Glimpses of Malaysia

The Malaysian Flag, so similar to the American one, near Independence Square
The Petronas and Menara KL in the distance - also see the red flower shaped street lights
King's Palace
Petronas at night and daytime

Malaysia, Truly Asia

30th December

We reached KL early at 6.30hrs a.m. local time. Here began the package tour part of the trip, organised by S. And it was a smooth transition from the S’pore part of the holiday that was completely planned by A. The tour chap was there to pick us up at the station and help us check into Corus Hotel. The best feature of the hotel, apart from its 4 star status, is its location – we were bang in the central part of KL and almost opposite to the Petronas – the world renowned twin towers.

We were ahead of their check-in time, so had to make do with one room where we all crashed for a couple of hours until the other room was available. Refreshed, we were ready to hit the roads. Our focus in Malaysia was very clear – shopping and more shopping - with enough time to explore the shopper’s paradise Sungei Wang mall. After a quick stop to Avenue K mall - next door to our hotel, in search of money-changers - and an even quicker cab ride, we arrived at Sungei Wang - the place in KL for discounted shopping, sales, local merchandise and really, the best way to start shopping. Without much ado, we joined the sea of enthusiastic shoppers.

The mall is fairly large, with several sections and floors, filled with many shops, both small and medium, selling their own special niche range of products and a couple of large-format stores like Metro Jaya. Beautiful decorations for Christmas, New Year and also the Chinese New Year created a not inharmonious melange of themes that somehow blended splendidly and added to the festive feel.

We kept shopping right through the afternoon, stopping only for a late lunch – indulging in known sea-food dishes. We had planned to get back to the hotel in time to catch the complimentary daily evening shuttle to the famed Chinatown on Petaling Street at 5.30 p.m. However, being peak office traffic time, finding a cab and navigating through the jams threw our buffer of 15 minutes of getting to the hotel, completely into disarray.

We missed the shuttle! So, we took a cab to Chinatown, eyes all agog at the sights and hearts filled with glee at the prospect of commencing the second wave of shopping. Just as we reached the McDonalds entrance of Chinatown, it began to rain and within minutes, the gentle pitter-patter turned into a downpour. There was some distance to walk before getting into the shelter of the covered market of Chinatown and we were bound to get completely drenched. Just then, we sighted an umbrella vendor, turning up at an opportune moment to please us and his money pouch. Under the cover of 2 umbrellas, our group manoeuvred itself into the safety of the covered street and began shopping in all earnestness.

And we shopped and shopped, from shoes to bags, souvenirs to clothes, it was indeed a treasure trove of inexpensive stuff, very similar to the sprawled bargaining haunts we were used to back in India. We didn’t even stop at the closing time of 10 pm. We landed finally at a sneaker shack with some of the coolest designs of the best brands in the world, never mind the fact that they were all fakes.

What started as a search for a pair of pink Puma shoes for me finally turned into a family shopping event with everyone buying shoes from that particular shop. Notwithstanding the fact that each of us had bought many pairs of shoes earlier in the day! Completely happy with our community initiative, the shop folks were only too glad to make us all sit and take our snaps in very local settings. Finally, with firm resolutions of not shopping anymore there, we headed back to pick up dinner at McD. A cab ride back to the hotel and a quick see-the-shopping-session accompanied by us wolfing down our dinner later, we were completely beat on our first night in Malaysia, yet completely delighted with our haul of goodies. It’s a kind of high that only true shopoholics understand. Needless to say, we crashed to bed.

31st December

It is often said that whatever one does on the first day of the year will be experienced through the year. I’m beginning to believe that the corollary is also true. That whatever one has done through the year will be experienced on the last day of the year. Well, this last day of 2008, we had our share of mini disasters, starting early in the morning.

We started the day with a jolt - a mix-up of dates for the city-tour. The tour operator awoke us early, having organised the transport to take us for the ‘panoramic’ city tour – a totally unsettling feeling! Well, inspite of going over the itinerary with a fine-comb, we being the normal disaster attracting group that we are, had assumed that the city tour was on the 1st. Careful cajoling and negotiation by S managed to push the tour to the next day and we settled in to enjoy a huge breakfast and a lazy lie-in.

