holiday in Malaysia

On the month of January 2013, I finally got to take a break for 2 long weeks away from  work  after 2 years. This break was really worth it since I am such a wandering soul; always needing  a change of scene for my insatiable and unsettling mind (don’t take it the wrong way, I just love to travel). The great thing about travelling, whether in or outside a home country is that you get to meet different people, learn about new cultures, see beautiful places, eat soul-soothing food, click memorable pictures, spend quality time with the people you travel with and just be inspired.

And this time, I traveled with one of the most wonderful important people in my life- my mom. I am very fortunate to have a cool mom who agreed to travel with me- a crazy and unsettling girl for 2 weeks…. trust me, we had fun!

One week before we travel: I made a list. I love lists and I always plan a lot. List of medicines including pain killers, mosquito repellent cream, loose motion medicine and of course avil for my sea-food allergies and I would want to eat a good sea-food since we were travelling to an amazing island. Then, another list which has all the places worth seeing in 2 of the cities we were planning to include in our itinerary. And a list of NOT-TO-FORGET list- passports, what to pack, what not to pack, important phone numbers, maps and train routes….etc. ! It helped a lot. One of my friends looked at my list and she laughed at me, but hey!everyone is not the same and we should appreciate everyone’s idiosyncrasies.

22.01.2013 (Tuesday): Mom and I took an Air Asia flight from Kolkata to Kuala Lumpur at 17:00 pm.  Before we took off from Kolkata, two things happened which completely got stuck in my mind which probably will stay in my mind for a long time. So, we reached around 3 hrs before departure which is customary for any international flight. We waited quite a while as usual, since this is India and you know how VIPs and VVIPs arrive and break the line, or some random person who will be in the same flight is in super hurry cause they are apparently scared to miss their flight etc. Finally, after one hour waiting,on line for check-in, we gave our printed tickets to the lady at the counter to issue our tickets. She kinda glanced at me, up and down and asked me how much cash I was carrying and I told her. And she asked me again whether I have gotten exchanged either to Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) or to US Dollars (USD). I said I will exchange once I reached Kuala Lumpur unless it is an issue. Then she asked me to exchange it to USD or she won’t issue my boarding pass. So, I said yes and got some cash exchanged and went back to the counter. She scoffed and mumbles that it won't be enough for 2 people and I told her that we will exchange it once we reached the country. Later on, when I thought about it, I'm sure she had a cut with the forex guys. 

Then, there was the immigration guy who took the pleasure of torturing me by asking me million of questions in Hindi which I couldn't understand half of them. Asking me where, and why I am going to KL, with whom I am going etc. But when my mom came over and told him I work with a company in Delhi (half-true) he let me go. I was so pissed. I always feel such an alien within my own country, as if I am not a citizen.

4 hours later, 23:35 hrs local time, we landed KL. (Malaysia is 2 and a half hour ahead of IST). 

WOW, the people were nice there. I like the way they hold the right hand with the left while giving or handing things over to people. The immigration guy at KL was very straight forward (they can't be that friendly  i understand) and let me through very easily and I wasn't even local.

By the time we got our luggage and traveled for another one hour from the airport to our hotel, it was 1:00 a.m. The guy who picked us up had all our vouchers which we need to use for our free city tour, hotel check-ins etc. I was wondering, wow, these people are organized. I had to fill in a form too for feedback. They take their business quite seriously. There were 5-6 Indian guys before us who were checking in at our hotel. As usual, all of them were hovering around the receptionist's table, and they were all together as a group. It really irritated me, being tired and late and funnily the receptionist snapped at them and asked only one of them to be at the table and not to disturb him. (hehe...he gave em good). When my turn came, he was so nice to me. took my passport and asked me if i was local and when I said I was Indian, he said, 'WHAT!'. Anywho, he was helpful and he helped me upgrade our room up on the 30th floor with a nice view and free  internet, of course with a fee. 

