Travelers Journal :: ßry™: May 2008

May 14, 2008

Weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A DELAYED BLOG POST

September 2007 - Kuala Lumpur or KL is the capital and largest city in Malaysia. It is the home to the Petronas Twin Towers, Malaysia's icon of economic prosperity and socio-cultural idealism. My stay in KL may have been quick (an overnight stay that was) but I made the most out of my free time to stroll around!

First destination? The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park or Taman Burung Kuala Lumpur. This park is a 7 to 16 hectares of enclosed aviary housing more than 50 species of birds, of which 90% are local breeds. Aside from having the opportunity to witness colorful birds in their natural habitat, a bird show presenting huge species of colorful parrots was quite fun. I felt like I was a kid again being immersed in an audience of grade school students (Haha!).

Just like in any country I've been to, the China Town or Chee Cheong Kai in the street of Petaling in KL offers a good shopping experience. You'll find Chinese herbs, handicrafts, textiles or just any item a trader could sell particularly those from China.

Next to China Town and Jalan Bandar is the Sri Mahamariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in KL. It was my first time to enter a Hindu temple and I must say that it was indeed a worthwhile experience. I was amazed at the wall decorations that depict the Hindu belief - a reality check that we are indeed living in a truly diversed world.

After a quick rest at the hotel, my next destination was the Menara KL Tower. Being the fifth tallest telecommunication tower in the world, KL Tower provides a 360 degrees arial view of the city. Just to share with you, although I couldn't remember where I exactly read this, the KL Tower has customarily been a place for marriage proposals. Not sure though if every proposals made here were successful.

As they say, your KL trip will not be complete without seeing the gigantic Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest twin buildings. According to Wikipedia, Tower 1 was built by Hazama Corporation and Tower 2 by Samsung Engineering & Construction. They were the world's tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004. At day time, the spectators will definitely be astounded by the architecture of the Petronas particularly its detailed steel linings and humongous steel bars. Wait until the evening breaks, the Petronas seems to be the main source of light of the entire city. The twin towers resemble like two strong beams of light coming directly from the grounds of KL. I was astonished at the beauty of the Twin Tower as I looked up at the sky from the hotel entrance. I couldn't wait for the morning to come, a chance for me to enter the Towers and go up to the bridge connecting Towers 1 and 2. The Petronas Towers is definitely a must see for everyone!

Just before my departure from KL, I had a chance to visit Batu Cave which is approximately 20-30 minutes drive from KLCC. Of all the tourist spots I visited in KL, I must say that this is the best for the reason that I appreciate to witness other religious beliefs. At the ground level, you will be welcomed by a gigantic statue of a Hindu deity. As you start your 272 stair-trekking to reach the caves, you will be entertained by monkeys who would play around with visitors. It might be good to bring some bananas and feed them if you are fond of monkeys. =) At the far top cave, there is a small Hindu temple which a lot of devotees consider as extremely sacred. To reach the caves is quite a tiring activity but I think all my energy spent paid off.

TRAVEL TIPS: The KL International Airports are located one hour drive away from the downtown. Shuttle bus and airport taxis are readily available. Shuttle bus would cost 10 Malaysian Ringgit per person from the airport to the Central Station in KL city. To enable access to the Petronas Towers you need to get a ticket (free of charge) from the Petronas Office as early as 7:30 a.m. You need to be quick on this as tickets usually ran out fast.

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May 7, 2008

My Elite Choices to the New 7 Wonders of Nature

From the organizers of the New 7 Wonders of the World comes another global venue to discover the incredible beauty and variety of our planet Earth - The New 7 Wonders of Nature. Established by the non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, the voting for nominees to the New 7 Wonders of Nature has officially started! See live ranking of the top 77 candidates.

Cast your votes now! The following are my elite 7:
Photos and descriptions were taken from

the New7Wonders official website

#1: Chocolate Hills

The Chocolate Hills is an unusual geological formation in Bohol, Philippines. It is composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills, all about the same size, spread over an area of more than 50 sq km The hills are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, giving them the name ''Chocolate Hills.''

#2: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is located about 50 km north of the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. It features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 km. navigable underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea. It includes major formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers. The lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The underground river is reputed to be the world's longest. At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water's edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.

#3: Tubbataha Reef

Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea that belongs to the Philippines. It is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park. The reef is composed of two atolls, North and South Reefs. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 kilometers wide. Over one thousand species, including many that are endangered, can be found at on the reef. These include manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks.

#4: Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776 meters, and has an exceptionally symmetrical cone. A dormant volcano that last erupted in 1707, it is surrounded by five lakes: Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanaka, Lake Sai, Lake Motosu and Lake Shoji. It is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

#5: Maldives, Archipelago

The Maldive Islands make up an island nation consisting of 26 atolls in the Indian Ocean. They are located south of India’s Lakshadweep islands, about 700 kilometers south-west of Sri Lanka. The Maldives encompass 1,192 small islands, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited.

#6: Mount Everest

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, with the summit 8,848 meters above sea level. The mountain, which is part of the Himalaya range in High Asia, is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China.

#7: Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is a set of massive waterfalls located on the Niagara River, separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. The falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the last ice age, and water from the then newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

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May 4, 2008

Las Vegas: The city that never sleeps (at night)

A DELAYED BLOG ENTRY

October 2007 - It was a quick stop by at the surprisingly cold Las Vegas – a city in Nevada that never sleeps at night! The weather was cooperative as it was only at that time we arrived in Las Vegas when the temperature changed from hot and humid to cold and breezy at 57.3 °F (14.1 °C). As they say, the first thing a visitor could do is to try his luck with a slot machine found at the reception lobby of the hotel. Thrilled I was, my first try with the $20 - no luck! Haha!

Roaming around during daytime would give any visitor an impression that Las Vegas is just an ordinary city – high rising hotels, light to moderate traffic situation, and bargain souvenir items everywhere. In fact, one may think that it is a dull city as nothing so special is happening at day time. BUT try to visit every hotel lobbies where as early as 8:00 a.m. you'll see people sipping their hot coffee while playing a $1-$10 slot machine. You'll be convinced that people do really come to Las Vegas to gamble. What a way to spend your leisure time!

Now what happens at night time? I need not to scribble further. As expected, Las Vegas is at its finest in the evening! The covered streets of Fremont is enveloped with glittering lights and buzzling music. I was amazed at the LED screen-ceiling presentations on Fremont Street. People are filled with so much energy (not unless you go back to your hotel room as a loser). The Las Vegas strip is so stunning and the architecture of the Ceasar's Palace Hotel is truly amazing!

Since I'm not a habitual gambler I must say that my first day in Las Vegas was not fun at all (Not to mention of me losing a $100 bill was as quick as 10 snaps in less than 10 minutes!!!). What I like about this city is the fact that shopping is not as expensive as in California. I enjoyed buying presents in all the malls we've been to. Food is also cheap. The roads that we passed through were all clean. Best of all, you can buy a detached house in this city for as low as $200,000- Well not for me to stay long and raise a family here but perhaps as a vacation destination (I may be too conservative but I think this is not a good place to raise your kids).

As a whole, I should charge our four-day stay in Las Vegas to experience. I may not have a tremendous fun like in my other trips but it was not that bad at all. After all, I won $400.- during my last night in Vegas! Thanks to the Wheel of Fortune at the Golden Nugget Hotel!

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