport. The journey was relaxed, along a multi-lane motorway, before entering the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and starting to see the huge buildings that clearly define the skyline.

I was really looking forward to getting to know the city, visiting some interesting places and appreciating the modern architecture of this Asian city - with the Petronas Twin Towers standing out, of course.

This building was the tallest in the world between 1998 and 2004 and is still on the list of the tallest.

On arrival at KL Sentral station, I wait for all the passengers to get off the bus and, as I regularly do, make sure I haven't left any forgotten items on the seat. I collect my luggage and go to one of the taxi drivers to negotiate the fare to the hotel where I was staying - in the China Town area.

The taxi driver asks me for the address, I put my hand in my pocket to take out my mobile phone and look for the address, and that's when I realise I don't have my mobile phone with me. I look in my pockets, in my suitcase, in my rucksack. I look in vain. It was on the bus, that was the only answer.

I look up and see the bus disappearing over the horizon. I run to the representative of the mobile phone company, who, after several conversations on the phone in a language I don't understand, tells me that the driver has gone to lunch and should be back in 45 minutes. I can only wait.

I sit on the floor while I wait, and I start to get quite worried that I might not get my mobile phone back. Not just because of the mobile phone and the financial value (although there is insurance for this) - but there we go. And there are at least 12 reasons not to travel without travel insurance.

Apart from the financial value, the main reason for my concern was the possible access to bank accounts or, worse, personal data that could facilitate any fraud in my name.

It's not very complicated to create fake accounts and scams with simple data such as name, address, mobile phone number and date of birth. There are veritable encyclopaedias for this purpose on the internet.

Before you ask, the mobile phone was, of course, locked with a password, but on the (removable) memory card there was more information that could be accessed easily.

At this point, when I'm lost in my thoughts and worries, the taxi driver returns and asks me if I want to go to the hotel.

I explain the situation to him and he peremptorily tells me: "A lost or stolen mobile phone in Kuala Lumpur is very common. And you won't get it back".

The loss (theft) of the mobile phone was just the beginning

The driver returns from his lunch break and tells me that he didn't see any mobile phones inside the bus. He gives me a few minutes to check for myself.

I look in the bank where I travelled. Nothing. I ask Ana, who is travelling with me, to call my number. We hear the tone, but there's no sound (or signal) from my mobile.

I think of three hypotheses: either he's not on the bus, or it's silent, or someone has put it on silent mode for some reason. I thank the driver and get off the bus in despair. I head for the hotel and start thinking about my next steps.

To complicate matters further, it was Christmas Eve and (almost) impossible to contact banks to cancel access to accounts and cards, and I'm not a fan of accessing bank accounts abroad - even if the Wi-Fi network is protected.

There are many scams of this kind, particularly in Asia. Since this trip, I've started using a VPN to surf the Internet safely, especially when accessing open or free Wi-Fi networks.

I make several calls to Europe, but I can't get through to the banks. Restless, for the next two hours I dialled my number again and again. And you could still hear the sound of the call.

Until... on the last attempt it ends up in voicemail. And at that moment, I thought, no more mobile phone. It's already in someone's hands - and they've switched it off. I knew it couldn't be a lack of battery, as I'd charged the phone a short time before.

I search the bus company's website for a contact and notice that they have a specific section for "lost property".

The only way to get in touch was by email. I send the email with all the details, ticket number, timetable and route.

But, I admit, I sent it with little conviction or hope that I would get it back. The next day, I got a reply to my email explaining that they'd searched the bus and found nothing.

Having said that, I decide to cancel the following travel plans. I had planned to stay in Kuala Lumpur for a few days, followed by some more time travelling around Malaysia (including Malacca) and finally Singapore.

However, given all the facts I had at my disposal and seriously worried about accessing my bank details on my mobile phone, I decided to use British Airways miles to return to Europe via Malaysia Airlines (probably one of the best airlines I've flown). As luck would have it, there was availability on 25 December.

Saved by travel insurance... or maybe not...

After several hours on the internet searching for ways to get my mobile phone back, I found a website, supported by the Malaysian government, where you can report a stolen or lost device.

This was a free service launched in 2014 and it also works for computers, cameras, etc. The only problem - which I would discover minutes later - is that it is only valid for Malaysian residents...

In any case, it's a useful service, as it aims to help reduce the theft of gadgets in Malaysia, avoiding the black market for stolen handsets.

Another solution, which I only discovered on this trip, is that you can lock your mobile phone or computer remotely and even make it sound a loud alarm - if you don't know where it is.

You can also check where and when your mobile phone accessed the internet. However, I had this service deactivated. The only downside is that the mobile phone needs to be switched on. There are other paid services with more features.

There were two reasons why I wasn't too worried about the financial value of the mobile phone: firstly, it was two years old, so it didn't have much market value.

The second reason is that the travel insurance should pay for theft or loss. However, as I was about to end a bad day in beauty, I discovered that the travel insurance had expired several months ago.

