MY TRIP TO KUALA LUMPUR & GENTING HIGHLANDS

19 Sept 2006 (Tuesday)

3.45 am: We left the house for my first overnight trip ever! Daddy drove to the Tuas Second Link Checkpoint. There was hardly any traffic at all, so we were on our way to Kuala Lumpur via the North South Highway in no time. Both Mummy and Daddy were tired. Mummy found herself nodding off and Daddy needed a caffeine boost to drive on.

6.00 am: We made a rest stop for Daddy to get some coffee. The rest stop we took is a birder's paradise. Thousands of birds were in the air, chirping away loudly. Mummy decided that she should sip the coffee and drive instead. She's not a coffee drinker, so a little caffeine would give her insomnia. Mummy took over the wheel and we were on our way again.

7.30 am: We had arrived at the outskirts of KL. We took a rest stop so Mummy could use the loo and I could get my diapers changed. After the short break, Daddy took to the wheel once more as Daddy was quite familiar with the roads in downtown KL.

9.00 am: We were stuck in a bad jam getting into KL. It was rush hour, so the traffic was mad. We finally arrived at the Regent Hotel and parked our car in the multi-storey carpark there. Mummy and Daddy had stayed here before and they said the buffet breakfast was amazing. Daddy checked out the rates at the reception and raised both eyebrows at the inflated prices. Mummy knew at that point that it was bye bye buffet breakfast. We walked towards Coronade Hotel instead. En route, we stopped for breakfast at San Francisco Coffee, a cafe like Coffee Bean. Lis ordered a doughnut and we shared it.

10.00 am: We checked into Coronade Hotel. Mummy and Daddy took Rm1110 which had a lovely king-size bed, a foldout bed and a nice bathroom. Lis and I shared Rm1109 which had twin beds and an even nicer bathroom! We were pleased. We unpacked our things, washed up, took a short rest before Mummy decided that we should all head to the aquarium at KL Convention Centre.

11.30 am: We arrived at the Aquaria. The taxi fare was less than RM3. So affordable! The rates for the Aquaria were similar to those of the Underwater World in Singapore though, but it was well worth visiting. The staff were friendly and they helped me at the petting pools. My arms were too short to reach the bottom of the pool where the big fish were and they brought the fish up to near the surface for me to pat them. How kind! In addition to fish, there were also displays of reptiles and amphibians. I enjoyed myself thoroughly at the Aquaria.

1.30 pm: It was way past my lunch time. There were several restaurants at KL Convention Centre and we decided to have lunch at Kenny Rogers', which seemed to have far more branches in the city of KL than in Singapore. The meals were only RM13 - one main course, 3 side dishes and a muffin. However, the portions were baby size compared to that in Singapore. The muffin also tasted different. When the food arrived, I was too tired to eat. I fell asleep in Lis' arms.

2.30 pm: We were back at Coronade Hotel for a rest. Daddy fell asleep instantly. Mummy tried to take a nap in my room, but I was full of energy by then and I made a din in the room with Lis chasing me around.
4.30 pm: Eventually, Mummy decided to take me shopping instead at Times Square. We left Daddy in his dreamland and the 3 of us walked to Times Square. We found the amusement park in Times Square and sat there to watch others on the thrilling rides. Mummy bought me some chicken nuggets and I ate them happily.

5.30 pm: Daddy joined us at Times Square and we walked around the shopping centre. There were hundreds of shops! Much bigger than any mall in Singapore. Strangely, the mall was extremely quiet. There was only a handful of shoppers.

7.00 pm: Mummy received a text from the promoter for HardSequence, a hard dance event in Malaysia. Christina was coming to Times Square to meet Mummy and Daddy.

8.00 pm: We went to Starbucks at Times Square to meet Christina. She had a striking tattoo on her arm. How unique! I was hungry, tired and grumpy by then to be sociable though. Daddy got me a slice of strawberry cheesecake, but I fell asleep in Lis' arms before eating any of it.

