11th Day - Going back to home sweet home

11th Day - 2007-12-19 Wednesday Going back to home sweet home

From this 17th floor of J.A RESIDENCE HOTEL (Compact Hotel) we could see the GERBANG SELATAN BERSEPADU PROJECT in progress (above picture) The three blue buildings is the Malaysian Immigration Checkpoint. 

On the right hand side is the Johor-Singapore Causeway facing towards Singapore. Across the water is Singapore. Singapore is an expansive place for us to visit.

The Johor-Singapore Causeway (Malay: Tambak Johor) is a 1,056 meter causeway that links the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia across the Straits of Johor to the town of Woodlands in Singapore. It serves as a road, rail, and pedestrian link, as well as water piping into Singapore. The causeway connects to the Skudai Highway (Federal Route 1) on the Malaysian side and the Bukit Timah Expressway on the Singaporean side. It carries 60,000 vehicles on a typical day, with particularly bad traffic congestion on the eve of public holidays.

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Senai International Airport Departure Hall, Johor Bahru

Today we are going home after 10 days away.

Took a taxi from hotel to Senai Air Port at 9:30 am

Departure gate is number 4

Air Asia Flight No: AK 5632  Depart: 12:55 noon and Arrive Tawau 3:40 PM

Finely we touch down at Tawau airport.  At the Taxi Booth we bought a Rm50.00  Taxi Fare Coupon for taking a taxi back to Taman Semarak.

10th Day - Genting Highlands to Johor Bahru

10th Day 2007-12-18 Genting Highlands to Johor Bahru

9th Day - Genting Highlands Outdoor Theme Park

9th Day 2007-12-17 MON Genting Outdoor Theme Park

Clown entertaining Children at the Outdoor Theme Parks

Clown entertaining Children

We saw a clown entertaining a bunch of eager children at outdoor theme park. The clowns here do a good job in entertaining the kids.

There are several clowns around both indoor and outdoor entertaining the visitors and giving out balloons. They are all in their teenage. Likely students of a entertainer training institutes.

Yin, my young daughter,  usually  scare of clowns  because of their heavy makeup. But  by the time she interacted with the 2nd clown (above) she was confident enough to have photo with him.

Genting's outdoor theme park consists of rides which cater for guests for all ages. Rides such as the corkscrew and the spaceshot are not for the faint hearted.
The admission price is quite reasonable and guests can re-enter later in the day if they leave the park.

Monorail
We took the monorail, a slow ride that takes one around the entire outdoor theme park at an elevated level. The view from monorail is fabulous.
  

The park get very crowded during school holidays. To try most of the popular rides, one has to be early and buy the tickets the moment the counters open before long queue gathered at the counter.

This was the first time Shirley and Yin on any of such rides and activities. Their faces were full of joy mixed with fear. Yin was thrilled as it was her first time taking the merry go around, kiddies rides, Tea Cup Family Rides and lots of other adventurous and thrilling rides in the outdoor and indoor parks.

Genting Highlands...Xing and I visited last November. The memories are still so fresh even after over a year!

Midnight we  were still at the indoor theme park enjoying the indoor rides. Everyone had such a great time.

Shirley and Yin were adventurous sort. They practically tried  all slow rides leaving those very fast speed out. The indoor theme park at night was also amazing just as it was glittering, but unluckily we missed out on a couple of the games/experiences there being exhausted as we were by the day's end. For us who came from a sleepy town, there was nothing really to 'dislike' about in such a wonderful place.

The mist was awesome. So beautiful and serene amidst the lush greenery. Genting's surroundings is very picturesque. It was freaking cold !! Even more so since it's the rainy season !!

Genting is big and we almost got lost ! There's way too many escalators. The first day  we hung out in the indoor theme park and visited a few places. Today we spend the day outdoor.
The rain  leaving the outdoor theme park damp and covered with billowing wind and mist. But we enjoyed the whole theme park.

Xing and I went to Cybercafe to surf internet for some information. The charge is Rm 10.00 for 40 minutes.

Meals expenses is more higher than last year when we came in December. Food here is expensive ... but what can you do when it's far away from the city and have frequently foreigners tourists to support the high prices.