As a rule, buy travel insurance but this time I forgot to renew.

Christmas Eve at Burger King

With my flight scheduled to return home early, tired and hungry, I give up looking for alternatives other than buying another mobile phone when I'm in Europe. Outside, in Kuala Lumpur, it was raining mercilessly - a regular occurrence in the city.

Unwilling to leave the hostel to look for a restaurant, I decide to use a home delivery service - in this case to the hostel. I choose my meal on the website of a company called "foodpanda", quite popular in Kuala Lumpur - and at the time with good customer reviews.

About an hour later, the food delivery arrived and I had to pay in cash. From the cash machine at Kuala Lumpur airport I had only received high-value notes - well above what I had to pay for the meal delivery.

The "courier" told me he didn't have any change and asked if he could go to reception to change the money. You see the end of this part of the story, don't you?

To this day I'm still waiting for my change. The two meals I ordered cost less than 10 euros, while the "tip" was the same amount.

To top off a perfect day, I opened the packet of food and... it looked deplorable. At 10pm in Kuala Lumpur, starving, I left the hotel determined to eat at the first place I saw (or that was open). And so, Christmas Eve dinner was at Burger King.

Light is shone with the help of Google

After the long flight, when I get home, I decide to leave a less positive comment on the bus company's Google page.

Curiously (or not) the next day I receive an email with the following message: "Dear Mr Jorge, Kindly be informed that there is a phone found and guess it is yours as it is off please. Kindly reply for collection of the phone please."

In between, I had to make several more phone calls, prove (from a distance) that the mobile phone belonged to me and exchange dozens of emails - in the early hours of the morning to avoid further delays.

As for Europe, there was little choice but to pay for shipping. I chose the courier and after several days in transit and more than €70 in shipping - the Christmas holiday period didn't help - I managed to receive the mobile phone intact.

Mobile phones like the iPhone or other high-end devices are, of course, highly coveted. Perhaps this is why my mobile phone "reappeared", because it isn't (was) very valuable.

Farewell baptism in Kuala Lumpur

Don't think that my story in Kuala Lumpur would end with the "fantastic meal" on Christmas Eve. As I told you above, I had a flight scheduled for the evening of 25 December, so I had some time to look around the city and at least enjoy being there.

As it was Christmas Day, most restaurants were closed. None were open in the area where I was staying. And going back to the "American burger joint" was out of the question.

Eating a burger like this once a year is fine, but twice in 24 hours is not, because I have limits...

Open for lunch, there were a couple of restaurants left in the city centre - including an English pub. And that's exactly the one I chose to fill my stomach with a meal like so many others - but at least consistent.

Only in extreme situations would I resort to an English pub and Burger King when travelling - or even in everyday life.

The atmosphere in the pub was more or less like this: local women in their 30s, accompanied by English men over 50. As I understand it, the area is famous precisely for this "intimate" atmosphere...

Satisfied with lunch, I walk to the economic centre of Kuala Lumpur to take a look at the city's main attraction - the Petronas Twin Towers. I walk to the rhythm of an incessant but light rain - which is quite pleasant as the heat and humidity in Kuala Lumpur are high.

When I arrive at the Petronas Twin Towers, I realise (although unsurprisingly) that they are closed that day. It was also unlikely that I would be able to visit the building without buying a ticket in advance.

Always on foot, I explore the area and am amazed at how orderly and even silent the traffic is in Kuala Lumpur. Especially for someone who had just arrived from Myanmar, it was as if I had travelled to another planet.

After a few hours exploring the city, without the rain ever stopping, I decided to take a taxi back to the hotel and then head for the airport. However, Kuala Lumpur still hadn't said goodbye to me. What was missing was the final baptism...

I wave to a taxi as I am sheltered from the rain by the roof of a petrol station. I put my camera bag in the back seat and just as I'm trying to get into the taxi, a bus speeds past, sweeping away the rain that has accumulated in a huge puddle, causing a "private tsunami".

Drenched to the bone, and already laughing my head off at this accumulation of caricature stories, I return to the hotel with just enough time for a quick shower before the Uber arrives to take me to the airport.

Goodbye Kuala Lumpur, or rather, see you soon because I promise I'll be back.

Lessons to be learnt from this story of a troubled journey in Malaysia

As an optimist (and as in the fables) you have to find the positive side to the not-so-good moments that happen when travelling. And it's also necessary and sensible to learn from mistakes, so that there won't be a next time or, if there is, to be better prepared.

And these are some of the lessons I've learned, but which can be useful for other travellers.

1Check the expiry date of the travel insurance and see which travel insurance is best: IATI vs Heymondo

2Deleting confidential information from the memory card (and even from the mobile phone itself)

3Confirm (and reconfirm) that nothing is left behind when you leave anywhere

4Activate remote mobile phone locking

5Indicate a contact in case someone finds the mobile phone. You can display a contact form on the screen even when it is locked.

6Don't trust anyone with change

7I'll have to go back to Kuala Lumpur to visit the city

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