Selamat Datang
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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The Heritage Station Hotel
Discovered this hotel from LonelyPlanet.com. We actually had several choices, all of them budget hotels, but since most of them were already fully booked we just opted for this. But even before this was already my first choice because of its historic charm, and when my sister made further research on this she found out that this was where most photo shoots and MTV shootings took place. So that knowledge basically sealed the deal of how historic it is. haha.
Seriously though, as creepy as it looks, this hotel actually used to be the original Kuala Lumpur Station. It has been existing for more than a hundred years that its structure is still very Islamic. Not only does it provide a great view of the old Islamic buildings in the neighborhood but also still even has that old railway station at the back, which made our commuting around the city very convenient. To top it all off this place is very cheap and the personnel were great.
They were so great that they still accommodated us at 2am even though our check in time was 2pm, and to think they were a bit hesitant coz they were already fully booked. On the other hand, maybe they just took pity on us because when I called them up upon our arrival, I told them, with all the sadness in my voice, that if they couldn't accommodate us we'll just have to sleep at some benches in the airport (which was really our original plan, but we were just too tired to even think about it). I must have been one heck of a great actress. haha!
The Famous Malaysian Chicken
Waking up late, missing our breakfast, we decided to just have our brunch somewhere in the vicinity of Petronas, since that was our very first destination. When we got to KLCC Suria we immediately found NANDO's, and I've heard great reviews about this Resto from pinoyexchange.com. It's kinda like our own Jo's Chicken Inato but very hot and spicy . It's quite good but still too spicy for my taste, but the locals must be loving it coz they were really lining up for it. A great feature of this resto though is their store related humor printed on its menu. Very cute.
The great PETRONAS towers
If there's one best description for Petronas that would be SHINY. I already expected the twin towers to be, well, towering, but I never expected it to be that shiny. No kidding! it was so shiny that you could actually check out your teeth on its facade, kidding actually! haha. Seriously when you look at it you could just imagine how long and how many it takes to maintain its shiny-ness.
By the way that's the lady guard at Petronas Tower 1. Ain't she just pretty?. But I've noticed that most Muslim women are really pretty even if they are covered up like Afghan women. Janjan even thought of approaching them for some eye make up tips. I wonder what their response to that would have been. hmmm.
Chinatown
Their Chinatown is our version of Tabo Sabanay. Everything is first class - first class imitation. Too bad it rained when we got there. But nonetheless I still got a very great deal from my friend friend Mike who was very much infatuated with my beauty.haha. From the MYR180 worth of scarves I only got it for MYR80. Not only that , I also got a free necklace from him. All these in exchange for a picture with me added by some false hopes. I was so attractive that I got asked for my number three times and twice they gave me their numbers in hopes that I would contact them. There was even once in Bukit Bintang that the sales ladies thought I was an actress coz I seem to know Jericho Rosales (who is very popular there) quite well, but I humbly told them that Jericho and I are just friends. See being showbiz pays off. hahaha...
I really don't mind the flattery as long as I get discounts. ha! once a user will always be a user! Anyway to sum it all up, let's just say that in some culture, I am very beautiful..I just hope that I can also be as beautiful in Spain as well. please lord.
Malaysia's railways may not be as bongga as Singapore's but they still serve their purpose nonetheless. With our two days stint in KL my sister and I pretty much got the hang of their transportations. We even rode the buses to get around the city, and it's not that hi tech coz their system is similar to our jeepneys here wherein you just pay the fare to the driver or the conductor. The only ride perhaps that's worth worth complaining is their TEKSIs (taxi) Never was there a time when they used their meter. I don't know why, but I somehow felt we were overcharged, and by the way not using a meter is already normal for them. That's why getting acquainted with the buses and trains is really a must. Besides, what better way to immerse in one's culture than to be in their public utility vehicles.
GENTING HIGHLANDS
Is the casino and amusement park on top of the mountain. It's very cold that you could actually see the fog on top of the roller coaster rides. Good thing we brought our scarves coz if not, we would be freezing our wanna-be-fashionable-asses off in that mountain. And they say that it was already a good weather coz there was a sun compared to a month or so before when its temperature reached 11 degree celcius. Had I known, I would just have worn a fashionable coat instead. as if!
Getting there was fun coz we got share a taxi ride with the three locals who were very friendly but whose names were so difficult to pronounce. At first you'd hear it as Ann Su or something but when you repeat it they'd try to correct you and say "no no it's Uhn Suh." It's very difficult that it's like learning french in malaysia. But they were nice, those three. Their english is pretty good compared to the others that we've met, but mehn when you talk to them you'd feel like you're already the best english speaker in the entire world. Don't mean to insinuate something just plain bragging :)
By the way they also have best and safest roads. If you ever get to see how big and well placed their roads are then, without a doubt, you'd conclude that our roads to Busay is a road kill. Trust me.
