South East Asia

Air Asia flight route AK 39 (source: flightaware).

Going to India always has a thrill in a side of my heart. The provocation of irresponsible information sometimes succeeds in making the guts tremble.

Gusts of news ranging from security factors, culinary hygiene, scam variations, and other gripping things began to cloud my mind that afternoon.

Therefore, before leaving for India, for five days I warmed my guts in Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur, hoping that by leaving them I would be able to carry courage. But that afternoon it seemed as if I was still building up the courage from zero again.

In the continuation of my adventure, India would be the prelude to my main destination, i.e. the Middle East. Why was that?…. The only reason was that India was always giving many chances to get cheap tickets to the main tourist city in the Arabian Peninsula, i.e. Dubai. In addition to tickets, India also provided a variety of starting points to jump into that city.

As for my adventure history, after New Delhi and Agra two years earlier, this time I chose another point of departure, i.e. Kochi, an exotic tourist destination in southwest India.

—-****—-

I enjoyed the soft texture of white rice at Quizinn by RASA after 24 hours of not tasting this idol’s food. The white rice at that time also represented the last Ringgit I had, starting the next day I was using Rupees.

Five minutes before the Air Asia Ak 39 check-in desk opened, I finished eating white rice with the last piece of fried egg.

As I stated above, instead of getting excited, my chest was beating fast…” Oh India, please make peace with my adventure this time”, I calmed my heart.

Rising from my seat in a corner of the food court on the 2M floor, I carried my favorite blue backpack. Stepping up to the Departure Hall on the 3rd floor.

“It turned out that the queue was long….”, my confidence to become the first queue fell.

The contortions of the queue, which was dominated by Indians, kept me in the bloated queue. After all, I remained calm, there was still a long way to the flight, still four hours away. I started taking out the zipper bag to prepare documents, i.e. passports, hotel booking confirmations in India, tickets to and from India, and free Indian e-Visa sheets.

“Do you have a Visa?”, the check-in desk staff firmly asked me.

“This is Miss”, I handed over all the documents I had prepared.

“Was Indonesia to India enough with e-Visa, Sir?” That female officer asked her senior colleague.

That senior staff confirmed and that female officer finally printed the boarding pass for me.

The first stage was over, I rushed to the International Departure Gate which was heavily guarded by several Aviation Security. In the front queue, there weren’t a few prospective passengers who were being held back due to carrying too much cabin baggage. In addition to Aviation Security, several Air Asia airline ground staff closely monitored passengers who cheated by carrying excess cabin baggage.

For me?….. It was easy, I pass through the gate without checking. Even with the inspection, I would still pass, because I had weighed the entire load of my backpack before heading to the check-in desk….Easy, only 6.5 kilograms.

“Where is the direction to gate L14?”, I asked myself.

I continued along the long corridors until I descended an escalator which at the bottom was already blocking several columns of the screening gate.

As usual, I always took off my shoes when I pass through the screening gate, it was all because I would feel lazy if I had to repeat the screening process when my shoes rang the screening door.

I easily pass it….

Now I only needed to continue through the remaining corridors to reach gate L14.

One of the corridors in the International Departure Hall is KLIA2.

Those are the directions to the Air Asia AK 39 departure gate.

A little after seven in the evening, I arrived at the gate in question.

“Hhmmmhhhh….An hour and a half to boarding”, I sat on a chair outside the waiting room which was still tightly closed.

I decided to perform the prayer and filled up drink bottles at the free water station. And in the remaining time, I just sit waiting until the waiting room door opens an hour before the flight.

Luckily while waiting, my boredom was dampened by the cute behavior of a little Indian toddler whose behavior was so adorable.

—-****—-

Waiting in the waiting room, I was again stunned by a large group of Hindu congregation. From the all-black uniform worn, I could identify the congregation as coming from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, located in the State of Kerala, India.

The peculiarity of the Indian Hindu congregation was that they do not use footwear. Some Hindus in India believed that not using footwear was a form of respect for the Gods.

Dressed in black and Lungi*1) was also the religious appearance of the group. I had to sit mingled in the waiting room with their group.

While the view in the glass window was a perfectly parked Airbus A320 Twin Jet aircraft, dominantly white with a blue-red color combination and bearing the tourism promotion jargon “Sarawak More to Discover”.

Waiting patiently for it to end…

Boarding calls for Air Asia flight AK 39 filled the airport ceiling.

I immediately got up and prepared my passport and boarding pass to pass the final inspection of prospective passengers before entering the cabin. Ahhh….I couldn’t wait.

At half past nine I started boarding…..

Passing the aerobridge to the aircraft cabin.

Cabin situation while hunting for a seat.

Look at those Indian citizens…..Do you want to go to India or not?

Entering the cabin of the small-body aircraft, I looked for seat number 11E. On the next 3 hours and 40 minutes of flight, I would sit in the middle column, making it difficult for me to capture beautiful portraits of the earth.

When the boarding process was over, in my row there was only me and one of the Hindu congregation. Therefore, I decided to move to an aisle seat to get relief from the 3,000 km flight.

—-****—-

To my surprise, when I opened the Travel 360 inflight magazine, I found a self-portrait of a travel influencer that seemed familiar to me. I was very familiar with his surname….Groves.

I made sure it was a beautiful traveler from Aussie whom I had known a year earlier in Samosir, Eloise Groves. He once told a story under the Naisogop waterfall that he had a brother named Jackson Groves who was a travel influencer. Seeing the similarity in the facial expressions of the figure in the inflight magazine I was reading with the figure that often appears on Eloise’s Facebook page, I’m 100% sure it was her big brother.

And it was true, later I would get confirmation from Eloise that it was her sibling after sending a short message through the Facebook messenger application when I arrived in India.

