Here is the guide on how to cover Tantalizing Malaysia in 6 Days. Malaysia had always been on our travel list and being an Indian Australian, our regular trips back to India provided us with a perfect opportunity to make this happen in the year 2006.
We chose Malaysia as a transit while visiting India and spent 6 days experiencing this beautiful country.
This was the end of April and since Malaysia possess a tropical monsoon climate it was kind of hot and humid during this time.
Malaysia- “the truly Asia” the tourism advertisement which I used to watch on television, I agree was a perfectly chosen tag line as Malaysia oozed with Asian flavours including Indian and Chinese in its culture, food, language, rituals and ethnic wear.
Demography of Malaysia
Largely a Muslim country, the Southeast Asian country Malaysia has a population of about 32 million. The country is spread in parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo and is known for its beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultural influences.
How we started from Sydney
From Sydney, we landed in Singapore and decided to take a train to Malaysia- Kualalumpur (KL city) to be able to experience not only the train but its people and countryside.
Amazed to find Railways Coach empty
It was approximately a 6 hours journey which started in the afternoon. The first-class coach had berths arranged parallel to its windows both sides opposed to 90-degree angle arrangement in Indian trains.
The trains were almost empty unlike India and beds were comfortable and cosy. We arrived at KL Sentral (Central) around midnight and proceeded to our hotel room.
The KL city is a metropolis, home to colonial buildings, very clean and tidy with busy shopping districts such as Bukit Bintang.
Our hotel was very close to the Petronas twin tower and we couldn’t be any more excited to visit the Petronas tower
the first thing in Malaysia.
Petronas twin tower
The Petronas twin tower is 451 meters (88 floors) high and boasted the
status of the tallest building in the World from 1998 to 2004 until Taipei 101 was built.
The observation decks at the top were built tastefully and had a laser station where people could try their hands building their own twin towers- a lot of fun for everyone, no matter child or an adult.
The expansive view of the city from the observation deck was mesmerising. Once visited, we were happy to tick off an iconic building from our travel list.
We spent the rest of the day visiting the magnificent
shopping malls and trying local dishes. During the day, we boarded a monorail which provided a better way to see around the city.
During the evening we visited the Petronas twin tower gardens one more time which had a tasteful display of lighting fountains and finished our day relaxing in the warm spa pool in the hotel wiping off the whole day tiredness.
Batu caves
The next day was scheduled for Batu caves. Batu which means “rock” is a series of caves and temples in a limestone hill. Batu caves are Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Murugan.
Climbing 278 steps with a baby in arm on a hot humid day was not fun but it paid off in the end when we arrived
in huge, breathtaking natural limestone caves.
The gold polished Murugan statue at the bottom of the hill is the third tallest statue of Hindu deity in the World and we were mesmerised by its
magnificence and Hindu influence in Malaysia.
The refreshing, sweet coconut water once we got down was a saviour on that humid day. During the evening, we decided to visit the little India which had lots of shops selling Indian dresses, jewellery and artefacts.
There was also no dearth of south Indian restaurants serving mouth-watering food generously on a banana leaf and at a very reasonable
price. It was amazing to see how Indian culture seamlessly bonded with Malaysian and Chinese.
The Genting Highlands
The Genting Highlands was next on our list. Genting Highlands is a cool hill station set amidst the majestic 100 million-year-old rainforest.
Just 45 minutes away from KL City, this hill has multiple indoor and outdoor theme parks, an 18-hole golf course, a casino, and Malaysia’s biggest strawberry farm.
Genting Highlands is also perfect for adventure enthusiasts for activities such as abseiling, indoor rock climbing and flying fox activities.
Throughout the 3.4 km-long journeys, the gondola-style
cable car offered breathtaking views of mist cladded rainforests and numerous landmarks within the highlands.
The Genting Highland was full of natural beauty and provided a well-deserved escape from the hustle-bustle of the busy city life and heat and humidity.
Langkawi district
After spending almost 3 days in KL city, it was time to move to another location- Langkawi. Langkawi district is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea some 30 km off the mainland coast of
northwestern Malaysia.
In Langkawi, we hired a car to be able to move freely and conveniently.
Once settled in our new hotel and having a good rest overnight, the next day we visited the Sky Bridge which is a 125 metre-long curved pedestrian bridge that offered an exhilarating (and sometimes terrifying) view of the waterfalls, and several islets surrounding Langkawi. The bridge is set 700 metres above sea level and is only accessible via the final station of the Langkawi Cable Carride.
We paid Malaysian Ringgit 35 for adults and 25 for children (two to 12 years old) to be able to go on this bridge. This sturdy bridge had two triangular platforms where we relaxed, enjoyed the
cool breeze and clicked some memorable photos.
When I encounter inciting Dhaba
Langkawi Island had multiple Dhaba style restaurants lined along the roads where we enjoyed not only local dishes but a wide variety of
refreshing tropical fruit juices such as pineapple, mango, watermelon, Lychee, Logan along with iced coffee and iced tea.
Eagle Square
The famous Eagle Square was next on our list. The Eagle square displayed a striking 12 metre-tall sculpture of an eagle poised to take flight atop an elevated platform. This place had hordes of tourists and a thriving business of shops and restaurants.
While driving through Langkawi, we took multiple breaks along the way as there were lakes and sea beaches all along the road and it was hard not to stop at these beautiful locations.
There was beauty spread all along. And then came the sad part, time to depart from Malaysia. We left Malaysia feeling refreshed, learning about its culture, and having engraved lots of memories in our minds and memory stick.
I loved Malaysia so much that I would not mind visiting this country again if an opportunity arises.