Malaysia: My 20K Adventure

Our flight to Kota Kinabalu from Clark arrived 15 minutes before the arrival time so it's good. We encountered two Filipinas, a mother and daughter from Cebu, who's experiencing difficulty in filling out a departure card, So, being a kababayan in a foreign land, I helped them out.  



The blue marlin statue, Kota Kinabalu

From the Kota Kinabalu Airport, we paid RM30 for the taxi service which will take us to Lavender Lodge, our accommodation for three days. Good thing the receptionist and the helpers are Filipinos. We arrived at 7 p.m., take a quick rest and then go out again to have dinner. We paid RM11 for a dinner for two.



We passed by Sabah Publishing House as we're making our way to the waterfront for dinner.

Our second day, Kota Kinabalu. Good thing our breakfast is included on our accommodation. It's the usual brekkie of toasted bread with butter / jam and a choice of coffee or tea. KK Waterfront is just a stone's throw from the lodge so we take our time sightseeing. We passed by the KK City Hall until we reached Jesselton Point. 



At the KK Waterfront.

 

Points to know:  Jesselton is the name of this Malaysian state until it was renamed to Kota Kinabalu.

We stopped by at a 24-hour bar and restaurant to eat brunch where we met the manager who's a Filipino. We ordered nasi katok and ice cream and the iced tea was on the house. We paid for only RM8.



Nasi katok

At around 4 p.m., we ate our snacks which is martabak. It's egg and veggies wrapped in thin crust for only RM1.50 each.



Martabak

And then come dinner. We went to Pasar Filipins or the Filipino market. There, all foods are grilled and so many choices. Almost all stalls are managed by Filipinos and we spent RM25 for a very superb meal.

Also, there we met Gerhald, a Filipino who’s been in KK since childhood but his roots is from Zamboanga.

Kota Kinabalu Municipal Hall

Our flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur. Departure is 9:45 a.m. and arrival is 12:15 p.m. at LCCT.



At the KKIA, the prime minister is inside the chopper. We are not allowed to take photos of the prime minister.



From LCCT, we take a bus to KL Sentral for RM9 per person. Travel is 75 minutes. Then we take a taxi for RM13.

We arrived at around 4 p.m. at Hostel Cosmopolitan where we will stay for five days. We paid RM220 for five days for a dorm (bunk bed).

The room.

The lounge.

Our dinner, since we haven’t been familiar with the place is at the nearby Indian restaurant. We met Simona, a Romanian but she’s from Germany. Her next destination is Autralia.

We woke up at 6. Our itinerary for today is the KL Petronas Twin Towers. We went there for free tickets to the Sky Bridge at around 8 a.m. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get a free pass because there’s so many people in line.



Petronas Towers by day.



We continued our tour by walking around Suria KLCC, the shopping mall between the Twin Towers, much like Glorietta.

At the fifth floor is the Petrosain’s KLCC, the science atrium which is usually filled with students having their excursions.

The view of the Petronas Towers inside Suria KLCC.

In front of Suria KLCC is the KLCC Park with its wide water attraction and fountains and a swimming pool for kids.

Kuala Lumpur Convention Center

While we’re resting in one of the huts in the park, we meet two Indonesian girls that I can’t even remember the names. And then there were three guys from South Africa: Benny, Nemis and Cris, also tourists in KL. We also meet a family from Pakistan.



Petronas Towers by night.

 

The Pakistani family we met.

In front of the  dancing fountain, Suria KLCC.

The next day, at around 10 a.m., we went to Batu Caves. We took a ride from the Bus Stop No. 3, Bus No. 11 or U6 for RM2.50.

The view from the top.

What better thing to do on our last day in Malaysia than to go shopping. Lots and lots of shopping. So we went to Petaling Street or the Chinatown.

We also went to Bukit Bintang where the brands like Louis Vuitton, Prada and the like were.

Baguio: A Jewel in The Mines

"I'd like to go to Baguio. Let's go to Baguio." These are the very words that we often said when we would be planning an out-of-town trip or a "biglaang lakad". Well, not in the plan but I found myself buying two-way bus tickets in advance for the trip. So, I guess we'd be going to Baguio after all.


At the Burnham Park

Who would have thought that there's such a cool place to relax and swim on a hot spring pool in Baguio? Well, we're in for a surprise because there is such a place called Riverview Hotel And Resort where we spent our last night in Baguio. It's in Asin, Tuba, Benguet which is almost an hour from the city itself. 



Potipot: Zambales' Survivor Island

Poti... what? Potipot. I mean, seriously, what kind of a name is that? Exactly my reaction the first time I heard it. But wait till you see it.



Our first view of Potipot Island

As we were nearing the island, the very sight of it promises great fun.

Potipot will not be Potipot without its trademark, the driftwood.

The best view from where we camp.

The gang for some amazing poses.

Enjoying the crystal waters and the sun.



Frolicking in the sun, nice.

The foods, yum!

Ilocos: To The North And Back

Holy cow! Who would want to travel at 12 midnight? Unless it's on a first class airplane or a limo, I will. But traveling with my friends at this time was, well, to no avail.

Traveling to Ilocos dreading the 12-hour ride was worth it.

Our first stop: Vigan. At long last, we've gotten the chance to freshen up after the 12-hour ride. But who would need the much needed sleep than our driver? He's awake all those times, obviously.

Checking out the streets of Vigan on a beautiful Thursday morning was a breeze after a hearty breakfast at Chowking, Ilocano style.

 

 The Bangui windmills. We're amazed by the 20-ish windmills along the shore. 

Within a couple of minutes left, we spend it at Baluarte, the zoo.

The Church of Paoay, one of the oldest in Ilocos. We enjoyed our photo ops here.