Trying to close my eyes after flipping through Travel 360, I tried to sleep. But I didn’t sleep. That was how I was, never completely fell asleep every time I sat on the plane.

That was Jackson Groves in Air Asia’s Inflight magazine.

Arrive at Terminal 3 Cochin International Airport.

Finally, the awaited time has arrived….

At one o’clock in the morning, Air Asia AK 39 landed at Cochin International Airport, a magnificent airport in the State of Kerala in southwest India.

Thank God….

Now I was even further away from home.

Kochi which was nearly 9,000 km from Jakarta.

Let’s explore….What was in Kochi?

To get flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Kochi, you can search for them on 12go Asia Asia with the following link: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

Next Story—->

Description of the word:

Lungi*1) = A long piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist and is a typical Indian dress.

Heading to KLIA2 from KL Sentral

26 April 2023travelingpersecond

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It would take a little longer to take a free service to the inn than riding the LRT “Laluan Kelana Jaya”. But in order to get around for the lack of Ringgit, I still decided to just take the free service of Go KL City Bus.

Hurrying to leave KLCC Park, I headed towards the KLCC bus stop which is located right in front of Suria KLCC. Arriving under the bus stop auspices, the green line of the “Free Bus Service” had been waiting for its passengers.

I rode it to reach the interchange point between lines, namely the Pavilion bus stop. From there I would catch the Go KL City Bus purple line to reach the Pasar Seni Bus Hub, the closest bus stop to my accommodation, namely The Bed Station.

—-****—-

Cheating underhandedly, I stepped up The Bed Station stairs, hoping not to be spotted by the receptionist when I crossed the inn’s front door. It was because I had checked out that morning, but that time, I forced myself to take a shower in the inn’s shared bathroom on the 3rd floor.

I made it through the reception room on the 2nd floor, at a glance I saw the reception staff were busy serving the inn’s guests who seemed to only just be arriving, indeed I arrived when the check-in period had opened.

Quickly moving, I immediately took a shower to clean all the sweat after walking around town that morning.

As soon as I finished bathing, I immediately went down to the reception desk to pick up the backpack I had left since morning.

The long queue at the reception desk made me invisible when I just came down from the top floor which wasn’t my right to enter it again, let alone to do any activity on that floor….Damn, Donny.

—-****—-

Succeeding to get a backpack, I rushed to Pasar Seni LRT Station which is only 200 meters from the inn.

When I arrived, I rushed to the automatic vending machine to exchange 1.3 Ringgit for a round blue token. That token would guarantee me to move toward KL Sentral.

The LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya with four wagons arrived to pick me up on the second-floor platform, and then I was following its spinning wheels heading to KL Sentral, which wasn’t even one station apart.

Within 15 minutes, I arrived at KL Sentral….

Down the escalator, I arrived at the first floor, and without long thinking, I immediately rushed to the basement level. I had an advantage in that I memorized the whole layout of KL Sentral, at least I had visited that famous transportation hub seven times. That was what made that so easy for me to reach the Aerobus ticket sales counter.

Aerobus is transportation from KL Sentral to Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) which offers cheap travel when compared to using taxis, the KLIA Transit train, or the KLIA Ekspres.

I handed over 12 Ringgit to get a ticket to the airport.

—-****—-

A quarter of an hour past four in the afternoon….

After traveling for 45 minutes, I arrived at the 1st floor of Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2. I was dropped off at one of the platforms at the transportation hub at Gateway@klia2.

Even though my flight would take place at nine in the evening, that didn’t stop me from going straight to the 3rd floor to see more detailed flight information. As usual, I was always detailed and strict about flight schedules, at least that afternoon I had to find out the number of the check-in desk I would exchange my e-ticket for a boarding pass and at what gate my plane would take off.

I couldn’t hide a slight smile from my lips when I managed to get that information on the giant LCD on the 3rd floor.

“17:20, it turns out….”, I thought when I found out when the check-in desk would open.

I decided to do the last congregational prayer in the mosque on the 2nd floor and of course, planned to have dinner afterwards.

Not as usual when I was looking for food at KLIA2. That afternoon the regular restaurant serving cheap Indian food was closing. Was NZ Curry House whose location was covered by renovation boards.

But I don’t bother….

In 2015, I ate at a food court located on the 2M floor. I slightly forgot the position of the food court. But I intended to look for it until I found it. There was a padang-typical restaurant that offers cheap food in the food court.

“That’s it….”, I cheered inside when I saw the food court from a distance.

“Quizinn by RASA….”, I recited the name of that food court.

“Restoran Padang Kota Group….”, yupzzz I saw the restaurant I was looking for.

Presumably not able to linger, I headed for the Padang-typical restaurant and then looked for a menu according to the condition of my wallet. That was when my Ringgit would run out.

Fifteen minutes before checked-in, I was finally able to enjoy a portion of rice for 5.9 Ringgit. That was the rice I ate after I last ate it a day before.

So, that was Quizinn by RASA food court.

My menu that night: White rice, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetables.

Taking a seat, I enjoyed the dinner and then got ready to take my flight.

Was I going home?….

No….The real adventure was about to begin.

I would fly to a city in southern India….KOCHI.

KLCC Park: Visited at the End

16 April 202326 April 2023travelingpersecond

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The sun was at the peak of its power when I decided to retreat from Petronas Twin Towers’ yard. I couldn’t hide the wry smile on the corner of my lips and felt like I was a traveler who didn’t understand priorities just because I visited the Twin Towers right in the middle of the day.

I tried to make peace with myself and intended to make up for that mistake by presenting a new destination in my adventure history. Not a prestigious place, but it could make up for my priority error before. On the other side, this place could be the right spot to drown out the sun’s arrogance.

