Sepang, Malaysia
Stop Six, Sepang 01/06/2015 to 02/06/2015
As a treat for having survived 2 months in Vietnam, we checked ourselves into the AVANI gold coast resort in Sepang, just 45 minutes drive south from KLIA airport. The resort is enormous, featuring 5 restaurants, an infinity pool, a gym and large over water villas! The grounds cover so much ground that there is a shuttle bus to take you between reception and your villa.
What a treat it was, we hardly slept trying to stretch out the 24 hours we spent in the resort, taking in; dinner, a few swims, a drink in the bar, sunset, sunrise, a million showers (with the worlds best shower view) and of course some time on our balcony overlooking the Malacca Strait. Beautiful....Cian reckons we'll be back! |
Sunrise from our balcony!
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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Stop Seven, Kuala Lumpur 02/06/2015 to 07/06/2015
What an incredible city! We LOVE it. We jam packed our days just so that we could cover the most ground possible. Despite the now achy limbs, it was totally worth it. Having just left Hanoi, arriving in KL felt like doing a complete 180. Kuala Lumpur is so different - its clean, bright, vibrant, modern. The transport system is amazingly high-tech, connecting sights with a monorail system, a free tourist bus and a tram. Not to mention that its a lovely city to walk around (tip: wear sunscreen, we got nice and toasty!)
The trend in Malaysia seems to be 'the worlds best, the worlds tallest, the worlds biggest'. We did our best to visit some of the 'worlds best' landmarks, including the tallest tower in SE Asia, the worlds highest sky-bridge, and one of the highest revolving restaurants. That said, the most interesting aspects of KL for us were the results of a long history of multiculturalism. Malays, Indians and Chinese make up the majority of the population. Their individual cultures have contributed to the food, the architecture and the language which makes KL really unique. We visited little India & Chinatown to see the difference - I even bought a sari....love it! |
Putrajaya, Malaysia
Stop Ten, Putrajaya, Peninsular Malaysia
(15/06/15) Putrajaya, Malaysia lies just 30 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur. A planned city with construction beginning in the early 1990's the city is named after KL's first Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra. In Sanskrit "Putra" means Prince and "Jaya" means success. In 1999 many of KL's government departments re-located to Putrajaya to ease congestion in the country's capital. The city is functional and somewhat austere in it's aesthetic, however it still has plenty of charm. The mosque and parliament buildings overlooking the river provide very worthwhile sights. English speakers are harder to come by here than in KL but a leisurely sail along the river between Putrajaya's main bridges is a cure for most travel ailments.
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