We went on an overnight trip to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate AA’s birthday and Gelle’s last out of town trip before getting married. Chi found a website that offered a cheap package for coach and hotel, so we booked ourselves an overnight trip.
On the morning of July 4, a Saturday, we picked up our tickets from the travel agency and rode our bus. We were so pleased to see the big and comfy seats that had a lot of leg room and reclining space.
It was a smooth trip save for the Malaysian immigration point which was very crowded and disorganized, a complete disparity from the Singapore one. We ended up in different queues, and Punch was unfortunate enough to have several guys sneak infront of him, so he was stuck in immigration longer than us. So Chi waited for him while the rest of us got back on the bus.
The conductor then told us to go get our friends as we needed to go already, threatening to leave them behind if they did not come back immediately. So I called Chi but she said Punch was still stuck in line. I relayed this to the conductor and angrily told him that they did not have the right to leave him as it wasn’t his fault he was stuck at the stupid line.
But they would not let it go at that and kept on bugging us and pointing at us and raising their voices so AA and Gelle ended up raising their voices at them too. It was starting to get stressful because the other passengers on the bus were starting to grumble, too.
After some time, Punch and Trish finally arrived, and when Punch walked in, he stared daggers at everyone in the bus. He looked so scary that not a single person who was complaining earlier said anything. Bravo, Punch! But really, people. It seriously wasn’t his fault!
I sat next to a mummy on the bus
We arrived in Kuala Lumpur at around 3pm already, so much later than we anticipated. Our Genting plan was out the window, then.
So we checked into our rooms in Radius International Hotel. It was already paid for, part of the package. It was the cheapest on the list but it was still very nice.
in our hotel room
We had a late lunch at their lobby restaurant before heading to Batu Caves in a taxi.
There was a giant golden statue at the foot of the stairs leading to the cave and we had some jump shots infront of it. There were some hundred steps that led to the caves which we decided not to climb because of the sweltering heat. We were content to have pictures with the stalactites in our background.
Then we had some drinks to stave of the heat before getting into another taxi to bring us back to the city proper.
jump shot infront of Batu Caves
my candid shot of “the kids”
Punch and the stalactites
pigeons on wires
The cab driver was very knowledgeable and offered to bring us to a spot where we can have some excellent pictures of the Petronas Towers, even offering to take the picture so that everyone can be in it.
He also knew where Nando’s was and prompty dropped us off there in time for dinner. I was the one who suggested seeking this place out because I had seen a lot of P&G friends raving about it on their Facebook pages. It was indeed rave-worthy. I loooved the flame-grilled peri-peri chicken, corn on the cob, and the salad. What made the meal even more satisfying was that it was free – Chi’s birthday present to AA was her birthday celebration.
the sunset at Petronas Towers
lucky ladies have their own photographer
mouthwatering Nando’s peri-peri chicken, salad, and corn on the cob
We headed to Chinatown to buy some souvenirs, then booked ourselves some foot massages. I don’t usually like foot massages, but this one was very good! It was also a lot cheaper than Singapore’s.
Then we bought some lansones and mangosteen and rode another cab to the famous Petronas Towers. Now I had seen plenty of pictures of these twin peaks but seeing them up close and personal was a very different experience. I was swept away. Wow.
our photographer took such great pains
fountain infront of Petronas Towers
Samson pose
party of five at the base of Petronas Towers
After so many pictures, we headed back to our hotel and watched some TV (something I’ve missed because we don’t have one at home). Men in Black II was on, and I saw Michael Jackson’s cameo appearance again. I had forgotten all about that. The king of pop had died earlier that week.
We ate some cold chicken and noodles before sleeping, intending to wake up early the next day so that we could line up to climb the Petronas Towers, but we ended up wanting a view of slumberland more than of Malaysia.
And so we woke up much later, had our buffet breakfast, then headed to KLCC mall where we found out that there was a sale. We bought some Vincci shoes and shades then had lunch at Nando’s again, this time at a stall inside KLCC.
Then we headed to another hotel to wait for our coach and there was a Baskin Robbins shop there, where we bought some ice cream and freshly baked chocolate muffins. Not fair to cook them in the shop and tempt us with that smell!
The ride home in the coach was better than the one going. The seats were way better and we had the entire first floor of the double decker to ourselves. The Malaysian immigration was also less crowded this time, so we got through with no issues. The bus driver also noted all his passengers’ faces so that he was able to lead us to the bus the moment we got out of the immigration. The trip was short but sweet. To borrow Chi’s expression: Lovely!!
Thanks for sharing