Trip to 2 most amazing places in Asia : Singapore & Malaysia : PART II

We got to bed early as we were very tired after the exhausting journey and sleepless night the previous day.  Also the wakeup call set for us was 6:30 a.m. so we had to get up early.

There were 2 persons in a room. The king sized bed provided us the much needed comfort. It was really big, neat and plush.

The wake up alarm was loud enough to awake us. It was 6:30 and still I was feeling dizzy but had no other option than to wake up. After getting ready we went for breakfast around 8 a.m. at Makan Kitchen.  There are several cooking stations featuring specialties from Malaysian, Chinese and Indian cooking traditions. In veg section there were around 4-5 types of fruits, juices, yogurts, breads and buns. 

Tea, coffee and milk were served at the table. The staff was friendly and cooperative.

After breakfast we went to hotel’s parking area where a bus was ready to take us for the city tour.
Our guide accompanied us and started briefing about the history of Malaysia.

It’s a federal constitutional monarchy which consists of 13 states and 3 federal territories.
The main religion here is Islam and majority of population consist of Muslims. Currency of Malaysia is ringgit and people prefer using plastic money. The head of state is called king who is elected by the sultans of different Malay states. Head of government is Prime Minister.

Our first stop was Sultan’s Palace which is the official residence of king of Malaysia.

A brief Intro
It is really huge extending in an area of round 13 acres. As the palace is not open for the public
visit hence the main palace entrance is a favorite picture spot for the tourists. The royal guards
in traditional attire are the main attraction.

 
My Experience
The main attraction for Malaysian people was we Indians. My Nanaji and 2 Sardarjis were the celebrities out there. People became crazy for clicking pics with them. In all it was fun.

Next in line was Tugu Negara also known as the Soldiers war memorial.

A brief Intro
This National Monument is a sculpture that commemorates those who died in Malaysia's struggle for freedom, principally against the Japanese occupation during World War II and the Malayan Emergency, which lasted from 1948 until 1960. It is the world's tallest bronze freestanding sculpture grouping. Every year on July 31 on Warriors' Day, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Prime Minister and heads of military and the police pay their respects to the fallen heroes by laying garlands at the monument.
The Malaysian Houses of Parliament is situated near the monument.

 

My ExperienceLoved the sculpture, it was really big and patriotic. 

Next on the route was Orchid Garden.

A brief Intro
 Our guide told us that there were around 2000 types of orchids in the garden. It was very big, but we didn’t have enough time to explore it completely. So we decided to click some pics and make a move.

             
My Experience
“Wow this is splendid” is what I uttered when I entered the garden. Beautiful world class orchids were all around me. It was very well maintained and clean.

After travelling for half n hour we reached Merdeka Square also known as Dataran Merdeka.

A brief Intro
It was here the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight (time: 12:00 AM) on August 31, 1957. Since then, Merdeka Square has been the usual venue for the annual Merdeka Parade (National Day Parade). 

 
My Experience
There were many high towering commercial buildings around the square but apart from that there was nothing much to see here. So we took some pics and moved on.

Next in line was the one of the top attraction of Malaysia, The Kuala Lumpur tower.

                                    

                                      

A brief Intro
It is used for communication purposes and features an antenna that reaches 421 metres (1,381 feet). The roof of the pod is at 335 meters (1,099 feet). The rest of the tower below has a stairwell and an elevator to reach the upper area, which also contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners with a 360 degree view of the city.

                              
My Experience
There were binoculars mounted all over the observation deck. The panoramic view of the city was mindboggling. I thoroughly enjoyed the sight.
Also nearby there was a shop where models of F1 cars were kept. 10 Ringgit for as many no of pics you want to take with them was a good bet. I was overall a good experience.

Batu Caves , one of the most popular Hindu shrine outside India was our next destination.

A brief IntroBatu Caves is a limestone hill, which has a series of caves and cave temples, in the Gombak district, 13 kilometers (8 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu or Batu River, which flows past the hill. Batu Caves is also the name of the nearby village.
The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan.

A 42.7-metre (140 ft) high statue of Lord Murugan was unveiled in January 2006, having taken 3 years to construct. It is the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world.

The Ramayana Cave is situated to the extreme left as one faces the sheer wall of the hill. On the way to the Ramayana Cave, there is a 50-foot (15 m) tall statue of Hanuman and a temple dedicated to Hanuman, the devotee and aide of Lord Rama. The consecration ceremony of the temple was held in November 2001.

   

My Experience
I was really amazed to see such huge statues of Lord Murugan and Hanuman ji.
There were around 500 steep steps to reach the cave and as usual we were short of time so we decided to skip the visit to cave. Also we decided to have our lunch here.
There were few restaurants run by South Indians and to our surprise we were able to find Veg thali as part of menu.
After a stay of around 1 hour we finally took off to the last place of visit in today’s schedule, Royal Selangor.

Royal Selangor 

A brief Intro
Royal Selangor is a Malaysian pewter manufacturer and retailer, the largest of its type in the world. It is recognized as a Malaysian brand icon.

 

Presently, the company offers over a thousand different tableware and gift items, from traditional tankards and tea sets, to photo frames, desk accessories and wine accessories. 

