Benjamin Quigley’s trip to India and Southeast Asia seemed like the exciting and exotic vacation he expected to encounter—full of foreign foods, different cultures and experiences dealing with the language. But not tear gas, riot police or massive protests.

Traveling through Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on a layover from an Asia Air low-fare flight from Bangalore, India, Quigley checked into a hostel in a part of the city that became the epicenter of political protests 300,000 people strong days to follow on July 9.

Stuck in the quarantined city, which police blocked off from other protesters, Quigley grabbed his camera to quickly document what he called “an eye-opening and surreal experience.”

“Before the protest even started, 200 people were arrested,” Quigley, senior in biological sciences, said. “This was the third protest the country had ever had in the 60 years the incumbent government has been in power.”

Malaysia, a confluence of ethnic Malay, Chinese and Indians has become a place of growing racial and religious tension—straying from its legacy of diverse harmony. According to Quigley, the protesters were confronting their democratically elected but “blatantly” corrupt government.

“The protests were very much like organized strikes, or protests in France—they were planned and announced in advance,” Quigley said.

According to Quigley, the protesters were peaceful, advocating a clean protest for clean elections, which will next be held in 2013.

“It mirrored what Gandhi did in India, with non-violent protesting,” Quigley said.

The Saturday that the protests started, 50,00 people marched by Quigley’s hostel.

“I followed to see what was going on,” Quigley said. “That was all the news. All the newspapers and media were focusing their attention on that.”

Blocks from his hostel, Quigley first encountered Malaysian riot police.

“People had been marching since early that morning,” Quigley said. “All the different groups converged in the central part of town. Major footage coming out of this showed the protesters just down the street who were sitting when they got hit with the tear gas. It was the first time the police cracked down with arms.”

Caught in the crossfire of tear gas, Quigley was able to document his experience with his camera, which he never thought he would use to capture these types of images.

“I definitely did get hit with tear gas,” Quigley said. “That stuff is heinous. It gets in your lungs and makes your eyes blink and roll around. You can’t control your eyes. Even the pores on our skin get irritated.”

Back in the U.S ., Quigley now has time to digest the experience.

“It still hasn’t hit me yet,” Quigley said. “It happened so fast—I’m still reflecting on it.”