Sunday, July 19, 2009

Experiencing Malaysia! (Day 1)

Lat March 28 to April 5, we (me and my pal Verna) were able to experience how it is living in Malaysia, thanks to our good friend Tanya who invited us over.

Our flight was scheduled 11:45 am, my father told me that we need to be up at 3am and should be on our way to Megamall at 4. Yes, my tatay is an addict. I know. That was reaaall too early but I did not have any choice since no one will take me to the bus station (going to Clark field, Pampanga, where the airport is). We arrived at Megamall at around 5am.

The first trip to Clark was at 7:00am. One by one, people are coming waiting for the bus to arrive until finally, there it was! The feeling was so amazing since that was the first time me and a good pal will be traveling together! We were ready to board the bus but the driver told us that those who had the reservation should go in first. We waited until we were told that we needed to wait for the second bus since there were no seats left for us! What the…!!!

My father will sure kill me since he has been bugging me to call the bus company to have a reservation days before the trip. Oh no! This cant be! I was thinking of ways on how to go to Pampanga. Verna said that we can go to Cubao terminal since there are buses going to Dau in that place. And from Dau, we just need to ride a jeepney to go to the airport. I sounded well. That might work. I was also considering riding a taxi but I doubt it if the driver will charge us a reasonable amount. I was furious!


Jokingly, I told the driver that we (me and Vernz and a new found friend Gladys) can endure sitting at the aisle of the bus. It was a 2 hour trip which is like going home from Ortigas to Malanday during busy hours. And to my surprise, he nodded telling us to go inside the bus! Yipeeeeee!

When we got inside, we were so fortunate that there were two seats unoccupied. We slept all the way to Clark field Pampanga! How sweet!

Boarding

We arrived at 9am (not yet in Malaysia heheheh), just in Pampanga. What a journey it was!

Going inside the airport, I forgot to put my purse inside my bag. So when I passed the metal detector, it sounded enggg, enggggg! (lol) so the lady guard told me to step aside and she started searching for the bomb! Heheheh (I am the bomb!). After a minute of scrutinizing my purse, she let me thru.

We were waiting patiently until an airport official told us to pay something. It was a tourist tax! So aside from the terminal fee, we needed to pay this tourist tax! And what the heck is a tourist tax? And what’s it for? Anyone?

Of course, we paid it. (grrrrrr!)

So after checking in our baggage, we still need to go through one metal detector. This time, I already learned my lesson. I put my purse and cell phone in the bag so that I won’t be scandalized (hahahha). So I walked thru (not walls) the metal detector and it was as quiet as a sleeping dragon. I thought that was it. Again, the lady guard (I am starting to hate their kind hahahha). She asked me the most unbelievable favor I have ever heard! She asked me to step out of my shoes and put it in that detector thing-y! I know that you do that when you go from one state to another in the United States! We are no where near United States! We are in asia! Asia! Asia!

I was so furious not because it was hard to slip in and out of my shoes. I was angry because I put in tissues inside my shoes! I had a plastic one so I needed it to avoid sweat from developing into something reaalll scary! (and deadly).

But then again, I needed to give in. Feeling defeated, I put my shoes in that metal detector.

And then, another lady guard strikes again!

She searched my hand carry bag and told me that she needed to confiscate my conditioner! I did not put it in the bag that I checked in since I was afraid that it would open and ruin my clothes. She then told me that no fluids should be checked in. I understood that since I worked as a payroll specialist for an airline company before. What I did not understand was that she wanted to confiscate it and yet she ignored the bottled of iced tea inside my precious bag! Duh!

For whatever its worth, she let me passed and I was advised to not just show that bottle inside the waiting area. As if I’m gonna walk around, show everybody there that conditioner. Even if I pretend to be a model of that stuff, who would believe me, ayt?

11:45am sharp, we started boarding the aircraft. AirAsia was our official carrier to Malaysia! (beauty queens!)


Touch down

I can’t wait to arrive in Malaysia. Not only because it’s a new place to explore but because I am so hungry and exhausted.

My last meal on that day was a cup of coffee and a bite of rebisco. That was it. I did not know that we are not entitled to any meal inside that aircraft! Before the flight, I told myself that it was ok to not eat anything since we will be offered a sumptuous meal after take off. I was convincing Verna that they will give us something to eat just like the other time I boarded a plane. But I was dead wrong. Really, I was dead wrong. Now I know better. When you get your ticket during a promo, do not expect anything! Heheheh

When the pilot said that we were in Malaysia, it was sweet!

Before the flight, Gladys (our new friend), told us that we need to sign something and we need to keep the other half otherwise we will not be able to leave Malaysia. I was already talking to the immigration official when he asked me for the embarkation paper. The what? So this was the “something” Gladys was telling us about. The gentleman pointed me to the table where we can sign that embarkation card. After few minutes, we needed to fall in line again and show that card to the officer. And after few seconds, we are officially entering Malaysia!

