Mall – Maldo Travels

Singapore – A Modern Multicultural City

Jean Maldonado — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 22:16:52 +0000

Coming from Bali, it’s a 2-hour 45-minute flight and we landed at 11.45 AM. Getting through customs is quick and after collecting our bags, we went looking for transportation options into the city. The airport has free WiFi so you can get a Grab¹ or head to the taxi stands. Since we were going to be in the city for a couple of days, we decided to get a 3-Day Tourist Pass for unlimited access to the metro and buses. Our hotel was in Bugis, and the quickest public transport option from the airport was a 45-minute bus ride. After settling into our hotel, we went for a walk to nearby shopping centers and grabbed some food. At around 6 PM, we headed to Boat Quay where there are several riverside bars and restaurants. There’s a nice atmosphere here and lots of locals seem to come here after work. At around 10 PM, we headed to Arab Street where there are some middle eastern restaurants and bars. It’s a nice area and there was some live music entertainment here as well. At around midnight, we walked back to the hotel to get some rest.

The following day, we headed to the Singapore Flyer by bus which was 20 minutes away. Tickets cost 33 SGD² but we just took some pictures of it. We then took a bus to Chinatown which went via the Marina Bay Sands hotel. We walked around the streets of Chinatown and got some souvenirs from there as well. Next, we headed to the Marina Bay Sands since we booked a stay there which you can find out more about here.

A friend who lives in Singapore told me to check out the indoor waterfall at the airport before getting my flight back. So I headed to the airport about 3 hours before my 10.45 AM flight to have some time to find it. Some airlines have early check-in so that you can drop off your luggage whilst wandering around the airport. Four terminals surround the mall in the middle called Jewel where the waterfall is located. We first walked over to the mall and in the early hours, only the lower half of the ‘water wall’ is turned on. At 8 AM, they turn on the upper half of the waterfall and it’s an amazing sight. You can also take the free monorail between terminals which goes through the Jewel and right next to the waterfall. Surrounding the waterfall, there is a multilevel indoor forest with many trails leading to viewpoints. The Jewel has lots of stores, a cinema, food options, and activities for kids keeping any tourist busy before a flight.

Kuala Lumpur – 1 Day Layover

Jean Maldonado — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 22:52:27 +0000

Our flight from Hong Kong was scheduled to depart at 11.50 AM. We took a public transport bus from Causeway Bay to the airport which cost 40 HKD³ each and took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. We were there during the protests so there was heavy security at the airport. It took us about 20 minutes to get into the airport, but once inside, checking our bags and going through the usual security was quick. It was then a 4-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur and we arrived at around 3.45 PM. Going through customs was quite quick and then we connected to the airport WiFi to call a Grab⁴. Our hotel was about an hour away near KLCC Park and cost 74.80 MYR⁵. Having been to Kuala Lumpur before, I decided to spend a little more on a hotel with a view since the ticket for the Sky Deck Observation Tower was quite pricy. We stayed at the Expressionz Suites which has an infinity pool with a view of KLCC.

After checking into the hotel, we headed up to the pool to catch the sunset. At the reception, they told us there were 2 pools; one with the view of the Petronas Twin Towers on the top floor, and the other on a lower floor. We were told we first had to go to the pool on the lower floor and get a ticket for the pool on the top floor since there was a limit. There was a 10 person limit for the infinity pool with a view and we were about 20 in the queue. We waited in the lower pool for about 2 and a half hours and got to the infinity pool at around 8.40 PM when the sun had already set. It was still a great view but we only stayed for about 15 minutes to take pictures since it was getting a little chilly. We then headed out to the Alor Night Market to get some food. A Grab cost 9 MYR and took about 15 minutes to get there. The market was very busy with lots of options available. After some food, we headed a shisha bar on the main road which had a happy hour going on.

The following morning, we went for a walk around KLCC Park. On my last visit, access to the Petronas Twin Towers was closed for a public holiday, but this time it was open. It was a cloudy day but we decided to get tickets anyway which cost 80 MYR each. The tour of the Petronas Twin Towers first goes to the Sky Bridge. We get about 10 minutes here to take pictures and there are information panels with a map of the surrounding buildings. Next, we head to the observation deck on the 86th floor. There’s a small exhibition here with information on the project of building the iconic towers. We got some great views from up here despite the foggy weather. We were given about 15 minutes to go around the floor taking pictures before getting on a lift back down to the lobby. It was a nice visit but felt quite rushed as we are given a very limited time to go around.

