Chilling out in KL

Last month (14-17/2/07), I made a frutiful short trip to KL via Airasia. It's a wonderful first experience for my son, 4, as this is the first time he had a chance to travel by plane as a reward for achieving promising exam result. Months before, I broke this tantalizing offer to him that I would fulfill his dream of flying on a plane only if he gained commendable result.

Unfortunately, he was placed 7th out of 32 pupils in his class, not a bad result afterall. Even he finished last, I would take him for a joyride as he always relished of riding a gondola (eyeofmalaysia) and visiting AquariaKLCC (he loves marine lifes).

Here are several shots that I managed to capture and of course, with stories:

"It chills down the spine...." (BB-24/2/07)

HOLIDAYING has not been my priority in recent years as far as budget is concerned. Saving hard earned cash only to spend them lavishly bound to spell trouble and put an unnecessary financial burden. However, taking a little break to unwind abroad would invigorate one’s mind and soul once returning back to work. Keeping my promise as a reward for my kid for achieving good results in last year exams, I managed to dig a hole in my pocket for his maiden voyage overseas for a short holiday excursion in Kuala Lumpur - a haven for shopping, entertainment and amusement parks recently. My trip wasn’t a fruitful one, nevertheless my first encounter traveling with Air Asia; a Malaysian low-fare airline certainly suits my budget. Since the Chinese festivity was just around the corner, it was not surprising though most of the traveling entourage was foreigners working in the sultanate. When I asked one Chinese family member where he would be if somehow he missed the boat for a family get-together back home? He jokingly said he would freeze to death! Understandably, this once a year auspicious occasion is traditionally a time of reunion, feasting and reconciling with family members, love ones and friends. Upon arriving at LCCT, the atmosphere speaks volume with an upsurge of passengers coming in and out of the terminal. The bigger picture is that the RM108 million airport is capable of handling 10 million passengers a year and has a further capability of expanding up to 15 million passengers in the future. In fact, the terminal is exclusively designed to facilitate the passengers’ movement of international and domestic departures/arrivals within a single operation area thus it doesn’t require travelators, escalators or aerobridges to move about. After less than an hour traveling in a taxi, we reached at a designated hotel at a sprawling and affluent commercial area of Bukit Bintang. With the advent of internet, it is a hassle-free as I booked the hotel online a few weeks in advance. That’s the beauty of conducting business transaction through internet but there is a catch. If somehow the occupants couldn’t make up the trip, some portion of it would be refunded provided the claim is made at a specified number of days plus administrative and cancellation charges deducted from the initial booking. The world’s tallest twin tower is at the vicinity of a cluster of high-rise hotels, apartments and shopping arcades. For this very reason, I choose to stay at one of the hotels here. The magnificent building is best observed at night and the absorbing atmosphere shouldn’t be slipped away easily without capturing it on camera! Another added advantage staying at one of the hotels here is the availability of a 24 hours Indian restaurant and 7 Eleven outlets which could be reached within a walking distance from hotels. Right on the onset, KL Aquaria comes to my thought. My kid is very fond of marine lives and that is another reason why I took time out to be in KL. Here, more than 3,000 sea creatures of various shapes and sizes such as tiger sharks, stingrays, giant catfish and eels living harmoniously in the stimulated natural habitat and they can hide in the hidden shipwrecks, colonized by inquisitive reef inhabitants.

My son being surrounded by "Penguins" at Mines Wonderland

The climax of the journey is its tunnel; a moving walkway inside the 90m acrylic tunnel, a view only previously accessible to divers venturing into the depths of the brilliant ocean. Its curving 55mm thick tunnel is made to withstand an enormous amount of pressure from the 2.7 million liters of water that fills the living ocean. Visitors can stop off at different spots anytime to view animals gliding and swimming. We are a bit unfortunate as the feeding hours have elapsed or otherwise we could observe trained divers hand-feeding the fish including rays and large sharks. For birds and natural lovers, KL Bird Park is a place not to be missed. It is a home to more than 3,000 birds and 200 species from all over the world and it only takes about 10 minutes drive from the city centre. With colorful sights and melodic sounds of birds perching and winging about freely, guests will be fascinated at the natural and beautifully landscaped surroundings. Visitors may take a camera shot with birds resting on their shoulders and hands at a meager fee.