10.00 pm: The meeting was finally over and we made our way to Jln Alur, KL's foodstreet. Daddy bought char kway teow, oyster omelette, vegetables, congee, curry noodles and dessert and we brought the food back to our hotel. By the time we were done eating, it was already 12.15 am, so we all went to bed.


20 Sept 2006 (Wednesday)

8.00 am: Lis woke Mummy up, so we could all go for buffet breakfast together.

9.00 am: We left Daddy in bed and went for breakfast at the coffee house downstairs. Daddy joined us at 10.00 am.

10.30 am: After breakfast, Daddy drove us to Genting Highlands. We didn't bring any warm clothing with us from Singapore, so Lis packed the only long-sleeved item I had with me - my pyjamas! Daddy enjoyed the drive up to Genting a lot. The road was winding but broad, so he could work his vehicular muscle.

12.00 pm: It was cool, not cold in Genting. We parked our car and walked to the outdoor theme park. Daddy took a look at the ride and concluded that I wouldn't be allowed on any of them, so we proceeded to the indoor theme park. There was a snow park, but when Daddy enquired about winterwear for me, they said that I wouldn't be allowed in because I was less than 3 years old. Darn! We looked around a little before stopping at Marry Brown's for lunch. Mummy ordered a bowl of chicken congee for me.

2.00 pm: Daddy bought tickets for me to take the carousel ride. I sat on the plastic horse for 1 min and I decided that I've had enough. Daddy then bought tickets for us to take this reindeer ride that circles the indoor theme park from above on a track. Daddy and I shared a reindeer, whilst Mummy and Lis shared another. Mummy wanted it that way so she could take more photos of Daddy and I together. Unfortunately, it was a wrong move. I was miserable on that ride and I wanted Mummy to comfort me. I cried my eyes out during that lengthy ride and I didn't want to be at the theme park any longer.

4.00 pm: We drove to Batu Caves.

5.00 pm: There were lots of pigeons in front of Batu Caves and I wanted to feed them. There was also a big, gold statue of a Hindu god at the foot of the Batu Caves. We scaled the limestone cave - Mummy and Lis carried me up more than 200 steps. Monkeys were running up and down the steps alongside us. Inside the cave, there was a drinks stall, souvenir shops, Hindu gods, a big iguana and a thick python. It sure was touristy.

6.30 pm: We drove towards our hotel then headed straight for Sungei Wang shopping centre. There were a lot of shops there and it was crowded.

8.30 pm: We walked around till we were all tired and hungry. Lis and I returned to our room, whilst Mummy and Daddy went to buy food for all of us. We would have a picnic in Mummy's room. Yahoo! Mummy laid out a "playmat" for me and surrounded me with my toys. She put some fried rice in my toy bowl and I fed myself.

10.30 pm: It was time for bed. We would have to leave KL early tomorrow because I've got to attend Shichida class at 2.30 pm.


21 Sept 2006 (Thursday)

6.30 am: Rise and shine. We had an early breakfast, packed up, checked out and left KL by 8.45 am.

1.00 pm: Home sweet home, safe and sound. I enjoyed the trip a lot.

MY TRIP TO CHERATING

26 Sept 2006 (Tuesday)

3.45 am: We left the house. Ipa came with us this time because Lis had the flu. Daddy drove to the Woodlands Checkpoint. There were no cars at all, so we breezed through customs and were in Johor Bahru in 40 mins.

4.20 am: Daddy followed the directions to Kota Tinggi, but we didn't get very far before we had to make a toilet stop for Mummy. We stopped at a 24-hr MacDonalds, and Daddy decided to get some breakfast for himself. He ordered a Sausage McMuffin, a bowl of chicken porridge (yes, they serve that at Micky Dees in Malaysia!), and an ice milo and it took them almost half an hour to prepare that even though there wasn't a queue at all! The slowest Macs in the history of the world.

