After fighting with my travel buddies (Hello, fam! Insert smiley), leaving them in a resto (“Give me 10 minutes!” I told them), getting drenched in the rain, and almost losing my mind walking around in circles, I finally found Lorong Panggung in Kuala Lumpur.

This 2019 makeover project dubbed Project Kwai Chai Hong restored 10 shophouses in a hidden alley between Lorong Panggung and Jalan Petaling within KL’s Chinatown. It was so hidden that the pin on Google Maps was a bit off. I almost couldn’t find it.

That rainy night, I spotted a dark alley off the area where Google Maps pinned the location. “Could this be it?” I wondered. I took a few more steps leading to shophouses painted with color blocks and murals. I realized I finally found it. My phone had only 5% battery left—enough to take a few photos and a short video.

“This place is so #KateWasHere,” I thought, a bit egotistic, with both delight and regret, knowing that I had to get back to my family and book a taxi in the next five minutes. I usually backpack alone, but when traveling with relatives or for work, I have to adjust my travel style.

“I’ll be back…” I whispered to my ever-changing writing muse. “Alone,” I added, hearing the ’90s alternative song played by a local band in one of the hidden bars.

@replikate #KateWasHere #travel #hiddengems #lorongpanggung #jalanpanggung #kwaichaihong #kualalumpur ♬ Once In a While – Timeflies

Hey travelers, did you ever hit it off with a stranger in a café or hostel lobby, and one of you is leaving for the next country soon? It’s one of those rare times when the conversation just flows, like you’ve been friends for so long—and of course it helps that the stranger is your type.