We then walked from KLCC to the shopping malls in Bukit Bintang via the air-conditioned passageways. We grabbed some food there before heading back to the hotel to pick up our bags. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7.35 PM so we left at around 4.30 PM to avoid the rush hour.

Kuala Lumpur – A Modern City Break

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 21:42:00 +0000

From Ao Nang, it’s a short 1-hour 30-minute flight to Kuala Lumpur. The airport is huge and it took us about 30 minutes to get through the customs control point. Our bags then took another 20 minutes to come out. When we exited the baggage claim area, it was like walking into a shopping center. There are lots of retail shops everywhere and we went to the lower floor to look for transportation into the city. There are several taxi offices there and they quoted about 80-90 MYR¹. We had researched the night before and it was a little more expensive than usual. So we went back upstairs to connect to the WiFi and downloaded an app called Grab². We got a Grab to our hotel in Bukit Bintang which took about an hour and cost 71.50 MYR. Once at our hotel, I found out the room had been paid but I still needed to pay the tax, and this could only be paid in cash. So I went looking for an ATM and found one in a nearby mall.

Once we had settled in, we went for a walk around the area. First, we went to get some food in the Bukit Bintang area. We were staying next to the famous Jalan Alor night market but during the day most of the places were closed. There are several malls and other restaurants in the area though. After getting food, we headed to the KLCC Park which was a short 15-minute walk away. The weather was very hot though at around 30 degrees Celcius and also very humid. So despite being a short walk, we stuck to the shade where possible. When we got close to the park we went into the KLCC building to cool down. There is an aquarium in this building as well as a food court. We then walked to the Petronas Twin Towers to see if we could get tickets to go to the top. Upon entering, there is another large multi-level mall. The ticket office is on the lower level but it was closed since it was a public holiday. Therefore, we decided to head to the Sky Deck KL Tower.

It was a 25-minute walk away, but at this point, we found out about the air-conditioned passageways. Part of the walk was still out in the open though. When we got to the entrance, the security guard said there’s a free bus service to the top every 15-30 minutes. There was some seating space in the shade and some fans at the bus stop, so we waited here for about 10 minutes before deciding to walk up. The ticket office is inside the tower and we bought tickets for the Sky Deck which cost 99 MYR each. It was around 5.30 PM by the time we took the lift to the Sky Deck. We took some pictures and then waited for the sunset at around 7.20 PM. There is a glass box for a photo opportunity with a professional photographer. You have to grab a ticket at the entrance which we found out later. Every group is given 60 seconds for pictures with a buzzer going off when time is up. The photographer takes a couple of pictures and you can also take pics with your camera. It was a great view of the sunset as you see the buildings turning on their lights as it gets dark. Next, we walked back to our hotel which took about 20 minutes. Even though the sun was down, it was still quite hot and humid outside. On the way back, we stopped by the Alor Night Market to check out the food stalls. Compared to the day, it was very busy at night with all the restaurants and food stalls open. The main road Changkat Bukit Bintang also has several restaurants, bars, and clubs. We headed back to the hotel for a bit before heading out at night to check out the nightlife. We were surprised to have found a Salsa night with some very good dancers. There were also several bars with shisha and happy hours.

The following day, we went on a trip to the Battu Caves which are to the north of the city. First, we went to the metro station and asked how to get there. They told us to first go to KL Sentral and then take a train from there. We decided to get a one-day travel pass which cost 25 MYR. At KL Sentral, we then got a return train ticket to the Battu Caves which cost 5.20 MYR each. The whole journey took us about an hour. Once at the Battu Caves, it’s a short 5-minute walk to the foot of the steps up to the cave, where a massive Hindu statue stands. Entrance to the temple caves is free and you simply have to walk up the 272 steps. Several monkeys are roaming free on the way up and inside the temples. There are several shrines inside the caves and they’re all very colorful. Once we got back down, we went to look for food in the area. We found an Indian restaurant/buffet who served meals on leaves. We decided to try it out and it was very good. We then headed back to KL Sentral which took about 40 minutes. In the afternoon, we went souvenir shopping in the Central Market. It’s a nice area with several arts and crafts stalls. We also checked out the nearby Petaling Street Market before heading back to the hotel.

In the morning before our flight, we went for a quick walk around the malls in the Bukit Bintang area. There are many huge multi-level malls and some are connected with underground passageways. It’s quite easy to get lost in but they’re a good way to get around whilst avoiding the heat. At around 3 PM, we called a Grab to take us to the airport before rush hour. It took about an hour to get to the airport from Bukit Bintang and cost 91.80 MYR. Once we checked in, we walked around the shopping mall-like airport while waiting for our flight.