Sunday, October 12, 2014

Memories of Malaysia - Day 4 Part 2 Berjaya Times Square

After a rest and a swim we headed out for dinner at Berjaya Times Square. This shopping centre wasn't far from our apartment and we took the monorail (just one stop).

We checked out the indoor archery centre but our boys were too young to try.


We then went up to the top floor to look at the indoor roller coaster and amusement centre. Unfortunately you could only buy an all day pass for 130 rgt each so that was a bit disappointing. We had a look around the rest of the shopping centre but there was no inspiring shopping (mostly independent stores, a Borders and electronics) and we were all tired.



Dinner was at Subway and we grabbed some groceries including carrots from Australia! The best part of the evening was the Grand Musical Staircase. Apparently it cost $1.5m rm and took 13 weeks to build.  The landing area of the staircase had liquid panels that produced ripples with every footstep. That was pretty cool!
 

Memories of Malayasia - Day 4 KLCC Park, Central Market, Chinatown (part 1)

Day 4 was a mixed day of sightseeing and started with a fabulous breakfast at our now favourite breakfast cafe. This time we tried banana roti. There were a few taxis parked outside so we took one into the city so we could catch a bus around to the Central Market area.

The buses, like the trains, are clean and modern although you are bombarded with video clips and ads on the tv screens. I suppose at least it is entertaining! Despite my prior research, we hopped on the wrong bus (there are circle buses free for going around the city centre) and ended up being directed to get a train to Central Market. Instead, we headed back to the KL park area around the fountains for a little play. The boys had their swimming gear for a swim (it was so humid!) but the pool area was closed.







Then we headed back to the train to find our way to Central Market. Central Market is basically a collection of souvenir shops aimed at tourists. They are a bit more pricer than outdoor markets but it is tidier and airconditioned (and less touting). We had a look around and then ended up at another fish spa as Mr J had been pestering all morning. This one had bigger fish so 15 minutes was enough to cool off and relax our feet after all the walking. The boys were not so keen on this fish spa as the fish were almost three times the size as the other ones.








Notice how the fish were flocking to Brett's feet.



We then headed over to Chinatown to find somewhere for lunch. The boys didn't like the markets with the stall holders quite vocal and a bit pushy in trying to get them into their shop. It was not my favourite place and the boys found it confronting and confusing. We did see chestnuts roasting but didn't buy any.





This is where we purchased some t-shirts for our nephew. Mr J was the star of the store and this shop assistant asked for a photo with him.
 


We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant (being that we were in Chinatown) which was OK but I has the worst MSG dreams that night. We went into one of the more expensive (in KL terms) restaurants to enjoy the air conditioning Then it was time to head back to the apartment for a rest and swim.

 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Memories of Malaysia - Day 3, cont I-city

I-City is known as the "City of Digital Lights" and is located in Shah Alam, which is a different city to KL (a bit like how Ipswich is to Brisbane). It wasn't easy to work out how to get to it as the website is not very detailed.

We were so blessed by our Air BnB host, Su Yi, who lives in Shah Alam, and offered to pick us up from a nearby train station and drive us to I-City. Su Yi works for a major electronics company, also located in Shah Alam.

From our apartment, we had to go back into KL Sentral and then catch a train, and a drive to the location. This meant we didn't get to I-City until the early evening which was OK because we were going mainly to see the night lights. We had a little rest and swim in the afternoon because we knew it was going to be a late night.

After grabbing something to eat at the park, we decided to head into Snowalk. Inside was a below 5 degrees celcius Artic environment with ice sculptures and rides – the biggest in Malaysia. Inside we found igloos, ice houses, slides, a mini-bobsled run, snowmen, ice penguins, a bar made of ice (no alcohol unfortunately), various ice sculptures and LED lights.



We had to rug up in hire jackets while it was boiling hot outside! Our hands were still cold though, gloves would have been great! There were a couple of small toboggan rides but our boys were a bit young for them and Kaiden was too scared.





Outside, there was an area of amusement rides. You needed to pay a small fee for a ride card and then charge it up with money. We didn't spend alot of time on rides and they were quite expensive for what they were.

There were a couple of other attractions in the park but we were running out of time and it was getting late.


 
We stepped over to the main light area and saw an amazing field of digital trees, animals and flowers. After looking around for a little while and realising it was now 9.30pm, we sent Su-Yi a text as agreed and as she had just finished her dinner with friends she offered to drive us back to the apartment. This was an amazing offer given the distance (about 30 mins drive) and we are so appreciative of her hospitality. She asked if we wanted to stop at a supermarket so we could buy groceries (which we declined though but so grateful for the offer).

As we were driving back, we went through a few tolls. Su Yi used a hand held device which she kept in the side panel of her door. She explained how they don't have the toll reader on their windscreen as when you are stopped at lights or parked, people smash the windscreen to steal the reader. Her next story was about how her Mum had her handbag stolen from her passenger side seat when she was waiting at lights. I held my bag extra tight and felt so grateful for the safety we enjoy in Australia!















Tips 
*Take your own food or eat before you go! There are a limited number of food outlets and are busy at peak times. There is a small supermarket to buy snacks, drinks and ice-creams.

*Try not to combine I-City with a major day outing (like we did with Batu Caves) as there is a little bit of walking around and i-City is a late night activity. All up it was a big day.