View from our room

23.01.2013 (Wednesday): Since we got in our hotel so late and by the time we slept, it was 2:30 a.m. We got up around 9  and missed our half-day city tour which was supposed to start at 9:00 a.m.  Nevertheless, we had a nice Asian breakfast. When I say nice, it means it included rice and noodles :) The hotel provided free shuttle to and fro the hotel and the main shopping area called Bukut Bintang where you find major brands and must-go place if you are a shopper. But, fortunately or unfortunately the shuttle left while we waited for half an hour at the lobby. I asked the receptionist any alternative and  I had my list of places to visit with my map, but the concierge gave me a better map with the monorail route. He suggested that we took the same which was very economical and easy to use. The station was just a block walk and we took the monorail to the shopping area with just 4 stops away and cost us only MYR 1.2 (approx 20 rupees) and it is a start of a good adventure! Points to mention, the rail was very clean and people didn't push each other and maintain body distance. I loved it. 

DC Comic store at Pavilion Mall

We got down at Bukut Bintang and went to around 2-3 shopping malls and one mall The Pavilion is so huge that we didn't even have the strength to go to all the shops. Inside the mall, there is an area called 'Tokyo Street' and I was obsessed with the goodies that they hand. They had Chucky (living of the dead doll), Hello Kitty, Totoro, Anime characters etc. We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant and I had this wonderful black mushroom sauteed. Heavenly.
Then we walked around the area and bought some stuff. You know retail therapy and women, they go together. At 19:30 hrs, we had some nice wings and fries and the area was already bustling with people getting off from work, getting dinner, shopping after work etc. Since Malaysia is located in the Southernmost part of continental Eurasia, the sun set around 19:15 hrs. For winter, it was quite nice with a warm temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.


By the time we got back to the hotel, there was a message from our representative of our half-day city trip, we could actually avail it the next day and at 9:00 hrs which was super convenient for us.
That same evening there were hundreds of Japanese students checking in at our hotel, I think for a study tour and the elevators were either always full or took forever to go to our floor. But what I love about Asians is that they are so polite and always smiling with their bare minimal English skills and these Japanese kids completely exude that persona. We had a nice sleep that night in our cozy, fluffy bed.

24.01.2013 (Thursday): We got up at 7 a.m. and got ready for our half day tour. We had our breakfast before leaving at the hotel and there was this Malaysian host, an older man with a broken tooth and always smiling. He asked me where I was from and so as usual when I told him I was from India, he couldn't believe it. He though if I was not local, I should be Vietnamese, Thai or Filipino. He asked me how long we will be at the hotel and I told him the next day we were heading off to Langkawi, he got so excited and said it is such a beautiful island and we should go ride the cable car and go for the different tours that the island offers. He was so nice.
Our pick up came at around 9:15 and off we go for our tour. It is called SIC or seat-in-coach and so we shared the coach with other people, and the other 2 couples were Indians of course and 1 couple was Filipino.

HALF-DAY City Tour of Kuala Lumpur. 
1st we went to a Buddhist temple but I wasn't really interested so I didn't go inside and stayed at the coach.
Then we went around the Petronas twin towers to take pictures. Fact: It was the tallest twin towers in the world until 2004 surpassed by Taipei 101.

Kuala Lumpur by night- A replica

After that, we stopped by at the King's palace. Interestingly, Malaysia has 9 Kingdoms, and each Kingdom rules for 5 years each and the kings automatically change after 5 years. The Filipino guy who was with us pointed out that it is very wise to do that cause in the olden days, Kings were conspired against or killed so that the kingdom could go to someone else  but this system will reduce the likelihood of kings being thrown over by people within or outside the country. Quite interesting. Then, we went to their art shop where everything was overpriced. The next stop was my kind of place. It was a chocolate factory and we could taste all the samples and of course we bought 3 packets of chocolates ranging from white sesame chocolate to tiramisu worth MYR 100. Our last stop was at the city gallery where we can see the history of Kuala Lumpur. Fact: Malaysia got its independence from the British Empire in 1957, and the economy shows how fast growing it is among Southeast Asian countries (3rd highest GDP in Southeast Asia) with petroleum being its main source of income and tourism being the fourth. The Strait of Malacca has been a turning point for this country as its strategic location helped in importing and exporting its oil and other products.They have AC buses which run around the city in specific routes which are free for both local and tourists. The importance the gave to tourism just blew my mind. And of course this made this country one of the tourist destinations for people all over the world. The coach dropped us back to our hotel around 14:00 hrs.

