A TRIP TO MALAYSIA: THE ADVENTURE OF NATURE

Malaysia- it gives you drama, entertainment, serenity and beauty, all at once. A perfect blend of contemporary and ethnic styles, it gives you a ride into the magnificent infrastructure without losing the hold of the calm sea. I visited this exquisite country in April 2019 with my husband Shubham, on the occasion of my 1st wedding Anniversary. And, today, I will be revisiting this country with you. So, let’s dive in and explore this beauty.

The Twin Tower

The Twin tower or the Petronas Twin tower is the name that lights up in our mind when we think of Malaysia. Located in Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia, the Twin tower is the tallest twin tower of the world. It is a sight to behold and one of the most loved shooting locations for global cinema.

The Tower is gigantic that made it tough to capture that whole thing and me in the same frame. Fortunately, I had a skilled photographer by my side who managed to click some amazing pics of us with the tower. It was just a 5 min ride from “Dorsett, Kuala Lumpur”, where we were staying, so often we were able to steal a few glimpses of it. The strategic placement of our hotel allowed us a spectacular view of glassy skyscrapers beautifying the city. Our stay was luxurious, hazel-free and I would surely recommend this hotel to all.

The Mandatory Pic

Menara KL Tower 

The skyline of Kuala Lumpur is yet another view not to be missed. Standing among the various sunlit glass buildings of KL is the Menara KL Tower which gives an incredible view of the city. 

National Monument and National Palace

The National Monument is the war memorial dedicated to 11,000 Malaysian martyrs of First World War. As I entered the monument, I saw a sculpture and a chill of patriotism ran down my spine. This Bronze sculpture featured seven soldiers supporting and uplifting the fallen comrades and each denoting one of the seven qualities-courage, leadership, sacrifice, strength, suffering, unity and vigilance.

The “I Was Here PIC”

Once the official residence of the King of Malaysia, Istana Negara is Malaysia’s National Palace. It is a typical palace spread in acres of land, having domes decorated in bright golden colour and guards mounted horses at both sides of the entrance. These horses are well-trained and don’t throw a tantrum when you approach them for a picture. If you are a Disney fan like me then surely this sight will remind you of the palace from Disney’s Aladdin. 

The Palace of My Dreams

The One With The Photogenic Horse and Horseman.

Kuala Lumpur City Art Gallery

At the entrance of the gallery, there is the iconic “I Love KL” statue. It is one of the most clicked statues of KL, so here, you can expect more crowd than usual. After clicking a few pictures at the statue, we moved inside the gallery. Inside, there are whimsical art pieces and statues. Also, there is a life-sized model of the major KL buildings. There was so much to look at that we forgot clicking for a while.

We Certainly Do

This is a super miniature art-work, inside a glass bottle.

And I finally, reached the heights.

Bukit Bintang

‘Glamorous‘ is the synonym, most suitable for Kuala Lumpur. If you are a fan of flashy, bright streets, huge malls and extravagant life, then Bukit Bintang is your place. It is the fashion and entertainment capital of Kuala Lumpur. High-end luxury fashion boutiques and elite malls are on display in Bukit Bintang. With all that bright background, I felt like I was walking the red carpet while strolling on the Bintang streets.

The Pavilion Mall

A prominent gem in the jewel-box of Bukit Bintang is “The Pavilion Mall”. Full of huge screens, this shopping and entertainment hub brings your dreams to life. It is crazy huge with attractive figures and art-work at the entrance. In short, it is a perfect site for a starry experience. As I set foot inside the mall, my eyes glittered at the sight of luxury fashion outlets. Before I could say anything, Shubham held my hand tightly…No it wasn’t out of love. We then explored the rest of the mall hand in hand for an hour.

Jalan Alor

Another item to flaunt is the Jalan Alor Street of Bukit Bintang. It gives a treat to your palate. A site of cultural unity, Jalan Alor serves food of great variety. If you are foody like me, I am sure this is going to be one of your favourite spots of the trip. I was dragged to the hotel, as I ate more than I could but I don’t regret even a tiny bit of it.

Genting Highland Tour

Within an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur is the Genting Highland. One can opt for either car or cable-car to reach the highland. We chose a car drive from one side and a cable car ride from the other for accessing the highland. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, this hour-long ride was like a trip to paradise for us.

Genting highland is yet another entertainment hub in Malaysia. Famous for its luxury hotels, casino and nightlife, one can experience an adventure of a lifetime here. The First World Hotel at Genting is the hotel of world fame. It features 7,351 rooms and holds the title of world’s largest hotel in the Guinness World Records Book. 

Fairy lights giving a starry feel.

Huge Screens, bright lights…Oh yes!!

