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6am - Rise and shine! Not that i have much of a choice since the parents have the tendency to wake up very early in the morning! I am only thankful that Cameron Highlands didn't have much of a night life and i managed to sleep relatively early the night before.
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After the complimentary hotel breakfast, it's time for us to take the pre-arranged shuttle to the capital of Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur! As you could see, it was drizzling and the weather was so chilly!
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Whenever friends ask if it is recommended to stay in Cameron Highlands for more than one night, my standard reply would be "only if you have signed up for tours"! Otherwise, it would be pretty boring unless your purpose is to relax with minimal disturbance.
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Drove past the small town of Ringlet which was still around 45 kilometers away from the Tapah exit of North South highway.
Friends are aware i am the type who would like to make full use of my time to travel within a country. If i am going to spend over 10 hours to get back to Singapore, i might as well stopover somewhere along the way; hence, the visit to Kuala Lumpur before going home.
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The first time i did that at Cameron Highlands, i had to take a taxi (sorry, there wasn't any meter) to a bus station in Tanah Rata where i had to endure a 4-hour journey on a 40-seater bus. The most memorable part was when the bus pulled up at a rest station and there were literally hundreds, possibly thousands of black flies!
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My apology; i digress. This time round, i did a bit of research and found a much better option via Kang Holidays. I forked out only RM35 per person (similar to what i paid for the 40-seater) that came with a hotel pick up!
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It was a direct trip with only a short 10-minute toilet stopover and the best part was we practically had the whole 13-seater van to ourselves; saved for a quiet Caucasian tourist who was at the back! You may click HERE for booking and more information on the available transportation services.
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Spectacular view of the mountains along the highway!
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8.00am - Shuttle left Rosa Passadena hotel. 11.15am - Reached Times Square (Bukit Bintang). I am so grateful to have found Kang Holiday! Given my last experience, I was fully expecting to reach our destination earliest by 12noon.
KWC Fashion Mall
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This was our first stop after exiting the hotel because i have heard it was comparable to the Platinum Mall in Bangkok! Frankly, it was a tad disappointing and prices were not exactly economical.
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You may refer to the above for a rough gauge on what to expect.
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Some pictures for your viewing pleasure too. Of course, i could be biased since there were a lot more lady wear. However, it was a Saturday yet the mall wasn't packed. Try walking into Platinum Mall on a Saturday.
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Berjaya Times Square seemed very near right?! I had the same impression too but my attempt to walk from the hotel to Kenaga Wholesale City mall was a failure! We eventually took a cab...
KL Chinatown
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A trip to Kuala Lumpur is never complete without visiting Petaling Street (Chinatown), especially when i am bringing along my folks!
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It was teeming with people; both locals and foreigners! As i have always said, i don't have a problem with navigating in KL Chinatown, so long i don't deviate beyond the touristy section.
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The daily night market was still in the process of being set up but i am not that interested; knowing it was just a lot of stalls selling fake branded goods.
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Food for the win! Must try number one: Air Mata Kucing!
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Must try number two: the nutritious Gui Ling Gao (Herbal Jelly) from 恭和堂. You can find the shop at both ends of Petaling Street. By the way, despite the word "jelly", it wasn't vegetarian and had tortoise shell as one of the ingredients.
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In my recent trip, i chanced upon must try number three: KL hokkien meet from Lian Bee! Please click HERE for my review.
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Hm...... Why is this phrase so popular?!
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Dad was complaining we had eaten way too much, again! To appease him, i suggested walking back to our hotel which was essentially a straight road down along Jalan Pudu
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Walked past the imposing KWC Mall.
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Arrived at Times Square shopping centre in 15-20 minutes where the Christmas atmosphere was in full force. Damn, it was almost three months and i have yet to finish blogging about the trip.
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Uniqlo was having their opening sale!
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After resting for an hour at our now-tidied hotel room at NS Golden Green Serviced Suite @ Berjaya Times Square, we hit the street again to check out Pavilion shopping center.
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Christmas decorations along the street at Bukit Bintang; KL shopping belt.
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The crowd was incredibly huge and i don't think i have seen something even close to this in Singapore; save for special festive periods like CNY bazaar.
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Pavilion was amazing and truly a shopping paradise! I went at the right time i guess with many stores having discounts and the whole place was immersed in the Christmas mood!
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It was almost like Christmas wonderland.
Without the snow.
=====
For Day One (Ipoh), click HERE.
For Day Two (Ipoh), click HERE.
For Day Three (Cameron Highlands), click HERE.
For an overview of my trip,
Click HERE.