King's Palace 

Chocolates

We rested for a while and then took the monorail to head to a little farther to China town. We got off at the closest station to the town, then we walked like 10 blocks to get to China town. Oh man, China town is same everywhere. Shops on both sides of the street and the middle lane is filled with shoppers selling fake designer watches, bags, Nike shoes, tshirts, you name it, they have it. We bought a couple of tops for gifts and I found a bubble-tea shop and oh how contended I was when I had a glass of it. I hadn't had it since 2006 while I was in Toronto.Bubble tea is also called pearl milk tea, boba milk, milk tea and the best part is the chewy tapioca pearls.Yum yum. 

Central Market

Walking through China town and few blocks away is 'Central market'. The most beautiful part of town for me. Central market went way back to around 1886 when local artisans and craftsman used to sell their products here but then the open area was turned into an AC building where the shop keepers can stay safe and away from rain and heat. They had intricate handmade keychains, pencils, shoes, sandals, silk scarfs and wood works. It was pure craftsmanship in display. 
Of course everywhere you go, one find American food like KFC and we devoured one full bucket of chicken legs. 
After this, the storm was coming our way and was going to rain, so we ran to the station to catch the rail to Bukut Bintang to do some last minute shopping and of course a nice long foot and neck massage. Heavenly. 


LANGKAWI
25.01.2012 (Friday): Our flight to Langkawi was at 13:00 hrs and our pick up came by 10:00 am. It was a nice car, I mean especially for Mizoram standard. A sedan, leather seats, driving at 120 kms/ hr and we reached in an hours time, which means that the airport is at least 80-100 kms from the city and Lengpui is 37 kms from Aizawl and it takes 1 hr reach. Talk about good infrastructure. Close to the airport is also the F-1 circuit and I am still proud to say we also have one now in India. The airport where we checked-in was solely for Air Asia flights, both domestic and international and man...it was busy. 

So, we went to the counter series where it was only for Langkawi and the lady at the counter told me to get my boarding pass from the kiosk first. This is not that convenient for people at my mother's age but at least me being the young and a vibrant girl, got it done quickly. But our ticket didn't include our baggage cost and hence we had to pay MYR 150 for 2 of our bags, such a bummer. Note to all travelling by Air Asia- Make sure you buy a baggage allowance with your ticket.
But landing at Langkawi was a whole different experience. It was a nice, secluded, friendly island, away form the hustle-bustle of work. It was around 30 degree Celsius and not humid.
There was a private pick up for us to drop us to our hotel. (all travel arrangement-courtesy of VandyGo, Aizawl). By the time we reached our hotel, it was 15:00 hrs. The hotel- Holiday Villa was around 15 minutes drive from the airport and was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of Goa, with less humidity. Our hotel had a private beach where you can do all sort of water activities like paragliding, banana boat ride and wave runner rides, but it was too hot to bask under the sun (according to Indian standard, cause there were lots of European who were sun bathing). After checking in, we went to Cenang beach area. And we ate at a cute road side restaurant which became our favorite eat out while we were there for the next 3 days. The area was filled with shops filled with cafes, sandals, sunglasses, swimwear, swimming gear, beach wear etc. and there was the public beach where you can find cheap rooms with bed and breakfast. The best part about the island is that you can rent bikes, mopeds and cars with a reasonable price. It is a place to visit with friends, I recommend everyone to go there. You will not be disappointed. We walked around the beach and just watched kids building castles in the sand, lovers enjoying the sunset, friends having drinks and having good laughs, family enjoying time together....I could just breathe and feel the love and warmth surrounding me.

beach at our hotel

26.01.2013 (Saturday): Went for a half day city tour which was free from our travel agent. The driver apologized for coming late and said one couple was taking too long and they had to pick mom and I up in a separate car to join the rest of the guys at our first  stop- Underwater World. We paid MYR 23 each, even though a bit expensive, it was worth it. The fishies were beautiful and the place was so well-maintained. One thing that I noticed was that NO ONE HONK HORNS HERE IN THIS ISLAND. Our driver parked his car behind one car. The owner of the car came and wanted to backup but our driver was so cognizant and conscious of his surrounding and backed up his car without causing any trouble for the other person. I was so impressed. Unlike so many countries where people are impatient and just like to create unnecessary hassle, honking their horns off as if it is going to help and taking their own sweet time.

