Takeoff Zurich Saturday 10:27AM. Perfect, I thought. The plan was to read a book, watch some movies on the first six hour flight to Abu Dhabi, and sleep on the second seven hour flight to Kuala Lumpur.

And my plan started off great. The seat next to us was empty, so I switched my schedule and napped first and hopefully some more on the second flight. Somehow in my head I was always talking down the flight hours, because they were not 13 hours in one single seat. I told myself its not that much, only two times six hours. But on the second flight I slowly started to realise, that my plan probably wouldn’t turn out as planned. Since I couldn’t sleep on the first one, and also not on the second one, we arrived without one minute of sleep at 7AM local time in Kuala Lumpur.

I had a lot planned for the day. Since check-in was at 3PM, we planned on dropping the bags, grabbing the camera and walk around Kuala Lumpur until we could check-in to our room. Before that, Sam even booked an appointment at the dentist, since our yearly visit is long overdue. But walking the first meters, I already felt that the last thing I could do now is go to the Dentist. I was also not in the mood to take any pictures. I was just wasted. Fever, cold, hot, just all together. You get the picture, not just jetlag, but honestly wasted.

Enough crying around I thought, I have to pull myself together since back home I was always complaining in silence that I have nothing to photograph, that everything is the same, nothing interesting happens. So I can’t let this slip now. I never ever took medicine lately, but on this day I took a double portion, packed my Leica, and I went on my mission which I came to Kuala Lumpur for - taking Photographs and improving my skills of street photography.

Once we were walking I started to feel better. And holding a Camera makes me feel better no matter what. I start to get into the flow, get creative, see things - and especially here.

The streets where so colorful. Around every corner there was a new surprise. A real heaven for street photography. I envisioned Kuala Lumpur to be similar to Singapur. But for the sake of my photography it was even more real, more local, less perfect, more edgy. It had the tall buildings, the cars but it was dirtier. It had the people, but they were from there. It had the nature, but it was greener. It had the faces, but they saw more.

Coming back to the hotel I truly realized once more. Photography for me is now what football used to be. Back then it was 90 minutes of not thinking, not feeling, not worrying.

Since I didn’t had that feeling anymore for a long time I slowly start to feel that once I hold the camera in my hand, I’m in the flow state - sucked into the moment. I forget time, I forget my sickness, I forget where I am.

I just see. Observe. Listen.

Life looks so much more beautiful through a Leica viewfinder.

KUALA LUMPUR.

NYEPI.

ALI.