For example :
Hakka Pan Mee Rm 10.93 (9.50++)
Penang Fried Kue Teow Rm 10.00
Wantoon Mee Soup Rm 8.50 (at Market Food Street)
A Cup of Soft Drink Rm 3.5 (at Market Food Street)

AT around 6:00pm as soon as we got back to hotel room, Yin plopped herself to bed to sleep only to wake up the next morning for breakfast.


While I stay behind in the hotel room to accompany the sleepy girl, Shirley and Xing went down to the plaza for more exploration. They tried more things to see such as Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum

Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum

Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum is the second museum available in South East Asia after Thailand.

In the museum are some of the astounding collections by Ripley. On display are items which Ripley collected while globe-trotting, bizarre, unique and fascinating items.

Ripley’s Believe It or not  housed some actual artifacts, and some surreal stuff

The next morning, we had a sumptuous buffet breakfast First World Cafe before leaving.

To sum up - the visit was SIMPLY EXHILARATING AND SIMPLY MEMORABLE!!



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8th Day - Genting Highlands Indoor Theme Parks

8th Day 2007-12-16 Sunday  Genting Highlands Indoor Theme Parks

Genting Highlands Resort

Genting Highlands Resort comprise of hotels, casinos, outdoor and indoor theme parks. Perched on the peak of Gunung Ulu Kali at 1,800 meters high. On a clear day, the Genting Resort overlooks lush valleys of breathtaking rainforest view.

Within an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur 35km away. Genting Resort is a popular holidays and weekend getaway from the city heat. 

Access by Karak Highway and major trunk roads, along with a cable car service from the satellite town of Gohtong Jaya.

First World Plaza
a colourful shopping complex with restaurants,
entertainment and boutique outlets.

Genting Highlands theme parks provides fun rides and activities for adults and children alike.

First World Plaza is a colourful shopping complex with restaurants, entertainment and boutique outlets.

First World Hotel is Asia's  largest hotel with over 6,000 budget rooms - provides budget accommodation along with family-oriented Theme Park Hotel. We stay in First World Hotel for the two nights here.

There are many rides packed into the First World Plaza adjoining to the First World Hotel. This indoor entertainment area is the place to go when it rains outside. For the children the rides indoor are as thrill and exciting as the outdoor rides which are mainly for adults.

First World Plaza is a world of fun and new things for Mei Yin. Little girl discovered new excitements here. We enjoyed the cool, refreshing air and geared up for a full day of fun and adventure. Yin and the mother are more fun and action seekers while the brother Xing is more an new things explorers.

32 check-in counters of First World Hotel

2007-12-16 Sunday. After breakfast we check out Citin Hotel in Kuala Lumpur to go to Genting Highlands.  Opposite Citin is the Taxi Station. We took a taxi for Rm55.00 for going up to the Resort. I booked months before online two nights at the First World Hotel. This 3D2N package for two rooms in First World Hotel is total only Rm 395.52. That including 4 tickets for the family for the show "FLY". No wonder we found so many low income families are here for a holiday.

Our taxi veered along the snake-like road amidst the lush forest growth. Xing told Yin that we were in the sky, in the cloud. The taxi took us less then 1 hour from the our hotel to the highland. As we move higher up the mountain road it got cold and misty. The road leading to Genting is scenic with lush rainforest on either side.

By noon we reached Genting Highlands Resort's First World Hotel Lobby and could feel chilly cold wind blew intermittently. The Resort itself was simply marvellous - rather flawless - be it the rooms, the restaurants or the lobby. 

This is the first trip Shirley and Yin came to Genting Highlands. Xing and I has been here last year 2006 December. See : Our First Genting Trip.

32 check-in counters of First World Hotel

First World Hotel, Malaysia’s biggest hotel, has 6,200rooms with 32 check-in counters. It is also the largest hotel in Asia. 

A lush, grand tropical rainforest greets guests at the main entrance of the First World Hotel, followed by a spacious Spanish courtyard lobby and tropical garden behind the reception counter. 

And the staff is professional, courteous and willing to make your stay as comfortable as possible. 

The lobby area was packed with people from all over the regions and also many tour groups. Hotel guests sitting in row of benches waiting for their queue number to check in.

7th Day - Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park

7th Day 2007-12-15 Saturday Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park

Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park

The Hop On Hop Off Bus stop briefly stand No: 14 for passenger to get down. We entered a dense, humid, tropical forest, netted against birds and other predators, where 6,000 butterflies filled the air like the living chips of a kaleidoscope. This was the Butterfly Park: as enchanting as if we had stepped into another, more delicate and very fragile, world.

Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park is situated near the Lake Gardens. The park imitate butterfly's natural habitat and the tropical rainforest. To prevent the butterfly's from escaping the whole park is covered by a net. 

When you take rest along the limestone paths, butterfly's fly around you. Many locations were placed with fruits, like pineapple for the insects.

Just in case the flowers on the plants do not produce enough nectar, the butterflies can dine on trays of red hibiscus blossoms sprayed with a mixture of 10 per cent honey and 90 per cent water.

We enter through the long vertical rows of green chains at the entrance. A tranquil garden flourished with pleasant plants and flowers.  Surrounded with The sounds of streaming water and beautiful butterflies. And a dragonfly came and stand on your thumb to welcome your visit.

The garden resembles an atmosphere of a mini rain forest. There is this green box filled with cocoons right after we walk down the stairs, that is the breading and nursery area. 

The small pathways are clean and well kept. We were amazed by the beautiful plants, flowers and butterflies all around you. Complimented with sitting areas and a view tower.

This Green forest  landscaped park is home for over 6,000 butterflies from 120 species. Only 5 minutes walk from the Bird Park.

There is a nursery and breeding area. Here you can learn about the life cycle and mating habit of the butterflies. 

Comprising the beautiful landscape are flower and fruit plants and some rare herbs essential in the diet and pollinating activities of the butterflies.   This museum has a good collection of butterflies from different part of the world.

Insect Museum

The Butterfly Park isn't really huge, the garden can easily be done in half an hour with another half hour in the Insect Museum. 

The insect museum enhance our knowledge about these creepy-crawlers. 

Insect Museum

6th Day - The National Museum

6th Day 2007-12-14 Friday The National Museum

KLCC - Kuala Lumpur City Centre

Finally a photo of the family, the first family photo during this trip. I bought a camera stand the previous day.

Children Swimming pool and fountain in KLCC Park

Today we use the HOP ON and HOPE OFF bus again.

As KLCC is on the routine route of Hop On bus, we hop off at KLCC for lunch before continue the sight see of KL city.

Today was our 2nd time to come to KLCC. We spend time outdoor. The first time we came 4 days ago was at night which we spend indoor.

With both visit, we managed to see both inside  and outside greenery of KLCC.

After lunch in KLCC, we hop on the next bus to National Musium.

Kuala Lumpur National Museum

Kuala Lumpur National Museum Located on the fringe of Taman Tasik Perdana (Kuala Lumpur Lake Gardens).
This is the principal museum in Malaysia.
In the museum there are :
1) Historical Gallery,
2) Metalwork and Musical Instruments Gallery,
3) Cultural Gallery,
4) National Sports Gallery and
5) Natural History Gallery.

Facilities include a conservation laboratory, a library with more than 6,500 titles catering to researchers, students and individuals in the field of archaeology, ethnology, natural history and other similar disciplines, and a photographic studio containing slides and negatives on various subjects of interest to the museum.

Thematic exhibitions are held from time to time. On the museum's grounds are static displays including old locomotives, vintage cars and a replica of an ancient Malay palace.

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"British North Borneo Company official at a meeting 1898" 

This 1898 Black & White photograph "British North Borneo Company official at a meeting 1898" caught my eyes and I stare for a long long time on this old image of 100 years ago.

Its like a time machine bringing me back to 100 years ago and found some clues to my grandfather time:

1- It was taken in 1898. Wong Shin Chiang came from China to Jesselton in 1906-1909 and soon found a permanent employment in this British North Borneo Railway.

2- Chinese staff one of them carry an umbrella. Umbrella was a Chinese status symbol  at that time. Like today everyone try to carry a Smartphone to identify themselves from those who do not have a smart phone.

Photo captioned "British North Borneo Railway in 1898" is a photo taken in 1898 , just a few years before my grand father arrived Jesselton and started work with them. The year 1898 and the year Wong Shien Chiang joining them as college between 1906-1909 was only a few years apart. It is very likely these railway staff in the photo and my grand father were later became college and knew each other well.

This Museum has few more precious images I have been searching for - pictures of Jesselton during my grandfather's time 1900 to 1950.


Wong Shin Chian, my grand father, worked in this railway till the end of his day. Yet, I knew very little about him and his life as a railway worker.