Then we visited their local crafts shop and i found a nifty loo. See below=

Our next stop was the famous Eagle Square.

I wanted to go for a cable-ride and I asked our driver the best way to get there cause it will be expensive to go there by cab. He was sweet enough to ask his friend who was also driving tourists around to fit me and my mom in his coach cause they were going towards Oriental Village where the cable car ride was and he could drop us there for free :) Who does that anywhere and not even expect money????!!!!!!!! Again, I was solemnly impressed. But, I tipped the driver who dropped us MYR 10 as suggested by our original driver
So, we got to the Cable ride and my mom backed out. Valid reason, good thinking, wise decision cause believe me, the ride was scary, but, of course it was worth it. The view from the top was heavenly. It is a dream I have for Mizoram and an idea that my boss has been tossing around for Mizoram. The landscape is more or less similar and the way the mountains rise, it will be definitely feasible for Mizoram. The view from the top- one side you can see the ocean, the other- you see the forest, the other you see boats sailing towards the sun.... magnificent it was. Another important thing I noticed was that before the ride, we had to make a line for like 30 minutes, the whole time, none of the people pushed nor rushed to get to the cable. They took their own time and moved along with the line. It wasn't India. I felt it!!!! this is a holiday for sure.  Funny thing happened at the cable ride up to the mountain. The cable was a six seater and 5 friends were there and I filled in the 6th seat. I think they were Chinese. So, when the cable started its ascension, we all started getting scared, and the view below was so high (3000 ft above sea level), one of the girls started praying our loud, "Jesus, Jesus", another girl,"Silent night, holy night", the 3rd girl, "wrong song, wrong song", the she changed her song to "Imagine.....there is....", again her friend, "wrong song". It was hilarious but definitely lighten the mood while we were super scared.
When we reached the top, the scene of the crime, and I was alone, I asked one random guy to take my picture and he was with his girlfriend. So, I also clicked some pictures for them and we rode the cable down together. We made some small talk and they were from Shanghai and they were going back to China the day after tomorrow. They told me they rented a moped and was too hot to ride around ) they were such a sweet couple.
Told my mom about my scary ride and conceded that it was good she didn't come with me. I was scared too, to be frank.

eatery at Cenang beach

We went back to Cenang beach and booked an Island tour for the next day. We wanted to go to church and asked around if there was a church. They told us that there might be one church but they weren't sure. 90% of the population is Muslim, the rest is Hindu, Buddhist and maybe 1% Christian.
Dinner was devoured at our favourite restaurant, which was bustling with people in the evening, we ordered some really fresh barbecued fish with sauteed vegetables, steamed rice, accompanied by ngha um rawt (mashed chilly- Mizo style). How full I was. The fish could be hand-picked and they weight it on a scale and then prepare it depending on individual's choice. Heavenly, it was.

kids playing at Cenang

Barbecued Fish

The next day 27.01.2013 (Sunday), we went for Island hopping to 3 different islands- the first was called 'Island of the pregnant maiden' and legend says that women who can't get pregnant dip there to increase their  fertility chance. You can actually see an image of a pregnant lady in between the mountains of the island. The water was clean and clear and there were a lot of monkeys too. The walk towards the top and descending down to the lake was quite tiring and since I was carrying a back pack full of drinking water, food, change of clothes and sun block, it was extremely heavy. A lot of people took a dip in the lake but I am scared to swim , I wished I knew how to swim better. Then, we head to the Pulau Singa Besar for eagle feeding.. The last stop was at Beras Basah for an hour, it is an unspoiled island with white sandy beaches and deep blue water. There is no shop to buy food or drinks and hence the island was very clean and not commercialized at all. People were sun-bathing and just basking in the sun, which I apparently don't need since I am already caramalized. So, I went and swam for while in the sea which was salty yet refreshing. Then mom and I sat at the beach and walked around for a while then head back from the last island back to our where we boarded our boat at 15:00 hrs and reached our hotel by 16:00 hrs. That day we went to eat again at the same restaurant and had some nice fish and butter prawns which was absolutely yummy, but since I am at times allergic to sea food, I took avil before I had the prawns, smart huh! Since, it was our last night we wanted to enjoy every moment of it and walked a bit after we hogged like pigs and bought some souvenirs to take home.