Shopping was on our minds and we found ourselves in Sungei Wang again, having used the hotel’s shuttle service to Bukit Bintang [road]. The getting-lost-episode of Singapore was still fresh in the mind. So, in KL, we planned to meet constantly at regular intervals at prominent spots within the mall. We had had mastered the art of shopping to the ‘T’ with this plan. Or so, we thought! At the fag end of our shopping for the day, we managed to again get lost and it was another 45 minutes before we all were united again, amidst flaring tempers and sullen moods.

We headed back to Corus and then to Watsons in Avenue Mall. The famed Suria KLCC mall, below the mighty Petronas towers and interconnected through sub-ways from Avenue mall, was the next stop and with the innumerable New Year discounts available, shopping there [again mainly shoes!] was indeed a treat.

We got back to Corus around 10 pm. After a hot bath and some great dîner à la Malaysienne, courtesy the room service in Corus, we relaxed during the last hour of the year. There were a number of parties in the various restaurants and bars that dotted the lane around our hotel. We went down at 11.45 pm to catch the midnight fireworks display and walked till the Petronas. And it was magnifique!

Nothing I’ve seen on TV comes even close to the spellbinding fireworks we saw as we welcomed the New Year 2009 in. The entire street had a carnival like feel to it – all the buildings were lit up with their dazzling lights, the twin towers completely illuminated and standing oh-so-tall like bastions of the world, thousands of people of all races and nationalities, many people inebriated and others just drunk with elation, dancing, hugging each other, wishing everyone, the ambience deliriously positive...an unbelievable experience...we loved it! Amply satisfied with photographs & videos to remember the occasion, we called it a night.

1st January

The first day of the year and we were ready for the day’s plan of sightseeing. After yet another hearty breakfast, we were in our rooms just awaiting the call from the tour chap regarding the pick-up when I had a mighty fall. I don’t remember too many details of it but there was a good deal of rolling, lunging and hitting myself hard at the hip on the sturdy wooden music station in our room. I screamed in pain and soon found a huge bruise on my upper hit, all red and angry.

After liberal applications of ‘Moove’ [long live our desi med-kit!], the pain eased off a bit but sitting and standing were mammoth affairs accompanied by shooting pain. Finally it was declared to be just a bruise, nothing broken and we soon began assembled near a Malaysian temple opposite Corus to begin the tour. With its charming oriental look and abundant splashes of red, beginning the tour at the temple did seem auspicious.

The tour bus first stopped at the Petronas - the 88-floors-high twin towers that used to be the tallest in the world – just the place for plenty of photos. Beryl’s Chocolate factory [where we met the huge Chinese family of 4 generations who were fascinated by M and insisted on taking 100’s of snaps with her], the Menara KL Tower, Independence Square, the War Memorial, the Batik factory, and the Negara Museum were next on the agenda – we completed the whirlwind tour by 2 pm, our digital cameras having been satisfactorily used at these important locales.

An afternoon free then and lo, shopping emerged as the frontrunner of activities. My bruise began to trouble me, so I decided to relax in the room. Our hotel had some great facilities and from our room, the pool looked so inviting. But with my bruise and need for sleep, it was out of the question. This was our last day in KL and I found myself really wishing we had another 2 days just to relax and enjoy the hotel amenities and luxury.

Finally, even A and M rested in the room while S and B proceeded in all natural progression to their 2nd home in KL – Sungei Wang. I must admit that though I kept pulling their leg about their shopping antics, I would have also joined them without a doubt, had I been bruise-and-pain-free. In the 3 hours that they shopped, they came back with lovely things, having visited an unexplored part of the mall.

Some refreshing chai and again we were off. This time to Tesco. But after folks told us it was outside the city, so we went to Mid-Valley mall. Another huge mall where we spent time at Harvey Nichols and Carrefour to do more shopping. Finally, we called it a ‘shopping-day’ at 10 pm and then picked up dinner and headed back to Corus. An hour later and we had to begin packing. We were checking out the next morning. Destination prochain was Genting Highlands, the mountain resort.

2nd January

The packing went on till early hours of 2nd and a few hours of sleep later, we were rushing to have breakfast. We luckily managed to postpone our Genting pick-up to 9.45 am and that gave us a breather to ease the pace. Checked out and ready, I also managed to call up some friends in KL whom I could not meet on this visit.

