Heat, Humidity and Hawker Centres

Noel Mugavin · Jan 29, 2018

Pork wan ton mee, with a couple of fried wan tons added in

Another winner, fresh noodles, bit of crunch with the fried wan tons, and a nice heat from the chilli

Popiah

A little dry, but had a nice crunch in it

Chendol

Very nice, bits of jelly down the bottom, no kidney beans or corn

Back on the MRT, and a stroll down Orchard Road

Had to, went the coffee flavour

Continued the walk, crossed over to Fort Canning Park, and head rest there for 20 minutes or so.
Continued on along the river, bit of a history lesson in one of the pedestrian underpasses

carls888 · Jan 29, 2018

Love Singapore, the food! Yum. Looking forward to reading the Malaysian part too!

Major · Feb 2, 2018

It's good to see someone else's take on SIN.

lowan74 · Feb 2, 2018

What a great trip report- thanks for sharing

Noel Mugavin · Feb 3, 2018

Wandered for a little while longer along the river

Took a bit of a break under the trees for half an hour or so

More wandering, before heading to the hotel to grab my bag and off to the next stage of the trip

I was off to Kuala Lumpur, and in my research had remembered a group from our school did an overnight sleeper train to KL, but it seemed that did not run any longer. Singapore Airlines wanted to charge an arm and a leg for a flight, and I have no real urge to fly an Asian LCC.
So coach travel it was.
Off to the Golden Mile complex for a 7.00pm departure, I did my usual and turned up way too early, around 5.30. Sat around outside the office for a while, until a fella came out and said that the bus would be delayed another 30 minutes. Left my bags in the office, and went for a wander.
The shopping centre attached to Golden Mile was disgustingly dirty, something I didn't think I would find in Singapore, but many times I was proven incorrect. Over the road to a hawker centre looking for a toilet, found a sign, but after about 15 minutes of looking, no actual luck in finding one.
Back to the office, and a sign caught my eye re cost of visas for Malaysia, something around the $60 for Indian and Chinese nationals, $65 for other nationalities. This had me a little concerned as I hadn't purchased a visa, then second guessed myself if I had actually checked out visa requirements before I left Australia. In the end I thought I'm sure I'd be able to purchase a visa at the border, or immigration officers would be corruptible, so reckoned I'd be okay.
Bus finally arrived, and we took off around 7.40

Had chosen Transtar to travel with, only 18 seats on the coach, host on board, dinner supplied. Driving off happened to catch a glimpse of the Sultan Mosque, not previously realising how close the golden Mile complex was to it.
At the Tuas crossing, bit more of a concern as I glanced at a couple of other passenger's passports and noticed white cards in them, thinking they were probably visas for Malaysia. Would find out soon enough, as we were soon at Malaysian immigration. No visa asked for, through the little customs area and back on the bus.

Drove for about 20 minutes amongst the hundreds of motorbikes that had crossed over from Singapore, before stopping at a service station and fueling up. Then another 25 minute or so wait, which I worked out later was the wait for a KL - Singapore bus, and for the host to change buses. Would have preferred we just got going to be honest, as the dinner that was served wasn't great, some chicken nuggets, fried rice, an omelet and a little compartment of vegetables that had an amazingly tasty dressing on them. A little packet of what I wasn't sure of to put with the rice, a little nibble, nice crunch, then that awful anchovie taste.
Hot drink brought around a little later on, blankets distributed, finally arrived in KL at about 2.00am.
Another reason for choosing the coach, was that it terminated about 50 metres from the hotel I had booked, the Park Royal. Or that is what I thought. After giving my passport for ID, a bit of messing around on the computer, the gentleman at the desk asked if I had my original booking. Pulled my sheet out, than he told me I was actually booked a the Royal. No dramas he said, it's a 2 minute walk around the corner, he had one of the staff take me to the corner where I could see the hotel, and off I went. Finally checked in, and hit the hay at about 2.30.

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Noel Mugavin · Feb 3, 2018

Out the door at bout 9 o'clock and a short 1 minute walk to the Bukit Bintang monorail station. A little bit if confusion about how to get a ticket, or token in this case, but was eventually sorted out by one of the attendants and on my way to KL Sentral.
Took 10 minutes to get my bearing and have a look at my map while sipping an extremely bad coffee at a generic coffee shop. Over the busy road and into Brickfields, and the exploration of KL had begun.

Time for something to eat, and back to a place I had passed that seemed fairly popular. Staff a bit casual, with a couple doing a bit of cooking, then having a sit down and something to eat, waiters doing a bit of cooking, but tasted very nice. Waiter came over, ordered a chipati, very surprised when I said only 1, and when it arrived, could see why. Had a teh tarik, and very nice also.