4.50 am: Mummy drove so Daddy could eat. Within 5 mins of driving, the roads were without street lamps and Mummy had to drive in darkness. I reckon we were driving through plantations and forests because I could make out the trees in the darkness. It was very hard to see in the darkness, yet the crazy Malaysian cars were still travelling so fast. Mummy didn't rush about like them, and Daddy taught her how to alternate between the high and low beams. She got the hang of it after a while, that even Daddy who gets nervous when Mummy drives, fell asleep.

6.15 am: We arrived at Mersing and made a toilet stop at a petrol kiosk. Daddy used the female toilet because the male toilet was dark and scary, not to mention smelly!

6.30 am: After the toilet stop, Daddy took over the wheel from Mummy. By then, it was already daybreak and the sun had begun to rise. We drove around the town of Mersing a little looking for directions to Kuantan. The town looked quite rural for a place which is the jumping off point to a major tourist attraction - Pulau Tioman. We saw chicken running around and a lamb as well!

We drove towards Kuantan, passing through villages inhabited by Orang Asli. The scenery was largely the same - coconut trees, houses on stilts, mosques, kids going to school, chicken, cows and vegetation. I noticed that people on motorbikes did not wear helmuts here. It was like time stood still in those parts 50 years ago. In between villages, there were rainforests (we were near the Endau Rompin National Park). Early morning mist was rising from the rainforests and it was quite beautiful.

7.30 am: Daddy was very tired, so Mummy took over the wheel once more. She manouevred us expertly through the villages and rainforests. We saw wildlife (goats and monkeys) on this route, but we also noticed quite a few road kills. There was a close shave once when a car suddenly swerved into our lane to avoid a carcass in his lane.

8.30 am: We made a toilet stop at a petrol kiosk near Pekan and Daddy bought a few bags of snacks for us. I was awoken from my slumber as it was milk time. Daddy took to the wheel and I drank whilst on the road. The unclear road signs at Pekan got us lost and resulted in us wasting about 40 mins of travelling time. We were driving towards Tasik Chini, when we wanted to go to Kuantan. Tasik Chini is actually the largest freshwater lake in Malaysia and Mummy said the lotus on the lake would be in full bloom at this time of the year, but it's also 74 km inland, and I would rather play on the beach!

9.15 am: We were finally on our way to Kuantan and the landscape had changed. The Orang Asli villages and rainforests were replaced by swamps and industries. This part of Pahang wasn't impressive and I was unhappy in my carseat. Ipa handed me 2 pieces of potato chips and I munched on them. Within minutes, I felt sick. I cried till I threw up. Mummy came to the backseat to hold me, and I threw up a second time on Mummy.

10.15 am: We arrived in Kuantan, and we stopped at a parking lot to clean up. Ipa felt sick by then. She also ate some of the potato chips. We do not know if it's food poisoning or motion sickness which got to us. After cleaning up, Daddy drove around looking for a shopping complex for us to stop at. It was pretty early in the day and the one and only shopping complex we found didn't seem open yet. Daddy also didn't like the neighbourhood. He reckoned it was unsafe. We drove around some more until Mummy made Daddy stop at a riverside park for some air. There was a playground there, so we started walking towards it. That was when Daddy shouted at us to come back. He had noticed a suspicious man following us with something concealed on his back. True enough, after we hopped back into our car, the suspicious man stopped going in that direction and watched as we drove away. None of us liked Kuantan. We decided to go to the safest sanctuary we could think of nearby - Hyatt Regency's Resort at Teluk Chempedak Beach.

11.15 am: We arrived at Hyatt. Ipa was not feeling too good, so she went to the toilet to try to throw up. She was unsuccessful, but felt better after washing her face and getting some air. Daddy and Mummy took me down to Teluk Chempedak Beach, so I could run around a little. The beach was ok, similar to Desaru Beach. Daddy and Mummy were disappointed by the fact that we had driven all this way to see a beach so similar to Desaru Beach. The resort had a nice pool, and quite a few of its guests (mainly Caucasions) were swimming and taking in the sun by the pool. We decided to have lunch at the coffee house then drive towards Cherating. Maybe the beach would be far better 40 kms away?