I stepped towards the east. While trying with all my heart to resist the temptation of the magnificent Suria KLCC gate, the shopping paradise in downtown Kuala Lumpur. How could it not be, a long line of classy four-wheeled vehicles willingly queued in front of it while the visitor’s flow kept flowing in and out of this upscale shopping center?

Arriving at the two-section road on the east side of Suria KLCC, I continued heading south. I still tried to hide from the sun under the palm trees that line up neatly in the middle of the sidewalk….yupzz, a single sidewalk that perfectly divides the road into two lanes.

Slowly, at the end of the road, lush large trees began to appear, giving the city a contrasting atmosphere. It was as if I was heading to an oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle of the city.

Even from afar, I was able to feel the fresh air blowing from that green area. Automatically made me speed up my steps toward it. After passing over an underpass base, I found a green area’s gate.

This was Kuala Lumpur City Center Park….People knew it as KLCC Park.

I entered the park from its entrance which was on the left side of the KLCC Park Office building. Entering the park, I took a seat in the resting area which was in a gazebo form right on the east side of Symphony Lake. Wooden benches with concrete legs can be seen scattered all over the park, placed under the shade of large trees whose identities were displayed in barcodes on yellow paper and taped to each stem.

Perhaps this was where the most favorite part of the park was because visitors could intensely stare at the patterned fountain against the background of the Petronas Twin Towers which were supported by Suria KlCC’s low-extended buildings. As if I didn’t want to quickly leave my sitting position.

The city park with a Brazilian-style architectural touch began to be traced deeper when I started to get up from my seat. Stepping along its jogging track, I decided not to pass a bridge that connects Symphony Lake and the children’s pool.

I preferred to pass the jogging track on the north side to get closer to the KLCC Park Children’s Pool. The crowd and coolness that appeared at the children’s pool held back my power to look away. Instead of leaving, I was unconsciously leaning on one of the benches at the edge of the pool.

The main actor in the pool with a depth of just above the ankles was a sculpture of a jumping white whale which was dramatized with the help of a fountain in the tail. While the sculpture of two dolphins also jumped on its side. In addition, the walls of the pool decorated with artificial waterfalls were very inviting for children to get wet under them.

A perfect concept, when the Children’s Pool was juxtaposed with the Children’s Playground in the east. This allowed children to choose one of them or even play in both alternately. Like a Children’s Playground in general, this section was filled with swings, seesaws, and rides up-down stairs with the playground’s floor covered with Ethylene Prophylene Diene Konomer which created a soft and safe tile sensation for children.

For finally….

My adventure in the park ended on a stretch of grass perfectly circled by a jogging track.

It was past noon…

I had to have lunch before returning to the inn and in the end I would stop at the airport to determine my next steps.

Since the afternoon before, my Ringgit had run out and was only enough for the budget to take the bus to the airport and had dinner in it later…..So I decided to eat from a potluck lunch, especially if it wasn’t the same menu as last night’s dinner and breakfast that morning….That was oat powder which only need to be watered with mineral water. A circle of jogging tracks with grass in the middle became the backdrop for my lunch that day.

KLCC Park Tasik Simfoni (Lake Symphony Fountain) on the west side.

Jogging track and bridge linking Lake Symphony and Children’s Pool.

KLCC Park Children’s Pool was right in the middle of the park.

KLCC Park, a one-hectare city park….

It was a simple place that I had wanted to visit since 2014, but I had visited it many times or just stopped by in Kuala Lumpur, and many times I had failed to visit it, of course, the big obstacle was the very difficult time available each time I visited Kuala Lumpur.

This is my best redemption with the success of stopping by that afternoon. I deliberately pushed my way through the traffic jam to Kuala Lumpur City Center but I didn’t put my intention on the Twin Towers but on my main goal that day….KLCC Park.

I left the park feeling happy…Time to go back to the inn, pack up, and went to the airport.

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Twenty Minutes at the Petronas Twin Tower

2 February 20235 February 2023travelingpersecond

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Time show is at half past twelve….

I stood on the edge of Bukit Bintang Street waiting for the Go KL City Bus-Green Line to arrive. That time I intended to revisit the Petronas Twin Tower. That would be the fifth visit to the famous twin towers.

“Do you bore, Donny?”, is a question that might arise.

“It’s not a matter of being bored or not, I have to fulfill a sponsor’s message at that famous spot”, maybe that would be my answer.

Go KL City Bus physically had the same color on each lane. Therefore I was always alert if the bus started to look slow in the distance. I had to quickly catch the path information printed on the LCD screen mounted right on the top of the windshield. The Go KL City Bus had come from other routes twice, it was understandable that the Pavilion bus stop was a stop where three Go KL City Bus lines passed, namely the Purple Line, Blue Line, and Green Line.

After ten minutes of waiting, it was clear at the end of the road, a Go KL City Bus unit was trying to approach the bus stop by breaking through the traffic jam. I just wished it was a green line bus. Getting closer, the writing on the LCD screen was visible, it was indeed Go KL City, Bus-Green Line. So get ready to get in it.

I got on it from the front door as soon as the bus finished dropping off some of the passengers. The number of passengers who entered made me not got a seat, and had to stand in the middle.

From the Bukit Bintang area, the bus moved towards the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) area. But before arriving at the destination, the bus would first turn from the south side and then turned towards the north side. I arrived right at the KLCC bus stop which was on the edge of Ampang Street.

I came down from the middle door….

The immediately visible sight was the existence of the giant legs of the Petronas Twin Tower which felt so close. Not lingering, I rushed to the courtyard of that giant twin buildings.

Shady pedestrian pathway in front of the Petronas Twin Tower.