Genting Skyway Cable Car

Explore the beauty of Genting highland by riding in the glass bottom, skyway cable car and experiencing the picturesque view of lush green rainforest, Chin Swee Cave and SkyAvenue shopping mall. Genting Skyway Cable Car is one of the 2 cable cars to Genting highlands and is 3.4 km ride which takes around 15-20 min to the destination. No matter how many cable cars you have been to before, you sure can’t miss this one. The weather was cool and it was around sunset that we took the sky cab. The view of the city from the top was breath-taking. It was one of my best cable car ride of all times and trust me, I have had many.

Heavenly Beauty

Theme Parks

Once we reached Genting Highland, we noticed that this venue won’t be a disappointment for any age. It features indoor and outdoor theme parks. Full of different rides and slides, this location is perfect for entertaining kids as well as grown-ups.

Chin Swee Caves Temple

This is a site of alluring Chinese architecture and culture. The beautifully constructed temple and the sculptures in its vicinity is one of the most mesmerizing sites of the Genting highlands. I experienced ultimate peace and joy from within when I visited the temple. It was a soothing and calming experience. I would recommend everyone to visit here.

Peaceful and Serene

Creativity at Its Best

Snow World

A relief from the heat of the city, the Snow world at Genting will chill you in literal senses. It offers snowfalls, catchy sceneries, warm igloo houses, castles and the Toboggan slide. The venue is full of perfect spots, so it’s a treat to shutterbugs. As we had to visit other places too and it was quite hot when we left the hotel, Shubham wore shorts and then regretted his choice. So, one very obvious thing to remember is to opt for attire that covers your whole body, while visiting Snow World else you too are going to regret.

The Snow Wall.

Batu Caves

But people, glamourous is not the only synonym for KL. A few kilometres north of KL are the Batu caves which give culture insight of Malaysia. Guarding the entrance of the caves is a 140 feet high humongous statue of Sri Murugan. The spiritual and peaceful ambience of the cave engulfs the tourists within its beauty.

At the Feet Of Lord Murugan

Sultan Abdul Samad Building

Talking about culture, one cannot miss the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. This landmark is in existence since 1897, the time of British reign.

Sunway Lagoon, Theme Park

The fun never ends for Malaysia. It gives something extra to the tourist and locals in its Sunway Lagoon, Theme Park. Full of water rides, it is an overdose of adventure. To add to it, it has Aquaria KLCC, which gives you experience into marine life. 

Langkawi Islands

There is still more. Not just magnificent cities, Malaysia is also home to several gorgeous islands. Among the most famous ones is the Langkawi which has 99 islands. This beauty has another level of calm and peace to it. The beaches here are more like a work of art, beautiful, dreamy and calm. And, the eagle square or Dataran Lang that has the iconic 12 meter tall, gigantic statue of an Eagle ready for a flight. But not just scenic, Langkawi is a Paradise for Beer Buffs. Here, beer is sold duty-free and hence is cheaper than water. So, all you beer mongers, get your bags ready. Apart from beer, perfumes are also duty-free here, so it is a perfect place to buy gifts for your loved ones.

The Perfect Sunset.

Night Market

Night markets in Langkawi are an engaging tradition and are assembled on every day of the week at prominent locations. Unfortunately, we missed it by one day and weren’t able to adjust it on other tour days. In Langkawi, we stayed at the ‘Bayview Hotel’ at Kuah. Kuah is one of those happening places in the city where you have shops and restaurants serving local specialities. We reached Kuah a day after the night market was held there. We were told by the locals that the night market offers a great variety of clothes, fashion accessories, handbags and numerous other items at the bargained prices. So, if you get a chance to be here, don’t miss it.

Island Hopping

From Langkawi you can opt for island hopping where you get to visit a few islands for a limited time. We took this tour and via boat visited Beras Basah Island, Singa Besar Island and Pregnant Maiden Island.

Beras Basah Island

The first island we visited was Beras Basah Island. It was an incredible site of white sand and green and blue water. There were a few shops, meant for renting snorkelling gears and equipment but during our visit, all water activities except swimming were closed due to some reasons still unknown to me. But the beauty of the island, compensated well for this loss and we spent an incredible time soaked in the aesthetic pleasures.

White Sand and Blue Water…Mesmerizing.

Ummmmm..

Singa Besar Island

The next stop was at the Singa Besar Island, the Eagle watching spot, where Eagles were lured into flying there using some bait.  This particular stop didn’t interest me much. There was not much to it, the food was used to entice the Eagles, and that was it. But for birdwatchers this place is an absolute delight. There were many people in our group who were very fascinated with the sight. Perhaps, the beauty here was beyond my ability to comprehend. Anyway, if you like birds and feeding them, this is your spot.  

