ASIA: Johor Bahru, Malaysia | LEGOLAND!!

You can go to Johar Bahru by bus, train or plane. We chose the plane since we didn't have much time to travel for 3 to 6 hours. When we rode the plane, it only took us an hour. Also, the major plan was to go to Singapore after Legoland. 

Before we flew to Malaysia, we booked our Legoland ticket already to avoid queuing.

TIP # 1: SAVE & CLICK. 

Book everything ahead of time. Your plane, hotels and Theme park tickets. Just like what we did. I have friends who have credit cards (I can't volunteer mine because I maxed it all out) so we first booked our plane tickets last November because it was on seat sale. Last January, we booked our hotel for Malaysia and so on and so forth. We didn't  book everything in just one click. SAVE & CLICK. 

We booked the flight to Johar Bahru, thanks to Air Asia. 

TIP # 2 : GO TO THE AIRPORT 4 HOURS BEFORE THE FLIGHT

They really have long queues especially if you are traveling for domestic flights. It took us an hour to get to the airport, and additional 2 hours in queuing. Also, try to check-in online because they will charge you RM 10 each if you did not. This has something to do with their system or printing the tickets. I don't why. We were pissed already. 

We arrived at the airport in Johar Bahru exactly an hour after it took off, and their airport was actually nice. We had to take a yellow bus (Causeway link bus) to bring us to Legoland. It costs each person RM 10. The travel time is 45 minutes to  60 minutes. If you have a luggage with you, they have locker rentals in Legoland, so don't worry.  1 day rental = RM 40. Only give an exact amount because the machine doesn't give change. They have medium to large lockers for your things and luggages. 

For more information about Legoland Click here 

 THE BEGINNING

LEGO TECHIC

THIS WAS ACTUALLY FUN.
WE WERE LIKE KIDS SCREAMING OUR HEART OUT.

I WAS AMAZED BECAUSE THE HEAD OF ALBERT EINSTEIN WERE
ALL MADE OF LEGOS. *tempting to pull off some legos*
This area are for kids who wants some mind-cracking games.

IMAGINATION

KIDS POWER
You pull yourself up and prove you are a mighty one!


OBSERVATION TOWER
You'll get a 360-degrees view of the Legoland, also the places that
surrounds the park.

KINGDOMS

CASTLE STAGE
There are shows you can watch here!

THE DRAGON

Expect a twist & turn ride!

LAND OF ADVENTURE

DINO ISLAND

This is like compared to the log jam ride in EK.

THE LOST KINGDOM

MINILAND ATTRACTION

IT'S NOW TIME TO HAVE SOME FUN AT

LEGOLAND WATER PARK! 

I must say that this was actually the highlight of our legoland trip! If you're going to Legoland, have an overnight stay at the hotel to enjoy both parks! Especially, the water park! All slides will make you go gaga!

This finally wraps up our Malaysia Trip!

If you decide to go to Singapore, you can take a taxi to go to where the Malaysia customs & immigration to have your passport checked and stamped. Ride a bus to the Singapore customs & immigration, and do the same as well.

TIP # 3 PASSPORT NUMBER, PLACE OF ISSUED & DATE OF ISSUED.

When going out of the country, you'll always have forms to fill out that will be given to an immigration officer. To lessen the hassle, and keeping you on pulling out your passport from your bag every now and then, you must know your PASSPORT NUMBER, PLACE OF ISSUED AND DATE OF ISSUED. It would be a great help! 

ASIA: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I never actually expected Malaysia to be so beautiful. What I saw and experienced were truly beyond my expectations. I thought of it as a "normal" Asian country - a country that would make me feel like I am still in the Philippines. I was wrong. Malaysia is a home of different races; mostly Indian and Chinese. We actually couldn't identify or distinguish the Malays from Indians or vice versa. Since they got all mixed up with different races, we can hardly tell. They say that some Malays look like Filipinos and yes, I agree with that. But we noticed that everywhere we go, the people we came across with and talked to can easily tell that we are Filipinos. But there would still be people who asked "Are you from the Philippines or Indonesia?"

Since we went there for travel and not for pleasure tours, we had a very tight budget. We booked our flight in Cebu Pacific because it was on seat sale and our flight from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru (Legoland) in Air Asia was on a year-round promo. The place we stayed at was Etika Inn located at the heart of Chinatown. We didn't have the intention to book at a 5-star hotel in Malaysia not because it was expensive but because we will never really get to enjoy the place since we were going to be out the whole day. Etika Inn is a good place to stay at especially with friends. They have spacious rooms and clean bathrooms and the receptionists are Filipinos. And, to top it all off, they have free wifi!

We only had one day to explore the city because we were going to fly to Johor Bahru the next day. We visited the Top 3 famous places in Kuala Lumpur which were: Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur Tower and The Petronas Twin Tower.

BATU CAVES

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Batu Caves (Tamil: பத்து மலை) is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples in the Gombak district. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. (wikepedia.com)

There are rules before you enter the Batu caves. First obvious rule would be to not wear shorts or skirts. If you're unaware of the rule (just as I was), they will have you rent a shawl that should be wrapped on to you, and it costs RM 5. You will reach the cave by walking up a staircase of 272 steps! It was really exhausting. It was so exhausting that we actually had to take breaks once in a while. While you're on your way to the top, you must be careful with all your belongings especially your phones. There are monkeys everywhere that might just grab your valuables. I think it was part of the challenge in climbing up. When you reach the top of the cave, you will see different temples inside. You must also remove your shoes before entering any shrines. 

