Terengganu and Kelantan are flooded

Malaysia is in the midst of the monsoon season. We have not one but two monsoon seasons in a year.

The east coast states of peninsular Malaysia are still flooded as we speak. We are experiencing the north-east monsoon at the moment.

Terengganu, for instance is seeing the number of flood evacuees here increased drastically from 54 victims to 1,303 this Saturday morning.

The Star reported that:

'The victims have been placed at 25 evacuation centres.

"In Setiu, eight evacuation centres have been opened housing 266 victims from 47 families.

"In total, as of 6am, there are 1,303 flood victims from 350 family housed in 33 evacuation centres."


While in Kelantan the floods have worsened in Kelantan, requiring the evacuation of 3,232 people in seven districts as at 8am this morning.

The state of Kelantan is the other east coast state that is affected by bad flooding this time each year during the north-east monsoon season.

35 relief centres have been set up in the districts of Kota Baru, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh, Bachok, Machang, Tanah Merah and Tumpat where 866 families are being temporarily housed, according to the Social Welfare Department's "infobanjir" app.

But hey, if you are still planning to visit Malaysia this time of the year, there are many places not affected by the floods. Take the west coast for instance, there's the capital city of Kuala Lumpur that has many attractions to provide you with a full and interesting itinerary.

Penang, in the north, is one other place not to be missed if you are here in West Malaysia. The island of Penang has gained much popularity recently. Penang along with Kuala Lumpur has been listed in a survey as one of top destinations for medical-tourism. Penang is also popular as a place to retire for foreigners.

Malacca, a two-hour road-drive away south of Kuala Lumpur. It is a city chockfull of tradition and culture and is rich in history as well - Dutch and Portuguese.

And then there is East Malaysia, i.e., the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. If you are a diving enthusiast, Semporna in East Malaysia offers one of the world's best diving sites.


Malaysia has been voted Best Travel Destination in Asia

People take advantage of the good weather to be outdoors at the Petronas Twin Towers park. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli

Image source: The Star

Malaysia has been voted Best Travel Destination in Asia

People take advantage of the good weather to be outdoors at the Petronas Twin Towers park. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli

The Star:


Queenstown, New Zealand and Malaysia emerged the big winners at the World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia over the weekend, after being crowned the leading destinations in their respective regions.

Industry leaders gathered at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Vietnam to recognise the best in Asian travel over the weekend.

Award winners are voted upon by major players in travel and tourism including senior executives, travel buyers, tour operators, agents as well as the general public.

Malaysia was named Asia’s leading destination over Macau, Singapore and Thailand, while the waterfront city and mountain scenery of Queenstown, New Zealand helped it nab the title of leading destination for Australasia.

The winners of the regional awards will go on to qualify for the World Travel Awards grand finale, which takes place Dec 2 in the Maldives.

Top 10 Budget Travel Tips for an Ultimate Kuala Lumpur Experience

PETRONAS Twin Towers
Source: Wikipedia

Kuala Lumpur is definitely one of the must-visit cities in Southeast Asia. Its unique blend of multiculturism makes it an exciting and vibrant city to explore.

The people you will meet, the places you will see, the food you will taste, the shopping for exciting retail therapy, the nightlife to experience in this bustling city that almost never sleeps can keep any traveller happily occupied and entertained wherever the interests may lie!

Some may find Kuala Lumpur slightly more expensive than most other cities in Southeast Asia, however, there are ways to make your visit more affordable. Here are 10 Budget Travel Tips for an Ultimate KL Experience.

1). Stay at hostels around Bukit Bintang or Chinatown for cheaper accommodation. Dorm rooms can be found from RM20 – RM45 per night, while budget hotels can cost anything between RM90 to over RM100. Check out HostelWorld to see the available hostels around the city.

2). Utilise public transportation in the city. Kuala Lumpur offers easy access to plenty of public transportation including the Light Rail Transit (LRT) or Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) systems where fares start from RM2, buses from RM1 and the GO-KL free bus service that takes you around the major landmarks in Kuala Lumpur including the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Tower.

3). Experience the local street food that only costs from RM5 – RM15 per meal. Visit the mamaks for Indian food, warungs for Malay dishes and the street hawkers in Chinatown for Chinese street food. Another recommended street food venue that is popular with tourists and locals alike is Jalan Alor (Alor Street) - located off Jalan Bukit Bintang. Here you will find a variety of Asian food from RM10 – RM45 per meal.

4). Shop at Sungei Wang Plaza and Berjaya Times Square for great prices for clothes, shoes and bags. Clothes from as low as RM10 are also available here! Looking for affordable grooming services including manicure, pedicure and hair salon services? Sungei Wang Plaza is where to look. Wigs too as well, of course.