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About Wong Shin Chiang 黃承青 (1887-1939)
(remark : he was not in above photo of 1898)

On landing at the wharf around 1906-1909, this young man with hardly any money left was desperate for a job and without knowing any single soul in this new world, he can only hope for the best. Without any knowledge of this new place he took the obvious choice, to follow the railway line out of the wharf to town.  Following the railway line he soon saw a train station and in he stepped and asked for a job. Luck was with him and he managed to meet the “Indian” station master. With some passable English he was asked to fill an application form. Upon completion of the form and after it was handed back to the station master, the station master was very impressed with the very neat handwriting of the young man. He was offered a job right on the spot. The year was estimated to be around 1906-1909........ from Wong Family History, 2005, Perth, Australia

100 years ago, a homeless, penniless, jobless young China man with pony tail landed at Jesselton wharf from a steamship and follow the railway line to the office of  British North Borneo where he was offered a job right on the spot on the day of arrival and thus became a staff of the above photograph British North Borneo Company official.

This a beautiful piece of story. But too good to be true that as his grandson I do not take the above family record directly.

But what is true was that Wong Shin Chiang 黃承青 (1887-1939) did actualy worked for British North Borneo Railway till his passing away of sudden illness at age 52.  The British company provided monthly pension to his widower, my grandmother, PANG Len Yin 彭蓮英 (1889-1979 Age 90). When North Borneo became independent in 1963, the Sabah Government carry on providing his monthly pension to the widower till her RIP in 1979.

Wong Shin Chiang 黃承青 (1887-1939)
 (photo from family archive)
 Who worked for British North Borneo Railway for his entire life in North Borneo
      

5th Day - A day in Waters of Africa

5th Day 2007-12-13 THURSDAY - A day in Waters of Africa

Sunway Lagoon Hotel entrance to Sunway Lagoon Water Park

Before noon, the taxi driver dropped us in front Sunway Lagoon Hotel and pointed to the an entrance on the right of the hotel building. The entrance is where we enter the Sunway Lagoon's Water of Africa. 
We spend the rest of the day exploring the wonders of Sunway Lagoon Water Theme Park's adventure and excitement at the Waters of Africa, Wild West & World of Adventure.

Transformed from a tin mine, Sunway Lagoon Theme Park is Kuala Lumpur recent exciting place for families recreation and fun. Sunway Lagoon Theme Park consists of the dry park and water park with a wide variety of attractions, including various rides.
This amusement park in Petaling Jaya opened to public on April 29, 1993. 

This Malaysia's Premier Theme Park of Water Rides and slides galore, this man-made attraction has won two major tourism awards in 2007
1) the first Asian Attraction Awards for Most Popular Attraction (Medium-sized) in Asia at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Asian Expo at Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand, 
2) Malaysia's Best Man-Made Tourist Attraction Award by the Ministry of Tourism. 
Sunway Lagoon Water Park 
Located in Bandar Sunway, Selangor, 20 minutes from Kuala Lumpur

Ticket Rate 
Entrance fees to the theme park 
RM45 - Adult
RM30 - Children

Booking online will be cheaper:
RM 38.25 - Adult
RM 25.50 - Children


The entrance fee to Sunway Lagoon is a total of Rm165.00 for my family of 4. 

Sunway Lagoon

SUNWAY LAGOON Consists of two different worlds : dry world and wet world:

Surf Beach (wet) 
Waters of Africa (wet) 
Wild Life Interactive Zoo (dry)
World of Adventure (dry)
Wild Wild West (dry)

1) Waters of Africa is the ultimate water park with an African wilderness theme, where you can challenge your family and friends in the 6-laned Congo Challenge.

2) Wild, Wild West is set in the old frontier days with cowboys and Indians, where rides such as Niagara Falls Flame Ride and The Tomahawk are the favorites. 

3) World of Adventure, containing the world's largest Suspension Bridge, which offers spectacular views of the Lagoon.

4) SUNWAY WILDLIFE INTERACTIVE ZOO
Sunway Wildlife Interactive Zoo is the latest attraction at the premier Sunway Lagoon Theme Park. It  is the first and the only fully interactive animal themed attraction in Malaysia which houses more than 90 species of every possible tame animal in the world. 

5) Sunway Xtreme Park
A taste of combat with a game of paintball, show off their riding skills on a power-packed All Terrain Vehicles (ATV), enjoy the speed and sharp manoeuvers of jet boat rides or simply indulge in the serenity of the lake on a kayak. 

