Taken while I was on holiday. I didn't know I had mad DJ'ing skillz.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
I'm Back
Last week I returned from my 3 week intrepid journey of Malaysia and Singapore. There is only one word I can use to describe it: awesome. I needed the holiday since I haven't had one since finishing study and starting work, around 3 years ago.
The weather was hot of course, the food was excellent, the shopping was cheap, and the places were interesting. Landed in KL, went to Genting, Penang, Singapore and Malacca. Saw many things which I would never see in NZ. Let's get into more detail.......
Touching down at KLIA was the start of an intrepid journey. I collected the luggage, took the KL Ekspres to KL Sentral, and then took a taxi to the hotel. Hotel living is just fab, long showers, big bed, room service, just for me. That was for 4 nights. While there I went around KL, enjoying the efficient and easy-to-use public transport. I went on the city and country tours provided. Once I finished my stay at the hotel I took shelter at my aunt's condo unit in Petaling Jaya. When I wasn't out and about, I was staying there. It was modest, but comfortable.
Saturday on the first week, I went to Genting Highlands, a Vegas type resort in the mountains. The selling point of Genting is the cooler weather 6000 feet up in the hills, unlike the sticky heat at sea level. I gambled at the slots, lost my money, then headed to the theme parks. It was great to go on those thrilling rides.
Monday to Wednesday on the second week, I went to Penang, and stayed at yet another hotel. The road to Penang took 4 hours by coach, I think I slept most of the way there. There I had a good look of the island, from Penang Hill to the beaches, from the temples to the butterfly farm. I also looked at the residential jetties, occupied by folk who share the same surname. Penang is a contrast of rich and poor in a small space. It reminded me that a lot of people are not as fortunate as me.
Thursday to Saturday on the second week, I took another bus ride to Singapore. Going through customs at Malaysia and Singapore was interesting, but easy. Finding accommodation was a challenge but I was fortunate to get cheap lodgings at a budget hotel. I booked a city tour and a tour of Sentosa Island, which I thoroughly recommend to anyone going to Singapore. If you haven't been to Sentosa Island, or Raffles at night, you haven't been to Singapore.
I would describe Singapore as a big shopping mall. There's a shopping mall next to another shopping mall, and there's a shopping mall across the road of another shopping mall, and there's a shopping mall at the next train station. However shopping is generally expensive so I tried not to buy too much.
Monday to Wednesday on the third week, I took yet another bus to Malacca, the hometown of my father and grandfather. There I stayed with my cousin's family. The accommodation was comfortable, but I had cold showers, and my uncle and aunty didn't really speak any English. In fact, my uncle was ailing so I didn't really talk much to him. In Malacca I managed to view most of the historical treasures of the city: Portugese forts, Dutch forts, and churches. I also took a trip up and down the very dirty Malacca river. On Wednesday, I drove to Port Dickson, another town where my grandfather had stayed. There I farewelled my cousin and took the bus to KL via Seremban.
Three days in KL before I returned to NZ, I used the time to buy various items. I checked out mobile phones and computer hardware but in the end I decided not to purchase. The safest bet was clothing, and I managed to buy good quality leather belts, branded t-shirts, jeans, shoes and a denim jacket. Considering what I bought, it would have cost me an arm and a leg in NZ, but only a finger in Malaysia.
Saturday on the third week, it was time to say goodbye. Departure time was 8:35 in the evening. At 4 o-clock I went to KL Sentral and bid farewell to my uncle and two aunts who had come to see me off. The flight checkin only took 5 minutes(!), unlike the long waiting times you must go through at airports. That being done, there was nothing much to do in KL Sentral, so at 4:30 pm I took the KL Ekspres to KLIA to wait for my flight.
What seemed like a minute later, I was back at Auckland. Upon descent, I saw the lush green fields, farm animals, and the Manukau Harbour through the window. Those familiar images, which I've seen time and time again in books and through experience, confirmed that I was finally back in the land of the long white cloud.
On reflection I loved Singapore, and Malaysia was cool too. I wouldn't live there though, mostly because of the general living environment. In Malaysia, salaries are lower (because their cost of living is lower), their driving is suicidal (that's where I got to appreciate bad asian driving), and housing is cramped, small, and less spacious than in NZ. In Singapore, the cost of living is expensive, and it's damn crowded. Things we take for granted everyday such as cars and houses are just so expensive over there. For a car or house, you'd expect to pay three times more than what you'd pay in NZ.
