Well..what can I say...the East didn't appeal to me at all, but after breaking down this useless mental limit of mine, I understood that Asia is truly a wonderful continent where you must go at least once in your life. How could you not appreciate Malaysia, rich in flowers and colours, different cultures and civilisations, a mix of religions and multiraciality. And how could you not fall in love with Singapore, splendid, magnificent in its opulence and standing tall on its skyscrapers that look down at you. It wasn't a simple choice, especially because it certainly wasn't the classic honeymoon destination. But we couldn't have returned more satisfied and happy to have visited those wonderful places!!!!!!!!!
The trip starts very early...already at 4 in the morning we're on our feet; a day of travel awaits us and we have to catch the first plane to Rome very early. At Fiumicino we pass the time wandering around a bit, but very soon we realize that it's already time to head to terminal C to board the Malaysia Airlines 777 at 13:45. On the plane we really don't feel like sleeping, so we pass the time watching movies and playing PlayStation...Kuala, here we come!!
When we land at KLIA it's 7 in the morning local time and we immediately understand that the weather isn't the best; in fact, it's drizzling. Of course! Getting our bearings wasn't exactly easy; this airport is truly futuristic and enormous. In the end, after going through immigration services, we head to baggage claim and then toward the exit-kelamat where our guide, Francesco, is waiting for us, an Indian adopted by an Italian priest when he was a child. The hotel where we've been booked is truly magnificent; from our window we can see the Petronas towers and the level of technology is impressive. In the afternoon Francesco takes us around Kuala; we visit the Sultan's royal palace, the war memorial, the national mosque, the central market.
In the evening we go right under the Petronas, but jet lag fatigue and the bad weather don't allow us to linger very long, so after a quick dinner, we go straight to sleep.
To get to Malacca we drive about 2 and a half hours; the climate is very humid and fortunately there's no sun, which allows us to walk around the city. I believe you can't understand Malaysia without going to Malacca...we visit A Famosa and even take a ride in one of the many brightly colored rickshaws that go around the city. Lunch is at a typical BabaNyonya restaurant, a lineage existing only in Malacca and the Netherlands. Before returning to Kuala we take a stroll through Chinatown and indulge in some affordable shopping inside the little Chinese shops. In the evening, instead, we spend our time in a little restaurant right under the Petronas...this is the last night we spend in Kuala and we want to memorize as much as possible the image of the illuminated towers!
We wake up very early and after a wonderful breakfast at the hotel we meet up with Francesco. The first stop of the tour is right at the gates of Kuala, Batu Caves, a Hindu temple carved into the rock, accessed after 273 steps inhabited by chimpanzees...what an adventure climbing up! In this sanctuary, almost every day, religious functions are held, but the most impressive ones, those attended by the largest number of faithful (some of whom inflict corporal punishment on themselves to demonstrate their devotion), are held at the beginning of the year, between January and February. Back in the car, we set off for Cameron Highlands. The road is truly winding, endless curves and car sickness, but it's worth it to get to visit the waterfalls and the dwellings of the aborigines. In the afternoon we go to visit the BOH tea factory, something truly wonderful.
Plantations and plantations of tea are the scenery of this area; the smell that reaches your nostrils is fresh and sweet just like a cup of tea. Of course we stop for a snack on a magnificent terrace with tea and cheesecake. We stay overnight in a typical colonial hotel in the middle of the mountains and, just for a change...it's pouring rain!
After breakfast, departure for Penang; along the way we stop to visit the Sam Poh Tong Temple; actually it consists of 3 temples carved into the rock, dedicated respectively to turtles for health, fish for luck and monkeys for love. We also visit the city of Kuala Kangsar, the Ubudiah Mosque and the Royal Palace, and we stop in Ipoh for lunch at a local restaurant. Before reaching Penang we visit the temple of the ten thousand Buddhas, the reclining Buddha temple and the Burmese one. In the evening we take a walk near our hotel where a delightful local market is held, full of a thousand souvenirs to buy!
Today we set off for Kota Kinabalu, in Sabah, where nine days of absolute relaxation await us in one of the country's most prestigious resorts. Before going to the airport, though, we stop to visit Fort Cornwallis, an old English fort that is well kept and pleasant to explore. We take two flights, Penang-Kuala and Kuala-Kota Kinabalu. We arrive at the resort in the evening and we immediately understand that here too the weather won't be very kind. In fact, the rain welcomes us!
Nine days seemed like a lot, yet they passed almost quickly, I'd say, and now we find ourselves about to leave for Singapore. Of these days spent at the Nexus in full relaxation, we certainly won't forget the visits to the city of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, which isn't exactly great but offers some truly original shopping opportunities, and the visit to the island of Mamutik, actually a bit disappointing since nothing remains of the wonderful coral reef destroyed by fishing bombings. It's a bit sad to walk on the beach and be hit by coral debris! To get to Singapore we have to take two flights and when we get off the plane we immediately understand that we've arrived in another world...welcome to the future!
This city takes your breath away; it's the ideal place where we should live, where we should have our children study and grow up. What a civilization of souls...people line up two by two to get on the buses and the metro stations look like very luxurious 5-star hotels. We go to the botanical garden where thousands of species of orchids exist; what colors, what scents. This place is truly enchanting. In the afternoon we take the metro and go to Little India, Clarke Quay and Orchard Road. We go around the thousand shopping malls and we really fill our eyes with a well-being that for us Westerners is still very far away.
To reach Sentosa we take the cable car...wow...what a view but also what a scare!! The first stop is at the aquarium, very similar to the one we had visited in Kuala, then we go to the dolphin show and the Images of Singapore Museum. We return to the city around lunchtime and before heading back to the hotel we stop at Arabic Street, the Islamic area of Singapore. After a refreshing dip in the pool, we decide to go take the hot air balloon that takes you 150 meters up for 10 minutes to enjoy the view of the city, but since it's windy the service is suspended. Well...I'm almost glad!
The sadness slowly begins to creep in...we've reached the last day of this wonderful trip of ours. A bit tired but happy, we decide to enjoy it to the fullest and dive back into the alleys of Chinatown in search of some last bargain, we take a stroll along Orchard Road, a dip in the pool and out again, looking for a little place worthy of the last evening in Asia...Tomorrow we leave; now it really is over!
We really take it easy this morning; in fact, the pick-up is scheduled for 16:45. As if that weren't enough, we have the luck to enjoy Singapore on its 42nd National Day...there are lots of little flags all over the city but fortunately the shops and venues are all open...so we have time to buy a few last treats. In the afternoon we go to the airport where we wait several hours for the flight to Kuala and finally the one that will take us from Malaysia back to Italy!
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1 reader comments
Bel viaggio, complimenti. Dovrei andarci in febbrai.o + o - stesso giro. Volevo chiedervi se il Francesco, la vostra guida, parla italiano e se posso avere un recapito per contattarlo. Ovviamente se me lo consigliate. Buone vacanze e grazie 1000 Nicola