Casual way of paying to as well, no bill, just go up and tell the cashier what you had. Grabbed a little bag of Indian sweets at the till, bit of a bonus a few days later as I had forgotten I had purchased them. All up about $3.
Back to the KL Sentral proper and on to the train, and off at Masjid Jamek station.
Bit of a walk around and a look at Merdeka Square and the buildings around and near there

Out from the station and a look at Masjid Jamek Mosque

Klang River

Sultan Abdul Samad Building

Continued on towards the Central Market, and had a nice and different view of Masjid Jamek and the Klang River

Noel Mugavin · Feb 3, 2018

Made my way to Central Market, didn't spend any more time in there than it took to walk a circuit

Running alongside the market is Kasturi Walk

Full of the same sort of stores that are inside the market, so not a lot of interest from me, inside or outside

There was one thing I was extremely keen to get my hands on though

Served hot, the packet cost around $1.30, would be great on a cold winters night covered in custard. Just fine as they were though.

Petaling Street is a bout a 2 minute walk away, so made my way towards there

It was a little before 1, so not all stalls were open, still for me just a look sufficed as I'm not really interested in buying knock off items

Did pick up an Air Mata Kucing though to quench the thirst

Noel Mugavin · Feb 4, 2018

Continued walking int he general direction of KL tower, passes another durian stand, again didn't find the smell all that offensive

Over a major road, up a hill and stumbled upon a hawker centre. Time to try a nasi lemak.

Not a huge fan, especially of the plate to the side which was made up of items that were quite different than what i thought they were. No line at the stall I purchased from, also little language communication between the two of us, was more pointing and nodding.

Continued on, and eventually arrived at the entrance to KL Forest Eco Park, within which KL Tower is located

.

Up to the tree top walk, came upon some poor English tourists who were really struggling with the heat and humidity

Out of the tree top walk, up some steps and you arrive in the car park at the base of the tower

Apologies for the photo.
Entered at the front of the tower, and went through a roomful of chocolate stalls, with every stall offering a sample of chocolate. It was actually quite overwhelming, did try a durian chocolate, quite liked it and allied my trepidation a little about trying durian. Eventually a lady took pity on me and pointed me in the direction of the ticketing for the tower. Ticket purchased, and waited for the lift to take me to the top.
Bit of a frequent flyer trip report reminder , Iranian architecture, flashbacks to JohnM and RooFlyers trip report

View from the tower, Merdeka Square, Masjid Jamek (sort of)

Royal Hotel and its proximity to the Park Royal

Down I went and walked off to find the Petronas Towers.On the walk downwards and out of the park, sign saying 'good photo opportunity her'. Who am I to argue?

Milboo · Feb 4, 2018

Enjoying this report and the food pics. Would you be able to describe what the food actually is as the names are not recognisable!

Irishbazz · Feb 4, 2018

Great report thanks for the effort!

Noel Mugavin · Feb 4, 2018

Headed off towards Petronas Towers, dodged some traffic to get over a fairly busy road, and after a while my goal came into view

Bit further on noticed another little food area

Time to bite the bullet and try the durian. Picked out a piece that was in the middle of the range price range. Went against everything I had read and heard, and smelled it before I started eating. Again, found nothing offensive about the smell. Time to start eating.

Custard type texture, and a rockmelonish taste, didn't mind it at all. Fella I purchased it from came and asked if I wanted a drink, pushed the coconut. Thought why not, I'll have the coconut, looked forward to the cold, refreshing drink. No such luck. Tepid, tasteless, no good at all.

Little stop at the Malysia Tourist information centre that was next door to the food stand, then arrived at Petronas Towers.
A few shots, then through the mall and out the other side.

Quite a nice park at the back of the towers

Heat and humidity were getting to me a bit, the old legs were sore, the back was angry, so decided to get back to the hotel for a swim and a rest.
Started walking, then fortunately found a covered walkway that I believed would take me to the nearest monorail station

It was a tease, as it spat me out on to the street, and I eventually ended up walking in a horseshoe pattern, with the kicker of having to walk up stairs to the station.

Where I came from, entry to the walkway bottom left corner, picture taken from the monorail station

I would discover the next day if I had have kept on the walkway, I would have been spat out a 2 minute walk from the hotel, and o stairs

1 monorail stop, then back at the hotel.

