Category Archives: Malaysia

Langkawi

Langkawi is a kind of Tropical Island, which forms out of 99 individual islands. There are two transport options to get to Langkawi by airplane or by ferry. Kuah is the most southern part of the island and the arrival port for the ferry from the mainland of Malaysia.

Most of the islands are remote and few of them can be visited by boat. Island hopping is the best way to explore in very short time for different islands. We inquired at the hotel for a special deal to explore the surrounding island, few minutes later we were picked up by one of the tour guides and went to the harbour. As we boarded the little boat we get a small induction and advised to wear life jackets, because the open water could be rough. Our first drop off was at Beras Basah Island (which means wet rice island) with white sandy beaches and a private hut. Wild monkeys were everywhere around the coconut trees and welcoming the visitors. As we looked back to Langkawi Island we could see a massive black cloud is moving towards us and not long later we had a massive downpour but very warm rain. However we had to board the boat for next destination, Dayang Bunting Island (Which means pregnant maiden island). This time we had to enter the open sea and it was very rough on the boat but I had my fun on this ride while others passengers didn’t look that amazed. From the boat we could see eagles far away unaware that we had to pass this area, our skipper stopped very close to the eagle to take a close look at them before we continued to Dayang Bunting Island. Due to the heavy rain, we had to leave the eagles for next destination.

On Dayang Bunting Island, we had to disembark in heavy raining but luckily we found a shed to protect us from the rain. The wind picked up and the waves on the way back are around 1m high, it was a great experience once more to fly from wave to wave and white caps were everywhere the eye could look. As we reached the harbor safely, we went for Chocolate shopping especially when shopping in Langkawi is tax-free everywhere. My friend and I went to a Chinese food outlet and ordered some fresh fish and vegetables as our dinner. On the next morning we were very happy to find out that the ferry to Koh Lipe is still available in month of May although it is stopped as stated in website due to raining season. We then made last minute decision and traveled about 2 hours from Kuah town to Telaga Harbor in order to catch the ferry to Koh Lipe. For your information, it is also known as the little Maldives in South East Asia but It belongs to Thailand therefore we will need to go through immigration counter and get passport chopped to cross. We were very excited to make it for the legendary island!

Overall in Langkawi, there are options whether to stay in luxurious Hotels or a budget hostel as you may easily find one. Many would opt to plan in advance so as to save cost from last minute booking. However, we found out that if you look for special deals on the Internet few days before you arrive and you are still in time to get first class resorts with special prices especially during low season. Let’s explore Langkawi!

Kuala Lumpur

2D1N in Kuala Lumpur

After about 10 hours of flight with Malaysia Airlines, finally I reached in Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Auckland. It was 830pm by then and time to hunt for dinner. It took about 45minutes to drive from airport to Sunway Pyramid.

Malaysia is a multi-racial country with so many races living together harmoniously. The food therefore affected by cultures and there are so much varieties here. We looked for dinner around Sunway town and decided to go for Murni Discovery Restaurant, Dataran Mentari. It is one of the only restaurants in town that serves fusion, custom-made food (Indian-Malay-Chinese-Western-Italian). Murni Discovery Restaurant is an Indian Muslim restaurant. We ordered the recommended dishes which are Nasi Lemak Murni Discovery, Roti Hawaii and 3 Layer Tea. There was a big projector screen located outside the restaurant showing the football match. At night there are many tables and chairs located next to road to accommodate more customers. This is a typical night life of Malaysians which is called “Mamak” (Indian-Muslim eatery). To locals, “mamak” is a popular term that also means to have late dinner at Indian Muslim restaurant with group of friends.

After dinner, we walked around Sunway Pyramid mall which is just next to Hotel Sunway Pyramid. Sunway Pyramid is located in the heart of Bandar SunwaySubang Jaya. It was opened in July 1997. One of the mall’s most easily recognized designs is the Egyptian-inspired Pyramid with a lion “standing guard” at the entrance. The rest of the building is embellished in the monumental style, complete with pseudo-hieroglyphics decorating facades, along with numerous Pharonic statuaries. Then we went for a drink at Overtime bar outside Sunway Pyramid mall and ordered local well known beer, Tiger.

Next day, after breakfast then we had a walk around Sunway Pyramid mall. The mall was fully decorated in conjunction with Indian festival celebrated on previous day. It was Deepavali festival, a festival celebrated by all Hindus to commemorate Lord Rama and his wife, Sita’s return to Ayodhya after his 14 years exile. It was a dark night when they first returned hence his people lit their houses with little lamps (diyas) so that Rama and Sita could find their way.

Then we proceed to next destination, Batu Caves which is about 20km away from Sunway Pyramid. Batu Caves is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and Indian cave temples in the Gombak district, 13km north of Kuala Lumpur. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River which flows past the hill. When we arrived at destination, the 140 foot tall concrete statue of Murugan is clearly seen at the foot of 272 stairs which leads to the temple caves. The caves are home to colonies of long-tailed mazaque monkeys which roam the stairs and the caves. After getting up to the temple caves, we could see small openings letting in natural light and there is a smaller gallery up another flight of stairs, mostly open to the sky. There are many natural formations cave features like stalactites and stalagmites which are precipitated from mineralized water solutions. As we walked towards temple, there are water droplets from caves ceiling and the floor is wet.

Before leaving, I tried on the Fortune-Telling Bird. I was asked for my name at the start then a bird was let out to pluck a fortune card from a pile in front of the cage. The Hindu priest would then open up the card and tell about your life with a book in hand. Personally I think it is pretty accurate.

 

Next, we visited a Tamil Muslim operated store in a portable van. It has been there for years and getting more customers nowadays. We ordered a dessert named Cendol and well known Indian food, Rojak. Cendol is a traditional dessert made with brown sugar, coconut milk and green worm-like jelly. It is very refreshing to have during a warm day. Whereas Rojak is a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish and it means mixture in Malay language. Our next stop is a well known Durian stall located at SS2. Durian is the King of the Fruits with strong putrid odors. Its shape ranges from oblong to round. There are many hybrids of Durian; we had the popular one called ‘Mao Shan Wang’. The price is expensive due to its non-seasonal price with RM35 per Kilogram. After Durian tasting then we went to the nearby night market. There are even more local dishes offered by various hawker stalls, ranging from traditional Malay snacks, Keropok, Chinese Dumplings etc. You name it and you can find them all in the market.

As the night falls, we drove into Kuala Lumpur city centre for Petronas Twin Towers. Soaring for a height of 451.9 metres, the 88-storey twin structure is Kuala Lumpur’s crown jewel. The towers are connected with Skybridge which is the world’s highest 2-storey bridge. Even though we were trapped in traffic jam but we were lucky to be in time for the water fountain light show outside the Petronas Towers. The KLCC Lake Symphony is a new attraction in the form of light and music fountain whose virtuosic performances of lights and water “dancing” to music fire the imagination and illuminate the night. The water shows scheduled 8pm daily. We waited about 40 minutes for the show and it is worthwhile.

After the Lake Symphony show, we headed to another happening place in Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang Street which is the last stop of the day. The whole stretch of street is full of bars alongside and usually is crowded at night. There are many shopping malls around the area like Fahrenheit, Lot 10, Pavilion, Bukit Bintang mall and etc. You may name it as the shopping paradise. About 10pm we bid farewell to Kuala Lumpur and headed to airport.