*Petronas Twin Tower from the other side.*

The heat of the sun had forced me to find a place sheltered by trees. I found that place on the pedestrian walkway on the right side of the tower. From that point of view, I also started completing sponsorship messages, namely sponsors who at least helped pay for my trip at that time.

Visiting the 88-floor twin buildings always invited admiration, how could it not be, for six years that twin buildings have claimed themselves as the tallest buildings in the world? At least that had made Malaysia proud in the world economic arena.

The twin towers owned by a giant property company, namely KLCC Property Holdings, appear green when observed closely. Another feature that was easy to remember was the existence of a sky bridge that connected the two towers on floors 41 and 42.

That time, my stop-by time at the twin towers took place quickly, no more than twenty minutes. Therefore I tried to enjoy it by paying attention to the scenery around the tower area. Let’s see, what were the spots around the Petronas Twin Towers. Here it was:

Public Bank was right opposite in front of Petronas Twin Tower.

From right to left: Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN/National Savings Bank) Building, Menara TA One (37 floors of offices), and Prestige Tower (40 floors of offices).

Tropicana The Residences (apartment with a rental price of 2,500 Ringgit per month).

I wished my adventure at the Petronas Twin Towers had ended with the finishing of a sponsor’s message. I would not sit longer in the courtyard of the twin towers.

Then I stepped into the expanse of Green Open Space which was located right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of business activities taking place in Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

Came on…..

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Stucking in the Lion Dance at Bukit Bintang

1 February 20235 February 2023travelingpersecond

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A quarter past ten….

I decided to leave the courtyard of KL Tower. My feet stepped following the contours of the road winding down the hill. A quarter of an hour later I was at the south end of Puncak Street, right where it intersects with P. Ramlee Street.

Standing on a sidewalk, I was still thinking, “Should it be better to reach THE WELD bus stop to go to Bukit Bintang?”.

But as soon as my feet stepped, a Go KL City Bus Blue Line quickly passed in front of me and then stopped a hundred meters north to get on and off passengers. I quickly decided, “There’s nothing wrong with going around the city using the Go KL City Bus-Blue Line, that way I can explore the north side of the city before arriving at Bukit Bintang.”

Stepped my feet towards the bus stop and in five minutes I arrived. This was the Menara Hap Seng bus stop, one of the stops where the Go KL City Bus-Blue Line stops. Meanwhile, the Menara Hap Seng (Hap Seng Tower) is a 22-story office building right across from the bus stop.

Hap Seng Tower bus stop with sponsor advertising of MSIG (a well-known insurance brand from Japan).

Shortly thereafter, the bus arrived and I boarded it from the front door. I was getting ready to explore the north of the city using this free bus. Thanks to the bus services, I finally had the opportunity to explore the streets in the Bukit Nanas and Dang Wangi areas to then arrived at the Terminal Transit Antar Bandar (IUTT/Inter-city Transit Terminal) – Tun Razak Street.

This is the Hub Terminal for Go KL City Bus-Blue Line located in the Titiwangsa area. The bus I was on apparently had to stop for a while and the driver directed me to move to the front bus which was ready to depart along the Blue Line route.

I got off and changed to the Go KL City-Bus Blue Line at the forefront which was already on standby by starting the engine and filling every seat with passengers. Luckily there was still a seat available for me. Shortly after I got on, the bus slowly left IUTT Terminal – Tun Razak Street.

Now the bus was headed south along the streets in the Kampung Baru area and after that, the bus started to enter the area I was headed for, namely the Bukit Bintang area. I was familiar with the streets in this area because that was the fourth time I have been to that famous shopping and entertainment center in Kuala Lumpur.

As expected, the bus slowly started to stagnate in the traffic jam. While I began to shift to a bench near the door. I would get off at the Pavilion bus stop. The pavilion itself is a shopping center integrated with office buildings, apartments, and hotels. Consistent pushing through traffic jams, the Go KL City Bus finally arrived at the place I was going.

I descended from it and rushed across Bukit Bintang Street to arrive at the Pavilion’s courtyard.

There was something very different, if usually this courtyard was enlivened by mall visitors passing by, now the crowd had turned into a lion dance stage. Apparently at that time “The World Dragon & Lion Dance Extravaganza” was taking place. Unmitigatedly, the event was attended by YB Tuan Haji Khalid Bin Abdul Samad, the Minister of Federal Territories of Malaysia….The show was a big event and I was thankful that I was accidentally able to enjoy the show.

That day, the courtyard of the Pavilion was red with the typical ethnic Chinese colors, which were also the typical colors of the lion dance. Many members of the performing troupe busied around the Pavilion preparing to take the stage.

The child was very strong standing for a long time on a pillar.

The excitement of the audience mingled with the performers.

Seeing the show through the camera lens.

Meanwhile, the rhythm of the drum beat being played by one of the groups made anyone’s adrenaline go up when they hear it. I, who had been curious, could never push forward to the front. The front area was already filled with spectators who must have arrived earlier.

I, who could not watch the show with my own eyes, could only raise my camera high and recorded the show so that later I could replay the show from the camera screen.

After half an hour I tried to enjoy the show. Time slowly crept towards twelve o’clock as the air raised its temperature.

Unable to stand under the scorching sun, I went back to the Pavilion bus stop.

I went……

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KL Tower: The Second Visitation

31 January 20235 February 2023travelingpersecond

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Breakfast in the front of the store….Just enjoy..

Tuesday….After Dawn….

Eyes were still haggard…My body felt weak.

All night my sleep was interrupted by the snoring of a guest who was fast asleep to the right of my bed. Not only myself, but I could also feel the protests of a guest who slept right under a snoring guest’s bunk bed. Over and over again I could feel him hitting the bottom of the bunk bed where a snoring guest was sleeping. Maybe he felt the same way. Upset….Because he couldn’t sleep well.