                     
A theme park with stomach-churning thrill like giant water slides, twin speed slides, double twister wave pool and many more.  Spanning over 80 acres, Sunway Lagoon draws fun seekers with its reputation as a theme lands each boasting their own exciting attractions. There are Adventure Park, Wild Wild West, Water Park, Surf Beach. A place where we took home more than just memories.      

Waters of Africa

Sunway Lagoon’s water park, the Waters of Africa ‘playground’, is its most popular zone. Here in Water of Africa we spend an enjoyable afternoon with the cool fresh water in an Africa environment setting.
Malaysia’s first surf simulator, the FlowRider, sees the most action; here, surfers can show off their skills and it is frequently used for competitions while surfing and body-boarding sessions are held at weekends at the wave pool.

Other popular rides include the Congo Challenge – a six-lane water slide that achieves speeds of up to 40kmph – while thrill-seekers will love to spin around in the loops of the African Pythons before they’re spat out of the gigantic tubes.

Another ride for daredevils is the Cameroon Climb. Here, two riders swoop down from a height of 15m in double tubes and shoot up and down till they come to a standstill. Kids are also well-catered for – especially noteworthy is Little Zimbabwe, an interactive water playground built to resemble an African village complete with huts and Masai warriors guarding the entrance.
  

Sunway Surf Beach

The newly refurbished attraction called Sunway Surf Beach has a rolling surf pool sandy beach made out of over 6,000 tones of sand. On top of that, there are more than 146 palm trees and Balinese huts. You will be able to build sand castles, relax under the palm trees or have a game of beach volleyball with your friends and family members. The surf pool is capable of producing 8 feet tall surf waves.

Sunway Surf Beach

Nowhere else one can find a man made beach for surfing right next to a shopping mall. Sure Beach was recently  transformed with the placement of 6000 tons of sand, palm trees and huts in the area, creating a tropical beach oasis in the middle of the city. City dwellers no longer need to travel tormenting long distances to have a fulfilling seaside experience.

This newly opened Sunway Surf Beach is one of the world's most unique entertainment venues and has been an irresistible draw to some of the world's most prestigious events like Quiksilver Revolution Tour 06, X Games Asia 2006, promotional concerts by world-renowned artists like Wang Lee Hom, Westlife, FIR, SHE and more ...
The Sunway Lagoon boasts the largest surf pool in the world, spanning 5 acres and generating 8-foot high waves that crash onto Malaysia's longest man-made beach within a city.

The Pyramid Shopping Mall (background above picture)
Adjacent to the water theme park is a huge shopping and leisure complex called 'The Pyramid', (background above picture)  which houses the hi-tech 48-lane bowling alley, Malaysia's first themed open indoor ice-skating rink, the fashionable Tang's departmental store, and the ten comfortable and professionally managed cineplexes, adding to the limitless range of activities at the Sunway Lagoon.  Sunway Pyramid is considered the best Thematic Mall in Malaysia.

4th Day - Batu Caves of Hindu Gods

4th Day 2007-12-12 WED  - Batu Caves of Hindu Gods

Batu Caves is thirteen kilometres (seven miles) north of Kuala Lumpur.
The caves are sacred place for the Hindu's in Malaysia. This limestone caves system consist of three main caves and a number of smaller ones. They were discovered in 1892. The caves are huge. They spiral up and up, with open jags in the ceiling letting in light and birds.

From town centre tourists can reach the Batu Caves by taxi or public bus (11 and 11d). The public busses can be boarded at the Pudu Raya Bus Terminal in Kuala Lumpur. There are more steps to continue inside the cave. Once inside, we find a blend of light and shade, together with the sacred atmosphere created by the smoke of incense

How we got there :
We took taxi between Citus Hotel and Batu Caves. The going fare was Rm20.00 while returning was charged Rm25.00

Monkeys and pigeons at Batu Caves
Monkey untamed and yet tamed with the presence of visitors walking up and down Batu Caves 272 steps, most of them are just loitering around. Some cunning ones would do a trick or two to steal peanuts, while others waited to be feed by generous visitors. They are everywhere. Some hisses at people . Some mommies with the babies hanging off them.

Pigeons swamp the courtyard of the temple. The generously fed flocks of pigeons are tame and they give way to passing visitors graciously.

There's a small curio store and a couple of stalls that sells things including a place to buy drinks.

