We had an awesome trip to Malaysia (KL and Penang) in July/August 2010. We started our holiday in Kuala Lumpur (KL), which is detailed below. From there we headed to George Town in Penang and then along the Penang coast to Batu Ferringhi. See also our Food Diary of Malaysia.
It was an early start, waking at 4.15 AM. Nina came over at 5.00 AM to take us to the the Airport, what a champion. she did a drive by drop off and we nearly forgot the stroller in the back of the car. That would have been bad start to the trip. We had the usual problems taking Jetson through the airport scanners. It was a 5 hour flight to KL. We were on the budget airline AirAsia for the first time - the service was great, the only problem was the very average meal we had pre-booked.
Jalan Alor Satay Man
As we walked off the plane, the heat and humidity brought back memories of Darwin. We tried for a quick meal at the fast food restaurant at the Airport, but the service was very slow. We had some interesting food though. We had purchased a taxi voucher which made it easy getting a taxi. We were forced to pay extra for a premier taxi, which worked out better as it was bigger, faster, newer and cooler than the budget versions. It took less than an hour to get into town. We passed through some interesting palm oil plantations, and lots of housing estates that were composed of hundreds of identical houses. We were taken to Sarang Mas, our guest house where we will be staying for six nights.
our front door
Our rooms were actually around the corner, in the back streets and among the locals in an old terrace building. Inside was very nice, we were a bit worried walking up the narrow stairway. Anita, a Filipino lady who works for the owners Michael and Christine was very nice, and showed us through the place. We have our own two bedrooms, a kitchenette, fridge, DVD and lounge. Our own little flat. We relaxed for an hour or so, watched a little bit of mamma MIA DVD, then went to visit our hosts Michael and Christina and their daughter Chen. They were lovely as expected, and gave us lots of advice. From there, Anita took us up along Jalan Alor to a recommended restaurant, and helped us with our order. Not very hard really, the menu was full of pictures and the dishes were written in English too. After our banquet, we bought some fruit from a fruit stand, and some other supplies from a convenience store. Everyone is friendly, especially towards Jetson and olive. It was a long day, and we were glad to get back to our flat for the evening duties.
snatch thieves
23rd of July, 2010: Day 2. KL hot shopping
Despite being very tired, we had a restless night as there were lots of unfamiliar noises all around us, including a banging noise we could not work out. There are units all around us with lots going on. The kids slept great though. We woke at our usual time, but had to wait quite a while for our breakfast, brought to us by Anita. It was worth the wait. We walked down to see Michael for some advice, which took longer as he gave us lots of details as usual. We went on a plaza tour today. First it was times square, unfortunately the indoor theme park was not open yet. We continued on through a few more, stopping at lot 10 for lunch, and finishing at the new pavilion at the end of the Bintang Walk. On the way back, the kids fell asleep so we stopped for a coffee. Olive was knackered, which explained her crazy behaviour this morning, and we went back home and she slept for hours.
at the towers
We all had a rest, before jumping in a taxi - thanks to Anita - to the Petronas twin towers, a KL landmark. It was a slow taxi ride due to the congestion. We had a quick bite to eat at the food hall, then went into the gardens behind the towers were Olive went crazy in the kids splash pool. Clare and Jetson were also popular and had their photos taken with a few locals-an interesting behaviour we last saw in India. There was also a big playground here. Rob busied himself taking photos of the towers from all different angles, and as the sunset and the tower lights came on. We decided to walk and monorail it back, which worked out very well. It was great to be out in the cooler night air. We topped up our fluids with a slushy each on the way home. We were all very tired after another long and hot day, so quickly went off to bed.
Jetson and friend
24th of July, 2010: Day three : Kuala Lumpur walking tour
We were brought cold noodles for breakfast - it was nice but we would have preferred eating some freshly cooked. We caught a taxi to the old railway station, the starting point of a walking tour of Kuala Lumpur colonial area. Unfortunately Rob discovered he had left behind the tour notes, so we had to wing it. The tour started at the old railway station, a magnificent grand building, as was the administration building across the road. Jetson joined a local boy of similar age for a photo shoot - it was very cute.
at the National Mosque
Around the corner from the train station was the National Mosque. We both had to put on full gowns to cover us up-we got a taste of what it was like for the Muslim ladies who have to be like this all the time in this climate. Next was Merdeka Square, the city's main focus point with a huge flagpole and historic buildings all around. There were lots of tourists and tourist buses, and even a few models with hordes of photographers following them around. We had lunch at the first place we could find, a basic Indian cafe. Around the corner was Jamek Mosque, which was closed at that time, so we went searching for an old church we had missed. Outside was a tree dropping red seeds like we had known in Darwin.
night market
We strolled through an Indian bazaar market, where Rob bought a man-bag and Olive some jewelry. We returned back to the mosque which was opened by now, hardly worth the wait except for the chance to wear another gown! We caught the light rail train home, on which Olive made some friends with a few teenage Muslim girls. Getting around town has been very easy with the public transport options. We all had a rest before our town adventure. Our host Michael gave us directions to a Malay Food market, back where we had been earlier. We wandered along the stalls, filled with mostly deep fried food, and sampled the few that we found interesting. We took a detour from the market strip to the Coliseum, an old world cafe stuck in a time warp, and had a couple of beers.
