#KatTravels: My 24 Hours Malaysia Getaway
Yep! You read the title right! For those who are following me on my social media accounts, you already know that I traveled to Malaysia last week. What most people didn’t know is that I was only there for about 24 hours. Wanna know how I did this? Read up!
I decided to take a trip to Malaysia because I got a ticket to the 2017 Sea Games closing ceremony. Of course, every athlete’s dream is to witness this kind of events so who am I to refuse right? A day before the Sea Games closing ceremony, I decided to take the trip and asked my boss for a 1-day leave since the day of my return flight is a national holiday. When everything was settled, I immediately book a ticket going to Malaysia through Traveloka app. It was my first time to use the app and as I was rummaging different flights that I could book I found a trip that only cost me around Php 14k for a round trip ticket--- ALL IN (Good deal since I booked a few hours before my supposed flight). As I checked out, I found out that Traveloka gave me a Php500 off because of their Sea Games promo. It was honestly awesome and hassle free. After booking my flight I was off to find the perfect budget friendly hotel for me. Good thing, Traveloka app also offers hotel deals which I could choose from so I had no trouble finding the perfect place for me. I booked a simple hotel at Petaling Jaya, Malaysia which is a few minutes away from Bukit Jalil Stadium where the closing ceremonies of Sea Games 2017 were held. I simply booked my room through credit card and voila… All is set!
My flight is 12:50 pm and if you’re a frequent traveler, you would definitely know that you cannot trust our Metro Manila's airport in making our trip hassle free so I arrived in NAIA Terminal 1 at around 10 am. As I checked in at the airport, I was quite surprised to know that my Traveloka booking already covered my travel tax so I didn’t need to pay anything for my trip anymore. It was definitely a relief for travelers! After checking in, all I gotta do is to go through immigration and WAIT. Malaysian Airline, in all fairness, was on time for the boarding of our flight. No delays and no dramas HAHA! The 3 hours flight to Malaysia went by in a flash since they got a monitor at the back of our seats where I can watch series or movies of my choice. THEY GOT HARRY POTTER AND LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIES ON BOARD SO WHO AM I TO COMPLAIN RIGHT! HAHA.
The only thing that I didn’t like about Malaysian Airline was the food they served haha! Sorry, not that I’m complaining but it really just tastes weird and bland.
The only thing that I didn’t like about Malaysian Airline was the food they served haha! Sorry, not that I’m complaining but it really just tastes weird and bland.
Malaysia Airlines' Food
vs
Philippine Airlines' Food
Anyway, I landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at around 5 pm in the afternoon. I went directly to my hotel to check in and refresh. The travel time from KLIA to Petaling Jaya was about 2 hours though so I arrived at around 7 pm. Checking in at my hotel, all I have to do was show my Traveloka booking number to the receptionist and present my passport. After paying an RM 100 as a deposit fee, I immediately went to my room. I didn’t expect that my room would be so cool. For a Php 1,900 something fee, my room is luxurious that I can’t even get a room like this in our country for a cheap price (Traveloka has a Php500 discount again for this).
My room has a free wifi, flat screen TV
(which was useful for me since they aired Malaysian channels)
and a phone.
I have a thing for clean bathrooms.
A little desk and clothes hanger since they
ain't got space for cabinets
After refreshing, I went directly to Bukit Jalil Stadium to catch the Sea Games! Honestly, traveling in Malaysia feels like traveling from Metro Manila to Batangas. Everything is so far away from each other! I had to take Uber as my primary mode of transportation since I have zero knowledge in their public transportation. I didn’t even see a lot of buses roaming around the area. But I know that they have a train system which they often use as an alternative to limos/Uber/Grab. I arrived at the National Stadium at around 8:45 pm. Just in time for the event!
The Bukit Jalil Stadium also known as National Stadium was a vision of grandeur. It was so huge and beautiful. Malaysians’ spirits are all up as they celebrated the success of the 2017 Sea Games. It seems like them being the host country is a huge deal for everyone so I equipped myself with high spirits to enjoy the show.
Lucky for me, the next country to host the Sea Games is Philippines so I was able to witness the transition ceremony of the two countries! The whole Sea Games closing ceremony was an awesome event. It was such a surreal experience especially that part where our Philippine National Anthem was played in the whole stadium. The closing ceremony that the Malaysians prepared was too amazing. I mean, I cannot exactly explain it but everything gave me chills. Guys, I swear, MALAYSIA’S PEOPLE TAKES PRODUCTION NUMBERS SERIOUSLY. IT WAS AWESOME, FUN AND ALL TOGETHER GRANDIOSE! Their singers are amazing. The dances were straight out of a Bollywood film. It was sooo fun to watch! They also sang the Malaysian version of a popular OPM song titled “Itanong Mo Sa Akin”. It amazed me to watch them singing our song in their language. In all fairness, they all know the song. I got hungry after watching a lot of their production numbers so I looked through the food trucks for a meal to eat. GUYS, THEY GOT A LOT OF FOOD TRUCKS IN MALAYSIA. And not just your typical food trucks huh, they all sell AMAZIIIIIIING foods! After looking through a lot of options, I decided to get myself a fried chicken chop at Uncle Bob. People, I NEVER TASTED A FRIED CHICKEN AS GOOD AS UNCLE BOB’S.
