Saturday, April 27, 2013

Currently...


° Making peace with life..err work-life
° Trying to beat the heat with the very cool water melon
° Figuring out a book to read
° Anxious about everything that can happen over the next few weeks/months
° Praying that a dream comes true - fingers crossed!!
° Wondering if I am turning into an insomniac
° Thinking of cooking Sunday lunch
° Listening to some fav numbers and whatsapping with a close friend as I write this post. Song of the night - Aane wala pal jaane wala hai (Kishore Kumar)


Malaysia Diaries - Malacca - The World Heritage Site



This time it's Malacca!!

How to get to Malacca:
We booked the Transnasional bus tickets online to Malacca from Puchong for just RM 15. The travel time is 4 Hrs and buses ply every 2 Hrs starting from 8 AM in the morning. The central bus station in Kuala Lumpur is the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan, but we were lucky enough to figure out a bus-stop near Puchong Tesco where we stayed.You really gotta bargain the taxi rates at the Malacca Sentral station to your hotel - else you could be taken for a ride. We did the same thing - bargained and bargained and finally landed a deal of RM 25 from Malacca Sentral to Jonkers Street.

Where to stay:
Jonkers Street is the life of Malacca - the most happening & centrally located place. We also booked a hotel right across the Malacca River - an icing on the cake :o)
Check out www.agoda.com for some really cool deals and plethora of lodging options from bunkers/hotels/motels to luxury resorts at really cool rates and discount coupons for your next stay.


I fell in love with Malacca the moment we entered the city. It so reminded me of my favorite hill-station Ootacamund (Ooty) in South India - I sure will write a post on Ooty someday but back to Malacca now. The gorgeous place reeks of history, is a multi-cultural melting pot with influences from the Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Malay and the Indians and all this is reflected in its architecture, food, culture, people, climate and the overall ambiance of this tiny city. Malacca is also a UNESCO World Heritage site - carefully being restored, maintained and improved. There is so much to do so much to see, two days were just not enough for me.

A Local Kampung Meal

Christ Church

The famous Trishaws

Hard Rock Cafe

Uphill Malacca

The famous Bullock-Cart

Trishaw Ride

St. Paul's Church Ruins

St. Paul's Church Ruins

Trishaw

Malacca River in the night

The Jonker Walk

Jonker Walk

Malacca Sultanate Palace

The beautiful painted houses/motels alongside the Malacca River




Malaysia Diaries - Batu Caves and the city of Kuala Lumpur


     After a successful Day 1 in the Kuala Lumpur city, we woke up determined to explore the rest of the city. I dressed up in a red top inspired by the city that donned the color red - be it in the Chinese temples, the Chinese lanterns, the mall decorations, restaurants, kebayas and the list goes on.

6. Batu Caves

How to get there:
Train is best option if you do not have a car to drive around the city. We took a taxi to the KL Sentral Railway Station to board the KTM Komuter train to Batu Caves. There are trains to and fro Batu Caves every 15 minutes between 6 AM till 11:30 PM. You could buy a ticket online or pick it up at the station itself for as cheap as 4 RM.

Batu Caves is one of the most distinctive site to visit in Kuala Lumpur - easily accessible by trains. You need to climb 272 steps to get to the awe-inspiring natural caves! 272 steps!! Yes, It almost gave me cardiac stress!! Needless to say the climbing of steps was worth the effort as the mesmerizing beauty of the natural caverns blew me away. The cave houses the world's tallest Murugan statue - the 140ft high statue took almost 3 years to construct and was unveiled in the year 2006.

Lord Murugan and the 272 Steps


Inside the Caves



7. Masjid Negara - The National Mosque of Malaysia

Our next destination was Masjid Negara (at a walkable distance from the KL Sentral Station). We were given purple colored wardrobes - abaya - as we entered the mosque. A walk inside the mosque is a feeling out of this world - it almost felt like I was on my Haj pilgrimage. The mosque has a capacity of accommodating 15000 people. The minaret is about 70 mtrs high and has 16 pointed star shaped roof opening up like an umbrella. The mosque is painted in blue/turquoise blue and white - some respite from the 'red' color.

Masjid Negara


Interiors of the mosque


Tourists clad in purple abaya


8. Islamic Arts Museum

Located adjacent to the Masjid Negara is the Islamic Arts Museum,  a source centre for Islamic studies and beautiful showpiece for the best artisanship with Islamic books, replicas of Islamic architectural collections, traveling exhibitions and a gift shop for those who would love to adore their home with Islamic art and crafts. What struck me were the many unique inverted domes built inside the museum and the lovely roof carvings - like the one you will see in the photos below.

A replica


Inverted Dome


The holy Quran


Inverted Dome


9. Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower


Menara KL Tower I am told is the 6th tallest communication tower in the world - with a base for experiences including bungee jumping, Adventure, Culture, Food and Nature. Most importantly, I loved the breath-taking view of the Kuala Lumpur Skyline at about 270 mtrs above the ground from its observatory deck - an experience I will cherish all my life.

Menara KL Tower

KL Skyline view from the Menara Tower

10. Putrajaya

Putrajaya is the administrative capital of Malaysia taking over from the city of Kuala Lumpur and comes across as a modern city with progressive infrastructure and is also a hub for Technology companies. The streets are elegantly designed with a European feel, and the government buildings are a blend of modern cum Islamic architecture.






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