Now I'm back, batteries recharged, back to take on what I've set out this year. A few days later I managed to drag myself to the gym and was surprised that I lost weight after all the binge eating I managed to pull off overseas.
Back to the grind, but that was a well deserved holiday!
The weather was hot of course, the food was excellent, the shopping was cheap, and the places were interesting. Landed in KL, went to Genting, Penang, Singapore and Malacca. Saw many things which I would never see in NZ. Let's get into more detail.......
Touching down at KLIA was the start of an intrepid journey. I collected the luggage, took the KL Ekspres to KL Sentral, and then took a taxi to the hotel. Hotel living is just fab, long showers, big bed, room service, just for me. That was for 4 nights. While there I went around KL, enjoying the efficient and easy-to-use public transport. I went on the city and country tours provided. Once I finished my stay at the hotel I took shelter at my aunt's condo unit in Petaling Jaya. When I wasn't out and about, I was staying there. It was modest, but comfortable.
Saturday on the first week, I went to Genting Highlands, a Vegas type resort in the mountains. The selling point of Genting is the cooler weather 6000 feet up in the hills, unlike the sticky heat at sea level. I gambled at the slots, lost my money, then headed to the theme parks. It was great to go on those thrilling rides.
Monday to Wednesday on the second week, I went to Penang, and stayed at yet another hotel. The road to Penang took 4 hours by coach, I think I slept most of the way there. There I had a good look of the island, from Penang Hill to the beaches, from the temples to the butterfly farm. I also looked at the residential jetties, occupied by folk who share the same surname. Penang is a contrast of rich and poor in a small space. It reminded me that a lot of people are not as fortunate as me.
Thursday to Saturday on the second week, I took another bus ride to Singapore. Going through customs at Malaysia and Singapore was interesting, but easy. Finding accommodation was a challenge but I was fortunate to get cheap lodgings at a budget hotel. I booked a city tour and a tour of Sentosa Island, which I thoroughly recommend to anyone going to Singapore. If you haven't been to Sentosa Island, or Raffles at night, you haven't been to Singapore.
I would describe Singapore as a big shopping mall. There's a shopping mall next to another shopping mall, and there's a shopping mall across the road of another shopping mall, and there's a shopping mall at the next train station. However shopping is generally expensive so I tried not to buy too much.
Monday to Wednesday on the third week, I took yet another bus to Malacca, the hometown of my father and grandfather. There I stayed with my cousin's family. The accommodation was comfortable, but I had cold showers, and my uncle and aunty didn't really speak any English. In fact, my uncle was ailing so I didn't really talk much to him. In Malacca I managed to view most of the historical treasures of the city: Portugese forts, Dutch forts, and churches. I also took a trip up and down the very dirty Malacca river. On Wednesday, I drove to Port Dickson, another town where my grandfather had stayed. There I farewelled my cousin and took the bus to KL via Seremban.
Three days in KL before I returned to NZ, I used the time to buy various items. I checked out mobile phones and computer hardware but in the end I decided not to purchase. The safest bet was clothing, and I managed to buy good quality leather belts, branded t-shirts, jeans, shoes and a denim jacket. Considering what I bought, it would have cost me an arm and a leg in NZ, but only a finger in Malaysia.
Saturday on the third week, it was time to say goodbye. Departure time was 8:35 in the evening. At 4 o-clock I went to KL Sentral and bid farewell to my uncle and two aunts who had come to see me off. The flight checkin only took 5 minutes(!), unlike the long waiting times you must go through at airports. That being done, there was nothing much to do in KL Sentral, so at 4:30 pm I took the KL Ekspres to KLIA to wait for my flight.
What seemed like a minute later, I was back at Auckland. Upon descent, I saw the lush green fields, farm animals, and the Manukau Harbour through the window. Those familiar images, which I've seen time and time again in books and through experience, confirmed that I was finally back in the land of the long white cloud.
On reflection I loved Singapore, and Malaysia was cool too. I wouldn't live there though, mostly because of the general living environment. In Malaysia, salaries are lower (because their cost of living is lower), their driving is suicidal (that's where I got to appreciate bad asian driving), and housing is cramped, small, and less spacious than in NZ. In Singapore, the cost of living is expensive, and it's damn crowded. Things we take for granted everyday such as cars and houses are just so expensive over there. For a car or house, you'd expect to pay three times more than what you'd pay in NZ.
Now I'm back, batteries recharged, back to take on what I've set out this year. A few days later I managed to drag myself to the gym and was surprised that I lost weight after all the binge eating I managed to pull off overseas.
Back to the grind, but that was a well deserved holiday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)