When we got out of the airport, of course we were looking for Tanya. Guess what? She was not there! It was good that I was with verna otherwise I’ll panic. We waited for few minutes until finally, we saw Tanya waiving, smiling… Thank God.

Here’s a picture of us at the airport.



Hagardness!

First Meal

It was so good to see an old friend. It has been 2 years ago when I last saw Tanya. After the hellos and how are yous, she delivered a very good news: she prepared a meal for the 2 of us! Oh my! Can’t wait to devour that! Heheheh

We were suppose to take the train but being the miss international that she is, Tanya brought along a friend, Paul, who owns a car. Now, talking about arriving in Malaysia in style!

We were in for our first lesson. I did not know that Malaysia is following the right hand drive. It was shocking at first since I felt like we were driving at the wrong part of the road, but after a few moments, our eyes were fixed at the roadside. We instantly notice that Malaysia is a clean country.

Being a gentleman that he is, Paul asked us if we wanted to eat anything(maybe he heard my tummy rumbling heheheh). We went to a familiar store, KFC. We initially wanted to eat at McDonalds but we were told that McDo stores there do not offer rice meals. So we opted for KFC instead. While we were looking for a parking space, Tanya was giving us tidbits about life in Malaysia. She told us that we might see people eating using their hands. I told her that it was not a problem since I too eat with my hands at home. But to our amazement, she was referring to people eating with their hands while in restaurants or in a mall.

At least, we were prepared. We went inside KFC and ordered something with rice. But the service crew told us that they did not have rice anymore and they can only give us a bun. So we settled for 2 big pieces of chicken, a bun and coleslaw. I almost had a heart attack when they did not give us spoon and fork! I know that I already prepared myself seeing people eat with their hands in a food chain like this but I was not prepared to do it as they do! I can eat the chicken and bread without the spoon but the coleslaw? Oh please…

Tanya, seeing that I was hysterical, went to the cashier and asked for spoons. Again, thank God.

So after that meal, we drove for 30 minutes more. Here’s the picture of the very first thing that caught my attention:


Do not ask me if this is something like Hollywood coz I do not know. I took a picture of it to keep the camera rolling. My older sister told me that I needed to have 2000 pictures when I get home so, I’m just following instructions.

Our Home Away From Home

While in the car, I was wondering what kind of place Tanya is staying in. I thought that she was living in a dorm and that we need to squeeze in ourselves to a little populated 4 corner type room. That would not be a problem since we will be out most of the time.

But Paul said that Tanya is a rich kid. I thought that he was only being nice and that he was only saying that to have something to talk about while driving.

But I was dead wrong!

Tanya (together with 2 other Filipinos) is renting a place in one of the most expensive (if not the most expensive) town houses in Malaysia, the Cyberview Gardens!

The Cyberview Hotel is where the Presidents of the other countries stay whenever they visit Malaysia.

Life is so sweet!

Here are our pictures:






Day 2: Batu Cave

We woke up at around 6am. You might think that this is quiet late if somebody would want to go places. Not in Malaysia. The sun rises at 7am and the sun sets at 7pm. Yes, you read it right. That is why this country is good for those who love night life!

Our first destination is Batu Cave.

We were accompanied by Marie, one of Tanya’s great friends. The only thing that they know about that place is that it is infected by monkeys,hehehehe.

You know that you already reached Batu Cave when you see this big yellow statue.


We even had a debate whether this is a he or a she.


After a while, we already decided to “climb” batu cave hahahha! And they were right, a lot of monkeys are in that place!


For those who find thrill in counting how many steps a stair has, this is not for you. It was already numbered.

After reaching the top, we found out that Batu Cave is a pilgrimage for a particular race in Malaysia.


I thought that the “climbing” is over! We found out that there was another stair at the end of the cave! I was so tired but what the heck? I was already there and I didn’t want to miss anything.


So with much courage, we endured 30 more steps. And here’s what we found:


Going down is the real challenge. The steps were small so a little miscalculation would mean big disaster! I don’t know how the other tourist with big feet (and big shoes) were able to go down that steep ladder, staircase whatever!

Our knees were shaking when we reached the ground. I will not do that again, ever!

But of course, we still made the most of the place by capturing it in our cameras.


Saturday, July 18, 2009

Missing the "Man in the Mirror"


I apologize that it took me a while to update my blog. I became busy with my life then the sad news that shocked the whole world.

I am still mending a broken heart hehehe... seriously.

I am a big Michael Jackson fan, my friends know that.

Now that the truth is finally sinking in, I am missing the Man who became my inspiration for so long.

Zoo Negara



After that tiring trip at Batu Cave, we went straight to Zoo Negara.