Chinatown
Source: CompareHero

5). Chinatown is not to be missed when in Kuala Lumpur. More shopping opportunity here. Central Market is another place not to be missed if you are looking for souvenirs. When shopping in these two places, time to exercise your bargaining skill. A must try in Chinatown is the street food and a chance to sit back and take in the sights and sounds of a bustling Chinatown.

For a bit of local culture, the vicinity of Chinatown has two nice temples to visit. One is a Chinese temple, the other an Indian temple.

6). Look for the free things to do in the city including free movie screenings. This happens every Monday evening at Publika, or head on over to Pisco’s Bar for their free foreign movie screenings on Tuesdays. If it's art you are interested in, head on to the Petronas Art Gallery at Suria KLCC for some Contemporary Art appreciation. Entrance is free.

7). Experience the nightlife in Changkat even when you’re pinching pennies, there are many clubs and bars that do not charge entry fees and offer free drinks for the ladies every day of the week. Visit Sky Bar at Traders Hotel for a fantastic clubbing experience with view of the entire city for free!

8). Visit the Petronas Twin Towers and experience the view from 1,500 meters high on the deck of the skybridge. Entry costs RM85 per person, but the view is well worth the price, especially at night. Kuala Lumpur Tower also offers a fantastic view at 790 feet above the ground, along with other fun activities for both adults and children. Ticket prices start from RM32 (depending on the package).

9). Check out cultural heritage sites such as Batu Caves, Sri Mahamariaman Hindu Temple, National Mosque (Masjid Negara), Little India and Sin Sze Si Ya Temple that won’t cost you a dime.

10). If a park visit is on your itinerary, enjoy a day in the sun at the Lake Gardens (known as Taman Botani Perdana in the local Malay language) that also houses the KL Bird Park, KL Butterfly Park and KL Deer Park. Admission to the Lake Gardens is free. Entrance fee of RM45 and RM18 respectively for the KL Bird Park and KL Butterfly Park.

KL Bird Park
Source: Wikipedia

There you have it, Top 10 Budget Travel Tips for an Ultimate Kuala Lumpur Experience!

Kuala Lumpur is a relatively safe city. However, best to take necessary safety precautions as you would anywhere else. Commonsense prevails always. Also, as travelers in a foreign land, it is always advisable to have a carbon copy of your passport with you at all times while the original copy is safe somewhere else such as in a hotel safe. It’s also advisable for you to carry less cash and use your use your travel credit card for your expenses. Besides, you get to earn rewards points and cashbacks!

Visit CompareHero.my blog for more financial tips and advice.

Welcome to Kuala Lumpur!

Article was first published on AnythingBeautiful

Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands

Planning a trip to Kuala Lumpur soon? Here's some information about Kuala Lumpur that may be helpful.

While you are here, you may also want to include Genting Highlands in your itinerary if you can. Though just an hour's drive from the city you would be transported to a totally different atmosphere. For starters, it's a lot cooler up there being at a higher elevation. Let me clue you in on Genting Highlands a little bit.

Welcome Mr President

Malaysia plays host to US President Barack Obama today, April 26 to Monday, April 28. More..

Image source: The Star

Petronas Twin Towers in Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Catch the Petronas Twin Towers all illuminated in pink tonight. For the first time, the country’s most iconic buildings are being illuminated in the signature pink of Estee Lauder Companies’ annual global Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. More..

2013 KL Tower International BASE Jump

Image source:  timeoutkl.com

Are you here in Kuala Lumpur this weekend? If you are, here is an event you may want to watch.

KL is hosting the 2013 KL Tower International BASE Jump this weekend plus Monday with 100 BASE jumpers launching themselves off from the 421m KL Tower located right here in the city.

Read more about the 2013 KL Tower International BASE Jump.

No more Haze but blue skies here again in Kuala Lumpur

We are back to blue skies again here in Kuala Lumpur and probably the rest of the country. Spotted a plane across the blue sky this morning. It was going so fast, it even left a contrail after it.

Can you see the plane? Right there at 11 o'clock..

PSI readings look great too.

Haze in Kuala Lumpur update - June 21 2013

Malaysia is once again going through a haze situation this time of the year when open-burning from land clearing activities in Sumatra, Indonesia, takes place.

The air quality today in Kuala Lumpur is worse than yesterday's Air Pollution Index reading. There is the pungent smell of smoke in the air today. I guess we can say that the Kuala Lumpur haze today is not getting any better and if it gets any worse, air quality will be hazardous to health.

Down south in Singapore, the air quality is even worse hitting a PSI high of 401 at noon today.