Sliding on ice

The Zoo Negara (National Zoological Park) is another added attraction. Situated 13km from downtown Kuala Lumpur; it features about 400 species of Malaysian and exotic mammals, reptiles and birds. Among the exotic exhibits to watch are the Sumatran tiger, Orangutans and gibbons. A multi-animal show in the Main Amphitheatre supplements a day’s visit to the zoo with three ‘clowns’ invited on stage performing some tricks to the delight of the spectators. On a sour note, the sea lion was unable to show off his skills as the pond it used to juggle the ball around was rendered polluted by the supervisors.

White shark swims at AquariaKLCC

Unpredictable weather condition hampered our trip as rains showered KL including suburban areas where most of the amusements parks were located. However, we managed to chill out with a visit to a recreational park of Mines Wonderland which is built around a former mining-pool, 20 km minutes’ drive away from KL. This park offers a -15 degree Celsius winter house with snow, a nightly glittering floats parade on the lake while a stunning laser and multimedia presentation awaits visitors. There is also a cultural show and a boat ride across the lake. During the visit, we mingled with a group of Iranian tourists who provided a perfect backdrop against a gloomy night with their traditional dances just before the fountain water danced its way to the tune of vibrant musical songs.

Cruising along a river

VMY 2007 has plenty to offer and explore but due to time constraint and budget limitation, we round off our trip with a 12 minute gondola ride at Lake Titiwangsa. Riding the giant wheel sends shivers down our spine when it starts to move rapidly but gradually excitement takes over anxiety. Built at the lake riverbank, the 360 degrees ride over the lake is an exhilarating experience with a bird’s eye breathtaking panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur. This giant wheel becomes the focal point since it is the official launch pad of VMY 2007 and it remains there until the end of the year.

Magnificient Petronas Twin Tower

“Eye of Malaysia” jadi tarikan utama TMM 2007 (MP-2/3/07)

Antara tarikan pelancungan sempena Tahun Melawat Malaysia (TMM) 2007 ialah “Eye of Malaysia” yang terletak di Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. Dengan ketinggian 60 meter, roda gergasi ini secara rasminya dilancarkan pengunaannya pada 6 Januari lalu oleh Perdana Menteri Malaysia.

“Eye On Malaysia” membuka dimensi dan perspektif baru kepada para pengunjung apabila mereka berpeluang menyaksikan pemandangan indah kota metropolitan Kuala Lumpur dengan hanya berkunjung ke Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. Roda gergasi ini adalah ilham daripada “London Eye” iaitu buaian roda yang termashyur di Britain dan Malaysia adalah negara pertama di Asia Tenggara yang memiliki roda sepertinya.

Gondola

Roda buaian ini berharga RM30 juta dan dilengkapi dengan 42 tempat duduk (gondola) yang berhawa dingin serta berkeupayaan mengangkut 386 penumpang dalam satu masa. Setiap gondola boleh membawa sehingga 8 orang penumpang dan mengambil masa kira-kira 12 minit untuk menghabiskan pusingan yang ditetapkan bergantung kepada kelajuan roda. Gondola untuk VIP juga disediakan bagi mereka yang mahu menyewa secara pakej dengan harga yang berlainan dari gondola biasa.

Pancaran laser keudara dari fountain water

TMM 2007 bertambah meriah lagi kerana hari kemerdekaan negara itu yang ke-50 jatuh tahun ini. Untuk menambah kerancakan sambutan jubli emas itu, 50 acara-acara utama sudah disusun sepanjang tahun seperti perarakan besar-besaran darat dan air, persembahan kebudayaan, pertunjukan antarabangsa dan pelbagai karnival perayaan akan mengambil tempat dalam bulan Ogos dengan kemuncaknya perkiraan detik pelancaran (countdown) pada malam mejelang 31 Ogos di Dataran Merdeka.

TMM 2007, yang bertemakan “Sambutan Jubli Emas” adalah merupakan edisi ketiga selepas siri pertama pada 1990 dan kedua pada 1994 yang telah berjaya melakar kejayaan. TMM 2007 dijangka dapat menarik 20.1 juta pelancong ke negara itu dengan tukaran wang asing dijangka mencecah RM44.5 bilion.