*Best way to get there? Not sure. If you don't have your own transport, I would hire a driver and have them wait. Getting there would be easy (train and then heaps of taxis at the train station) but getting home would be more difficult. I didn't see any taxis at the park. It would make it an expensive evening out. I'm not sure if it would be worth it then.

*Spend a bit longer that what we did  if you go (6pm to 9.30pm) but this is not an all day activity. It also definitely for families/children and please don't expect this to be like MovieWorld as it is very basic in comparison. The main highlight was the field of lights.





Memories of Malaysia Day 3 Batu Caves

Our third day was dedicated to going to the Batu Caves. Batu Caves is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples in the Gombak district, 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of Kuala Lumpur. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. 

The limestone forming Batu Caves is said to be around 400 million years old. Some of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people (a tribe of Orang Asli).

Rising almost 100 m above the ground, the Batu Caves temple complex consists of three main caves and a few smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, has a very high ceiling and features ornate Hindu shrines. To reach it, visitors must climb a steep flight of 272 steps.

Thanks Wikipedia for the explanation!

Following recommendations online, we headed off early as it was getting very hot and humid during the day.  Our AirBnB host, Su-Yi, helped us with directions on how to get there using the train.

We took the monorail into the city and walk to KL Sentral (will be so good when they finish the undercover walkway linking the two stations as it was like walking through a building site). We then caught the train to Batu Caves. The train was cheap, modern and clean. There was even a carriage just for women! It took about 40 minutes through the suburbs to reach the Batu train station and cost about 8 rgt for our family. That is just below $3 AUS, if only our public transport was so cheap!

At the base of the caves, there was this huge monkey statue. You will see me wear this dress ALOT on these holidays, it was great wash and wear and so cool in the humid weather. 

We climbed all these stairs.




And saw this view from the top. 


The best part of the visit for the boys was the monkeys (and especially the monkey bottoms). There were heaps of monkeys watching tourists as they climbed the stairs. The monkeys were always looking around and picking up scraps of paper to check for food.I was a bit worried one was going to pounce on us or grab our bag but we had no food in sight so there was no attempt. One of the monkeys had a baby on her back which was interesting to see.



We climbed the stairs and looked inside the main cave. There was a few ornate temples and statues inside.

 It did stink of bat poo. 



 

At the base of the caves, J enjoyed feeding the pigeons and a lady shared her pigeon food with him to throw to the birds. This was the beginning of J's celebrity status - with his blond hair he was quite popular for photos. We didn't see many Australians around KL.




After cool drink and ice-cream we then headed back to our apartment for a swim and rest before our trip to Night City. 

Tips
* Head out to Batu Caves early. We arrived at the caves at 9.30am and it was already getting hot and humid.

*Take lots of water although there are shops at the base of the caves and markets to buy sweets, fruit and ice-creams.  

*The train is easy, cheap and you get to see more of the city on your journey out to the caves. You can take a tour or hire a guide but if you have the time, take the train and save your $$. For kids, it is another experience to add into their holiday memories.

*Bananas from the stalls at the base of the caves make a quick and easy snack.

*If you are into selfies, here is an idea for you. It is a bit hard to see in the photo but she has her phone attached on the end of a golf club.

 

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Memories of Malaysia - Day 2, cont

Day 2, cont....

The Petronas Twin Towers are impressive buildings and the stand-out piece of modern architecture in KL. We viewed the towers from the ground and didn't bother buying tickets to go for a tour of the skybridge and observation desk. Guards kept people out of the fountains and were quick to whistle at J who thought it would be fun to run through the shallow water despite our yelling. Brett was approached a couple of times with 'bargains' - watches and a mobile phone.


Following a stroll through the upmarket shopping centre (including a Kate Spade handbag shop) we walked around to the aquarium.



The aquarium was busy but manageable and we saw quite a few animals not here in Australia - piranhas, tarantulas and funny water rats who were gnawing on wood.




Following our visit, it was pouring down so we took the huge covered walkway to the Pavilion shopping centre and settled on lunch at an American ribs place. Expensive for Malaysia at $70 AUS but the serves were generous and enough for dinner later on as well. Not very traditional but filled the hunger spot!

Brett had a small beer.
We had a quick look around the shops. Guards stopped people from walking or sitting on the lovely grass.

There are lots of modern shops in the city centre.
And tea cup fountains.


As we were walking around, we were approached with a flyer for a fish spa and we thought why not? We went up some stairs into a lovely spa/massage shop, called Kinka Spar, where the boys had a great time. The fish gently nibbled our feet which tickled.




The spa was clean and modern and we found the whole experience relaxing and enjoyable. From that point on, J was continuously asking for a fish spa so it must have been good! The spas for the boys were free with our purchase, totalling $20 AUS for the family. We were keen to get back to the apartment as it was now late afternoon but wanted to come back another time to look more closely at the shops.

 






Tips 

*Go to this fish spa! It was the most tranquil and professional that we came across in our Malaysia! Do it with kids, they will love it!

*Always carry an umbrella. The day starts sunny and hot and ends with a shower or pouring rain, especially when we visited in October.

*Our boys weren't too excited by the thought of going up in the towers. They were happy to look from the ground and then continue on to the aquarium.Glad we saved our money!