To the pool, was absolutely freezing, good for the legs, not so great for the back, but good to have a bit of a break before getting up and about again

Noel Mugavin · Feb 6, 2018

After a swim and a bit of a rest, out I went again. On to the monorail, 1 stop to Berjaya Times Square, a multi level shopping mall. Bit lazy taking the monorail, at most a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Don;t know why I thought going to a shopping mall would interest me too much, they don;t do a lot for me at any other time. Give it it's dues, it is big.
After wasting a bit of time, went back towards the hotel area, and walked the streets, just taking it all in

Then copped a Malaysian downpour. Street seller opportunistically waling around with umbrellas, picked 1 up for myself. Extremely heavy rain, so headed back to the hotel and waited for it to desist.
Sampled the Indian sweets I picked up earlier in the day, heavy accent on coconut.

Had enough of waiting for the rain to stop as I was getting hungry again, so grabbed the umbrella an made the short walk to Jalan Alor, street lined with outdoor restaurants. Rain was still fairly heavy, so the restaurants were scrambling to get their seats undercover. Chose a restaurant at the top of the street, and a bit of a meat overload

Pork, chicken and duck plate was a little dry, although can't complain too much when you have a bit of crackle on the pork, wings were quite nice, lime juice to drink, and the satay was exceptional.

By this stage the rain had stopped, so a bit of a wander down the street, smell of durian in the air

Spruikers were a bit aggressive getting people in to their restaurants, a bit off putting.

Time for a bit of dessert

Lot of effort went into the making of the ice cream, but in the end it was ice cream. Have to admire the skill and effort that went into the production of the cup though.

Decided to head to the monorail station to go to Petronas Towers to get a night shot. Walked the street and headed to the station.

Got to the station, paid for a token, within 2 minutes the train arrived. On to the train, then a notice came up on the screen apologising for the delay. Waited 10 minutes before my patience ran out, and decided to call it a night , back to the hotel.
Bonus back at the hotel, Black Mass was on TV. Unfortunately Malaysian TV is heavily censored, so a a very frustrating time watching, plenty of words silenced out, and many scenes, not too professionally, cut out.

Noel Mugavin · Feb 7, 2018

Out and about around 8ish the next morning, monorail to KL Sentral, to find the train to Batu Caves. Little while to find the right track, like Japan, different companies run different lines, and off course the ticketing machines are different for the different companies. Bought my token, then had to head to the depths of the station for a 25 minute wait for the train.
20 minute ride in a fridge like carriage, then joined a fairly large crowd heading towards the caves

A few traders were opening up their stalls along the 100metre or so walk form the train to the entrance to the steps of the caves.
Arriving at the Murugan Statue, confronted with 3 dangers - monkeys, steep steps and pigeon droppings

2 sets of stairs to the left for the non-Hindus, 2 to the right for the believers, sarongs for hire at the base of the steps to ensure everyone is adequately covered up

272 steps to the top which isn't all that taxing, however for a wimp like me vertigo gets to me and I end up crawling up and hanging on to the railing on the side. Couple of standoffs with monkeys who like sitting on the railings.
Made it to the top

Interior of Temple Cave

Upper level of Temple Cave

Noel Mugavin · Feb 10, 2018

More from the upper level

Looking back towards the entrance

Very opportunistic

Headed back down the steps, the monkeys having a real crack at anyone carrying a plastic bag.
This one was just an aggressive prat, snarling and baring his teeth, and off course right in the middle of the route I was taking

Navigated around the monkey then headed back toward the strain station. The vendors had opened up along the walkway, and I picked up some Indian sweets, given to me in a plastic bag.
Without thinking much of it, continued along holding the bag in my hand, until a monkey with her baby on her back started making a beeline for me. Was quick enough to react and turned and put the bag in my back pack. Teacher trait of having eyes in the back of my head worked well for me here.
Person with a bagful of cupcakes not so fortunate

Nor someone with some Nasi Lemak

Timed it well and stepped on the train as it was taking off. The train unexpectedly terminated 3 stops in, so transferred to a bus for the journey back to KL Sentral.
Back to the same restaurant in Brickfields as yesterday. Different service though, day before someone came to the table for me to order, today I was left to sit until I went to the counter and ordered for myself. 2 Chapatis today

And a mango lassi. Laissez-faire attitude of staff to be seen in the background

Back on the train, and a couple of stops to the old Kuala Lumpur Station, former hub before being superseded by KL Sentral

Noel Mugavin · Feb 10, 2018

Kuala Lumpur Station again

And for me, the more impressive Malayan Railway Administration Office directly opposite

My aim now was to find the National Monument, which sits on the outer boundary of the Botanical Garden.
National Mosque is on the way

And a little of the Botanical Gardens

Had to backtrack a little, cross a busy intersection, walk a small incline and eventually found the National Monument.

