A Week in Malaysia: Day 5

We woke up early today. Knowing very well that it’s the holidays in Malaysia, we decided to avoid traffic going out of the city. We were scheduled to go to Malacca today. We made our way to Bandar Tasik Selatan – the bus station for intercity travel.

Good thing, though, we bought tickets online. If not, we wouldn’t be able to make this trip. It was so full and, I guess, bus tickets are very scarce for those who are late.

We are scheduled for a 9 AM bus ride to Malacca and we are expecting to arrive there by 11:30 AM. Bus seats were comfortable and the dreaded traffic wasn’t anywhere in sight.

When you arrive at the Malacca Central Bus Terminal, make your way to the domestic buses and line-up, however futile, at Platform 17. This will take you to the Dutch Square.

See, a little futile.

As soon as we arrived, I knew how I felt about Malacca. I love it. I love it to bits.

It was almost lunch time when we got there. And I am plenty hungry too. So, we crossed the bridge towards Jonker Walk and found this restaurant. We saw that it was full; but, the girl pointed us towards a sister establishment where we can sit.

I saw that they had duck. I found it to be an opportunity to try something new. So, roasted duck it is.

It was glorious. I loved it and I wondered why I never tasted duck before. After lunch, we decided to go around since we can only check in after 2 PM.

The Red Square is named as such because of the color of its buildings. This plaza and its surrounding buildings reflect the history of Malacca after being subject to Portuguese, Dutch, and British rule.

I must remind you that it’s very hot in Malacca. When we couldn’t take the heat, we decided to go to our booked accommodations even if it was time to check in. We wanted to see if they will allow us to rest up and recover from the heat.

And they did! Thankfully, we can stay inside the air conditioned room until around sunset.

Our home for the night was a small guesthouse by the end of Jonker Walk. It was a very convenient location. When you go out, you will immediately see the food stalls!

There was a little bit of everything for everyone. There spectrum was from food to mobile accessories to clothing to toys to cleaning materials. You name it, they may have it.

Another beautiful thing about Malacca is the art and architecture on/of the walls of the buildings. It gave a modern vibe to the old village.

Too bad, we only spent half a day in Malacca. It would have been awesome to stay longer. There are so many food I want to try.

 

 

 

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Others in this series:

A Week in Malaysia: Day 1

A Week in Malaysia: Day 2

A Week in Malaysia: Day 3

A Week in Malaysia: Day 4

A Week in Malaysia: Day 6

A Week in Malaysia: Day 7

256/365

Taken at: Makati Diamond Residences in Makati City, Philippines

A Week in Malaysia: Day 3

We woke up this morning knowing very well what to do. We rode the LRT and alighted at Pasar Seni station.

We were going to the Central Market!

The Central Market is the center for arts and crafts that are truly Malaysian. It isn’t a big complex so you wouldn’t have a hard time going through all the stalls.

Since we have somewhere to be by 1 PM, we decided to have an early lunch. The Central Market has a food court in its mezzanine.

I ordered a Nasi Goreng Kampung which they translated to homemade fried rice for MYR 8.5. It was spicy but definitely feels like what my Ma would cook at home. Suddenly loving all of these Malaysian fried rice dishes.

Then, we walked towards the Masjid Jamek LRT station.

And made our way towards Bukit Jalil National Stadium where we watch some badminton finals matches at the Axiata Arena. This started at 1 PM.

Then, before 5 PM, we transferred to the National Aquatic Center for diving finals.

It was raining when we finished watching. Good thing, though, there’s a covered walkway towards Bukit Jalil station.

We came back to Lot10 to try other shops. But, unfortunately, I went back to my comfort food – wonton noodles.

Then we tried this mango and longan iced dessert which we bought for MYR 9.5. Honestly, it wasn’t worth the price. It’s just ice with mango juice and some pieces of longan.

Then, it was back to apartment for another round of drinking. We have to finish 3 cans each and that’s (drink one can a day) probably the most I can do.

 

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A Week in Malaysia: Day 1

A Week in Malaysia: Day 2

A Week in Malaysia: Day 4

A Week in Malaysia: Day 5

A Week in Malaysia: Day 6

A Week in Malaysia: Day 7

 

 

A Week in Malaysia: Day 2

 

Good morning, KL!

We’re going to tour the KL basics today. We’re making our way to KL Sentral.

Upon arrival in KL Sentral, we bought tickets (more like tokens) to use the Komuter train that will bring us to Batu Caves. One way ticket costs MYR 2.1.

A couple of minutes later, we found ourselves at the Batu Caves station. It is directly connected to the complex surrounding the caves.

There is no entrance fee to the cave but there are sections that may require you to pay at least MYR 10. Those places, we didn’t explore.