It tasted so good that even if its spiciness level was over the top, I devoured myself in it. It tastes salty, herby and spicy: A perfect mixture of the right ingredients to create the perfect fried chicken. I also bought an iced drink which I forgot to know the name. Anyway, as far as I can remember, it is an iced drink like frappuccino but without the shaved ice. I had mine in vanilla and it tasted HEAVEN guys! It was so good.
After eating and watching, the 2017 Sea Games officially ended with a BANG. A literal bang as fireworks exploded all over the place. The display was so awesome that I only took a few photos just to savor the moment I am in.
When the fireworks display ended, it was time to go home. The traffic in Malaysia could honestly compete with the traffic we experience in EDSA. But they got a reason for it so I didn’t bother to get irritated. I arrived at my hotel at around 2 am. After I freshened up, I retired to sleep after a loooooong day.
Here's Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano representing our country
Lucky for me, the next country to host the Sea Games is Philippines so I was able to witness the transition ceremony of the two countries! The whole Sea Games closing ceremony was an awesome event. It was such a surreal experience especially that part where our Philippine National Anthem was played in the whole stadium. The closing ceremony that the Malaysians prepared was too amazing. I mean, I cannot exactly explain it but everything gave me chills. Guys, I swear, MALAYSIA’S PEOPLE TAKES PRODUCTION NUMBERS SERIOUSLY. IT WAS AWESOME, FUN AND ALL TOGETHER GRANDIOSE! Their singers are amazing. The dances were straight out of a Bollywood film. It was sooo fun to watch! They also sang the Malaysian version of a popular OPM song titled “Itanong Mo Sa Akin”. It amazed me to watch them singing our song in their language. In all fairness, they all know the song. I got hungry after watching a lot of their production numbers so I looked through the food trucks for a meal to eat. GUYS, THEY GOT A LOT OF FOOD TRUCKS IN MALAYSIA. And not just your typical food trucks huh, they all sell AMAZIIIIIIING foods! After looking through a lot of options, I decided to get myself a fried chicken chop at Uncle Bob. People, I NEVER TASTED A FRIED CHICKEN AS GOOD AS UNCLE BOB’S.
Happy kiddo
It tasted so good that even if its spiciness level was over the top, I devoured myself in it. It tastes salty, herby and spicy: A perfect mixture of the right ingredients to create the perfect fried chicken. I also bought an iced drink which I forgot to know the name. Anyway, as far as I can remember, it is an iced drink like frappuccino but without the shaved ice. I had mine in vanilla and it tasted HEAVEN guys! It was so good.
After eating and watching, the 2017 Sea Games officially ended with a BANG. A literal bang as fireworks exploded all over the place. The display was so awesome that I only took a few photos just to savor the moment I am in.
When the fireworks display ended, it was time to go home. The traffic in Malaysia could honestly compete with the traffic we experience in EDSA. But they got a reason for it so I didn’t bother to get irritated. I arrived at my hotel at around 2 am. After I freshened up, I retired to sleep after a loooooong day.
Crowd going to the LRT. Very Philippines!
I think this is their media tent since the committee were being interviewed inside
The morning after I arrived, I gotta rush since I woke up pretty late. My check out time is supposed to be 12nn and I woke up at 10 am. I immediately went down for breakfast. YES. Breakfast is life.
I'm not a fan of beans so I didn't really ate the whole meal HAHA
Thank you to Manhattan Business Hotel
and Traveloka for the hassle free accommodation!
I checked out at exactly 12nn, got my deposit back and went straight to the airport. I bought some pasalubongs… which almost made me miss my flight but fortunately, PAL, being the Philippine Airline that they are… arrived late. A true example of Filipino Time, right HAHA!
While waiting for PAL to arrive,
I tried out this Curry Balls from Edibee, a famous pasalubong store in KLIA2.
It was awesome!!! *I didn't finish everything so I could still munch it while in the plane*
After boarding, PAL got some serious entertainment app which could only be connected through their airplane wifi (you cannot use this for other apps except for their PAL App), and I once again watched a movie on the way home. The downside of this app though is that I need to use my phone for this which consumes my battery so I stopped watching my movie.
This is my first solo trip and I am just grateful that I took it. This trip taught me a lot. It made me trust myself more than ever. It also boosted my confidence that I can definitely make it on my own anywhere I go. Hope I can make more solo trips like this. So there goes my one-day Malaysian adventure! Malaysia was honestly awesome. It kinda resembles our country but of course, there’s no place like home. I was lucky to find an app like Traveloka which made my whole spontaneous trip EASY AND HASSLE FREE. This app ignited my brave heart. I will never look at traveling the same way again after this trip.
SALAMAT MALAYSIA!
xoxo,
KAT
Comments
Post a Comment