We arrived around 11:00am and the previous night was a rainy night so the heat wasn't a matter and the climb up was a lot easier than I expected. The climb down might be a little unnerving, the stairs are quite steep. While we were inside the caves, we were not aware it rained outside. Only when we leave the caves to realize we have to walk down a watery wet 272 steps.

Take lots of pictures as there's a lot to see in the cave and out of the cave. The Hindu art is fantastic.

Beneath the Status of Lord Muruga....

Beneath the Status of Lord Muruga....
....are happy children feeding pigeons.


Children feeding pigeons at the square in front Lord Muruga. Thousand pigeons here! These pigeons are not really scared of people. These birds walk on the ground steadily.

Few other families also buying bread crumbs and seed grain from the nearby stalls to feed the pigeons. Rm 1.00 each pack.

“Feeding pigeons” has become an activity on its own at Batu Caves among the children. Each child spreading grains on the ground, competing who could attract the biggest flock of pigeons around.

Temple Cave - The largest cave of Batu Caves system

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Temple Cave is the main tourist attraction at Batu Caves. Usually the only cave that the visitors see -- after climbing the 272 stairs. After that they descend the 272 stairs and left for home, not knowing there are more to explore in the area.

Temple Cave (Cathedral Cave) is the largest cave at 400 meters long and 100 meters high.  This is the cave every visitor reached after the staircase with 272 steps. It is a sacred place for the Hindu. 

In the cave, the annual Hindu Thaipusam festival celebrated. Last year (2006) the festival had 1.5 million participants.

272 steps to Gods

Climbing the grueling 272 steps up to the caverns each day are thousands of visitors from all corners. This Batu Caves are important Hindu religious sites outside of India. 

Eight miles north of Kuala Lumpur City, Batu Caves attract thousands of visitors a day to climb the grueling 272 steps up to the caverns.

The Caves are a focal point for Hindu Malaysians during Thaipusam. In the caves house a 113-year-old temple, with an interesting array of Hindu artworks and shrines.

Every year during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, the Batu Caves attract more than a million devotees and spectators. An eight-hour procession of music and ceremony leaves offerings before a giant statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War.

Approaching the caves, the first thing visitor see is a towering golden statue of Lord Murugan completed in 2006, this statue is the largest in the world dedicated to the deity Murugan.

Load Muruan stands guard to the 272 leg-burning steps that lead up to the cave entrances. Before making the 272 steps, very often Hindu devotees shave their heads bald as a symbol of humility and atonement. 

We climbed 272 steps to top. According legend for each step you take you are forgiven a sin. If you have less than 272 sins committed, you can have your future sins forgiven. I like this legend.

Looking down from the caves entrance

Resting points along the stairs provide nice views of
the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.

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BEFORE and AFTER

BEFORE and AFTER

My hairs are too long and began to feel uncomfortable. Time to have a hair cut and there is a ANDY'S saloon right in the compound of Batu Caves entrance. I heard Hindu devotees from all over Malaysia like to have a hair cut in Batu Caves.  A good place for myself a hair cut too ? I went...

"How much for cutting hair?....." I asked

"Rm 12 cutting,  Rm 10 shaving ...."

"OK Rm 10..."  In haste I selected the economy one. I am a budget traveller.

.......................the Hindu barber obviously regards me as another devotee. He is such an expert barber that  in less then 5 minutes......he changed my outlook.  

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After Batu Caves we return to Citus Hotel where we left our luggage since morning checked out from Swiss Inn. For the next 3 nights we will stay here. The room is spacious with a view of the magnificent world famous Twin Towers.

Citus  Hotel  has good view from our room. Just 5 minutes walk to LRT stations and  a shopping mall near by.

During checking in, I asked to have room  with good view and the counter staff did not disappointed me by giving me a room in high floor with excellent view on Petronas Towers. Its room 1007.

Citus Hotel is a good experience for my family because good location, excellent breakfast (a massive choice of different food:), a great pool just for only me and my daughter. (we went at late evening when no one else is using the pool)

After checking in the Citus Hotel late afternoon we left the 2 children to catch up sleep in the room while 2 of us took the LRT to China Town to buy some children cloths before picking up our laundry we left for washing the previous day.