Flash floods wreaked havoc in Kuala Lumpur yesterday

Malaysia, not having any active volcano on her soil, does not go through the experience of any volcanic activity. However, visitors to Kuala Lumpur must have had an unpleasant experience yesterday if they happened to be in parts of KL that were affected by flash floods after a thunderstorm in the evening.

Nothing to be proud of, these floods in the city centre, but we could do better, of course. A couple of pictures here on the flash floods in KL to expand on the story.

Weather is not expected to improve today according to the Met department.

Still, enjoy your visit with us! Welcome to Malaysia, Truly Asia!

Kuala Lumpur is hazy today

It is a hazy day in Kuala Lumpur today. Smells like someone's having a huge barbecue party. Air quality looks pretty bad.

As I am writing this, it looks as though we are about to get some rain, which is just what the city needs to wash away the smog that is hovering overhead.

In the image above taken this morning, the Petronas Twin Towers are but a watermark against the sky.

Formula 1 is in Kuala Lumpur this weekend

If you are in Kuala Lumpur and noticed a lot more tourists than usual the past week or so, it could be due to Formula One (F1) being in town.

That's right, this is F1 weekend here in the city. It's all happening at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) from 22 to 24 March.

If you are visiting KL as a tourist and was having difficulty securing a hotel room, F1 could also be the reason. Hotel accommodations in the city and surrounding areas have been booked solid and at easily three times the rate of a non-F1 period. Take a cue here, if you plan to visit KL on a Formula One period, best to book months ahead to secure accommodation.

Read more about the huge Formula 1 event on exclusive merchandise sale, exhibitions, concerts, etc.


Image source: formula1.com

Greetings from Malaysia

Best wishes for a Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri to friends and readers..

It's often said that KL is the best place to be during a major festival such as Hari Raya and Chinese New Year. This is so because most city-folks are actually migrant workers from smaller towns across the country. During either of these two festivals, the exodus begins a few days ahead of the festival leaving the city quite deserted and relaxed. Roads in and around the city are so much less congested providing a great drive for those still in the city.

If you are planning a visit to KL during these festivals, you would be relieved to know that food is still readily available. Fastfood outlets (McDonald's, PizzaHut, BurgerKing, KFC, et al) are open throughout the festival. Malls and shopping complexes stay open, supermarkets, restaurants too are open for business.

As for hotel accommodations and flights, it is wise to make your reservations ahead of the intended time of travel.

Book Fair in Kuala Lumpur - Aug 18 to 26, KLCC

If you are a book-lover and are visiting Kuala Lumpur this week, here is an activity you will enjoy, visiting a Book Fair or officially known as BookFest @ Malaysia.

- Publishers from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia.
- Millions of books from the latest and best collection of Chinese, English and Malay titles.
- Many fun-filled and exciting activities organised throughout BookFest @ Malaysia.

BookFest @ Malaysia is open from 10am to 10pm daily from 18 - 26 August 2012. Admission is RM 2.50 per ticket. FREE admission is given for students 18 years & below and senior citizens 60 years & above.

For more information, visit Book Fair / BookFest @ Malaysia is back!

Haze situation in Malaysia - June 17

Red balloon: A boy playing in the late after noon with the sun clearly seen as a red ball near Sungai Buloh on Friday - The Star.

Read about Haze situation in Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia - June 17

Haze is back in Malaysia

The haze is back over the city of Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas. Many parts of Peninsula Malaysia are also recording unhealthy air quality.

The picture you see here is one of Klang town, a town some 32km west of Kuala Lumpur. Currently, Kuala Lumpur is also shrouded in haze but on a clear day, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur would be a sight to behold.

More on The Haze is back in Kuala Lumpur - unhealthy air quality

Image source: The Star

KL among top five cheapest cities to visit

The iconic Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur

If you are a foreigner and planning to travel to Malaysia, have I got good news for you.

According to TripAdvisor's latest edition of its TripIndex published on Wednesday, Kuala Lumpur is among the top five cheapest cities in the world to visit.

A night out in the Malaysian capital that includes a four-star hotel room, taxi fare, a cocktail and dinner will set you back US$194.43 on average.

TripIndex found Hanoi ($84.89) to be the most affordable city, followed by Beijing ($159.05) and Bangkok ($161.90).

Budapest is the cheapest European destination on the list, where a night out in the Hungarian capital will set you back $193.78 on average, making it slightly cheaper Kuala Lumpur.

The TripIndex compares the price of a night out in the most popular tourist destinations around the world for the summer of 2012.

The average costs mentioned cover two cocktails, dinner for two at a restaurant, taxi fares and a night for two at a hotel.

European cities are the most expensive, with London coming in at $500 ($361.64 for accommodation and $82.61 for dinner), followed by Norwegian capital Oslo ($499.91), Zurich in Switzerland ($485.82) and Paris.

