A TOUR TO MALAYSIA

A TOUR TO MALAYSIA

On the eve of 12^th January 2017, I started my maiden trip to Malaysia, a Southeast Asian country from my hometown Thiruvananthapuram. I reported at the airport 3 hours before and after the clearance, I got a window seat in the Malindo Airlines. After putting my handbag inside the cabin, I occupied my seat and looked around the airbus, the passengers and the airhostess who were showing the seats to others. The airhostesses were giving instruction to each one to wear the seat belt and to switch off the mobile phones as the journey was about to start. The airbus started to move sharp at 11.00 p.m. Though I was a little bit scared of, a person who was sitting near to me gave me a good company. We had a good talk with each other and I came to know that his daughter and his son-in-law were settling there. I preferred a non-vegetarian food along with a mango juice which was provided by the airlines after 20 minutes of its departure. I arrived at Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia on the next day at 5.40 a.m. My tourist guide was waiting in the exit area to welcome me to their homeland. We introduced each other and immediately a taxi arrived there and we reached the hotel Leo Express within an hour. On the way to hotel, she gave me a schedule which includes the meticulous information about the places to be visited and the timings. The street was so clean and both the sides of the road crammed with oil palms. After check-in, I took a small nap to refresh myself. I enjoyed my lunch at the hotel and afternoon was free for leisure.

I experienced a cherished evening on Kuala Lumpur. We (along with other tourists) took a drive to Chinatown, an open-air "bazaar" bustling with brightly lit and loud voices of venders. We visited the 100 year’s old Sri Mahamariamman temple, which is located in Chinatown, the oldest Hindu temple in the city with intricate and elaborative decoration on Hindu deities. The Independence Square, Kings’ Palace, National Monument, National Mosque etc. were the most photographed sites in Kuala Lumpur and then we visited Chocolate Boutique. Fruits chocolates were the top sellers of Chocolate Boutique and they had wide range of fruits chocolates such as Papaya, Mango and Durian chocolates. A drove through the oldest part of the city to get the Petronas Twin Towers (the tallest buildings in the world from 1998-2004), a pair of glass-and-steel-clad skyscrapers with Islamic motifs and KL Tower were some astonishing places of my visit to Malaysia. Stretching out to the side of the Petronas Twin Towers was the spacious and beautifully landscaped KLCC Park which featured a jogging track, walking paths, a water fountain and a wading pool for children. The tour gave me a comprehensive perspective of the city. The four hour tour ended with the entry to the observation deck of KL Tower (the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world). I took some snaps standing in front of Twin Tower and KL Tower. Then our drive passes the streets of Kuala Lumpur, which was beautifully illuminated befitting its names as Garden City of Lights to my hotel. It was a great time of enjoying the panoramic of Kuala Lumpur city.

On the next day, after enjoying my breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded for Genting Highlands Day Tour from Kuala Lumpur. On the way, we stopped at Batu Caves. It was a limestone hill which has a series of caves and cave temples, located in Gombak district, 13 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur. It has 272 steps carved into the sides of giant limestone cliffs to reach the Hindu temple at the summit. It was one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India dedicated to Lord Murugan. We could have find here the energetic Little India district, where we discover the delicacies of Indian culture through exciting food stalls and markets selling everything from saris to golden trinkets. Most of the people running stalls over this area were the South Indians whose ancestors came here many years before as plantation workers. They spoke Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages even my taxi driver was from Andhra Pradesh. The tour took me through picturesque Titiwangsa Mountains, some 6118 feet above sea level. We took a Skyway cable car ride (Southeast Asia's fastest and longest cable car) to the top of the Genting Highlands (a high-altitude hill resort), Malaysia's only casino resort and colossal theme parks and admired the surrounding views of 130 million year old tropical rainforest below. After experiencing the casino visuals which still exhilarating me, we entered into Snow World, a winter village was found inside. It was a European-style of attraction with tobogganing and igloo houses. Here the temperature was minus 7 degree and I couldn't spend more than 30 minutes even they provided winter coats and boots. It was so chill and unbearable for me who lives in a tropical country.

Malaysia is a unique spot on the South Asian map with a home of idyllic beaches, exotic islands, bustling cities and high-altitude rainforests. The capital city Kuala Lumpur boasts glimmering skyscrapers, colonial buildings, charming local culture and a host of natural attractions. Malaysia located in Southeast Asia is a potpourri of Asian cultures. The main hub comprises Bukit Bintang, KLCC and Chinatown. Visiting the iconic Petronas Twin Towers-world’s tallest twin skyscrapers, the 400 million years old Batu caves, shopping malls like Pavilion KL and Suria KLCC and enjoying the casinos and nightlife at the Genting Highlands hill resort gave me immense pleasure and enthusiasm. And I cannot forget indulging in the Malaysian culinary delights!  Experiencing the wonders of Kuala Lumpur on a 3 Nights and 4 Days trip with Antilog vacations was really remarkable. Craving to visit Malaysia once again with my family members, still that time embracing with stirring moments.

Vincent M

TGT Social Science