Genting Highlands with the Jakarta lads.

Helga said to meetup at Pudu Sentral at 7 am. I was a morning person and was actually there on time. Lulz. But unfortunately Helga and Singgih woke up late and were hitting the showers when I messaged them of my arrival.

And so I waited and killed my time by exploring Pudu Sentral. Twas my second time here. The last time was to buy a bus ticket to Hatyai. This time around was to buy a ticket to Genting Highlands. =)

Pudu Sentral has 4 floors accessible by escalators and stairs. I haven't notice any lifts though. The ground floor is where the buses are and each loading bay are labeled numerically from number 1. Your bus ticket will tell you which bay to load. Second floor is the waiting area before you go down to the buses. They got sliding glass doors in which you have to press a button to open it. You can find various small shops and money changers here. Sadly, they open quite late in the morning. (I was hungry!! Thankfully Helga bought me nasi lemak. =p) On the third floor you'll find the ticketing counters of various bus operators. The biggest would be Transnasional. And on the fourth floor is a hotel.

Helga and Singgih arrived around 8:30 am and bus tickets to Genting were sold out by then. We had to buy the 10 am ones. The earliest was 7:30 am. Hee. We tried to get on the earlier buses if by chance there were free seats but failed. 10 am it is and to the massage chairs our time were spent!

Genting Highlands Package Ticket Price - RM58.00
Package includes - Bus from Pudu Sentral to Skyway (return), Cable Car (return), Outdoor Theme Park or Lunch Buffet

The view from the cable car into Genting Highlands. Pictures credit to Singgih.

We reached Genting Skyway around 11 am which was earlier than expected and reached the top within 20 minutes! The weather seemed promisingly a beautiful sunny day. What I disliked the most was the lack of informational signage showing the correct way to the theme park. I had to ask three different people to show me the way. Pffft! Genting Highlands authorities.. do take note. =)

Once inside the park, we checked the maps to plan our rides. Time was running out!

We got confused with the directions. I for one wasn't handy with maps. I tend to wander aimlessly until I find the place. And that's what we did. Haha!

The various attractions within the outdoor theme park. 

The sunny day suddenly transformed into a rainy and foggy day. Some of the roller coaster rides were closed and we made due with the rides that were open. Kiddy rides, mostly. Sigh. Thus, we managed to try four rides only. =(

"ALL ABOARD!" Have you tried the London bus there? It gives you the feeling that you're overseas! haha! 

And I guess the most memorable moment there was watching a group of k-pop dressed people recording a Gangnam Style video on the Pirate Ship thrill ride. Helga and I were among the lucky ones who were on the same ride and happen to witnessed their recordings.

Let's do Oppa Gangnam KL Style!!! 

It was plain crazy, there were people with cameras both behind and in front of us. And the whole group in front were doing the Gangnam moves. (Tak jadi tutup mata sebab nak tengok gelagat mereka, haha) They were lucky that the cameras didn't fall off the sides. That would've been nasty and costly. =)

Our fun was cut short when it suddenly began to rain heavily and we had to run in it to find shelter. Dripping wet, we eventually headed to a mushollah and did our dzuhur prayers. The whole theme park was engulfed by a thick mist and the pitter patter of rainfalls. And thus ends our Genting trip. 

Can you see the pelts of the rain falling in this picture? hehe.

We headed down the highlands at about 3pm and reached Kuala Lumpur by 6 pm. Did a little shopping and were back home around 10 pm. For that piece of adventure, you readers will have to wait for the blog postings of Helga and Singgih.

Be duly reminded that all pictures in this Genting blogpost were taken by either Helga or Singgih and edited by me. Hehe. Till next post, good bye!

.

Legoland Malaysia - A Preview

It was a joint media event between Singapore and Malaysia. Buses were provided from KL to Legoland (Johor) and likewise Singapore to Legoland. I believe there'll be an official bus route within these places. Yet to be confirmed. Bus transportation prices ranges from RM30 to RM40 per person and takes off from Puduraya, Kuala Lumpur. Thanks to Wilson of PlacesandFood.com for this opportunity.