Enroute to Genting, we stopped at Batu caves - a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. Standing at the foothill of the stairs, it did seem like we were in Little India, wholly permeated with its desi flavours. Indian restaurants are found by the dozen around this site and the aromas of spices and deep frying infuse the air. S & I soon climbed the 275 steps up to the caves to catch a glimpse of what lies beyond. Not finding much artistically thrilling beyond the views from that height, just as our tour chap, Deva warned us, we trudged back.

We also stopped at a watch factory and retail outlet – part of the tour – and proceeded then to Genting. We were to take the cable car called Genting Skyway - the world's fastest and South East Asia's longest cable car while Deva followed in the car along the sloping mountainous route. The cable car ride up to the 6000 ft high resort in Genting Highlands was thrilling with a fantastic view. Genting Highlands is also home to a 100 million year old forest that we viewed from our cable car. We kept ascending at a sharp incline, higher and higher, above the clouds and soon couldn’t see anything beyond a foot.

Genting is a city of entertainment and dedicated to tourism. The highlands are divided into 2 entertainment parks – indoor and outdoor and myriad large hotels - all connected by walk-ways and sub-ways. Much needed given the climate of the area. It was very cold and raining continuously when we arrived at cable car station at the First World Hotel which used to be the world's largest hotel.

We went on to the Genting Highland Hotel where Deva met us and drove us to the Resort Hotel. The paysages were awesome. The only sad thing was that M was feeling unwell with the change in altitude and puked. The check-in process through a unique token system took some time. Queues and queues of guests waiting their turn for check-in seemed out of place in a hotel and more suited to a railway station. However, given the sheer turnaround in the number of guests, it was hardly surprising. We got our rooms on the 14th floor.

Looking out of our 14th floor window, mist enveloped everything and belied the sheer height of our rooms. Our first stop after freshening up was the Indoor Park. With the rain continuing, the outdoor park was not an option and we were hopeful that the weather cleared later or the next day to allow us to enjoy the outdoor park. M was feeling a little better but we certainly didn’t want to take any chances and get wet. Grabbing a quick lunch at McD, we soon entered the park.

From the Statue of Liberty on a bike suspended high above the ground to an elaborate Venetian canal complete with gondolas, the place was alive with lights, sparkles and shimmers, colours and excitement. Decorations galore, we had a roller coaster of a fabulous time – literally! - with the 4-D show, various rides, Rio float, Ripley’s, Venice gondola, Snow World, Baby train, archery zones...We also experimented with Fish Reflexology - something we missed in Sentosa. And gosh, chomp chomp, those fishes really went fast...& the feeling was Yuck! Literally something nibbling on your toes...

We wound up the fun and games at 10 pm and got down to dinner at a Malaysian restaurant in the park. The meal was again authentic Oriental and my pepper chicken hot pot was délicieux. It had become colder by the time we got back to our rooms and we settled into the snugly comfort of our blankets, bidding adieu to a great day.

3rd January

We awoke late, repacked out suitcases to be somewhere close to the 20 kg per head limit for check-in baggage and got down to a good breakfast. Back in our rooms, we sat by the window drinking some hot chai. Soon, the mist cleared and we saw the outdoor park in its entirety from our 14th floor window. There seemed to be some fairly complex rides down there. But later, when we went down to check out the sights, the outdoor park was closed due to bad weather. We roamed around, stopping by to shop at some souvenir shops.

At half past noon, we checked out and settled in at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf restaurant. It was A & S’s anniversary, so it was apt that we indulged in the cakes and goodies available there. At 3.30 pm, our airport pick-up had arrived. Catching up on sleep during the drive, we reached the airport quickly, stopping only at Times Square in KL to pick up another family. More shopping at the airport, this time chocolates, followed along with our farewell dinner at Burger King.

And we were soon on the Malayasian Airlines flight. We reached India at 11.30 p.m. local time. And by 1.30 a.m., we were home and asleep in our cosy-beds, already full of reminiscences and happy thoughts of shopping and Sungei Wang, shoes and the rides, Sentosa and Orchard Street, the twinkling lights and gorgeous Christmas trees...sigh!

