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I never thought I'd have a chance to go to Malaysia but when life throws you an opportunity that is so unexpected, you lean into it and live in the moment. I knew virtually nothing about Kuala Lumpur before I found out I would be traveling there, but once I dug in, I found a variety of unique and personally appealing experiences... I even had the chance to visit two theme parks that I was always interested in, but had long resigned myself to the notion of never being able to see firsthand. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport was large and airy, which was welcoming after being in transit for a full day. In transit to my hotel I found a nice looking water park that I unfortunately wouldn't have time to visit on this trip. This looks familiar, rail style and all. First stop, Din Tai Fung! It was my first time eating at a location in person and it was well worth the hype! Fortunately enough, this one was in a shopping mall connected to my hotel so I'd end up visiting multiple times during this trip. Sadly, the Nando's in the same mall had closed for refurbishment just days before my arrival... But hope on that front was not all lost. Don Don Donki looked and felt familiar... It was only once I was back home in the States that I realized that it was a part of the Don Quixote company in Japan. We rode the Don Quixote ferris wheel at their store location in Dotonbori, Osaka back in 2019 so it was neat to find an outlet from the company here. They also have an infectious theme song playing on loop in the store... So excited to be here! I passed out early on my arrival day and it took me several days for the jet lag to wear off. My hotel had an awesome buffet restaurant included in our stay which included a variety of Malaysian and Southeast Asia options (along with some more traditional Western offerings). When in Kuala Lumpur, curry laksa for breakfast was my entree of choice. The restaurant also had an incredible "prawn bisque omelette" that they claimed was their speciality. I'd have several throughout the trip. Some of the freshest fruits I've had anywhere were consumed on this trip. Our hosts brought us to Restoran Siu Siu Sungai Besi, a local chinese restaurant known for indulgent meals, a variety of choices and a lazy Susan turntable for ease of sharing. Some of the best pork belly I've ever consumed. Coca Cola Rasa Asli (Original Taste) was, as expected, both delicious and refreshing. I could have eaten here every meal for the rest of the trip and been in heaven. The next morning on my way to work I found Spider-Man serenading the travelers at KL Sentral station. Dolly Dim Sum nearby offered some different flavors compared to Din Tai Fung, though I'd still choose the latter as my favorite of the two. Entirely coincidental, my interest in all things "tiki" was stoked when I discovered that the hotel I was staying at had an entire bar dedicated to the Jungle Bird drink, which I had no idea was first developed at its predecessor property nearby. Subtle in its vibes, it matched the decor of the hotel... But the drink was pure tiki bliss in a cup. On one of my few days off, I ventured around Kuala Lumpur to see some famous sights, check off a bucket list experience and more, starting with a visit to the famous Batu Caves. The artistry is distinctly unique to this region and feels very different than what I've seen in Japan or China. Most people have seen the rainbow steps of Batu Caves before (I had) but never realized where it was or what it led to... The level of detail on these shrines is incredible. What an incredible setting! Up we climb! Almost there! Batu Caves is home to several shrines built within the cavernous mountains of the area. It astounds me that someone found this place centuries ago and had the vision to leverage it as a place of worship. There's something incredible about the natural architecture that makes this space seem so much more sacred. I made some friends during my visit. Just don't feed them. "Sponsored by Pepsi." And I was having such a good time too... Time to move on to our next adventure... We took a Grab (the Uber/Lyft equivalent in Malaysia) to the Awana Skyway station at Genting Highlands... It's like Sprite... Plus lemon! Why take the cable car you ask? Because not only would we be treated to a picturesque journey into the foggy mountains of Genting Highlands but... It would give us our first look into our next destination, Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park. Just a few months prior to our visit, the park's Central Park-themed area experienced a fire that tore through the facade and impacted at least one restaurant and several backstage facilities. The adjacent Night at the Museum interactive dark ride was not damaged (aside from the facade), but given the extent of the damage to the land, this section of the park has remained closed for reconstruction. I was a little disappointed we wouldn't have a chance to ride this attraction as I do like the franchise, but considering how I never thought I'd have a chance to visit this park at all, it was a loss I was willing to accept. The cable car drops you off directly into the Resorts World Genting complex, a massive combination of casinos, a shopping mall, dining, entertainment, the Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, Genting SkyWorlds, a Ripley's attraction and much more. In addition to Night at the Museum being down, Rivet Town Roller (a unicoaster) and Independence Day: Defiance (a flying theater attraction) would both be closed during our visit. In our next update, we head into the park!