I became creative in choosing my company for this trip. All my usual ones were busy and so I asked another blogger who is still very "green" on things related to media previews/launch. Didn't really expect that he'd accept since he did have other plans on that day. Hehe. (ajak-ajak ayam sbb tahu dia ada hal lain, tahu2 dia kata boleh "untangle himself". Alamak! So proceed je la. =p)

I reached Ancasa Hotel at around 7am, Saturday morning and was delighted to chance upon Mohd Zaid and his merry group of family members. Among them were his mom which I shared a room during a previous media trip, his sister holding her daughter and finally Uzair, my first time meeting him! Being naturally pessimistic on people I hardly know, I considered my invitee might eventually a no-show. Well, he came. =)

The Bus

The experience was horrifying to say the least. We took off at 7:15 am and arrived at Legoland Malaysia at 12:00 pm, inclusive of minor wrong turns and unfamiliarization of the route. At least I get to know a woman sitting behind me and we exchanged casual introductions. I was also thrilled to know that she wanted to tag along with me. The more the merrier, I'd always say.

Legoland tickets were passed to us once we came down the bus. Funny though, that they didn't check our ICs for identifications as noted in their invitation emails. LOL. (pic credit to MohdZaid.com)

Legoland Price Tickets

• RM140.00 - adults aged 12 - 59 yrs old
• RM110.00 - children aged 3 -11 yrs old / adults above 60
• Annual Pass - RM275.00 ( adult) / RM210.00 (children)

I asked my blogger friend on his first expression, he exclaimed "teruk". Hehe. Wonder what's his opinion now after going through the attractions inside? Btw, my new friend whom I met from the bus is named Fazlina Bee from AirAsia Inflight Magazine.

Ms Fazlina Bee. Thank you so much for accompanying me throughout the Legoland Trip. =)

Legoland Attractions

I must say that most of the rides were non-suitable for adults like me. Hehe. Some of the attractions were closed for maintenance purposes and games that involves winning prizes were open but no prize. Hehe. Am still wondering what prizes were up for grabs.

1. Lego Kingdom - The Dragon (Roller-coaster ride) and Castle Stage. (to name a few that we visited)

Clock-wise from upper left: Dragons made from lego in front of the castle, the Castle Stage courtyard, the dragon roller coaster and boarding the roller-coaster before take-off. 

2. Lego Technic - Project - X (another roller-coaster ride)

Haven't tried it but enjoyed watching the people scream when they rode on it. Hehe.

3. Miniland (my ultimate favorite!)

It's like a huge lego city with many known buildings from around the world. There's even an actual mini Singapore town which will definitely appeal to the Singapore tourists. 

Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, LEGO-ed up in this mini-land exhibition. (KLCC, Prime Minister building, masjid putrajaya and KL Monorel) 

While snapping away, some-one called out my name. I turned and saw a group of people and a girl was trying to hide herself from me but to no avail. Haha. I noticed her right away, mind you. You can't hide from me. =p

Ms Ruby from RabiatulAdawiyah.com. Pic credit to her. =)

Moving on, I visited a place called Riverside Point of Singapore. Will actually be going there, next two weeks.

Little Singapore. In great detail! 

And other well-know tourist spots around the world are pictured below.

I wonder if you guys can guess the places being shown above. Too bad, information boards  naming the places were lacking in this miniland. Sigh.

There are three more areas that we went but I'm not gonna post about them. The unmentioned areas are "Imagination", "Land of Adventure" and "Lego City". It was interesting to see that throughout the theme park you could see life-size characters in various positions. Lest it be sitting, or going out from the mall, carrying a toilet bowl out from the toilets and many more! I guess the notable one is the huge head of Einstein himself!

A photographer who takes pictures using grids in front of the Einstein huge LEGO-ed head. =)

Food and Beverages, Surau, Toilets

Good to know that these are easy to find throughout the whole park. There are currently 7 cafes and restaurants to taste your buds which includes the following:

• The Cafe (freshly baked European pasties, buns and breads)
• Robot Kitchen (Asian food)
• Knight's Feast (Western food and ice-cream)
• Pizza Mania (we ate here!)
• Jungle Cafe (Grilled burgers and hot dogs)
• Snack Bar(ice-creams, pastries, etc)
• Market Restaurant (Western and Asian cuisine)

Price-wise - a tad too expensive for my liking. Hee.  And the surau I went to didn't provide telekung and sejadah. But since it's not officially open to the public, hope these things are provided for before then. =)

Overall, I enjoyed my time spent there and might revisit in..errr... 2014 when the theme park is fully operational with the hotel and waterpark. =p

And another comprehensive review is from RambleandWander.com which could be read here.

PS: My pictures are being featured here, do check it out. --> http://www.placesandfoods.com/2012/09/legoland-malaysia-latest-preview.html