How to Travel Around Malaysia According to Anthony Bourdain: 9 Things To Do

Are you planning to explore the beautiful country of Malaysia? Here’s a Borneo Malaysia travel guide for you, which exactly traces the Borneo Episode of the travel show Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown.

Malaysia is one of the beautiful countries in Southeast Asia that I would recommend to explore outside the capital city Kuala Lumpur. Don’t get me wrong, Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful city, but Malaysia is way more than that. At the Malaysian outskirts, you have a lot of beaches, mountains, tea plantations, theme parks, you name it!

Malaysia is composed to two main land masses: the peninsular Malaysia which is attached to mainland Asia, is where the capital city of Kuala Lumpur is located. At the southernmost tip of this part, you will find Singapore. The other part of Malaysia is located in Borneo Island, where Malaysia shares with Brunei and Indonesia. This part is where you can find the states of Sabah and Sarawak.

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
MALAYSIA TRAVEL MAP. Photo from behance.net

Anthony Bourdain had a layover at Kuala Lumpur before going to his main destination, Borneo. This Parts Unknown episode is a sequel of his prior visit to the island around ten years ago for another travel series. The theme of his episode focuses more on his trip down memory lane and a reflection of how much he grew as a person since his last trip to Borneo.

TRAVELING TO MALAYSIA: My Experience

One of my first trips around Southeast Asia started with a short trip to Kuala Lumpur with some friends from college. I can write about my Malaysia trip in a separate blog, but I must say that I enjoyed the multicultural gastronomic scene in Malaysia just as how Anthony Bourdain enjoyed restaurant-hopping in Kuala Lumpur for this particular Parts Unknown episode. Just like Bourdain, we had a night market dinner experience at the iconic Jalan Alor and ate some local food.

I am looking forward to explore more of Borneo in my next trips to Malaysia, if given a chance. In the meantime, I am saving every item of this itinerary for later. And I insist, you should, too!

BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE:
AN ANTHONY BOURDAIN PARTS UNKNOWN ITINERARY

***Of course, credits to CNN for all the screencaps I uploaded for this article. (We miss you, Tony!)

PART I: KUALA LUMPUR

1. Have Chinese food for dinner at Restoran Wong Ah Wah (WAW) at Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur.

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Anthony Bourdain having dinner at Restoran Wong Ah Wah (WAW) in Kuala Lumpur
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Black Pepper Crab
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Char Kway Teow
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Tiger Beer
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Restoran Wong Ah Wah (WAW) in Kuala Lumpur

Restoran Wong Ah Wah (WAW)

9 Off, 7, Jalan Alor, Cheras Batu 2 1/2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tuesdays to Sundays, 530PM – 4AM
+60 3-2144 2463
https://www.facebook.com/WongAhWahRoastchickenwings/


2. Eat at Restoran Seetharam Family Curry House

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain’s Meal at Restoran Seetharam Family Curry House
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Restoran Seetharam Family Curry House in Kuala Lumpur

Restoran Seetharam Family Curry House

237, Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Open Everyday for 24 Hours
+60 3-2274 6722
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/South-Indian-Restaurant/Seetharam-family-curry-house-809934245698517/
Foodpanda Page


3. Eat kampung-style food at Aunty Aini’s Garden Cafe

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Aunty Aini, the Owner of Aunty Aini’s Garden Cafe
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Roast Beef
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Poached Egg
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Beef Rendang
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Aunty Aini’s Garden Cafe

Aunty Aini’s Garden Cafe

Batu 16, Kampung Chelet, 71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Tuesdays to Sundays, 11:30am–2:30pm, 5:30–9pm
+60 6-799 1276
https://www.facebook.com/auntyainiexpress/
https://www.instagram.com/auntyainisnilai/
Foodpanda Page


PART II. BORNEO

Klook.com

4. Have laksa for breakfast at Choon Hui Cafe

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain having laksa for breakfast at Choon Hui Cafe
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Laksa
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Choon Hui Cafe at Sarawak

Choon Hui Cafe

34, Jalan Ban Hock, 93100 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Tuesdays to Sundays, 6:30–10:30AM
+60 82-243 857
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=200693226619277&tn=C-R


5. Have an Alcohol-Free Karaoke Session at Kuching Waterfront

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Brooke Dockyard at Kuching Waterfront
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain having an alcohol-free afternoon at a karaoke bar
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Locals in Sarawak dancing in a karaoke bar at Kuching

6. Have a Mini-Cruise at Skrang River

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain on his way to visit Entalau

7. Stop for Lunch and Eat Bamboo Chicken by the River

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Bamboo Chicken being cooked
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Bamboo Chicken after cooking

SEE ALSO


8. Celebrate Gawai (Harvest Festival) with the Locals

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Boudain being welcomed at Entalau for the Gawai

8.1. Visit a Longhouse at Entalau and get to know the Iban community.

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Entalau
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: A Longhouse in Entalau
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Inside a Longhouse in Entalau

8.2. Shoot a pig for Gawai

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain shooting a pig for Gawai
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain shooting a pig for Gawai

8.3. Drink Tuak, Langkau, and more booze until you pass out.

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Locals having unlimited booze to celebrate Gawai
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Locals passing out after drinking so much during Gawai celebration

8.4. Party, go to sleep, wake up, and repeat in the next three days.

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain drinking different kinds of booze in Gawai
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain passing out after drinking during Gawai

9. Get inked with a traditional Iban tattoo.

Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE: Getting a traditional Iban tattoo
Borneo Malaysia Travel Guide: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Anthony Bourdain gets inked with a traditional Iban tattoo

BORNEO MALAYSIA TRAVEL GUIDE:
An Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown Itinerary

There you have it! We all know that Anthony Bourdain’s main preference when traveling is to try the local food and talking to locals about life in the destinations they are in. Of course, you are always welcome to add and weed out some of the items here to have a more customized travel itinerary. In my opinion, though, I believe the things done by Anthony Bourdain during his travels are worthy of trying out. So, I wish you happy travels and wait for your photos on Instagram? Travel safely!

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