Feeling unwell, I decided to just wash my body under the hot shower in the shared bathroom. A splash of warm water could at least relax every inch of my body which wasn’t one hundred percent fresh that morning.

That morning, I had to pack all the equipment back into my backpack and then leave it at the reception desk. My stay ended at noon and at that time, I was still downtown.

After taking a shower and tidying up my backpack, I headed to the reception to check out, returned the locker key, and took the deposit. Luckily, the reception staff from Egypt was already at his desk making it easier for me to speed up the process because I had to catch the Go KL City Bus departure as early as possible.

My backpack had been neatly stored and I rushed down the stairs to get out of the inn. Once outside, I immediately looked for a seat on the terrace of shops that were still closed for breakfast. Breakfast this time was still the same as last night’s dinner menu….Yup, I could still rely on oat powder. To be honest, I already ran out of Ringgit that morning, I only had Ringgit left to take the airport bus this afternoon and have a modest dinner at KLIA2.

From this, it could be concluded that I would go around the city without spending even the slightest bit of money….Yes, I would never spend it.

Luckily, the streets were still quiet. This situation certainly reduced the burden of embarrassment when I had to sip spoon after spoonful of oat powder wet with a splash of mineral water.

Thank God breakfast was over….The adventure began.

I headed to the Pasar Seni Bus Hub to look for the Go KL City Bus Purple Line. The free purple line bus would take me to the KL Tower complex.

KL Tower is a telecommunication transmitter tower, broadcasting tower, altitude culinary tour, and city viewpoint from above.

From a distance, I saw clearly that the bus was already in position. So as soon as I arrived at the platform, I just got on it from the front door. Only a few passengers were already occupying the seats. This was what makes me have to wait about ten minutes….At least to fill the empty seats with passengers who were slowly arriving.

At eight in the morning, the Go KL City Bus Purple Line finally departed….

While sitting, I thought that KL Tower was a tall building, so I just relaxed. Of course, I only needed to stop at any bus stop near the KL Tower building which would be visible from a distance because it was so high.

The Go KL City Bus slowly ran in Sultan Street to leave the Pasar Seni area. As soon as I arrive along Raja Chulan Street, KL Tower was visible from the bus window. I just needed to make sure when to get off at the nearest bus stop. Several times the Go KL City Bus stopped at the bus stop, but I still couldn’t get off. I still hoped that the bus would stop at a shelter that was closer to KL Tower.

The interior was nice and clean of course.

There was an exception, instead of getting closer, the Go KL City Bus was getting farther and farther away from KL Tower. “Ahhhh, damn….I’d gone too far and instead of slowing down the bus was getting faster and faster”, I leaned against the bus window. Due to that stupidity, I just gave up following where the Go KL City Bus went. I decided to return to the Pasar Seni and repeated the journey from scratch….Too bad.

After 40 minutes of travel, the Go KL City Bus finally arrived at Pasar Seni.

“Ridiculous….”, I cursed myself.

Now I got off the Go KL City Bus and moved to the bus in the front which was ready to depart. Luckily for me, the Go KL City Bus left immediately when a few seconds earlier I stepped inside.

Now I put on a wary attitude when sitting on one of its seats. I would decide to just get off when I saw that KL Tower could reach within walking distance.

That moment has arrived….

The bus stopped at a bus stop and I jumped down from the middle door.

“THE WELD….”, I read the signboard on a skyscraper that stood right behind the bus stop where I got off.

Now I was on Raja Chulan Street and THE WELD itself is a 26-story office complex located 800 meters east of KL Tower.

From THE WELD, I cut off P. Ramlee street to then took fifty steps into a smaller street, Puncak Street. This was the main road to get to the KL Tower which was built on higher ground.

Panting for a quarter of an hour, finally I arrived at the courtyard of KL Tower. Back in 2014, I had the opportunity to cross this tower when I tried the KL Hop On Hop Off to get around the city. Only, at that time I went down for less than five minutes to see it. This was all because KL Hop On Hop Off rushed to explore the city.

THE WELD….Besides offices, there is also a modern supermarket.

That time I would be a little longer in enjoying the charm of this communication tower that wasn’t less than a quarter of a century old. How could I not be happy, when I finally had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of a tower whose height was included in the ranks of the ten tallest towers in the world?

The uniqueness that could be seen for the first time was the roof of the basic building which used a series of tapering patterns. My mind then referred to the roof of the Sydney Opera House. Meanwhile, at the upper end between the mast and the antenna, there was a round building that was the center of broadcasting, telecommunication, restaurant, observation deck, and sky deck activities.

As far as I knew, to enjoy the observation deck, visitors must pay 49 Ringgit….While the sky deck tour price reached 99 Ringgit….Woouuooww.

I stepped towards the KL Tower entrance gate to see the activity there up close. Of course, I won’t go up to the top for a tour, it’s too expensive for a visitor like me who just stopped by in Kuala Lumpur.

It wasn’t that crowded, so far only a few European tourists decided to buy tickets and went up to the top of the tower, while I just watched the remnants of the programming competition that was held the day before yesterday. The competition was titled HR Hackathon.

Shifting to the right of the tower, there was another attraction. On that side stood a ticket sales counter for visiting the KL Tower Mini Zoo (KLTMZ). Existing information boards said that KLTMZ contains no less than fifty native and exotic species. And to see these unique species, visitors needed to spend up to 30 Ringgit.

Move again towards the front of the tower. There was a KL Tower F1 Zone which provided a Formula One simulator for the public. Visitors could feel the sensation of driving the land jet by paying 20 Ringgit for six minutes of driving in the simulator. The walls of the KL Tower F1 Zone were bright red, in harmony with the colors of one of the leading racing teams in Formula One’s premier racing event. It’s just that, when I visited KL Tower, the KL Tower F1 Zone was still closed. Maybe I arrived too early.

