Part I - Kuala Lumpur
Firstly, thanks to Wireless@KL! Imagine my immense surprise when I register and actually manage to logon immediately! And the speed is very decent! And stable! Also, thanks to Winsin hotel which somehow has very good reception of Wireless@KL.
Actually, this is only a recce trip. The 'real' trip will be from 17-19 Dec, and I will be going with Jo. Hence the need of a recce you see, else I'll be running in circles, getting lost, helpless and basically spoil the short trip if I don't get it right prior. Now you know why SAF also conducts trial missions....
Anyway, the trip to KL is pretty straight forward. Just follow the sign till you cross the Sg Besi toll. After that, traffic begins to build up. Luckily I manage to borrow a travel guide (Kuala Lumpur City Guide by Insight) that has a pretty accurate map. Try and hit some of the roads near Jln Petaling (Jln Loke Yew, Jln Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Jln Maharajelela...) and I manage to see the big big cheena looking entrance that tells me, yup, I'm in Chinatown.
First upset: the hotel I booked is WITHIN Chinatown (half of Jln Petaling) which becomes closed to traffic after 11 am. Drats. Hence I randomly (and luckily) rode past Winsin hotel, and since the rates are comparable to the original hotel (D'Oriental Inn) and they actually have a car park, I checked in. Only 80 RM per night!
I tried to cancel my reservation with D'Oriental but they refuse, saying they will charge a minimum 1 night stay anyway! Though I know it's partly my fault for assuming Chinatown is NOT a closed street market, the hotel manager was not helpful and I can even sense his internal delight that someone is paying for a room and not using it! Saddened, and hungry, I decided to have lunch first...
Although Petaling seems to be filled with imitation goods and backpackers hotels, you just need to sneak into the back/side alleys and realise all the makan stalls are there!
This is my first meal in KL - Hakka noodle with cold chinese tea. Only freaking RM3.70 total.
While eating, I realise how I can save some money from the cursed D'Oriental! I went in and just nice, a German backpacking couple wants a room for the night. I told them my plight and said I will let them have the room. Since I've already paid 10% as deposit, they can save some money! Thankfully, they are quite nice and agreed. No pictures, though both the guy and gal are pretty good looking....
This is a pic of Petaling street in daytime. Why? Because night time, it becomes 'denser'...
Using the very nice travel guide, I attempt to ride 1 round KL and just take photos of the more famous places. I don't have the time to visit them in detail and I know that the easier to get around these places is actually the monorail and LRT. Anyway, I'll try to name them...
Background: Sultan Abdul Samad Building (presently High Court).
Foreground: my lovely bike.
Background: The whole area is known as Independence Square (Dataran Merdeka) for obvious reason: Malaysia was declared independent and it was here that the Malaysia flag was flown for the first time. The green field is call Padang (they have no imagination whatsoever, as you can see..) and the buildings is the Royal Selangor Club.
Foreground: me with what I wear for EVERY touring trip I have - Genus 1998 t-shirt, shredded jeans from my crash in Pasir Gudang, waist pouch from National Camp (NCC, 1994), Zeus flip-up helmet and Goretex boots which I bought before I left RSAF.
Background: the tallest flag pole in Malaysia, also found at Independence Square. There's a old fountain at the base of it.
Foreground: my lovely bike.
From far to near: The Petronas Tower, KLCC and my lovely bike.
From far to near: Berjaya Times Square, Pudu jail and my lovely bike.
Having enough of U-turns (almost all roads have central dividers and there are a lot of one way roads), I finally completed a brief 1 round KL. Next, I decide to try their LRT-monorail thingy! Target: Sungei Wang and Low Yat Plaza.
One thing to note: All the different colored lines are NOT interconnecting! I.e. for me to get from Chinatown (Plaza Rakyat) to Sugei Wang (Bukit Bintang), I have to take the LRT (similiar to our MRT) to Hang Tuah, get off, cross over to another station, buy another ticket for the KL Monorail (similiar to our LRT) and continue my journey to Bukit Bintang. Idiots...
It seems Malaysia is not spared of commuters crowding at the door either...
Plaza Sungei Wang. I did not take photos of the interior because it will not do it justice. I actually got lost in the building while finding my way out. And it's a small building. If ever a fire broke out, I think everyone in it will not be able to escape.... Just think of Far East Plaza but 5 times bigger and yet occupying the same volume, with only 1 door.
Plaza Low Yet, just next to Sungei Wang. If you're someone that loathes going to Sim Lim Square, avoid it; if SATA connectors and laptop coolers turns you on then pls make it your first stop.
Why is everyone waiting to buy monorail tickets?
Because the automated ticketing machine is shut off. And this is at 7 pm, where the crowd goes home. Clever siah...
Jln Petaling or Chinatown at night. Notice that the empty corridor in daytime is now filled with 2 columns of shops. There are only 4 narrow passages to go past here.
2 views from the roof top of my hotel:
KL tower, Petronas Tower and Maybank building.
Entrance to Petaling.
And this is exactly what I'm doing now: satay, heineken, blogging.
Part II - Cameron
Well, actually the inn I was staying (the Cameronian Inn) have free wifi...but i have no pictures on Thursday! That's because it rained the whole day after I arrived. All I can do is eat, sleep, eat, play Dota, eat, sleep....
Next morning, set off to find the stuff that I didn't get to see on my last Cameron trip - namely the peak of Cameron. All the Boh tea/strawberries/steamboats etc are quite easy to find.
I came up by the Simpang Pulai way, where the roads are wider and in better condition.
But either way, there are enough corners to satisfy your cornering crave.
There's no actual peak of Cameron Highlands, as this land is actually nestled among 6 mountains. However, 1 of them, Gunung Brinchang, boast the Malaysia's tallest peak that has a paved road, which means I can ride all the way to the peak! The path is actually the same way towards Boh Tea Plantation.
Along the way saw some wild straberries!
And of course tea-covered hills.
The road up is not difficult but it's only 1 car width and is very steep and curvy. Almost near the top there's a small jungle walk.
The walk boast a lot of lichen covered old looking trees, as well as strong chilly blast of wind. And of course, some spectacular view. Maybe a nice place to view sunrise?
The peak, like most mountain peaks, is used for telecommunications purposes. There's also a viewing tower, as well as van loads of backpackers.
2 interesting thing here...the border between Pahang and Perak is drawn, as well as possibly the worst toilet in Malaysia.
To descend Cameron Highlands, I took the Tapah way. The roads are narrow, quite hard to overtake (even for bikes) and the roads are not in the best condition. But it will take you to Lata Iskandar waterfalls.
That's all!