12.15 pm: We resumed our journey to Cherating. What looked like a straightforward drive didn't end up that way. The roadsigns were pathetic, so we kept getting lost!

1.45 pm: We were finally in Cherating, checking out our various accommodation options. First, we drove down a path with a handwritten sign "Pantai Cherating". "Pantai" means beach in Bahasa Melayu. That area turned out to be the backpacker enclave. We saw beach huts, internet cafes, cafes, tourist offices and shops, but it was a ghost town. Not a single backpacker in sight. Mummy said that Cherating was popularised by backpackers years ago, but that it's no longer on the backpacker trail, with most backpackers preferring to bypass it for Pulau Perhentians where there were white, sandy beaches, and crystal clear waters for snorkelling and diving.

We exited and drove to Club Med. We only managed to get so far as the security post at Club Med. The guard said that only people with vouchers get to go in. We asked him how we could get a voucher and he said that we could get it from Kuala Lumpur! Turns out that people must have confirmed bookings before going there. Ok, fine.

We drove further to Impiana Resort, which was given a 4-star rating online. We went past the security post (no one stopped us), saw the building and did a quick u-turn. Daddy said that an NTUC resort looked more appealing.

2.00 pm: Finally, we stopped at Best Western's Suria Resort. The building looked newer than Impiana's, but it was desserted. The first time Daddy asked for their rates, they said RM150, which was reasonable for a place like this. However, when Daddy asked to see the rooms, they said that the RM150 rooms were all being painted, and they only had RM250 rooms left. We didn't believe them. C'mon, Malaysians don't paint! Look at the state of all their buildings!

We were undecided about where to stay, but we knew that we should take the opportunity to make use of Suria's stretch of beach. We took what we needed from the car and walked to the beach. We were the only ones on the beach, which was cool. The sand was golden brown and coarse at most parts, but we found a strip with wonderfully fine sand which was pleasant to the feet. The water was greenish, but clean. It was a slightly better version of Desaru Beach. Ipa and I played at the beach, whilst Mummy snapped pictures of us busily. I squealed in delight as I ran towards the waves and got lifted and dunked in the sea by Ipa. The seawater was shallow, so I was allowed to run around freely. I haven't felt this free before, and I kept laughing and exclaiming "Happy, happy, happy". Mummy was delighted.

3.30 pm: It was time for us to leave Cherating. I didn't want to leave the beach, but Daddy and Mummy had decided that we should drive to Kuala Lumpur instead. Ipa carried a sandy me to the resort to wash up, leaving Daddy and Mummy to pick up our barang barang. Somehow, our green daypack got left behind on the beach at this stage. Daddy and Mummy only learnt that it was missing after we had arrived in KL, more than 300 kms away!

We took the new expressway from Kuantan to KL and it was a really pleasant drive, the most scenic expressway I've travelled on in my life. The road cut straight through a hilly terrain, and beautiful shades of green greeted us on both sides (we were near Taman Negara National Park). Mist lifted off the greenery as the sun began to set and it was just breathtaking. There were very few cars on the road, and the rest-stops along the way were clean. Daddy enjoyed the ride a lot and it was the first time he perked up whilst driving during this trip.

7.30 pm: We arrived at Coronade Hotel, KL. Mummy, Ipa and I waited in the lobby with our bags as Daddy did the checking in procedure at the counter. A large only-males tour group exited from the lifts and a strange man reached over and stroked my cheek. "So cute" and he walked off with a grin on his face. Pervert! Shortly after that, 2 women (one in her 50s and another in her 20s) walked towards me and stroked my cheeks. "So cute!" The older woman started talking to Mummy in Mandarin.