Oh yes, the KL Tower F1 Zone was also equipped with a Formula One Cafe & Mart…

But just looking at the cafe & mini market from outside for a moment, I saw the arrival of the white KL Hop On Hop Off with the upper deck partly open. Suddenly I ran towards it, it’s been six years since I’ve ever met up close with that tour bus. It turned out that in the courtyard of the tower, there was a KL Hop On Hop Off shelter. No wonder the tour bus stopped to drop off the tourists.

The Ticketing Counter of KL Tower Mini Zoo.

It was at this spot that I took some pictures of tourists from Surabaya.

Foreign tourists often called it the KL Forest Eco Park.

It didn’t take long to stop, dropping only 5 tourists, the bus stepped on its gas pedal again. But not long after, there was a familiar accent when the five female tourists were talking to each other after getting off the bus. “That’s the Surabaya accent….”, I concluded. I decided to say hello and spoke for a while. I hadn’t met Indonesians for four days, so there was nothing wrong with speaking for a moment. Because of that incident, I knew that the five were female workers who were traveling to Kuala Lumpur. From our conversation too, I knew that they were working in Penang.s

As usual, Indonesians always have their characteristics. They finally asked me to take a photo with the KL Tower as a background.

I? ….Yes, of course, I also asked to be photographed….I was originally from Indonesia….The Republic of Indonesia exactly…Hahaha

I was at the end of a visit to KL Tower. To close this short visit, I entered the front half area of KL Jungle Eco Park. Formerly known as the Hutan Simpan Bukit Nanas, it was one of Malaysia’s oldest permanent forest reserves. To enter this forest reserve visitors must be willing to spend 40 Ringgit.

After my adventure at KL Tower.

It was time to leave it.

Next Story—->

Five on Petaling Street

20 January 202331 January 2023travelingpersecond

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On the first step out of the Central Market area, there was a betrayal of intentions. My steps still didn’t accept heading to the inn.

It was almost nine o’clock in the evening….

“Central Market may begin to lose its charisma, swallowed up by darkness, but not Petaling Street. The crowds have just started there”, I began to force my intention to change direction, even though my body was already shattered due to the nearly nine-hour journey from Kuala Terengganu that morning to the afternoon.

I stepped north to completely devour Hang Kasturi Street until I cut off Jalan Leboh Pasar Besar Street at a t-junction. The T-junction was marked by the existence of the UOB building and the Pacific Express Hotel. The situation was still crowded along the road. So that I was even more engrossed and felt safe when I stepped east until I met an intersection marked by the Maybank Building. The intersection brought together four roads, namely Yap Ah Loy Street from the east, Tun H S Lee Street from the north, Leboh Pasar Besar Street from the west, and Petaling Street from the south.

Yap Ah Loy Street….Who is Yap Ah Loy?

Yes, Yap Ah Loy is the Chinese figure who first prospered in the Pasar Seni area by building a tapioca factory. The prosperity brought about by his business activities has helped a lot in developing Chinatown in the Pasar Seni area.

OK, let’s continue my short journey….

Because I wanted to visit Petaling Street, I had to head south from the intersection earlier. The road I took was part of the Petaling Street section. This is a popular street in the Chinatown area that runs from north to south for nearly 800 meters. But Petaling Street I mean in the title of this article is part of its section that provides 300 meters long protective roofed commerce stalls.

However, apart from taking advantage of Petaling Street, this street bazaar also widens to the east and west to take advantage of the side of Hang Lekir Street which does not have a protective roof.

Exactly nine in the evening…..

I arrived at the gate of Petaling Street. I crossed the wide intersection paved with neat paving blocks to enter the initial area of Petaling Street. As soon as I passed through the gate, the easiest thing to remember was the rows of lanterns hanging from the ceiling. In addition, the concrete-paved streets with paving block motifs and pillars and roof trusses made of steel perfectly straddling the road were things that could be quickly captured in memory when passing by.

The fundamental difference from the lanes in this commercial area is….The route along Petaling Street is dominated by stalls selling souvenirs, various clothes, bags, shoes, wallets, accessories, and other knick-knacks with Malaysian smells. Meanwhile, along Hang Lekir Street, we can easily find food stalls that are dominated by Chinese food and various other street foods such as roasted walnuts, fruits, drinks, and others. As an illustration, for various types of drinks, from soy milk to fruit juice, the price is only 1.8 – 6 Ringgit….Cheap, right?

Petaling Street gate ahead. Of course, you want to know how the situation is in it.

The situation is in the east corner of Hang Lekir Street.

Roasting chestnuts….Local people call it chestnut.

Want to try Malaysian durian….Still on Hang Lekir Street.

You can try the juice too….Stay tuned to Hang Lekir Street.

Restaurants on Petaling Street (also on Jalan Hang Lekir Street)

However, the very cheap and negotiable price of souvenirs certainly indicated that these products would be easy to buy by tourists. Therefore, we need to be observant to bid before deciding to buy.

Petaling Street is indeed an idol trading place in Kuala Lumpur. Apart from that, Petaling Street also describes an existence for efforts to preserve Chinese culture in Kuala Lumpur.

On my fifth visit to Petaling Street, I only explored it in less than half an hour.

Exactly half past ten….

I decided to back to the inn because my eyes were getting sleepy and my body was feeling worn out.

Well, I better hurry to rest.

Next Story—->

Repeating Again The Kasturi Walk at Central Market

19 January 202322 January 2023travelingpersecond

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After sipping the oat powder, I walked away from the edge of Tun Sambanthan Street. Crossing it to reach the Central Market courtyard.

In the courtyard, I stood still, looking at all the market buildings which were sparkling with lamps. This was one of the landmarks in Kuala Lumpur which is more than 130 years old.