Coffee Terraces
The package that we got was actually an either or of lunch buffet and amusement rides, plus free cable car and bus ride. Naturally, since my tiny sister is the biggest eater I've ever known, we went for the buffet, and since we only have 2 meals/day this was already very worth it. They have a variety of international cuisine, so we tried to try as much of everything as possible, and not everything tastes good. Take for example their local specialty ice kachang - it is nothing compared to our very own halo-halo. But all in all it wasn't really disappointing coz my tummy banked on the sushis, coz number 1 - I know how expensive they really are and number 2 - I could never go wrong with sushi. :)
More of Genting
I think Genting was patterned after Vegas. In a way that hotels and casinos are scattered everywhere. Their amusement parks are located both indoor and outdoor, and it's very ideal when you go there with a group of friends. They also have small chinese temples, but with its sinful surroundings it's no question why not many people go there.
The ultimate highlight of Genting though is their cable car rides. From what I've read, it is the longest in Southeast Asia and it lasts around 15 mins more or less. What makes it even more cooler is that you actually pass by the top of the very thick forest, so basically you get a bird's eye view of everything. It's a very greeny ride and quite an experience.
Bukit Bintang at night
If you consider Manila as the melting pot, then I wonder what you'd think of Bukit Bintang. This place is kinda like Chinatown but more organized and more diversed. It's so diverse that you could actually see and mingle with all kinds of people from different cultural backgrounds. From the whites to blacks, chinese, arabs, muslim, christians, hindus and of course us Pinays, they're all there. It's pretty amazing when you think about it, coz by then you could say that this is the real utopia where everyone gets along with everybody. But hey we only stayed there for a couple of hours so I really wouldn't know for sure. haha.
A tip though, if you ever go Kuala Lumpur and do intend to really shop, go to this place coz this is their shopping district and their prices are quite cheaper than those of the glamorous malls. Trust me, I know, coz by this time I was already a master at mental currency conversion. ha!
Authentic Chinese Food
According to my feeling expert sister, Janjan, "you would know if it's authentic chinese food when the ones serving are real chinese." That's why she was so willing splurge on those "chinese" foods coz apparently they are very aunthentic, but if you ask me, she was splurging more on the chinese people serving our food. And if she ever goes to China you bet she'd be as broke as a pauper.
Summary.
There are several things why I like Malaysia. Among them is their buildings. They have the most unbelievable architecture that I've ever seen (they even surpass those of Singapore's), probably because most of their buildings has a of touch of their Islamic culture. And I personally find that appealing coz it's like proud trademark of their identity.
I also like how they go on sale, because when they do it's a really big thumbs up discount. Unlike here when a store goes on sale they put up big 50% off on their posters but when you get inside they only give the 50% discounts on their not so good items and 10% on their nice items. There when it's sale it's really SALE. But unfortunately since we were just the poor people from the Philippines, we just did what poor people do - posing in front of the high end stores ..so tadah! we already have a Louis Vuitton ---> pic. haha.
Lastly, I so 
the cultural diversity. I thought I'd only see those Afghan women outfit, (wherein they are covered in black from head to toe with the exception of their eyes) on TV but there were actually a number of them strolling around Malaysia. There were also a lot of western tourist who had gotten quite comfortable in this Muslim country. One of them even played his guitar and sang a Beatle song to a local Malay at one of the sidewalk.
So you see Malaysia's advertisement is really true.. coz it's TRULY ASIA.
2009.
April we exchanged smiles with the people at the city of smiles (Bacolod). Then September was a treat. From white water rafting in the river region (Cagayan de Oro) to frolicking in the island of fire (Camiguin) and the sight seeing at the land of waterfalls (Iligan), you gotta supah heart Pinas!
My sister and I were barely able to afford this trip, but thanks to the call center industry I was able to save 2 months worth of salary, before I went AWOL. specialty! But honestly, we owe it to our ever generous father. And no we are not taking advantage. We are simply just considering it as his investment on us, coz by the time we will be earning real money I know that he wouldn't hesitate to collect his ROI with a European travel. Good luck to us! 
My best birthday ever was spent on the road round south, and the best present was that ride in the sky. As if that wasn't enough, we climbed (or more on drove) our way to the mountains of Cebu. Then dove into the waters of Mactan and chased the waves with the big boy's toy - the wave runner. And as for the finale of the adrenaline rush year! my sister and I paid to be hanged on a zip line that goes half a kilometer from cliff to cliff that was only separated by the river that was hundreds and hundreds of feet below at Danao, Bohol. 
BLAST!!!!
