My Malaysia Trip 2019

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country that includes the Malay Peninsula as well as the island of Borneo. It is known for its beaches, rain forests, and a blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European cultural influences, which is why Malaysia is one of the world’s most popular destinations for coastal tourism and a foodie’s paradise.

I arrived in Malaysia after a three-and-a-half-hour flight.  The first thing I noticed is how similar Malaysians are to Filipinos. After waiting in line for immigration, getting my luggage, and going through customs, I finally got to see my boyfriend who arrived 9 hours before me.

We chose to take a “Grab Car,” which we had discovered was the better mode of transportation a few days before traveling because it was less expensive than taking a taxi. 1 Malaysian Ringgit is equivalent to $0.25 or €0.22. The drive from the airport to Kuala Lumpur takes about an hour. My plane landed around 5 p.m., and I got out from the airport around at 6 p.m. We decided to eat dinner and call it a day because we were both exhausted.

Day 1
We decided to visit the KLCC Park. It is open from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. There is a bridge that connects our hotel to the convention center. The hotel we booked is near the KLCC Park. The bridge is very convenient, and it only takes four minutes of walking to the park. I also noticed that the bridge has air conditioning! In addition, it is very clean and spacious. The park has a lot of greenery surrounding the entire area, including a lake, a view of the Petronas Twin Towers, and a mini pool for children. There are also restaurants and bars nearby, so if you get hungry, you’ll have plenty of options.

After strolling around the park and enjoying the cool breeze from the trees, my boyfriend and I proceeded to our first destination, the Aquaria KLCC. It is an oceanarium located beneath the convention center, so you won’t have to walk far, and it is said to be one of Southeast Asia’s largest aquariums. It is open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. You can purchase tickets online through their website or in person.

TICKET PRICES
Adult – RM 65.00
Child – RM 56.00
Senior Citizen – RM 46.00
Disable/ Handicapped – RM 15.00

Although the place is a bit crowded, we still enjoyed seeing different and colorful sea creatures that we haven’t heard or seen before.

Day 2

We already have an itinerary throughout our whole trip in Malaysia. Days prior to the trip, we booked a tour package via Klook. They have a lot of travel itineraries in their website which saves us time, effort, and money. We went to Genting Highlands and Batu Caves today. We were picked up at our hotel around 9 a.m. There is a bus service and a tour guide on hand to meet all of our needs at the time. There were also other people on the bus, and we had to go pick them up one by one at their hotels, which took a little longer. The time it takes to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Genting Highlands is almost 2 hours because of traffic.

Genting Highlands, also known as Resorts World Genting, is a big resort in Malaysia. Genting is a 1,800-meter-high integrated hill resort development with hotels, shopping malls, theme parks, and casinos sitting atop on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali.

The Skyway Cable Car is the quickest and most convenient way to reach the top of Genting Highlands. The resort is a 10-minute drive from the terminal.

Batu Caves is one of Kuala Lumpur’s most well-known tourist attractions. It is a limestone hill with caves and temples adorned with statues. Hindus regard this temple as a significant religious landmark. To reach the temple cave, you must climb the steep 272-step stairs. You begin at the foot of the cave, near Lord Murugan’s statue. If you go there, you will see a lot of monkeys jumping around the tree branches and the stairs! It was also my lucky day because I accidentally touched a monkey’s poop while holding the stair railings.

Day 3

We went to eight well-known tourist attractions in and around Kuala Lumpur. The best part about booking through Klook is that everything is included in the package, so you don’t have to worry about anything. The tour guide met us at our hotel and then went to pick up the others. We are a group of seven people, including the tour guide/driver. What I appreciate about our tour guide is that he is extremely knowledgeable about the locations we visited. He explained everything in great detail.

1st Stop: Jadi Batek Gallery – one of Kuala Lumpur’s largest batik and handicrafts centers. It also has a batik workshop with 12 production lines. Finished batik products are displayed in their retail showroom alongside other Malaysian handicrafts.

2nd Stop: Harriston Boutique – it has over 150 chocolate variants, all made from the finest cocoa beans using time-honored methods and innovative and proprietary recipes. Some of them are uniquely Malaysian and can only be found at Harriston, such as its durian and Tongkat Ali chocolates.

3rd Stop: Petronas Twin Towers – A trip to KL would be incomplete without a visit to the world’s tallest twin towers. We didn’t go inside the tower because we needed tickets, but we did stop for a quick photo op because we still had a lot of places to see.

4th Stop: Istana Negara, The National Palace – it is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the monarch of Malaysia.

5th stop: National Monument – it was constructed to recognize and honor those who gave their lives in the cause of peace and freedom, particularly during the nation’s fight against communism. Atop an oblong base are seven bronze human figures, each representing one of seven qualities: courage, leadership, sacrifice, strength, suffering, unity, and vigilance.

6th stop: National Mosque of Malaysia – it has a seating capacity of 15,000 people and is set in 13 acres of gardens. The mosque is open to the public, but we were unable to enter. We arrived around 12 p.m., and the mosque had already been closed to tourists because it’s their prayer time. The mosque will presumably open at 3:00 p.m. for everyone, but we didn’t have time to wait, so we proceeded to our next destination.

7th Stop: National Museum aka Muzium Negara – it is regarded as one of the best in the country. The museums offer an excellent overview of Malaysia’s cultural and historical heritage. The museum is divided into four galleries. The Prehistory Gallery, the Malay Kingdoms Gallery, the Colonial Era Gallery, and the Malaysia Today Gallery. They are all worth a visit. However, we were unable to enter the museum because the entrance fee was not included in our tour package at the time. So, the day after the tour, my boyfriend and I returned to explore the museum. The ticket prices are as follows:

Foreigners: Adult – RM 5
Children (6-12 yrs old) – RM 2
Children below 6 yrs old – Free
Malaysians: Adult – RM 2
Seniors and Disabled Persons: RM 1
Children Under 12: Free

These are only some of the photos that I took since I was overwhelmed with everything in the museum.

Outside the museum, there are also examples of transportation over the decades that are being displayed.

8th stop: Kuala Lumpur City Gallery – it is a fascinating tourist information center with a collection of paintings and photos depicting KL’s history, as well as miniature replicas of famous city landmarks. With souvenirs and art for sale, maps, cultural exhibits, and a gift-making workshop, you’ll have a great time here. And there’s no admission fee!

These locations are unquestionably worthwhile! More well-known tourist attractions can be found throughout Malaysia. I was fortunate to be able to visit some of these historical sites and learn about the country. The places are not only the best part of the country, but so are the people. Everyone was extremely friendly and accommodating to the tourists. It was one of the most memorable trips of my life, and if given the chance, I would definitely go back to Malaysia.