Hello, monkeys!

Batu Caves is a complex dedicated to the Hindu God of War and Victory – Murugan.

The iconic statue of Lord Murugan.

To reach the inside of the cave, you have to be prepared to go up at least 272 flights of stairs. Everyone is doing it, you can do it too!

There’s another flight of stairs leading to the Dark Cave. It’s another section dedicated to wildlife endemic to the Dark Cave. There is a private tour for MYR 50 to see the inside of the cave. But, if you’re afraid of the dark or creepy crawlies, this tour may not be suitable for you.

There’s the entrance to the cave.

Let’s explore the inside!

There are a lot of monkeys inside the main cave and I am worried about their health. Some tourists are feeding them chips that are outside of their natural diet. And, I am sad that these tourists are more focused on the entertainment brought by the monkeys than by the importance and significance of this structure to the Hindu world.

This is the main worship area.

After the morning exercise, we go back to central Kuala Lumpur. We alighted at the Kuala Lumpur station of the Komuter line.

Then, we walked towards the Museum of Islamic Arts. I know, it was a kind of a religious type of day. The entrance fee to which is MYR 14.

But, I seriously learned a lot from the display in the museum. There were items on the architecture, interior design, textiles, sciences, and clothing from the Islamic world.

Here is a manuscript written wholly in one sheet of paper.

There were so many beautiful designs!

It was way past lunch time when we finished. Then, we decided to have lunch at Bukit Bintang and look for a supermarket where we can buy food souvenir.

Thankful for GoKL buses, we had a free ride to Bukit Bintang’s Lot10. I found this Penang food stall in Lot10’s very massive food court.

I tried the fried chee cheong fun but requested to remove the spice. But, to be honest, without the spice, the dish seemed to lack personality.

After the meal, we went to Sungei Wang Plaza to visit Giant Supermarket and buy our food stuff. In the course of the shopping, we also decided to buy alcohol, hang out by the pool, and drink. We didn’t have anything else to do.

Upon arriving at our place, we just rested for a bit and went to the 33rd floor for some late afternoon swim.

This place has a good view of the KL Tower and the surrounding structures. Here is the view at various points of the sunset.

We continued drinking in our room which didn’t take long because I was groggy from that one can of Carlsberg.

But, we were a bit hungry so we decided to visit the food stalls outside the apartment, most of which are handled by people of Indian heritage.

We tried the chicken fried rice for MYR 8, including the can of coke. The rice was extremely spicy for me but it was so tasty that I finished my plate. This serving is also very big, I was initially overwhelmed.

 

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Others in this series:

A Week in Malaysia: Day 1

A Week in Malaysia: Day 3

A Week in Malaysia: Day 4

A Week in Malaysia: Day 5

A Week in Malaysia: Day 6

A Week in Malaysia: Day 7

245/365

Taken at: Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

It’s so sad that an awesome vacation has come to an end. But, I will definitely treasure all of the memories.

243/365

 

Taken at: Dutch Square in Melaka, Malaysia

Since the SEA Games are over, we decided to visit the other interesting parts of Malaysia. To be honest, I was in love with Melaka as soon as I got off that bus. It was romantic and nostalgic at the same time. It gave me a welcoming vibe and an atmosphere that was very different from Kuala Lumpur.

241/365

Taken at: Bukit Jalil National Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

We actually booked tickets to Kuala Lumpur because of the 2017 SEA Games. However, we came in a little too late and most of the events are already done. But, we were fortunate enough to witness badminton final matches and some championships for diving!

Maybe I will volunteer when SEA Games returns to the Philippines.

240/365

Taken at: Batu Caves in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia

Today, we visited two sites important to the major religions of Malaysia – the Batu Caves for the Hinduism and the National Mosque for Islam.

Islamic Arts

I have to admit, I have very little knowledge of Islamic arts. But this place opened my eyes to the design and architcture of our Muslim brothers.

It’s very educational. And my mind is known on the intricacies of their work. I just hope that there is more coherence in the display. Or they could direct the visitors on the order of viewing.

Definitely worth the visit if you’re in Kuala Lumpur. The entrance fee is just MYR14.

Batu Caves

The 272 steps to the top may be daunting. But, fret not, it’s not as hard as it seems. For me. The steps are a little narrow and steep. So, if you have big feet, don’t expect that the balls of your feet will touch the steps.

When you get there, it’s a marvelous right. The main area is a cave with a  high vcaulted ceiling. There are more steps leading to an area with skylight. The design of the religious venues were so intricate. 

I was a little disappointed with the tourists. They were more entertained with feeding the monkeys than realizing the cultural significance of this cave.