Glimpses of Singapore

Images of the island country: the famous Merlion - the city one is Mama Merlion with a miniature Baby merlion right behind it, Christmas party at Taglin Mall and f the lorries at Jurong Park.,

Singapore: 4-day family Holiday in the island country

Background

Every year we go on annual family holiday, just after celebrating Christmas at home, except for last year, what with the entry of a new baby in our lives [my little niece, Mi]. The planning began a good 4 months ago when options like Greece and Egypt were being evaluated. As always, we never go to the place that we start out doing the research for. S’pore & Malaysia was decided on. Flights booked online, accommodation reserved in the Mariner’s Club in S’pore & a package tour booked for Malaysia. We were good to go and eagerly waited for the red letter day - 26^th Dec - to board our early morning flight.

25^th December

Still sleepy from the midnight celebrations of Christmas Eve, still lost in the festive spirit, we received our first shocker when my brother called S’pore Airlines [SIA] to casually enquire about bulk air seats. Apparently, the 26^th morning flight was cancelled and instead we’d have to travel by the 25^th night flight. A blame game ensued between SIA and cleartrip.com [the website where we booked our tickets]. Being a holiday, officials of both organisations were difficult to trace but somehow we managed to get our confirmed tickets for the following night. Amidst all this chaos, we rushed through our Christmas lunch, gulping down our traditional chicken biryani bake lunch, before turning to frantic packing.

Somehow we were ready by 6 pm and took a taxi to the airport for our SIA flight at 11 pm. The flight was pleasant - I managed to watch a cool movie [Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants – 3] and by the time I decided to catch 40 winks, we’d landed in S’pore. The on-flight service was decidedly better than other airlines. Yet it didn’t offset the pre-flight horrific experience. So much for being an award winning airline!

26^th December

We reached S’pore at 5.30 am local time and armed with various activity literature and maps that were conveniently available at the kiosks at Changi airport, we proceeded to Maritime House. This was a vacation we were completely planning on our own. Arriving half a day earlier than planned, we were initially allotted one triple suite at 6.30 am. Luxurious beyond what we expected, considering we had booked a double room, we sketched our plan for the day and soon we crashed to bed in various corners of the suite until 1 pm. We were then allotted our other room, this time also another triple suite. Luxury doubled!

Soon, we were ready to hit the streets. Totally looking the part, with our maps in hand, we played tourists and navigated our way to Tanjong Pagar, the closest MRT station - a 5 min walk away from the club. Paying homage to world brands especially one like Burger King by eating our first meal there is now a standard practice on our international holidays and this time was no different. After a yummy heavy lunch at Burger King in one of the malls, the highlight being double cheese burgers and onion rings, we took the MRT to City Hall.

The plan was to book Duck Tours – an authentic city tour of S’pore on land and on water by an amphibious vehicle. We walked from City Hall MRT station to Suntec city Galleria, soaking in the sights along the way – War Memorial, S’pore Flier, etc. At the Galleria, we found that the tour was sold out for the day. We’d have to return another day. After doing some window-shopping, gazing at the wondrous towering Christmas trees and festive decorations, and grabbing a bit to eat along the way, we took a train to Ang Mo Kio to head towards the Night Safari Park. After a 45 min ride on a bus from the MRT, we finally reached the famed site of the Night Safari at 8 pm – a terribly over-crowded place, literally bursting at its seams with people, tourists and locals alike.

Well, we did see the tribal dance performance and the Creatures of the Night show, did the curio shops walk and after braving the terribly long queues, went on the interesting tram ride around the entire park. But all in all, given the long winding waiting lines for the various attractions, the stifling heat and the occasional splatter of rain, it was a big disappointment. We literally ran all the way off the tram to the exit gate at a quarter past 11 (no time to even have dinner!), just in time to catch the last bus to the MRT station. But in vain! We had already missed the last train back. So much for being tourist friendly! We cabbed it back to Tanjong Pagar, again too late to catch dinner anywhere other than a seafood roadside cafe near the Club. No other place was open.

Feeling adventurous, I decided to sample some of the sea food. As if the trend of the day wasn’t indicative enough, I landed up eating more from the chicken and rice dishes that the others had ordered, before completing abandoning what I had ordered. Resigned, we crashed to bed almost instantly upon reaching our rooms, anything to obliterate the disasters of the day.