“Hhmmhhh….Central Market, what should we do on my fourth visitation this time?”, I thought.

“Ohh…Better to dissect every corner of it tonight”, I decided.

From the front yard of the Central Market, I shifted to the east side of the building. This was the Kasturi Walk, a 75-meter-long path filled with shops selling clothes, fruits, local food (one of them is Ipoh white bean), children’s toys, handicrafts, and other souvenirs.

Kasturi Walk is a part of the Central Market which is unique because along the way it is covered with a roof where at the base of the roof a typical Malaysian kite design is pinned. Kasturi Walk itself only takes a small part of Hang Kasturi Street which stretches for nearly half a kilometer.

Malaysian food and beverage stall at Kasturi Walk.

Please note, if the Central Market was the king of wet markets in the past then Hang Kasturi Street was famous as the dry market.

I was amazed enjoying the crowd along that path even though none of the items were purchased. Nothing else, because my intention was only to complete the exploration of the Central Market.

After exploring each end of Kasturi Walk, I immediately entered the Central Market building. I also entered it in 2014 when I was shopping for t-shirts and key chains for some colleagues in Jakarta. But now, I would just walk through its corner by corner, floor by floor then found out more about its contents.

Entering through the east door, I was faced with a row of stalls divided by a long corridor. Rows of stalls offered souvenir knick-knacks, sparkling gemstones, dry fruits, various kinds of aromatherapy, batik, communication tools, and other merchandise.

Located in the center of the room, a welcome sign in various languages hangs from the market ceiling to welcome all visitors. Meanwhile, the favorite place for visitors on the first floor is the well-known outlet….Old Town White Coffee.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor after finishing my exploration on the first floor. Seen on the second floor, there were corners for the promotion of tourism and the culture of Malaysia. This was an important advantage of the Central Market, besides being a shopping center, it also functioned as the face of tourism and Malaysian culture.

After visiting the cultural corner, at least I understood that the Central Market regularly holds Cultural Dances which were held on the outdoor stage (Central Market courtyard). From that cultural point of view, I also received information that in the Sarawak area, Malaysia had a part of the Dayak ethnic group called the Laki Iban. In that corner, they also introduced their typical clothes, nicknamed Kelambi and Sirat.

The rest of the second floor looked crowded with the existence of the Central Market Food Court. The food court was inhabited by all kinds of stalls. Apart from various typical Malaysian soups and special dishes from Penang or Ipoh didn’t miss the typical Thai taste. Meanwhile, Kopitiam would facilitate the enjoyment of coffee in other ways.

As an illustration, food prices at the Central Market Food Court also vary and could accommodate visitors with various wallet thicknesses. Starting from 1.9 Ringgit for the price of a piece of Sunny Side Up to 24.9 Ringgit to make up for a portion of Grilled Lamb Chop.

Apart from being a food court, part of the second floor is also enlivened by rows of clothing shops, with batik being an idol on this floor. I continued my steps by enjoying the typical patterns of Malaysian batik.

Central Market Floor 1 (photo taken from Floor 2).

Food stalls at the Central Market Food Court Level 2.

Clothing stall at Central Market Floor 2.

Finally, even one hour I went around and observed the activities of visitors at the Central Market until the shopping center began to quiet because it was late at night. I slowly started to go down the stairs to arrive downstairs and got ready to go back to the inn.

I had to wash and rest because tomorrow I would explore several tourist spots in Kuala Lumpur until noon.

Thank you, Central Market.

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Sipping Oat Powder at The Bed Station

18 January 202322 January 2023travelingpersecond

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I was so hungry that afternoon….

I rushed down the escalator after escalator to go to the 3rd floor of Bersepadu Selatan Terminal and immediately decided to get out via the connecting bridge to Bandar Tasik Selatan Station.

Arriving in front of the row of ticketing vending machines, I immediately looked for a ticket to Pasar Seni Station, which I would take using two integrated train routes, namely the Seremban LRT and Kelana Jaya LRT. I put 3.5 Ringgit into the machine to get a blue token to go to the Pasar Seni which was ten kilometers to the north.

It didn’t take long for the Seremban LRT to arrive and I entered the middle carriage. That afternoon the train was full, and I had to stand until the train arrived at KL Sentral.

You need to know that Pasar Seni is an area that is located just two kilometers north of KL Sentral. From KL Sentral, I rushed down and headed for the LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya platform to reach Pasar Seni Station.

At almost seven o’clock I arrived at the Pasar Seni…..

The Pasar Seni area was visible from the station.

Automatic fare collection gates Pasar Seni Station.

I momentarily pulled over in the corner of the station platform to observe the busy area of the Pasar Seni from above. It was been three times I’d explored the area since 2014, meaning this was the fourth time I’d arrived at the same place. Bored?…. Of course not, there were always new and interesting things that I could find even in the same place.

Towards dark, I started down the steps of Pasar Seni Station and started walking down Hang Kasturi Street to reach the inn, namely The Bed Station. The inn I chose was quite close to Pasar Seni Station, only needed to walk 200 meters.

Finding the inn’s location, I rushed in at an unguarded and unlocked door, only a stairway leading up, connecting several floors.

The reception desk I was looking for was located on the second floor. I entered the room where its situation was still empty and quiet. To then decided to take a seat in front of the reception desk to wait for the hotel staff to arrive.

Finally, fifteen minutes later, the male staff arrived.

“Hellooo….”, he friendly greeted.

“Hi….I want to check in”, I got up from my seat and approached the reception desk then handed over the online booking confirmation sheet and passport.

“Let me see!…. Your name is in our system. Ok, 22 Ringgit for room and 20 Ringgit for deposit”, he started to close the transaction.