Pregnant Maiden

Unspoiled Beach 

28.01.2013 (Monday): We headed back to Kuala Lumpur from Langkawi and stayed at the same hotel (Grand Seasons) and some of the staff members were shocked to see us again there cause they felt we already left and were back so soon. Traffic was horrible that day because it was a state holiday. I came to know through the FM station I was listening to from my phone. But all shops were open, plus Chinese New Year was coming soon and heavy discounts were there on all shops. So, after we checked in, we went to do our last minute shopping before leaving the country the next day on the 29th of January.

Headed back to Kolkata with people pushing and breaking lines right from KL airport itself, landed and was happy to see my nephews and niece and spend another 3 days with them in Kolkata and had another session of fun with a different set of mood. But worth it.

Our one week stay in Malaysia was very pleasant. I loved the country, and it definitely presented itself as a truly Asian country with its diverse ethinicities and religions and culture. One of the places I recommend to visit especially Langkawi. Go with a friend willing to have fun and try out various adventurous activities.

P.S. This blog was written from Aizawl, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangkok. Next blog will be about Bangkok :)

my week that was

7th Jan, 2013: Reached office at around 9:30 am. Our office is located right at the heart of Aizawl city and I love working there. i can see the tennis court, the road where the local farmers sell their products, capital complex, Zotlang etc. and it has a great view.
our office usually have a  devotion at 10:30 am to kick off the week. it is a great way to start every week and to let God guide us in all our work, and we take turns to do this! it was the first Monday of the year and i am so pumped for this year. as the words of our famous Barney Stinson (HIMYM), "it is going to be legendary".
but on the downside, my boss was landing in the afternoon on his chartered plane with his whole entourage because we had a public hearing the next day due to an intra-state trading license we applied for.
our boss reached and we had our usual long and winding meeting with him and the whole team until 8:30 pm, had some nice dinner from Curry Pot though and reached home around 9:30 pm. slept thoroughly and prayed that our session the next day will go smoothly.

8th Jan, 2013: i was a little tensed because that day was a very important day for our organization, but somehow i was consoled (by prayers). but by the time i got to the venue of the hearing and saw a lot of prominent people, i was shaking in my pants... but right before the session started, our boss came and sat, i was much calmer (he is like a God father or Santa Clause who knows how to calm me down). the session went on for 3 good hours and there were both rational and irrational questions about trading, electricity and privitisation of power (will let you know the details later, in the next blog perhaps). but all in all, it went really well by God's grace and by the end of the hearing, almost everyone was of the opinion that it is a good step forward for Mizoram to develop and become more efficient. it was a good day.

9th Jan, 2013: I got calls and texts right from morning from my colleagues and friends telling me that a particular print media had printed things which was untrue from the previous day's session (which really upset a lot of us). i wanted so stay calm and try to assess what will be the best way to go about it since we don't want to taint our organization's name and didn't want people to make an uninformed decision about what we are trying to do. one thing i have learnt over the past 3 years being in Mizoram is that, we really need to come up with guidelines and rules about the media- ethical procedure because they tend to print/say/broadcast news which are not completely reliable and half-truths. i was busy the whole day reading and getting perspective from what different newspapers wrote. but at the end of the day, me and my close friends and colleagues think its best to keep quiet. [in the moment of my weakness, You give me grace to do Your will].
i stayed late at work with my friends Anne and Valerie cause we had some unfinished work, then we decided to go out for dinner just to unwind ourselves. then we felt kinda bad for Valerie's husband- Andy who joined us for dinner. we had food at regency hotel but the food wasn't particularly good but the company was.. also the unexpected phone call that evening made it more spectacular. after dinner, we went to Valerie's place and had some lemon-tea and I got her previously-owned jeans which didn't fit her anymore (due to weight gain or expanding horizontally). i guess i'm a teeny-weeny bit smaller than her  :)

