A week of Singapore - Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok travel
6am : Singapore - Kuala Lumpur.
There were about 5-6 cars ahead of us at the second link's Singapore and Malaysia immigration checkpoint, and we cleared customs within half hour. It was a relatively smooth and enjoyable ride between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur with a rest break at Ayer Keroh.
[BL was surprised that I was taking photos of the highway. I told her I'm a tourist 😄]
Kuala Lumpur
It has been more than 20 years(?) since I last visited Kuala Lumpur, but a sense of familiarity came back as I walked around Petaling.
[While in the car, I suddenly recalled my ~three months KL work stint about 30 years ago. No wonder I felt like I had quite a deep impression of KL especially around Central Market area. It was within working distance from my hotel and office, and I was wary of taking the taxi to other places then😶]
I walked through Petaling Street, and then on to Ghost Alley (HT recommendation). It was an interesting place, although it was rather difficult to find the location.
I walked to Central Market, before taking a train to KLCC. The towers still looks majestic and the surrounding garden is well maintained.
Day 2
I could not remember the last time I visited the Batu Cave. It was good to refresh my memory and the cave is well worth a repeat visit.
Ah Poh Durian Plantation
As I had time until the afternoon, Dan contacted Ah Poh (a durian plantation owner) for a possible visit after I showed a keen interest.
[Memory Flashback: I don't know if I heard or got it wrong - the highlight of the JB trip with RJ pp was supposed to be durian in a plantation. Instead, we had durian by a roadside stall 😲😳 (but durian is durian regardless, maybe the stall is just outside the durian plantation?) Haha]
We drove to a hilltop with a view of the vast durian plantation. (Mr) Ah Poh was friendly and helpful. When he knew that I wanted to look at durian trees/plantation (and not just to eat durian), he drove me to another area to look at the durians and mangosteens.
I realised that durians will not drop to the ground. Instead, the ones at the lower branches are tied with strings and nets are set to 'catch' ripened durians that drop from the trees.
Also, only 1 or 2 durians grow from each cluster of flowers/buds at a branch.
[Nature does have its way; the branch would not be able to support 5-6 durians].
Although harvesting was done in the morning already, he found a MaoShanWang and a 'redshrimp' durian (but no 'black thorn'). They were nice and fresh 😃
Since Bukit Tinggi is on the way back to Kuala Lumpur, we took a rest stop there and bought some vegetables.
Day 3
We left early for Genting Highland, headed for the World Resort to meet my aunt & uncle who were having a short weekend break. They visit Genting 2-3 times yearly for the cool weather, the large variety of food and for taking walks at the huge interlinked hotels. [A good retirement activity indeed]
Genting has changed so much since my last visit. Many more hotels have sprung up, and the entertainment area has been vastly enlarged. My aunt showed me around the different indoor entertainment areas and outdoor viewpoints. I also tried a few pulls of the jackpot [Of course, I contributed a bit to the Genting prosperity😑]
We took the cable car down to Awana Skypark, walked the shopping area and had a coffee break before I left for KL. [Aunt MH, thanks for being my Genting tour guide and for the coffee break😘]
Bukit BintangAfter Genting, I walked around Bukit Bintang which has many more shopping centres, and was more bustling than before.
[It is so much easier to navigate KL with the train systems]
FoodI am not a food connoisseur, the KL food is generally tasty.
The cruise passed by Mandarin Oriental. We alighted at the Grand Palaces Pier.
Chinatown was our last stop, and we had lunch and took a walk around the Chinese Market.
Very good:- Hakkaido seafood restaurant, SS2 paramount garden Chee Cheong Fun, Kingston Seafood Restaurant, Char Siew Yoong (at Pudu), Klang Jia Xiang Bak But Teh.
Day 4 - 5
Checked out of the hotel at 6am, and got a container to pack breakfast for the train journey.
Day 5 - Bangkok
We took the MRT to Siam station and made our way to the hotel.
We had our late lunch at MBK food court, and then walked along the skybridge to Siam, Chitlom and then to BigC and Central World Shopping Centre.
I always like the bridges that connect to the various station and shopping centres
[Only during shopping centres operating hours though]
Day 6We walked to the Pratunam Morning Market. It is still crowded but less so than before?
We took the Chao Phraya Tourist Boat as per my previous trip here because it's one of the tourist attractions I find enjoyable even on repeated trips.
We waited for about half an hour for the boat to go to the next destination: Wat Arun. It was crowded with many tourists dressed up in traditional Thai attires for photos.
We then took the train back to the hotel.
Patpong Night Market
Most of the stalls at the night market sell food, although a few of them sold other different types of merchandise.
I managed to squeeze in a foot massage after Chinatown. It was a activity-filled day.
Day 7River Taxi - Taking the river transport was one of the activities that I wanted to do in my previous BKK trip. The cost for a one-way trip is 12 baht.
[Much thanks to HT for finding out the river boat transportation to Pratunam. 😘
We alighted at Pratunam Pier, and did some last minute shopping (and eating) at Central World and BigC.
Shopping, Food and othersThere were many foreigners (and locals?) shopping in bulk at BigC.
I bought a few packs of local snacks, as well as some mango rice pudding and Longan.
BKK Food:
MBK Food court : Stewed Pork leg, Northern Style Curried Noodle Soup,
Central World : Nara thai food, After You dessert, Jia One Table shrimp dumpling, Pang Cha iced tea
Chinatown Nai Mong How Thod Fried Oysters,
Siam Square Inter Restaurant.
Others:
Chalachol hair cut, Let's Relax massages. 😊
Transport
KL - TouchnGo my rapid card, HT's friend Dan grab : 45MYR/hr (minimum 4 hrs)/day.
BKK - BTS/MRT (can use credit card)
Lodging
Putra Sunway (725MYR / 2 nights)
Hilton : points + 485MYR
Ibis Siam : 4550 THB (2 nights)
Thoughts
Although shopping and eating in KL is still relatively cheap, it has become more expensive than I expected. However, I may visit again if another free ride is available. [BL, Thanks very much]
As for Bangkok, it felt a little less vibrant than before, probably because the crowds were a bit smaller this time round. Even though l felt a bit less smiley this time in the Land of Smiles, I will do short visits again.
It was a memorable trip.
Links