OW (Older Woman): Is this your daughter?
M (Mummy): Yes.
OW: How old is she?
M: One and a half.
OW: I love kids. I've got a granddaughter who's 3. Where are you from?
M: Singapore.
OW: Oh, she's from Singapore too! *tugging at the Younger Woman (YW) and introducing her to Mummy* I'm from China myself. Are you here for holiday?
M: Yes.
OW: You're staying at this hotel?
M: Yes.
OW: Later this evening, we'll be holding a seminar on vitamins and well-being on the 2nd floor of this hotel. Come and join us.
M: Ok, maybe.
YM: I'm from Singapore too. Come and join us later.
M: Ok, maybe.
YM: *gesturing at the OW* She's a really good woman. When I was in Guangzhou, she took me shopping and I bought this bag. *showing off her fake Chanel bag* It really looks like the real thing!
M: Yes.
*Daddy interjected to say we could go up to our rooms*
OW: I'll give you my contact no. so you can contact me when you come to China. *YM produced a piece of paper with her no. and the OW's no. and passed it to Daddy* So, what's your contact no? Let's be friends.
M: It's ok. I've yours now. I'll contact you.
OW: Let me have your no. too. We can make friends.
M: It's really ok. I've yours now. I'll contact you. We've to go now. Bye bye.

8.00 pm: We finally broke away from those freaky multi-level marketing people and entered our rooms on the 13th floor. Mummy was unhappy with the rooms. They had an adjoining door, but the rooms were a lot smaller than the ones who had before. Furthermore, the rooms were not non-smoking and we could smell cigarette smoke. Daddy returned to the reception to request for a change of rooms, whilst the rest of us waited in the rooms. Daddy later told us that the pesistant YW was hanging around the reception counter trying to sneak a peek at our room number.

I wandered around the rooms, messing things up happily, when I suddenly had the urge to poo. I said to Mummy "Shu shu in the toilet. Shu shu in the toilet" when I actually meant "Ng ng in the toilet". Mummy rushed me to the toilet and Ipa held me. When Ipa thought I was done, she lifted me off the toilet seat, cleaned me and asked me not to move about as she went to get my diapers. That was when we realised that the green daypack with my diapers was not in the room. Just then, Daddy came into the room and said that we were shifting to the 17th floor. Mummy and Ipa started asking Daddy about the green daypack, whether he'd seen it, whether it was in the car, etc. During the commotion, I poo-ed on the carpeted floor! Urgh! Mummy rushed me to the toilet once more, whilst Ipa cleaned up the mess on the floor. When I was finally done, we moved upstairs to the 17th floor.

8.30 pm: The commotion regarding the green daypack resumed in the 17th floor rooms. Daddy went to the car to look for it, but it wasn't there. We retraced our steps and realised that the daypack had been left behind at Suria Resort in Cherating. Mummy asked Ipa what was in the bag and she said "Only pampers". Mummy couldn't believe that an entire daypack could only contain pampers and she kept pressing Ipa for more details. Ipa insisted that it was only pampers. Daddy then suggested that we go to the shopping complex right away before all the shops were closed and I had to be diaperless. We rushed to Giant Hypermart opposite the hotel. That was when Ipa revealed that my toothbrush, toothpaste, medication for my scar, plastic bowl, plastic cutlery and my cute Pooh bear jacket were in the bag as well. Mummy bought a pack of diapers and a new toothbrush for me. Daddy bought me new plastic utensils, but we couldn't find a similar jacket to replace my cute Pooh bear jacket. Ipa also told Mummy that some of my favourite books were in the bag as well - my Goldilocks and Three Bears book! Boohoo!

9.15 pm: It was late and everyone was hungry. We decided to eat at the foodcourt at Lot 10 Shopping Complex, which was opposite our hotel. Mummy and Daddy ordered all kinds of food, but I didn't want to eat. Ipa kept coaxing me and I ate a few mouthfulls of noodles and that was it.