KUALA LUMPUR TOWER

We were supposed to go and eat at the top level of this tower, but since it was really expensive and they had a dress code, we didn't proceed. We just enjoyed the view of the city and the tower. Near the reception is the Menara KL Tourism. There you can see a hanging bridge wherein you can take pictures and makes it a beautiful background too. 

For more information about the Kuala Lumpur Tower Click this! :D

THE PETRONAS TWIN TOWER

I never thought that the Petronas Twin Tower would be THAT enormous. We had to really step back to be able to get a full picture of it. It has become an iconic destination for tourists especially for couples because of its structural design. They compare this tower to two people facing together, holding hands. It was such a nice view. You can just relax and sit in the corner. Be sure to take massive amount of pictures! It was never boring to look at. 

I'd like to recommend for you guys to go at night. Aside from avoiding the excruciating heat of the sun, the towers light up at night.

WHERE TO BUY PASALUBONG?

This street is obviously in Chinatown since the picture speaks for itself. You can buy cheap "I love Kuala Lumpur" shirts, magnets, pens, bags, keychains, ashtrays, etc here. You can also find miniature Petronas twin towers for displays at your home. Some stores have fixed price, some can be bargained for a lower price. Another amazing thing is, some sellers know how to speak tagalog. They probably know the language since they know that Filipinos LOVE to buy pasalubongs for their family and friends (and ask for a lower price). 

WHERE TO EAT?

SPICY OVERLOAD 

Their food was great! I love the chicken curry! They call it "Chicken with gravy" and I don't know why. I first assumed that it was really gravy, and I was kind of disappointed when it was served. But when I tasted it, HMMMMM IT'S GOOOOOD! Legit curry! I actually had 2 orders of this "chicken with gravy" because my friend didn't like it because it was too spicy. The "pancit looking" food , iced milo and rice also satisfied our cravings. 

THINGS THAT MUST BE REMEMBERED WHEN IN KUALA LUMPUR:

1. All transportation costs double up at night. 

2. When riding a taxi, have your taxi be metered. If they ask you to pay RM 30 flat, find another taxi.

3. If you don't like your food to be spicy, say it. All of their foods are spicy.

4. There are free buses that goes around to some tourist destinations. 

Terima Kasih

ASIA: I love HK

Hong Kong is probably the most visited country by Filipinos. Aside from having a lot of OFWs there, Filipinos consider it the “shopping haven”. In case you don’t know, they have extremely low taxes or no tax at all. It’s also a great place to bring the family and the gang because of the tourist spots like Disneyland, Ocean Park, The Peak, Lantau Island and a lot more. In fact, there were a lot of dreams that came true when HK had their Disneyland because it is more accessible than that of the US, Japan, and France.  

When I say I love Hong Kong, I mean I love Hong Kong. I’ve been there thrice and every trip just keeps getting better. My first trip was in ’96, and I was 5 years old. I can still remember the place we visited and as a kid, you could just imagine the excitement. We came back there last 2012 to welcome 2013 and of course, without a doubt, go shopping! My last visit there was last year and I went there with Tina. Last year’s trip was more of an adventure because we wanted to explore and see HK by ourselves: no tour, no packages, just us and a map.

Just like Japan, their main transportation is the train; and their train stations are so big you’re gonna get lost if you don’t really know which exit you should take. Be sure to have a train route map and the map of the city. IT WILL REALLY HELP YOU.

If you're going to ask me why Tina and I were crazy enough to go there by ourselves without full knowledge of the place, it's because we want to experience what the "legit" travelers do. They go to a place without plans, and end up having a better time. Don't get me wrong, it's not easy. Sometimes, the hassle of trying to understand how to go to a certain place could cause you and your companion bad tempers, but it's all part of the travel. Now that we've both been to Hong Kong with our parents and have gone through tours prepared by agencies, we felt it was time to try out something new.

Here are some of the places in Hong Kong I've been to.

WHERE TO GO SHOPPING IN HONG KONG?

CANTON ROAD
If you love signature/high end bags or anything, you gotta go here.
You can find H&M here as well

MONG KOK
This is where you can buy cheap and good stuff.
You can bargain if the price is kind of expensive; some of them know how to speak and understand tagalog.
So be careful of what you speak.

WHERE TO GO?

THE PEAK
I would like to recommend you to go here at night.
Not only is it windy up there but the view of the city is just jaw-dropping.

DISNEYLAND
May you be a kid or adult, this place will surely bring that feeling of nostalgia.
The kid at heart in you will surely be set free.
There are a lot of rides that any age would enjoy. 

You can take pictures with your favorite Disney characters and Disney Princesses.

There are fireworks before Disneyland closes.
The bang of each fireworks is synchronize with your favorite disney songs.

OCEAN PARK
They have crazy rides. Really crazy. (well, for me)

Ocean Park is like twice or thrice the Hong Kong Disneyland; that you have to ride a cable car
to get to the other side of Ocean Park.

They also have a sea lion show to see for the kids. Just like our Ocean Park in Manila you can find big aquariums with different species of fishes. There are also different animals to see like cute Pandas!

You can also go to Macau from Hong Kong. You just have to take a ferry and it is just an hour away.
Click here for Macau

M goi