I've located it. She said stop being a smartass and she will actually send it

Officially announced? No(t yet). But instead it's just hiding in social media replies where they hope as few people will see it as possible because that's that the new Cedar Fair-led Six Flags chain does. I guess at least they didn't flat out deny it this time, maybe that's a start towards actually communicating with customers? Edit: According to comments on Facebook the park is giving people refunds on season passes. I'll give them kudos for doing the right thing as far as that goes.

Our next day started out with a visit to Legoland Deutschland (with a brief stop at Peppa Pig Park next door). The second Legoland property I’ve been to so far, this was a really charming park! The lineup features some unique coasters (including a bizarre wing-rider that’s not quite for kids but also not a super-thrilling ride compared to some of the larger versions of this coaster type) and lots of fun smaller experiences throughout the park. We had express access to all of the park’s major rides, which cut our wait times down to minutes at a time. Similar to Legoland Florida but different. But first... Somehow I ended up experiencing Peppa Pig Park in Germany before ever getting to its counterpart in Florida. What you see in this photo is the majority of what the park is/includes. There are water play areas... And a few family flat rides... The youngest of kids will find the experience exciting. Papa Wutz´Achterbahn was the real reason we were here. It features a themed zero car, a traditional lift hill and a booster launch (Zamperla is known for big, launched coasters after all). Bis Bald Peppa Pig Park! Now on to the main event! Rope drop included a cute dance number featuring some LEGO characters. Bavarian LEGOmeister is the best! Familiar but different. Really, really picturesque on a level I hadn't expected. It feels like I've been here before. I thought it was kind of interesting that they had one of these kinds of rides in Legoland only to have a similar, albeit smaller experience in Peppa Pig Park. The newest addition to Legoland was our first stop of the visit. The realm features many mythical creatures built out in LEGO form. The station and queue building for Maximus - Der Flug des Wächters is pretty neat. I've been on a few B&M wing-riders before, but never a kid-oriented version. The coaster wraps around the mini-land's many elements. A look at the coaster's trains up close. One of the coaster's two inversions twists directly overhead the land's entrance/exit corridor. TPR takeover! After riding this one, I’m not convinced family/kid-friendly B&M wing-riders need to exist anywhere else. Drachenjagd was a fun junior coaster near the larger, more traditional Feuerdrache (Dragon) coaster. Feuerdrache was a good time. The park's express pass system is handled entirely through your own mobile device and allows you to reserve a priority entrance within a few minutes' time. The system seriously worked great! Power Builders is the original KUKA arm-based attraction and it was quite fun to experience the highest intensity program. Flying Ninjago was the first time I've ridden a Gerstlauer Sky Fly and for whatever reason, I couldn't get the thing to flip... But others around me were spinning the entire ride through. Das Große LEGO Rennen is a carbon copy of the one in Florida. It has its value with a few pops of airtime and some sharp turns. Lunch was a surprisingly great plate of veal spare ribs and a baked potato for good measure. It doesn't matter what the attraction is themed to, this is the quintessential Legoland experience. Temple X-Pedition was short but fun. This section of the park was quite nice with a kinetic energy thanks to several moving attractions within view. I do like that this park has an observation tower. A look at the bulk of the layout of Maximus. Jungle X-Pedition was a fun log flume with a few surprise twists. This looks familiar! A moving LEGO model of Ninjago was one of my favorite elements of this park's Miniland. It's like apple juice but carbonated! Fun to see this guy here, considering he has a near-identical twin at Disney Springs. Love this! Dinner was unsurprisingly another bowl of our favorite truffle oil pasta... By now, I think you know the rule. Hi Robb and Jack! One of the oldest attractions at Oktoberfest. The size of these portable funhouses never ceases to amaze me. There's just something about that Oktoberfest nighttime glow... Back for more... Elissa beat the Toboggan with style! Sarah nailed the lift as well! This is one time where I definitely recommend looking down. This Jumanji-inspired funhouse, complete with a knock-off Robin Williams continued to crack me up throughout our time at Oktoberfest. There aren't many Enterprises left out there, so it was fun to see one here. Voodoo Jumper is one of the best flat rides at Oktoberfest to observe, in addition to riding! Our next day would be our big day at Oktoberfest with time at the Lowenbrau tent, rides and more festival food ahead!