My Experience
I had never seen something like this, it was phenomenal. The tour of the factory started with knowing about the history of the brand and a little about Malaysian Pewter mining. The demonstrations of various techniques used in making of a handicraft were fascinating. The best bit was to watch the liquid pewter cool down in just a couple of seconds.
The guide was loud, clear and knowledgeable and we understood every word of what she spoke.
Finally we went to the showroom where different items made out of the pewter were kept. Those creations were really beautiful and unique. The replica of trophies of Singapore grand prix was also in display. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

  

Finally our city tour come to an end and it was time to return to the Double tree. Also everyone was very tired and exhausted so we were keen to return to hotel and have a couple of hours Nap in the king size bed before getting ready for dinner..:)

In case you have missed PART I, click here

Trip to 2 most amazing places in Asia : Singapore & Malaysia : PART I

We were very happy and excited as 26th November was coming close, the day when we were about to fly to Kuala Lumpur for our 6D/5N trip to Singapore and Malaysia. It was our first foreign trip and the best thing was 3 generations were going together.

We had booked MakeMyTrip an Indian E-commerce travel agency for organizing the trip for us.

Right from booking Air tickets, hotels, food and transportation arrangement in both the countries, sightseeing programs, tickets of popular tourist places, visa preparation, they did everything for us.

The only thing missing was lunch which was not part of the itenary.

Making long lists of items to be carried together and shopping was on the priority list. I purchased 2 tees, 2 shirts and jeans.

As the date of departure came closer everyone became busy with packing of their stuff.

Finally the day came and we were at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 12:15 a.m. for our Colombo which was at 3 a.m. It was a transit flight (connecting flight).
For international flights it’s advised to reach airport 3 hours before the flight so that all the formalities can be completed smoothly. Our Airline was Srilankan Airline. From the day I heard this, my smile faded away…Air stewardess was the most probable reason..:P.

We did the following things in the 3 hour span before boarding our flight
1. At the entrance of airport we produced our E_ticket and passport.
2. Next we went to the counter of Srilankan Airline to deposit hold luggage,
    get tags for hand bags. Also after document verification we got our tickets
    from the same counter.
3. Now it was immigration check up and we were given a form to fill in all the required details.
4. There were big queues at immigration counters and took most of our time.
5. Finally after 1 hour we were at the customs security check up. All our belongings right from belt,        
    wallet, watch, even shoes were asked to take off and were told to pass through metal 
    detector.
6. After all the check up was done we headed to the waiting area which was specific to the gate
    from where you were going to board the flight. It took around half n hour after which   
    announcement was made for all the passengers travelling to Colombo by Srilankan Airline.
7. We showed our ticket and passport at the counter from where we were made to sit in a mini
    bus which took us to the required Srilankan Airline Plane.
    

Ayubowan was the word used by the Air stewardess to greet everyone entering the flight. The Seats were relaxing with satisfactory leg space. After half hour meal was served to us. It was 4 a.m. and
no one was interested in eating anything but somehow we managed to slip in a small part of everything. We reached Colombo around 5:15 a.m. Our flight to Kuala Lumpur was at 7:00 a.m. 

The Colombo airport is awesome, better than Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
It’s more neat and clean and the infrastructure seems to be more developed.

The connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur was also of Srilankan airlines. This was a better plane with Touch Screens on the back of each seat. Though there were not many options available, but you can choose from some blockbuster movies in English and Hindi to pass your time. We were served with a meal and a coke. It took around 3 hours to reach Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur international airport is magnificent and quite fascinating.  Way better than the Indian ones.

The luggage collection area was at the other end of the airport; hence it gave us a chance to explore it completely. We had to catch a train to reach from one terminal of airport to other. In all it was fun.

At the luggage collection area we had an executive from MakeMyTrip to escort us. He was also our guide for Malaysia. There were total 26 people in our group. Mr Shah was accompanied by his wife and 2 daughters. Mr Iyer was with his wife and 2 children. Mr and Mrs Gupta came with their son.
Than our family which had the most number of people, i.e. 5. But the main attraction of the group was 5 honeymoon couples. ..:P

There was a bus to take us to our Hotel “Double Tree by Hilton”. 

                                

It is posh 5 star with all the luxury you can think of. 

                              

Services are impressive, rooms and bathrooms are spacious, staff is amiable and the food has plenty of Veg options that was on the top of our priority list. Will recommend it to all.

View from our room which was at 14th floor.

 There was no sightseeing scheduled for the day apart from the night view of PETRONAS Twin Towers.
We were told to relax, enjoy the hotel and meet up again around 7 p.m.  at the reception for dinner.

 It was rainy season in Malaysia and we prayed the weather to be clear. Around 7 we reached at the reception but were not surprised to find only 4 other people from our group there. Indians follow Indian standard timings even when they are abroad.

Everyone was there around 7:30, so we left for dinner. As Twin Tower was in the way to our dinner venue hence we decided to have a 15 mins stoppage there. The tallest twin towers in the world looked like piercing the night sky. Their striking glass and steel facade looked stunningly amazing.
We took some pics and enjoyed the view.

Fountains @ Petronas Twin Towers

The next destination was Nawab, the Indian cuisine restaurant.  

                       

We really enjoyed our dinner here, ambience was lovely, food was delicious and the people were amiable. A nice restaurant to start with. After dinner we headed back to Hotel. On our way back we were briefed about the schedule for next day. 8 a.m. was the time decided to start our City Tour.