The driver asked if we were to visit our relatives in that place. I did not understand that he was kidding, referring to animals as our relatives, so I told him that we do not have any relatives in Malaysia and that Tanya and Marie are working in their country. Silly me!

Inside the zoo, we rode in a tram which will take you to different parts of the place. We did not want to walk and explore the place by foot since it seemed like a large park.

Here’s a picture of the different animals in the zoo:





And the most beautiful animals are:



I don’t know if that was the first time that I saw a camel but I did saw one. While seating in the tram, my eyes caught something that made my heart beat faster than usual.

Because of the fences, I was not able to see everything clearly and it (the fences) definitely obstructed my view. I saw something like a camel’s back but it had layers of feathers. Little by little, the fences were gone and I saw that that “thing” has only one leg. Do we have an animal that has only one leg?

My heart skipped a beat and my mind started to process what my eyes had just seen. After a few seconds, I already know what the name of the beast is: Nipa hut.

Yes, nipa hut.

I told my friends what happened and they all laughed with me (or at me?) hmmm…

Day 3: Home Alone

It was a Monday and Tanya still needed to report to work. The 3 of us woke us early and we decided to walk Tanya to the office.

The office was a 20 minute walk from the house and we enjoyed since that served as our exercise. While walking in the street, we noticed that not doves or mayas were living in the trees. It was hawks! Not just one, I would love to put in “but 2 hawks a day!” but a loootttt of hawks a day! I even thought that hawk is the national bird of Malaysia!

When we got home, we were not able to open the door. It’s a good thing that Tanya’s housemates were there and they heard that somebody’s trying to open it.

We were saved from the roaming guards hahaha!

But that’s not it. We were scheduled to wash our clothes while waiting for Tanya to return. And that’s a big problem. The washing machine was located in a room near the swimming pool. It meant that we need to go out to have our clothes washed. But the thing is, their door automatically locks and we did not know how to open it. So it’s as if we were prisoner inside the house. How pathetic!

We were relieved when her housemates told us that they will be out for the day. We had time to practice opening locks! Bwahahahah!

After 1 hour of constant practice, we made it! We were able to unveil the secret of the “automatically locking door”.

We had a blast that day! Not because we washed the dirty clothes but because we washed it with style! How? While waiting for it, we were swimming!

China Town

When Tanya got home, we were already up and moving!

We decided to go to Chinatown that day and see what’s up for grabs hahahha… Since we are traveling in a limited budget, Chinatown is the best place for souvenirs.
It rained when we got there. So we decided to have our dinner at McDonalds and wait for the rain to stop.



After an hour, we went ahead and looked for souvenirs. Before hand, Tanya informed us that we can find stuff that really costs less. All we needed to do was to be patient.

But I committed a crime! Hahahah… I settled for the very first stall that sells keychains. I already bought a handful even without exploring the place. We ended up buying things that costs 100% more than the usual price!

I felt really bad since I could have bought more souvenirs with the money that I spent. That was an expensive lesson I learned hahahah….

So, now I know better.

Day 4: Tanya’s Birthday

The very reason that Tanya invited us over was so she wont be spending her birthday alone.

I have known Tanya way back in 2003 when she became an officemate of mine. Though we didn’t belong to the same department, she became a dearest friend since we entered the company at the same time.

I also found out that she lives in Karuhatan, a place near my hometown. She was the bread winner of their family. Hearing her life’s stories made me respect her even more.

When we went home after a year contract somewhere, I was surprised that the friendship did not stop. We would call each other, see each other and look for work together. That was the time I introduced her to another dear friend of mine, Verna.

They became some sort of officemates. Why some sort of? It’s hard to explain so I wont explain it hahhaha.

God knows that I am really thankful that they are my friends.

I may not openly say this to you Tanya, but to me, you are one of my greatest riches on earth!

Love you friend!

The Petronas Twin Tower

I have been dying to see this tower the moment my foot landed in Malaysia!



I also have pictures of it from afar.



We arrived at KLCC at around 9am. The feeling was unexplainable seeing it up close! We wanted to capture it with our cameras but it was impossible since it was really tall! We thought of ways and the only thing that we can do was to go to a nearby park to get a decent shot. I really love it!

For me it was magical! Here are our moments with the Tower heheheh!



A View From Above

At exactly 4:30pm, the usherette directed us to enter the room. We were to view a little presentation before we can go to the top. Each of us was given a shade since the 10 minute show was presented using the 3D technology (is that how you say it? Same technology used in IMAX MOA). It explained how petronas tower was built, where they got the money and some other things (those were the only information I understood since I got so dizzy because of the shade thing!).





After that, we were asked to board an elevator that took us in the 41st floor in less than 8 seconds!

These pictures show the view from above!