Putrajaya [Malaysia]

 
previous post: [KL - Traders Hotel]

For my last day, I decided to rest the entire morning to save up energy for my midnight flight. After lunch though, I packed my bags for my last destination, Putrajaya - which is quite far from KL but near the airport already. After checking out of Traders hotel, I stood outside the hotel to meet Jamil, the taxi driver who brought me from airport to heritage station hotel on my first day (such a kind guy, and he left his number so he could tour me around Putrajaya).

To my surprise, Someone else was waiting for me but with the same taxi! it was Rahmat, his older brother. It turns out that the taxi's owned by Rahmat... Jamil just took it one night while his brother while out of the country. hahahaha pumasada nang walang paalam!

here's my Putrajaya pics. it rained afterwards, so the last 2 pics were blurry, taken from inside the cab:


(quite blurry -shot while the cab was moving hehe)


the beautiful mosque


the mosque up close


government offices


prime minister's office, according to rahmat


some gov't office


some gov't office

According to Rahmat, Putrajaya's relatively new, a small city within a city, where government offices are situated (I assume, head offices?). Upon entering, I was impressed by the cleanliness, landscapes and architectures -and I admit I was quite envious that Malaysia had something as beautiful as this as a goverment's effort to improve public service. I give my two thumbs up for that, Malaysia!


Do you need a taxi driver in KL?

Rahmat was just as ok, he toured me around Putrajaya then brought me to the airport for a reasonable rate: RM 80. His english was bad! but that was understandable and tolerable, I can have that rather than the good english of the taxi driver, who toured my sister and bro in law months ago, also in Putrajaya -for RM 200! hehehe taga!

he's really kind, he tried his best to tour me around. sadly, it rained sooo hard after a while, so I didn't get to finish the entire supposedly-tour. he did drove around still even if it was raining hard. he's also that type of driver who's willing to wait if you want to go around by yourself, AND you could trust your bags with him. I do recommend him! here's his number: 019-321-3442 or 016-348-1520, plate number is HWC 9257.
 

Traders Hotel [Kuala Lumpur]

 
previous post: [KLCC]

Before I went back to Manila, I already knew I'm going to make a per-location blog post, which obviously I've done as you see. Though after I've seen my beautiful pictures in KLCC, I say Traders hotel deserves a separate post... and I think Traders hotel should pay me for this. hehe.


Traders Hotel, seen from Suria

Traders Hotel is a 4-star hotel strategically situated in KLCC area -right across Suria, and connected to KLCC itself. one may opt to walk across KLCC park to get there, or to pass through the walkway connecting Suria and KLCC, or to just ride the hotel's shuttle instead, which stops right in front of Suria's entrance to pick up/drop off hotel clients (that 3rd option was my fave of course)

A welcome card, customized for me had already been waiting. Selamat Detang, Ms. Aleydis Cabrera --It gave me a nice impression, but it's no surprise, as they've been really accommodating since I started booking online... when they assured me through email that the rate I chose indeed means a room facing Petronas Twin Towers (I do remember putting in the "special request" portion that "good view is my priority")

Then guess what, they gave me more than what I requested -they gave me a corner-room, which faces the twin towers, AND the KL tower at the other side! see, never leave the "special request" field empty! hehe


views from my room


KLCC park

Gobo Upstairs is a nice hangout place at night (or Skybar if you prefer alcoholic drinks more than coffee). Both offer a good view of the twin towers, plus of course the really good ambiance and service. I tried both, the latter on the following morning. I enjoyed them!


Skybar


Gobo Upstairs - my coffee and hazelnut royale

I can't let go of my last night in KL and so I took a few more shots before I slept. I love these shots:





Though sorry, I'm giving 3 out of 5 for their food. generally, their ala carte's not that WOW. their coffee's too strong, their clubhouse sandwich's just so-so, and their mango lassie had no essence of mango at all except that it was yellow. nothing beats Philippine mangoes!

BUT I did love their hazelnut royale, AND the breakfast buffet!!! most especially their do-it-yourself nasi lemak, as the rice this time wasn't full of spices. It was plainly cooked in coconut milk, went perfectly with the sweet-spicy shrimp paste (aka bagoong), crispy anchovies (aka DILIS. hehe), peanuts and cucumbers. it indeed satisfied my Filipino taste. that, and the bottomless serving of sushi, hash browns, tea, fruit juices and flavored yogurts --gave me the most superb breakfast I had in KL.

That overnight experience was worth RM 586, or more or less PHP 8,200. I know it sounds costly but come to think of it, that rate already includes the breakfast buffet, good view of the twin towers, late checkout at 3pm, and of course the warm service of Shangri-la's staff. take note, all those I mentioned, are supposedly intended FOR TWO PEOPLE. You won't even find that deal in Manila! I took some pix of my room by the way:






If given the chance, will I go back for this hotel? yes, definitely :)


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Kuala Lumpur City Centre

previous post: [Zoo Negara]

You can't leave Malaysia without seeing KLCC -it has not only the Petronas Twin Towers but also other exciting stuff which you could all visit in a half day. As for me, I checked out just KLCC Park, Suria and Aquaria in just one afternoon. I no longer had the energy to experience the twins' skybridge. besides it was already late for me to get a ticket AND I used to work in the 43rd floor for 2 years. hehe. I had so much pics though, being so close to it (and knowing that it's one of the tallest buildings in the world) gives a different kind of thrill, makes you want to take pics till you run out of bat. hehe.


