1) And so the journey continues. I've spent the last three days in Kuala Lumpur - the capital city of Malaysia. The first and most immediate change I noticed upon flying back to Malaysia was the weather. A sweltering 35 °C at mid-day hits differently when all I had been exposed to for the past few months was near or sub-zero temperatures. The second notable difference was the price of items. With a conversion rate of 1 GBP to RM6, my purchasing power had effectively increased by 600% - which made it rather difficult for me to control myself as I strolled past the endless rows of shops in our many shopping complexes. The third and perhaps most important difference was the food options. I have never craved Malaysian food more than during the winter months in Stoke-on-Trent.
2) Our three-day stint in KL flew by in a flash. On day one, we stayed at the Sleeping Lions Suites - a stone's throw away from The Exchange TRX and Pavilion, both shopping centres conveniently located in the heart of Bukit Bintang district. I was dead-tired after essentially a 24-hour airplane ride (7 hours from Manchester to Doha, then stopover for 8 hours, then another 7 hours from Doha to KL), so we only went to The Exchange TRX, where I had the opportunity to try some authentic Japanese ramen. On day two, we had a light breakfast at Win Heng Seng Restaurant, before going back up to our hotel for a quick dip in the rooftop pool. We then checked in to the Mandarin Oriental, where we sampled their buffet brunch. I had never felt so pampered in my life! After a quick nap (i.e. food coma), we went to two more famous shopping malls - Mid Valley Megamall and Lalaport BBCC. In all these shopping mall visits, we noticed many Chinese New Year decorations on full display. We rounded off the night with a quick trip to Suria KLCC to see the world-renowned Petronas Twin Towers - the tallest skyscrapers when first completed (in 1999), and currently the tallest twin skyscrapers in the world.
3) On the last day of our trip, we woke up early to have breakfast at the Capitol Cafe - a kopitiam-like cafe that serves up authentic Malaysian food including the iconic nasi lemak, Hainanese-style pork chops, and curry noodles, among others. After a nice relaxing swim in the pool (plus complimentary drink), we headed to IOI City Mall in Putrajaya - the largest mall in Malaysia and second largest in the world. It was truly a sight to behold - endless rows of shops as far as the eye could see, and food options beyond anything you could imagine. I joked with my dad that we could try one food item from each shop per day and still not have explored all the food stalls by the end of the year! After a quick lunch at Madam Kwan's, and a bit more aimless walking, it was time to take a Grab taxi back to our hotel, just in time for checkout. From there, we took the electric train back to Ipoh. Home at long last.
4) That has been the gist of my stay in Kuala Lumpur. As I type this, I am heading to my next adventure in Penang, where I will remain for the next two days! I hope you enjoy the pictures, take care, stay safe, and I'll see you in the next edition of my blog post. Cheers!
Excellent buffet brunch at the Mandarin Oriental :)
The Exchange TRX
Kanada-Ya - voted the No. 1 ramen in London, according to The Telegraph
Of course we had to try their famous truffle ramen
Just as amazingly tasty as it appeared on the menu - the addition of the truffle jelly on top of the truffle marinated chashu (pork) belly really accentuated the flavour of the 18-hour broth
All smiles after a delicious meal :)
A quick pop in to Berjaya Times Square to enjoy the CNY decorations
Berjaya Times Square
An unplanned casual stroll through Sungei Wang Plaza
Sungei Wang
There's a famous Chinese saying that literally translates to "People mountain, people sea". If ever there was a more accurate description for this picture here...
The Pavilion at night was simply stunning
Late night food cravings satisfied at a humble mamak stall
I was absolutely exhausted by this point
CNY decorations at the Sleeping Lions Suite
Win Heng Seng Restaurant today for breakfast
Looks simple, tastes divine
Went for a quick swim at the rooftop pool
Beautiful flowers seen on the Pavilion walkway
Taking the Bukit Bintang-KLCC walkway to Suria KLCC
Felt like stepping into a 1960's Hong Kong movie set
Checking in to the Mandarin Oriental KL
The view from our room was stunning to say the least
These are the iconic Petronas Twin Towers
Proof that the previous image was taken from our room
Buffet Brunch at the Mandarin Oriental
Beautiful chocolates and Sarawak layer cakes
Selection of fruits
A selection of cheeses and salads
A very happy and contented Kevin XD
Random photos taken at the lobby
Quick detour to Mid Valley Megamall
The decor certainly gives off ancient Chinese village vibes
Final destination on day 2 - LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC)
The illuminated staircase is always an eye-catcher
Sitting here pondering my sense of purpose in my life
The monolithic Merdeka 118 tower - the second tallest skyscraper in the world
(behind the Burj Khalifa)
The illuminated baobab tree in the foreground is juxtaposed against the distant dimly-lit Merdeka 118 tower
Happy CNY 2024 - at Lalaport BBCC
Bukit Bintang Walk
Picked up some matcha and hojicha ice cream at this quaint little ice cream shop
Suria KLCC did not disappoint with its own take on the CNY celebrations - a coiled dragon!
Nothing comes close to the fully lit-up Petronas Twin Towers at night
Day 3 began with a visit to Capitol Cafe
Their famous nasi lemak (left) and curry noodles (right)
Hainanese-style chicken chop, nasi lemak, curry noodles
Paris Baguette as my mom was craving a Western-style breakfast
A hearty breakfast washed down with some Earl Grey tea
Happy mom = happy son
Another pool day at the Mandarin Oriental
IOI City Mall today - it's absolutely huge!
Lunch at Madam Kwan's - this is laksa
Their famous nasi lemak with rendang curry
Fish noodle soup
Fried rice
Some authentic iced coffee and iced milk tea
One last photo of this amazing view before we checked out from our hotel
Taking the ETS (Electric Train Service) back home to Ipoh
Back in Ipoh - this time stopping for lunch at First Coffee House
It's been almost a year since I promote their oxtail soup - still as flavourful and delicious as ever
Lunch with my dad
Ten-Good Japanese Restaurant - a staple of mine whenever I'm back in Ipoh
Fantastic Japanese dinner with my parents
I got the Hamburg set - made with Iberico pork
My mom got this incredibly complex fish and assorted veggies set
Some CNY decorations at Ipoh Parade
Koong Woh Tong - a food chain that sells traditional herbal jelly and herbal teas
Herbal tea (left) and herbal jelly (right)
Back for some good ol' mamak food - masala thosai (stuffed with spiced potato)
My happy face just before digging into food :)
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