27^th December

The day dawned nice and sunny and was brimming with hope. It was going to be a glorious day! The crowd of the previous day notwithstanding, the plan was to leave early to Sentosa – the entertainment island of S’pore. We took a cab to Mount Faber – specifically to the Jewel Box centre for tickets – the entry point for the cable car ride to the island. We bought the glass bottomed ride, marginally more expensive, but infinitely better, what with the awesome views as we crossed the sea to Sentosa...the incredible carpet of blue ocean shimmering in the sunlight was beautiful to say the least! Add to that, the triumphant thrill of by-passing the staggering long (regular cable) waiting lines due to the premium status of the ticket and we were positively beaming!

Shopaholics that we were, we began shopping almost instantly at the Jewel Box and the Sentosa souvenir shops. After a quick breakfast at the Tea Leaf and the Coffee bean cafe, we were ready to start the action packed day - enjoyed the various rides on the Sky Tower, the Luge & the Sky ride – braved the huge lines for the simply superb 4D Magix Show – visited the famous Merlion [known as Papa Merlion..:), as we would subsequently learn], Underwater World, Dolphin Lagoon [crazy crowds again] – viewed the fantastic performance of the Songs of the Sea. All along, we kept sipping the incredible F&N fruit juices available in the most amazing flavours that we discovered since landing in S’pore and eating a lot along the way [yummy hot dogs, ice creams, etc] – clearly, the foodie in each of us was fully satisfied.

The name of the game was to catch all the offerings on the island by using the transit buses and managing lead times between waiting times and actual show times. In between all this hopping on and off buses across the island to, we landed up trading off the Cine Blast show [45 mins waiting time!] to catch the last fish reflexology session. We had to sell our pre-bought Cine Blast tickets & we did it in typical Indian style - approaching everyone like it is done back in India with the gusto of someone selling tickets in black. Ofcourse nothing black about this but we did raise doubts about the authenticity of the tickets [one of our customers even went to the counter to verify the ticket]. Tickets finally sold, we rushed to Siloso Beach but were too late for the fishy foot exfoliation session.

We ended the island visit by relaxing in a restaurant by the sea on Siloso Beach, enjoying the feel of soft sand beneath our feet. Returning by the glass bottomed cable car, this time a twinkling bed of lights beneath us, and another cab to the Tanjong Pagar mall [our ilaka or area by now], we needed to pick up dinner. We had learnt our lesson well the previous day – that all eateries and malls closed early – so Burger King it was, and along with it, loads of goodies and a cake – to celebrate my brother’s birthday at midnight.

We headed home [by then, we had begun to think of Maritime House as home] and after a lot of cheering and cake cutting, decided to call it a day around 1 am.

28^th December

After confirming the assent of the birthday boy [who like all guys, detests shopping], the plan was to do Duck Tours and go shopping on the most fashionable and chic street, Orchard Road. Taking the MRT to City Hall and walking through the sub-way to Suntec Galleria, we booked the 1 pm afternoon slot of the tour. We sat awhile outside the Mall, on the benches, eating breakfast and taking a moment to relax. Next stop was Carrefour for a quickie round of shopping. As usual, we exceeded the budgeted shopping time, rushed to change some money and got back in time for the unique Duck Tours. It was a delightful tour of the city; with many a splash along the way as the boat with wheels took us around on both sea and water. We also saw the city Merlion and a miniature one [aptly named Mama Merlion and Baby Merlion respectively to complete the S’pore family!]

S’pore was celebrating the theme of Sweet Christmas, so a free city Lights tour was organized for tourists on Orchard Road to view the many decorations that adorned the key streets and main malls, each one distinctive and more resplendent than the other. We went back to the Club to pick up our passports and then headed to Orchard Road, feasting our eyes on the unbelievable shopping extravaganza in the form of innumerable malls with all famous brands of the world, all nestled on that one street. Almost all the stores had their Christmas sales on and amidst the sparkling lights, we started with Paragon Mall, our eyes gleaming very much like those of children in a candy store.