My friends- Valerie, Anne and me  (L-R)

10th Jan, 2013: My mom told me as soon as i got up that the CM and the Parliamentary Secretary are completely 'for' our project and will plan to go ahead as long as it benefits the people of Mizoram... hooray.. such good news to start my day with [i trust in Him]. got to the office and everyone was excited about it. i was in a very good and exhilarated mood the whole day. we got an unexpected visitor at the office who really thought that our project was a brave and innovative move which will change the whole scene of the state of Mizoram. This,coming this from a very senior and experienced person from the Power sector was such an encouragement for me and my colleagues. Got home early and i brace myself for the cold weather which is getting worse for Aizawl. i played around a bit with my 2 nephews and niece but they got tired early and went to sleep by 8:00 pm after we sang to 'girl on fire' by alicia keys (beat that, this will become their new favourite song after 'beauty and a beat' by bieber)

My Nephews and Niece

11th Jan, 2013: it was Missionary Day and the roads and the city were a bit quieter than other days. got to work and worked on the points that we need to submit about the scenario of the Power sector in Mizoram to make the public aware.
our friend Annie treated us for lunch at Cosy Den, Khatla, which is this quaint and nifty place with a decent menu with a good price. all old Mary Mount school friends like Valerie, Angela, Ellie and Mary were there and we chatted and ate like pigs. it is always fun when we are together cause we can trace back to 15 years and talk about our crazy stories.
THEN I DROPPED MY NEW PHONE IN THE LOO when we got back to the office. i was sad cause it was new, but took out the battery and kept it under the sun and i was also advised to keep in rice, that i did after i got home. i haven't touched it yet so i hope it works.

12th Jan, 2013 (1:03 am): My blog is called "writings before midnight" cause i don't usually stay up late. i am an early bird who can't even keep eyes open until 10:30 at night.. i rarely stay up until midnight, unless there is a really great and exciting reason behind it :)
i am listening to an old Hillsong United album called "United We Stand".. it is such a great album, it just renews my soul and quench my thirst every time i listen to it. do try listening to it.

Peace and God Bless.

Signing out,

Priscilla

an year ending resolution

So, unlike many others who make new year's resolution, i thought i'll make an year end 2012 resolution by starting to write a blog.

I know this will take quite an effort and a lot of motivation to keep this blog updated every now and then, i thought i will give it a try. ( I can't hardly even update my journal/diary) 

I have gotten my inspiration from two very important people in my life.
One is my dear sister Mimi Hrahsel  (technically my aunt) who's b'day is today, i.e., 27th, Dec and the other is a dear friend of mine- Katie Sheahan who lives in Seattle, WA.

Mimi is an avid writer and blogger. We have had our shares of ups and downs and since we are the only two girls from 2 of our families, we are quite close and tight. (http://mimihrahsel.blogspot.in/). Mimi is quiet and slow (i find that completely irritating at times, since I am always in a hurry and have no patience), but she is loving and caring and has a beautiful heart. 

Katie is quirky and funny, and her level of enthusiasm and happiness and love for soccer is unmatched by any other person that I have met in my whole entire life. I got to know her while I was studying at Marquette University, WI. Even after 3 and half years, since I left the US, she is still one of my bestest friends. She used to write a blog while she was studying in Spain and her short-lived blog used to keep me entertained and totally high on laughter during those times. The Blog was our way of keeping in touch and reading someone else's journey through life and can be awesomely beautiful.

So, here is my first post and hoping for many more to come. 
Peace and God bless. 

Happy Birthday Mimi. 


Signing out,

Priscilla 

27.12.2012
15:38 hrs