It was almost 7:30 pm and the Petaling Street Night Market already crowded. Those stalls selling in the middle of the road need to bargain hard. As Shirley did not like to argue over price for small things we chose to buy from the shops with price tag. We found PUSAT PAKAIAN HARI-HARI  Shop No: 95 at Jalan Petaling has large verity of children items. Alone with some children clothing's I bought a school bag for Yin for Rm 18.90.  This is a trolley school beg with 2 rollers, a favourite among  the small school children back home. 

A few shop away the PAKAIAN EKONOMI KAWANKU Shop No: 99 is a similar shop also with large verity of economy clothing's.  We bought a few item from that shop last afternoon.

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Evening, Night and Dawn

The above 3 photos were taken on my first day and last day at Citus Hotel room 1007 at tree different time of the day evening, night and dawn.

3rd Day - Eye on Malaysia Fairy Whispers

3rd Day - 2007-12-11 TUESDAY See more of Kuala Lumpur

9:40AM  Back to Hop on - Hop Off Bus again. The ticket we bought yesterday valid 24 hours till 2:20pm this afternoon. The bus travel on the road smoothly with no heavy traffic jam.

10:00AM We hop off at Istana Negara (National Palace) 

Istana Negara (National Palace)

 Istana Negara (National Palace) 

This old Istana Negara (old National Palace) had been the residence of 13 Yang di-Pertuan Agongs since independence in 1957. 

The old palace is owned by the government who preserved the main building of this old Istana Negara as a national heritage and opened to visitors with its original features and furnishings maintained.

The Istana Negara was officially handed over to the Government on Feb 21, 2011.

Istana Negara, literally translates to National Palace is the official residence His Majesty, the Yang-di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, or supreme King of Malaysia. 

This old palace located on Bukit Petaling overlooking the Klang River, was used to be a mansion by a local Chinese millionaire, Chan Wing. He built it in 1928 as a residence for himself and his family away from the busy city area of Kuala Lumpur. 

In 1942,, during the Japanese Occupation, the mansion was used as the residence of the Japanese Governor. After the surrender of the Japanese in 1945, the British used the mansion as the military office before it was renovated to become the residence of the Sultan of Selangor in 1950. 

After independent in 1957, the mansion was sold to the federal government to be used as the official resident of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong until today.

Favorite tourists’ spot includes the main entrance which resembles an arch with two guard posts shelter hosting two members of the cavalry in their full dress uniform similar to that of Buckingham Palace, the official residence of Queen Elizebath in London.

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Eye on Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR 2007

It was around mid day when HOP ON HOP OFF bus arrived Titiwangsa Lake Garden. We got down and went to the Eye on Malaysia. This wheel is modeled after London Eye, and is the tallest (60m structure) observation wheel in South East Asia. 


The Wheel open at 10:00 am . By the time we arrived at 12:00 noon, there were may people but not crowded.  Every one lined up for the tickets. Because not many visitors, we have a whole cab for our family of 4. The view from the top was great even though the sky was overcast.

The loading however was pretty quick since they are able to load up to 8 persons into each of the 3 cabs simultaneously. 

This viewing wheel consists of 42 fully air-conditioned gondolas, 39 of which have the capacity to carry a eight passengers.  Tickets are available for RM 15 Adult and RM 8 Child. Launched in January 2007 as part of the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 celebrations.

Ticket Prices : 

The rate for a ride is Rm. 15 Adult and Rm. 8 for child.

Xing is form 1 this year, was considered as adult. So our family of 4 was counted as 3 adults and 1 child and that is RM 45 + 8 total Rm53.00

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Around 1:00pm  the ride ended and as we walked toward to bus stop to wait for the next HOP ON bus. it came at the right moment.
The journey back to our hotel in China Town is a slow and time consuming on the busy road of KL City. The weather was also no fine. As you can see the above and below photos, the sky was gray.  KL lost much of her colour and beauty under a moody gray shy.
It took us more than an hour on the tour bus to travel from Eye On Malaysia to Times Square because of traffic jam. By 2:20pm we saw this tall and magnificent building of Times Squares (photo below)
The HOP ON Stop number 6 is just beside this Time Square and the bus stopped for several minutes here. Half of the passengers got down here. We did not visit this largest shopping mall in Malaysia as we have a tight schedule. We leave this mall for explore the next time we come to KL.

13:47 At Jalan Binjai there was a film crews making a TV or film series.