Noel Mugavin · Feb 11, 2018

Time to head back to the hotel for a bit of a recharge, so headed back the same way I had come.
After a while, found the footpath blocked with scores and scores of motorbikes

The motorbikes kept arriving, then it clicked, Friday call to prayer, numbers heading to the National Mosque

Few photos, then back to Kuala Lumpur Station, and eventually on the monorail and back to the hotel for a swim and a rest

Back out again early evening, and discovered the covered walk I was in yesterday stretches all the way to the Pertronas Towers from 1 block from my hotel. Just had to zig when I zagged the day before.
Tried nasi lemak again at a store at the towers, better than the day before, the rendang was very nice, I'm just never going to be an anchovy lover

Wanted to get some shots of the tower after dark, still light when I strolled around KLCC Park

Went to the front of the towers, bit of people watching, hustlers selling lenses for camera phones, then the lights started to take effect

Experimenting with vantage points, don't know if I'd get in this taxi, not great sight lines

To the back of the towers, few more snaps

To Jalan Alor for a bit of a snack, went the steamed dim sum

Different varieties, tried 1 not great, small nibble of another, not for me, too meaty for me.
Walked back to the hotel to call it a night, and gave the plate to one of the panhandlers who had a couple of small kids with her, so hopefully it helped.
Bit of ordinary TV, then off to sleep

jase05 · Feb 11, 2018

Fantastic report and photos. We normally stay at the Traders in KL, magnificent unobstructed views of the Petronas Towers and the park and at night I leave the curtains open and gaze at the Towers lit up from our bed. Sounds like you are having a blast, enjoy

BAM1748 · Feb 11, 2018

An excellent report and I'm enjoying the photos.

Noel Mugavin · Feb 11, 2018

Saturday, and today i was heading back to Singapore with the coach leaving at 3 in the afternoon. Original plan had been to get out early and do some more exploring, however the 12 o'clock checkout, and my general body soreness changed my plan to one of sloth.
I had around 460 ringitt I needed to get rid of, so at about 9.30 I eventually moved outside, ant to Berjaya Times Square, had some breakfast, brought a shirt and a pair of runners. 325 down, 135 to go.
Back to the hotel first, another shower and a bit of TV.

Around 11.45 checked out, left my luggage with the concierge, and out to waste a couple of hours before back on the bus.
AS per the norm, hot and humid, so found a shopping complex and wandered for a couple of hours.

Away from the local food and had a hamburger and chips for lunch, able to get rid of another 25 Ringitt.
Was running out of time to get rid of the money, when I found a couple of shirts, that left me with about 40 left. Quick run to the supermarket, that was of course at the other end of the mall, and last of my notes was spent on some chocolates and milo nuggets.
Back to the hotel for my bags and to the coach terminal, which in reality is just a little shop with the coach stopping on the street
Monorail on the way back to the hotel

And the Air Asia Bukit Bintang Station

As usual, very early to the bus terminal, they did have a little waiting area in there, where there was about 6 other people already there
Left right on time, my seat for the duration

Dinner was served not long after passing through this toll

Soggy spring roll, limp looking cauliflower and broccoli which I didn't touch, a mushroom fried rice, and some extremely tender chicken.
For most of the trip we were in a huge downpour, which fortunately abated at our stop.

I had about 1.15 in coin, was able to buy a bottle of water for 1 ringitt, so left with 2 coins from my time in Malaysia which I was pretty happy with.
Our bus at the stop

Although the bus was showing its age, evidenced with the seats being worn and torn in places, it was comfortable. Much newer buses used by the same company for other routes, as I saw at the immigration stops at Malaysia and Singapore, with wifi available also advertised on the side of those buses.
Although the rides were comfortable, they were longer than advertised - 7ish hours there, and just under 7 back to Singapore. I wouldn't do it again, would bite the bullet and fly.
Having said that, although I did enjoy KL I don't see myself returning, unless as a stopover to elsewhere.
Didn't take too long through immigration and customs at the respective borders, asked if I smoked at Singapore, answered in the negative and waved through.
Was a nice touch that we on the bus, not knowing or communicating with each other, did look out for each other at the border crossings, making sure everyone knew where the coach was, helping out with each other's luggage, and making sure a couple of real oldies got on to the bus okay.
Arrived at the stop in Singapore at around 10.00pm, quick cab ride to my hotel, and hit the sack pretty quickly

Noel Mugavin · Feb 12, 2018

Fragrance Hotel Riverside, directly opposite Clarke Quay MRT Station, and a 2 minute walk to the river. Room about $95 a night, rooms a bot more modern than Hotel 81, and slightly larger

Plan for this Sunday morning was to walk the Southern Ridges Trail, research hadn't given an exact starting point of the walk, so I had decided to travel to Haw Par Villa Station, and walk to Kent Ridge Park.