“Why don’t several hotels in some cities in Malaysia require a deposit?”, I was feeling astonished

“I don’t know about that. I’m originally from Egypt, so I don’t know more…”, he explained still with a smile.

“Just take a bunk bed in your room….All the choices are up to you”, he handed me the locker key.

After completing the transaction, I headed to the 3rd floor via the stairs to enter the room. The room was full, with 20 bunk beds in the room leaving only a bunk bed near the door.

“Oh, this is my bed”, I smiled frowning.

The dorm room was empty, all guests were probably having an adventure in the city. Later that night, before going to bed, I found out that the guests were all a group from another city in Malaysia because they spoke Malay to each other. I guessed it was a group of students who were on a study tour because one of them was called a teacher.

I went around the 3rd floor looking for a shared kitchen but never found it. There was only a shared bathroom on a side of the stairs and a shared lobby in the form of a chair row with an elongated hanging table which was usually used by guests to work with their laptops. There was only a long sofa available in this shared lobby.

“Wow, that means I have to eat out”, I immediately decided to leave from the 3rd floor.

The single staircase connecting between the inn’s floors.

It was already eight in the evening….

That night I would only fully explore all sides of Central Market. Even though I’d visited it three times, I hadn’t even explored it in detail. So that night I will complete my intention.

I went back down Hang Kasturi Street heading north. Until arriving at a big T-junction.

“I have to have dinner soon, before going any further”, I decided to sit on one of the concrete benches on the edge of Tun Sambanthan Street.

I confidently opened the oat powder package, poured it into the foldable lunchbox, filled it down with mineral water, then started my very simple dinner. I deliberately sat on the side of the road because, on the upper side, the LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya went back and forth across the road beautifully.

LRT Laluan Kelana Jaya crossed Tun Sambanthan Street.

Don’t rush, Donny!

Enjoy your dinner!

Next Story—->

Exploring Bersepadu Selatan Terminal

17 January 202318 January 2023travelingpersecond

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Towards sunset, I arrived at Bersepadu Selatan Terminal after traveling eight and a half hours from Kuala Terengganu using the Arwana Bus service. Bersepadu Selatan Terminal is a giant terminal in the south of the city that replaces the role of Puduraya Bus Terminal which is located in the center of the city.

That night, I was going to stay at The Bed Station in the Pasar Seni area, but I didn’t need to be in a hurry because I’d reserved one bunk bed at that inn through a well-known inn e-commerce six days before I left my own home.

This wasn’t the first time I’d set my steps in Bersepadu Selatan Terminal (TBS). In March 2018, I stopped by for the first time when I was back from Melaka. Whereas my second visit occurred nine months later when I was back from Ipoh.

But on the last two visits, I’d been in a rush. So at that time too, I never had any intention of really exploring the biggest transportation hub in Peninsular Malaysia.

But in the late afternoon that night, instead of going to the inn.

My intention to explore TBS was growing at that time….

Finally, that evening, I decided to explore Bersepadu Selatan Terminal, which was an integrated hub covering an area of 2 hectares with a height of six floors, the pride of Malaysia.

That afternoon, the Arwana bus dropped off each passenger at the arrival hall on the 2nd floor, to be precise, on the west side of the terminal. As soon as I got off the bus, I was faced with five escalators in a row which would take each passenger up to the 3rd floor. Why was that?…. Because on the 3rd floor, was where the TBS’ connectivity point with other public transportation routes was located.

While passengers chose to continue their journey to their respective homes using private vehicles, of course, their vehicles were nicely parked on floors 4 to 6.

Entering TBS’ main lobby door on the 3rd floor, I was immediately faced with an arrival lobby on the right side of the door which was filled with rows of chairs. While in front of the arrival lobby, there was also the TBS executive lounge for passengers.

While several banking promotion booths appeared to have acquired several corners of the lobby, one of the bank’s brands was PTPTN (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Nasional). The Guidance & Information LED also displayed a directory about floors 1-6.

The remaining part was travel-related stalls such as telecommunications equipment shops (DiGi was one of them) and minimarkets (POINT and 7-Eleven could be seen in the corridor) completing the hustle and bustle of the 3^rd-floor corridor.

West side of the terminal where the arrivals platform was located.

The arrival platform was visible from the 3rd floor.

Escalator to the departure hall on the 2nd floor.

Ticket sales counter seen from the 4th floor.

Before heading to the center of the hall, there was a departure hall gate that was divided into two departure gates. It was the two gates that would lead passengers to two parts of departure hall l, namely the departure hall with platforms 1-13 and platform 14-16. Meanwhile, right on the south side of the departure lobby, there was an exit to the connecting bridge which would take passengers to the commuter train line, Seremban LRT, and airport train (KLIA Transit). Apart from trains, of course, passengers would also be directed to be able to use city buses and airport buses.

Walk until you were right in the middle of the 3rd-floor room !, there were two giant LED boards to display departure and arrival schedules. Meanwhile, under the two LEDs, eighteen sales counters were visible in a row, acquiring almost half of the hall. And right at the very beginning of the ticket sales counter, six machines were part of the self-service ticketing system corner. And finally right at the very end of the hall, enhanced by the existence of an information center to facilitate the information needs of passengers.

From the elevator at the east end of the hall, I started to go up to the 4th floor. The 4^th-floor corridor was dominated by a food court, and shopping center, and there was also hotel transit, as well as access to parking locations. From the 4th floor, I followed the stairs to the 5th floor. There was no longer a hallway on the 5th floor, but all floors of the building were dominated by car areas (parking areas). Likewise, the 6th floor was also used for the same function.

After half an hour, I was satisfied exploring the whole of Bersepadu Selatan Terminal. Now it was time for me to head to The Bed Station. I had to get closer to downtown before it was too late.