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Berjaya Times Square

Berjaya Times Square is the largest shopping mall in Malaysia with 3,450,000 square feet providing more than 700 shops. This huge building housing the biggest Borders Bookstore, Metrojaya Department Store, Cold Storage Supermarket, Ampang Superbowl and the largest IMAX Theatre in South East Asia.

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Petaling Street (China Town)

3:00 PM We are back to hotel room from Eye On Malaysia using HOP-ON HOP OFF BUS. Tonight we will go to Mid Valley Mega Mall.  For now we have some time to shop around in Petaling Street.

Petaling Street is the China Town of Kuala Lumpur. People of all races and tourists flocking to this area from afternoon till late night.  Visitors travelling on buses and taxis around Kuala Lumpur are bound to pass by this busy street, and thereby, a glimpse of Petaling Street. 

We left the 2 children in the hotel room for them to catch up with some sleep after a tiring day. Kids will be swept up by the massive crowd of shoppers perusing each stall in the narrow street. Here is not an atmosphere for me but enjoy being dazzled by the array of items on sale, as well as feasting on the delightful local food served.

Bask in its atmosphere of noise and colours, enjoy the culinary delights on offer, and shop for amazing things. This is the cultural experience of Kuala Lumpur Chinatown.

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We went to Mid Valley for dinner.  By the time we reach there and found a comfortable to sit down for dinner it was 8:30 pm.  In the FOOD JUNCTION stall no: 4 the HOUSE OF NOODLE I ordered a bowl of hot Kuey Teow Soup. Rm 5.57 (Including 5% Govt. Tax)

Fairies in Mid Valley Megamall gave us the most happy moment of this Kuala Lumpur trip. Before we came we have no idea of Mid Valley has Fairies to entertain children during this Christmas festive season. 

We were  surprised when bump into these fairies walking around and dancing at Mid Valley Mega mall. We discovered a magical scene at the centre court surrounded with hundreds of people. Many of them are tourist from China, India and Arabic countries.

Mid Valley Megamall is famous for exquisite Christmas decor. Each year in Midvalley Megamall the Christmas decorations are elegant and creatively done. Theme for this year of 2007 is Magical Fairies - an inspiration from William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.

Themed Fairy Whispers at Mid Valley Megamall - the mall has been transformed into a mystical forest where fairies dwell. A magical setting with wild flowers, fairy dolls, and wild fruits and berries and butterflies.

Fairy Whispers
 “Our Christmas theme, Fairy Whispers, was inspired by the famous book by William Shakespeare, Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Fairy Whispers
“Our Christmas theme, Fairy Whispers, was inspired by the famous book by William Shakespeare, Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Kung Suan Ai

Director of advertising of Mid Valley Megamall

2007 

 “We created an enchanted forest where fairies roam this magical world of the unknown. When you enter the Centre Court, you will be amazed by the landscape of wild beauty, with glowing fairy lights, dainty ornaments and wild flower garlands,”

“Best Decorated Mall Contest” for Christmas 2007

I am glade we were in the megamall during the trip to see the Christmas decoration, that later won the best title in “Best Decorated Mall Contest” for Christmas 2007.

The Christmas decorations are elegant and creatively done. The theme for 2007 is Magical Fairies. Mid Valley Megamall  bagged the first prize in the “Best Decorated Mall Contest” for Christmas 2007.

The contest, themed “Christmas Magic” was organized by Tourism Malaysia in conjunction with the Malaysia Year-End Sale 2007.

Mid Valley Megamall took home the grand prize of RM10,000 cash, a trophy and certificate presented by Shopping Malaysia Secretariat general manager Rosly Selamat.

Mid Valley Megamall, the exquisite Christmas decor for which the complex is famous, has brought in fairies to entertain children during the festive season.

Themed Fairy Whispers at Mid Valley Megamall - the mall has been literally transformed into a mystical forest where fairies dwell.

“This year we decided to seek inspiration from William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. In line with our theme, we have created this magical setting with wild flowers, fairy dolls, and wild fruits and berries and butterflies for the decor,”  Catherine Lim. megamall's assistant public relations manager.

Magical is not the word to describe the scene at the centre court, mesmerizing is more like it.

Christmas Magical Fairies in Mid Valley Megamall

The children are mesmerized by the enchanted forest. Both young and old were squealing with delight, taking snapshots of the forest and many, especially the little ones, were seen reaching out to touch the fairy creatures lurking inside the trees.