The Pregnant Maiden Island (Dayang Bunting)

We then moved to the next island, which was – The Pregnant Maiden Island. The name Pregnant Maiden Island comes from the shape of these islands which resembles a pregnant lady resting on her back. From the distance of a few kilometres before reaching the island, you can see a typical arrangement of hills, in the shape of a women’s bosoms and belly bump. This mysterious island is believed to have, magical powers and legend has it that women become pregnant after having water from here. Shubham, therefore, kept me quite distant from drinking the water from here.

At the entrance, there is the small Malaysian version of the French Love Lock Bridge. Instead of a bridge, there are small wooden netted panels. Here, people make wishes and lock them forever by cute, colourful locks, on this fence. People also write messages on a heart-shaped parchment and tie it on the panel. Next, we headed towards an elevated walk. There were some adventures and fun activities to do here. After a decent hike, which by the way takes time if you’re like me and dislike walking, we reached the activity area. The amazing thing about this lake is, it’s a freshwater lake, surrounded by sea. The lake is open for a swim and in a small room on the wooden platform, you can find lifeguards and life jackets for safety. Both Shubham and I are non-swimmers and so, took life jackets very seriously. There were also kayak boats, available on rent to explore the lake. We rented the boat, and it turned out that we were quite good at riding it. We can surely give couple-goals to many..Just kidding! Unfortunately, our all the stuff was at the locker room so we don’t have pictures of the activities.

Apart from visiting the Islands, the boat as a commute was fun in itself. The ride was very breezy and to make it more fun, the captain played around, with speed. Finally, after a long and tiring Island hopping session, we reached Kuah, had some amazing food and spent the rest of the time relaxing at our hotel.

One of The Best Boat Rides Ever.

Beautiful Kuah.

The Underwater World

Amidst all the serenity of the sea, our next adventures were the underwater world. The ‘underwater world’ gives a themed tour of aquatic life. It is a natural treasure, and one can find thousands of animals and life forms displayed here. From small jellyfish to large human-sized fishes, from Penguins to aquatic snakes, this aquarium is a true definition of adventure. It was an eye-popping experience for both of us. There are so many pictures and video that it is impossible to upload all. But, I am uploading a few of my favorites that will give you a perfect idea of the beauty of this place.

My First Ever Experience with the Penguins

OOH!!…She Certainly Can Pose.

A Perfect Jungle Feel.

Oriental Village and 3D Art in Paradise Museum

While in Langkawi, don’t miss the visit to the “oriental village” at the foot of Mat Chinchang Hill. One of the must take experiences here is the 3D Art in Paradise Museum. It is a three-floored building having nine zones with bewitching and intricate artwork. Every inch of this arena is a piece of art and calls for attention. And my dilemma here was what to capture and what not.

Langkawi Sky Bridge

A cable-car ride in the midst of lush green hills takes you to the Langkawi Sky Bridge from the oriental village. It is a long pedestrian bridge that offers stunning scenery from the top. This walk was a little tiring for me, but, it was worth the efforts. The striking scenery and scary heart-stopping view from the glass bottom of the bridge is a reason enough to give this bridge a visit.

It is a Looooooooooooooooooooooong Bridge…Guys!!

Atma Alam Batik Village

During one of our tours, we visited Atma Alam Batik Village. It showcased the Batik art-work in the form of paintings, dresses and handicrafts. There was also a short session, illustrating the technique behind Batik art. Batik gave an ethnic feel to the items. There was a lot, on display, I was so confused but then managed to buy a few things.

Outfits

Since, I already mentioned that it is going to be hot and humid, so search your summer wardrobe for packing up for a trip to Malaysia. Anything airy and comfortable is good to go, and for your heels, I would highly recommend a very comfortable pair of flats or sneakers. Since there is so much to roam around in Malaysia, you won’t want your feet to disappoint you. Not to forget, the sun accessories- scarf, hats, goggles, umbrella and sunscreen.

The Verdict

So, guys, Malaysia is a perfect destination if you want to enjoy the magnificent city architecture without missing out on the beauty of nature. The climate in Malaysia is mostly hot and humid, the rainfall being the only concern. So do check for rain predictions before planning your trip, but still, chances are you will meet the unannounced showers as we did.

And Yes!…The Shower…That’s Why I Insist You to Carry An Umbrella Everywhere.

If you are on a week-long leisure trip to Malaysia, I would suggest keeping only major destinations in your plan. The two main attractions in Malaysia are Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi, and so I preferred covering them properly, instead of jumping from one destination to other and getting exhausted. But, again, this is a personal choice. If you want to cover more, so the following few locations need mention – Malacca, Georgetown, islands like-Lankayan Island, Selingan Turtle Island etc.

So, Seekers!! this time I have changed the format as I got a feedback to make the trips more visual than textual. I have added a lot of pictures, to give an accurate account of each location. Hope you will like it. Do let me know your views, in the comment section below. Loads of Love!!