We finally landed at Lucky Plaza – a mix of top brands as well as local merchandise –we ate a late lunch and did some [read lots!] of shopping. We then decided to walk in search of the City Lights tour bus. We walked for 2km trailing the fairy lights on Orchard road, admiring the many sights and wonders of the street decorations. We reached Tanglin Mall on Tanglin Road to witness the wildest Christmas party happening. An annual event, extremely popular with expatriates and locals alike, it is complete with a gigantic Tree, made out of recycled bottles and with a ferocious fake snow spray [made with soap], enveloping the entire area with its white snow fall like carpet and kids and families all getting completely soaked and playing in the snow. An unforgettable experience, we enjoyed the ambience, sitting at the Starbucks where the action was unfolding. I was so tempted to join in the fun and games. But I was low on clothes and my clothes shopping hadn’t yet begun!

Time being a scarce resource, we decided to forego the tour [we still hadn’t found the starting point] and got back to the Club. We headed out again - this time to Little India for an Indian dinner and shopping at Mustafa. Mustafa is the Indian super discount mall, where everything is usually on discount and is one of the rare 24-hours open stores in S’pore. Add to that, the New Year and Christmas deals! But it was quite crammed and a far cry from the usual glitzy mall shopping that one is accustomed to. We did discover some good deals meandering across the various sections and floors but at some point, we realized that my brother and niece [in her stroller] were not with us. Frantic searching followed, with us extensively searching the store multiple times. His phone wasn’t reachable. The store was too huge and had multiple exits. An excruciating hour and a $5 public announcement later, we all found one another [he too had been searching for us]. Much shouting and bawling later, we noisily cabbed it back to Maritime House and later settled in to view and appreciate each one’s shopping. We finally crashed to bed at about 3.30 am.

29^th December

Our last day in Singapura [the traditional name] and we wondered what disaster the day would unfold, as it had been since we started on 25^th]. Only time would tell!

As planned, we started the day late – took the MRT to Boon Lay and then a bus to Jurong Bird Park, doing some shopping en-route [the deals on bags were just too good to miss!]. The entire journey was almost seamless – well organised and well researched by my brother. Once there, we went around the park at a leisurely pace. Saw the various bird shows, learnt a Singapura folk song [sung by one of the colourful Mohawks], experimented with some interesting food, enjoyed a delicious lunch, relished some Ben & Jerry icecream, took a tram around the park, fed some Lorries in the Lory Loft, witnessed the tallest man-made waterfall in the Rainforest section, took loads of photos, visiting some of the world’s most renowned aviaries, ...etc - all in all, a wonderful day spent in bird land, learning a lot about the various species of birds and glimpsing some rare ones as well.

Post Jurong Bird Park, we had initially planned to go back to Orchard Road for a fish reflexology session but as it was too late, we decided to go to Tanjong Pagar Mall instead as it was closer home. Each of us had an awesome foot massage at a Chinese massage centre and then had dinner at Burger King – all in a very relaxed manner, after all our train by KTMB to Kuala Lumpur was at 11 pm and the station was very close to the Club. When we returned to our rooms, we realized that the train was not at 11, but at 10 pm. Disaster had struck again!

Frenzied packing followed and we struggled to get taxis to reach the oh-so-close station - with luggage, walking there was out of the question. Once at the station [as usual, we landed on the wrong side and to trudge to the right side, wasting precious moments], there were immigration formalities to be completed [the web site doesn’t mention this at all!]. Someone told us that the train wouldn’t leave without all the passengers. But given our disaster attracting magnetic force that accompanied us on this trip, we sure didn’t take a chance and suffered all the normal panic attacks. We managed to board the train when it was already well past 10 pm. Amidst all this customary chaos, what stood out was the attitude of the officials [very friendly and saving so much time by not insisting on individual processing of our papers], a very clean station and a complete lack of crowds that typically throng our Indian stations. Only travellers are allowed on the platforms.

The KTMB train finally left S’pore around 10.35 pm and we were just thankful to be on it. We were on our way to Malaysia. Our Standard Deluxe coach was comfortable but I do feel that our Indian 2A berths are much better. We stopped at the Malaysian city of Johar Bahru for immigration formalities again, where we all had to get off the train and get our passports stamped at one of the counters, before getting back on the train and settling in for the night. Bye – bye Singapura, we’ll be back soon!