A night out in Paris, which this week MasterCard forecast as the second most popular city for tourists in the world after London, costs a total of $480.76, broken down in the following way: tourists shell out $306.71 on average for a room in a four-star hotel, $15.06 for a taxi fare (for a 1.8 mile ride), $57.44 for a cocktail for two in the bar of a five-star hotel and $101.55 for dinner (two main courses and one bottle of wine).

In North America, popular tourist destination New York is the most expensive city and sixth most expensive on the overall list at $456.50 ($341.63 for accommodation, $15 for a cab ride, $32 for two cocktails and $67.87 for dinner), while Las Vegas offers the best value at a total cost of $263.


Source: The Star..KL among top five cheapest cities to visit

New Attraction in Malaysia - Pandas from China

Very soon, Malaysians will get to see pandas in real life following an agreement to be signed between Malaysia and China Wildlife Conservation Association, in commemoration of the countries' 40th anniversary of diplomatic relationship. The agreement will be signed on June 15.

The pandas will be placed in a special exhibit in Taman Wetland, Putrajaya. Malaysians will also get the chance to name the pandas in a nationwide contest.

China news reports in April reported that Malaysia would spend a whopping RM20mil for the upkeep of the pandas.

The budget is expected to cover the construction of an air-conditioned sanctuary for the pandas, importing bamboos from China for their meals as well to train local handlers for the animals.


Source: The Star..Giant Pandas for Malaysia

Resorts World Genting hotel room for RM48 per night

Genting Highlands, a short hour's drive away from the city of Kuala Lumpur, is a popular holiday destination for visitors and locals alike. At an elevation of a little over 6000ft above sea level, the pleasant cool weather up at Genting Highlands makes it a much sort-after holiday spot all-year-round. Genting Highlands has been dubbed 'City of Entertainment'. On a clear day or night, the sprawling holiday resort complex can even be seen from Kuala Lumpur.

To date, Genting Highlands Resort has six hotels (namely Maxims, Genting Hotel, Highlands Hotel, Resort Hotel, Theme Park Hotel and First World Hotel) and two apartment blocks (Ria and Kayangan Apartments) at the hilltop and Awana Genting Highlands Golf and Country Resort. The First World Hotel, holds the Guinness World of Records as the largest hotel in the world since 2006, with a total of 6,118 rooms. (Wikipedia)

Planning to take your family to Gentings for a holiday? Here is a great hotel deal that you can take advantage of if you time your visit for July or August. Book a room at only RM48 a night. That is a steal really. Click on the image below to go to the Resorts World website..

MRT in Chinatown Kuala Lumpur

Source: The Star

No visit to Kuala Lumpur is complete if you don't visit Chinatown and its famous Jalan Petaling or Petaling Street where the place comes alive in the evening with its world-famous street market and its associated hustle and bustle of activities. Here is where visitors and locals alike haggle for a good bargain on an ecclectic array of goodies you can bring home for yourself, your friends and family.

You can find toys (and if you look further beyond the streets, there are a number of toy stockists); fashionable clothes for men, women and children; soccer jerseys (great bargain for very close to the real thing); replica watches of any designer brand (if you bargain well, you may even be able to snag a good deal - maybe at half the price!); bags of any kind, including travelling bags and suitcases; shoes of any kind; leather belts and wallets; even gemstones from travelling Nepalese traders; antiques, artefacts and paintings; beads for jewelry; music CDs and DVDs; and lots more.

Food, of course, is synonymous with Chinatown. Chinese food is the main fare and over here in Chinatown, the Chinese food served is authentic Chinese food some still operated by the original family who first started out here.

In line with the government plan to improve public transportation with the increasing population, work will start soon on the MRT project. Chinatown has been slated where the MRT line will pass through.

Three government-owned buildings, Plaza Warisan, UDA Ocean and Klang Bus Stand in Jalan Sultan, will be demolished to make way for the MY (Malaysia) Rapid Transit (MRT) station.

Hoardings, heavy duty scaffolding, strong propping and bracing will be set up to prevent dust and noise pollution. Covered walkways will also be built for pedestrians’ convenience.

The closing of the affected areas will only be from midnight to 5am and safety personnel will be on site at all times to monitor all activities and to safeguard road-users passing through the area.

The MRT project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, so when the time comes, it will be easier and more convenient to drop by at Chinatown.

The authorities' plan is to transform Kuala Lumpur into a world-class city with an effective transport system to cater for the increasing population in the Klang Valley. The MRT will facilitate improved accessibility for all at the same time preserving heritage buildings in Jalan Sultan so that local and international tourists can enjoy the area’s unique charm. Welcome to Kuala Lumpur!

Source: The Star..Three buildings to go soon


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