The twin towers

I then went to Aquaria, my last animal-related destination in Malaysia. haha! It's inside the KL Convention Centre, which is walkable from Petronas. It can even be accessed through a tunnel connecting the two.

My friend was right, this place is too pricey for its size (entrance fee's RM 38 or roughly Php 500, and I was able to see everything in about an hour!) some pics:


Stingray ba ito, or cousin. I dunno! hehe


electric eel


piranha


pongpagong


creepy thing


little iguana


iguana with steroids hehe


arapaima, i think


shredded fish. hehehe.

Though honestly, I liked it! Apparently, it has not only fishes but also turtles, iguanas, snakes, etc. I loved the walkalator part -where you get to walk beneath the big aquarium with huge STINGRAYS AND SHARKS! oh btw, camera flash is not allowed. everywhere. I'm glad I was able to get nice pics still. Thank you cybershot! (I should see Manila Ocean Park for comparison, don't you think?)


shark


stingray


creepy face


some huge fish
(I took a pic of that kid to show size comparison hehe)

Suria, the famous mall just at the foot of Petronas, houses restos from fast food to fine dining, plus so many high-end brands of clothing. What I loved most is Kinokuniya, that bookstore which (okay I really can't forget this) has a huge Japanese manga section. I wanted so much to buy one for paul but sadly all mangas were Japanese, or I was just not a good book shopper at all. hehe. I ended up buying several english books published within Malaysia. of course, why buy something that's in Power Books already? hehe. I'm glad I was able to use the discount card which my sister got in the same bookstore 2 months ago!



KLCC park, situated strategically between Petronas, convention centre and the hotel where I stayed (Traders hotel) is perhaps the cheapest way to rest. everyone there enjoys strolling or dipping on the wading pool, or plainly hanging out. As for me, I just opted to end my exhausting day then watched the kids wade from my hotel room instead... hehe.



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Zoo Negara [Malaysia]

 
previous post: [Genting Highlands]

On my 3rd day, I checked out from Heritage Hotel, rode KTM to KL Sentral then shifted to Kelana-Jaya line for the Putra-bound train (during rush hour take note). After 5 stations I think, I was there at KLCC station, finally done with crowded trains!

It was still too early so I just dropped by Traders Hotel, told them I'm checking in later in the afternoon and that I just want to leave my luggage (which isn't a luggage actually. It was just a paper bag full of laundry and other ok-to-lose stuff. hehe)

Then I went back to Kelana Jaya line, rode the Putra-bound train again then got off at Wangsa Maju. I was lucky this time to get a metered taxi, which took me to the National Zoo for RM 5.00


zoo negara/national zoo

I was the ONLY VISITOR, seriously. thus I enjoyed walking, seeing all the healthy, unique and amazing animals. Though I didn't get to see their elephant show (which I really looked forward to). accdg to their site though, there's an elephant show every 10am. I guess there's a hidden line there that says "if there are many guests who will watch" haha. anyway, the entrance fee's all worth it --coz it's just RM 15. For me that's cheap, compare that to butterfly park and bird park! some pictures:



















for my taxi back to Wangsa Maju station, a bad driver charged me RM 20 (wow man, times 4!), knowing there's no other taxi terminal I could run to huh. On the train I was just so glad that I'm done with overpriced cabs for my whole KL trip, and that there are 7 stations ahead, for me to rest my feet after all the walking I did in zoo negara! hehe

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Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

 
previous post: KL - National Museum

2nd day was my Genting day. I rose early, took a bath before sunrise then went back to KL sentral (not as early as you think! sun rises at 7:30 am! hehe). I intentionally went there 2 hours before my bus departs, so I have time to eat breakfast and to send some postcards.

I ate at La Cucur, as it was the only resto open at that time. the girl there was bad at english, I gave up on asking about a good rice breakfast. so instead, I pointed out the stir fried noodles near the counter then said "and coffee". gaah. good thing it was good, came with hard boiled egg, and had malay-spicy-taste once again. the coffee was good too, everything wasn't bad for RM 5.50!


my spicy breakfast

Then I rode the genting bus, stationed at the basement of KL sentral. travel took more or less 1.5 hours, but it's ok ...sceneries were nice and the bus seats were comfy. when I got there though, I didn't feel the hype. I guess theme parks are not for solo travelers. hehe.


genting bus


foggy road


the colorful First World hotel


outdoor theme park


roller coaster --I didn't try this though

I tried both outdoor and indoor theme parks, but not the casino --it was too crowded. here's what I enjoyed most:


Beryl's choco wonderland


flying jumbo ride. yeah, alone. haha


yummy waffle from some waffle booth


jett and jin 4d movie


my 3d glasses


and the reindeer which cruised up above
around the indoor park. again, I rode this alone!

I also enjoyed my late lunch -bak kut teh, rice and coke... which costs RM 24.00 btw. it was so yummy, so tasty, went perfectly with the cold atmosphere ...but ya I know, compared to the meals in KL, that bak kut teh meal was so pricey!


yummy bak kut teh

Genting's not as spectacular as I imagined. I can say it's just the combined version of Enchanted kingdom and tagaytay highlands, plus casino, apparel shops and wider variety of food stalls. But, while everything inside's so expensive, the RM 42.00 package's worth it, as it includes the 2-way transportation from and to KL, ride-all-you-can ticket for most theme park rides, AND THE CABLE CAR RIDE (SUPPOSEDLY. unluckily, it was under renovation when I got there. huhuu...)

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