Olive the butterfly girl
25th of July, 2010: Day 4: rain rain go away
Jetson had a restless night, so we all woke a bit worse for wear. We decided to take it easy for the morning. Rob went and checked emails, and did a run to the supermarket, while Clare relaxed and prepared the backpack for the afternoon out. After changing some money, we hopped into a taxi and went to the national monument, a huge statue of Malaysian fighters. Our driver then dropped us off at the food stall in the Lake Gardens, a huge area close to the city with plenty to see. We had a basic lunch, then walked down to the Butterfly Park, a large garden filled with butterflies. There were some interesting turtles and frogs too, and displays of all sorts of insects. Olive had a ball, but it was very hot for Jetson.
Jetson
After a refreshing ice-cream we took a walk looking for the lake. It was not as easy as we thought it would be. We took a couple of wrong turns, and just as we found the right path, it started to rain heavily. Fortunately we were not far from a shelter, but there was nothing to do there except wait. We were joined by an Indian masseuse, he suggested it would continue to rain for a couple of hours. We waited and rested for a while, but gave up their quest for the lake and instead went back to our friends at the food stall. We sheltered there, and eventually hailed a cab to take us home. On the way back to our place we decided to stop at Jalan Alor for dinner. As it was still raining a little, we went into the first decent place we saw. The Chinese seafood meals we had were nice, but we were disappointed in ourselves for not investigating more of the treats available further along the street. We made it back home before the rain picked up again. We were glad to be home to shower and dry out.
temple of incense
26th of July, 2010 Day five: Kuala Lumpur market to market
Another walking tour today, this time of the Chinatown area. We took the light rail to the start of the walk. This time Rob remembered the map. The walk first took us down a very Indian street, with flower Sellers and the silk shops. It was a bit hard to follow the directions, particularly as the map was poorly printed. We found a way through some interesting old streets, to an old Chinese temple. We wondered inside, a new experience for Olive. The air was thick with incense, so Jetson did not spend too long inside. It was time for lunch, so we headed on to the cafe recommended by Michael and Christina, called the 'Old China Cafe', where we had some local cuisine (Nyonya/ Nonya) in an old world ambience.
Rob in fish spa
Afterward our lunch we were all treated to a McDonald's cone - just like at home! We tracked back to the central market, the old fresh produce marketplace which is now full of local handicrafts. We tried of fish spa-dunking our feet into pools of fish who nibble on the dead skin on our feet. It was a weird feeling, which took us the full 10 minutes to get used to. We also bought a few gifts for ourselves and others and a dress for olive. We then checked out Petaling Street, the main market street of Chinatown - it is apparently more exciting at night time. We walked back to the hotel for a short rest before heading out to another market. We went with our hosts in a car, with a few other guests. We knew we had to drive there, but did not realise how far-or how long it would take. He did not help that we had to stop for 15 minutes waiting to pick up their daughter Chen. He took over an hour in traffic to get there. Jetson was great all the way, but as we arrived he decided he had had enough. We were quite tired after the long day, with this extra stress we were not enjoying ourselves. Otherwise it was a good experience-walking around the market with locals explaining each of the different foods and encouraging us to try some things to would not otherwise have tried- such as Durian and Chinese dumpling. We caught a taxi home.
Indian dishes
27th of July, 2010 Day six - Kuala Lumpur
After such a long night we tried sleeping in and having a morning of rest. Rob left everyone at home while he had bought some supplies at the supermarket and checked emails. He tried downloading images and burning on a DVD, but it would not work. After lots of Chinese Food lately, we wanted to try Indian Food again, and went to a new place just around the corner. It was a nice clean looking place, and very friendly staff, but we were the only ones there. The only choice was a thali type meal, with everything stone cold. It tasted okay though.
Olive learning to drive
We returned to Times Square Plaza, Clare to shop and Rob to take Olive to Cosmos World, one of the largest indoor theme Parks. Clare struggled to decide on what to buy as usual, and found out that it is hard to find anything in her size here, though she did manage to buy a top. Olive had a great time at the theme park, the highlight for Rob was watching her trying to drive a dodgem car all by herself. Rob was also allowed on a few of the rides. When we met up again, we decided to visit Crispy Cream doughnut shop, for doughnuts and coffee for one 3rd the price we pay at home.
We walked a couple of streets to Jalan Alor, our favourite food street, and found a suitable eatery. The rain clouds were threatening so we bought an umbrella, which served it's purpose. We headed home to do some packing up in preparation for leaving tomorrow morning.
Indian breakfast roti canai
28th of July, 2010 Day 7 in Kuala Lumpur
We started early today as we had a had a 10 am flight to Penang. Anita brought us Indian style breakfast roti canai. She returned just before 8.30am with our taxi, while we were still rushing around packing up. The taxi driver suggested that it would take an hour to get to the airport, which would have meant that we would miss our check in! Fortunately it only took half an hour. We were leaving from Subang Airport, used for some domestic flights, which was closer to Kuala Lumpur and much quieter too.
Continue reading about our flight and time spent in George Town, Penang
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