9.45 pm: We returned to the hotel. More commotion about the green bag, what else was inside, whether to return to Cherating to try to retrieve it, what if it's no longer there after driving all that way, whether it's worth the trip back, etc. etc. Mummy rang home to discuss the matter with Ah Gong. Ah Ma answered the phone and gave Mummy an earful. After talking to Ah Gong and Ah Ma, Mummy decided that we would only drive back if we were feeling up for it the next day. Mummy hadn't slept for more than a day, and Daddy was equally tired. By midnight, everyone was in bed. What an eventful day.


27 Sept 2006 (Wednesday)
8.00 am: Mummy woke up to find Ipa and I already up in the adjoining room. Mummy played with me whilst Ipa washed and packed up.

9.00 am: We left for breakfast without Daddy, who was still fast asleep.

9.45 am: Breakfast would end by 10.00 am, so Mummy set aside a plateful of food for Daddy, then Mummy and I went upstairs to wake Daddy up. I did my cute "Daddy, wake up" thing, but Daddy was too tired to take notice. It took giant shoves from Mummy before Daddy woke up to join us for breakfast downstairs.

11.00 am: We were all packed up and ready to go. A decision had to be made on whether we should return to Cherating for the green daypack. Mummy crumpled 2 pieces of paper - one contained a drawing of mine and asked Daddy to pick one. If he picked the one with my drawing, we would return to Cherating. He picked the one without my drawing, so we decided to move on to Melaka instead.

11.30 am: We left the hotel and drove around the city centre a little. We were here only last week, so KL wasn't exciting to me. We found the highway and resumed to our journey to Melaka.

1.30 pm: We arrived in Melaka to find that the town had been beautified with flowers. Colourful flowers had been planted by the side of the roads, outside tourist attractions and they adorned the trishaws. The town looked relatively clean. Mummy was impressed with the change. She last visited Melaka about 2 years ago. We stopped at the tourist information to ask for directions to the best chicken rice balls stall in town. We walked to Chung Hwa Chicken Rice only to find that they were already closed. We meandered the quaint and narrow streets of Melaka before stumbling upon Afamosa Chicken Rice. The restaurant looked nice and clean, and it was very crowded. We decided to have our lunch here.

2.15 pm: We ordered chicken rice balls, roast chicken (the steamed version was already sold out), otah, assam fish and vegetables. The bill came up to about RM75. I enjoyed the chicken rice balls and Daddy liked the fish. After lunch, we walked around the town some more. The shops were housed in quaint, old but refurbished shophouses. Daddy said the place had been modernised, so everyone had to pay modern prices too. True, we didn't find any cheap things to buy. We came across a t-shirt shop by an artist called Charles Cham (www.charlescham.com). Nice designs. Each t-shirt was sold at RM30, even those for kids. Daddy liked one of the paintings for sale, but it was being sold for RM4000. I'll draw one for Daddy instead.

3.00 pm: It was time to drive back to Singapore. We bade farewell to Melaka and climbed into our car.

6.30 pm: We arrived at the Gelang Petah rest-stop, Mummy wanted durians, but there were none for sale. We topped up our petrol tank, then proceeded to the customs checkpoint at the Tuas Second Link. Apparently, people were smuggling illegal immigrants into Singapore using their MPVs, so our vehicle had to be checked. That's what the immigration officer told Daddy. The immigration officer checked my daypack and touched my blue teddy bear! Hands off, officer! Urgh!

7.30 pm: We were home sweet home, safe and sound. We picked up Ah Gong, Ah Ma and Lis and proceeded to the NUSS clubhouse along Adam Road for dinner. During dinner, Ipa revealed that my vomit-stained, pink dress which Ah Ma bought for me last week was inside the green daypack as well. Mummy got another earful from Ah Ma, so it wasn't a plesant evening after all.