Blogs from Malaysia, Asia - page 826

BEING A CIVIL ENGINEER, I am always fascinated with mega-structures - buildings, transport networks, tunnels, bridges, towers, dams, and other construction works having interesting characteristics; not only with the height but also in terms of how the structure was built as well as the amenities and features within it. One of them is the popular Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) as the second tallest building in the world which I visited in April 2004. The TwinsThe Twins (Petronas) stripped off the crown from Sears Tower, Chicago (US) where I also visited in 1997 a year before the Twins got the title. By 2003, Petronas is already surpassed by Taipei 101 (Taiwan) for being the current tallest building with a towering height of 509 meters (1677 feet), 56 meters (224 feet) higher than Petronas. ... read more

Just a quick update as this journal is 2 and a half months too late - Spent a couple of weeks at my folks place just chilling with them. A few nights out in KL and lots of going to the gym(?). Little did I know there is an indoor surf break in Kuala Lumpur otherwise I would have lived there. Also went to the Perhentian islands for about 3 days. They a quite beautiful, and the resorts are pretty basic and laid back. No over the counter alcohol so people stayed pretty relaxed while there. Tasty food too. Sorry no digital pics... read more

Our annual holiday was to Malaysia. We spent 4 nights in KL, and 8 in Borneo, relaxing in a lovely hotel. I had been to KL before when I 'travelled' from 1988 - 1990, but it was David's first trip. We walked a lot and went up the Petronas Towers, the pride of KL. It was very hot. We went to China Town, the Central Market, as well as the places shown in the photos. I am not going to put in a blog for Borneo, cos we really did just laze around in the hotel and on the beach, apart from taking a trip into Kota Kinabalu, the highlight of which was the Sabah State Museum, which if you like museums was great - especially the traditional houses and the botanical gardens. Not as good ... read more

A last minute backpacking trip to Thailand with my dear sister, Vivienne. We had plans on going to either Tioman Island, Malaysia or Thailand. She has never visited Thailand and so we settled on it. A new adventure awaits. Plus, I’ll be able to spend some quality time with my sister, so it’s a double blessing. Depart from Golden Mile Complex (Singapore) at around 7pm. We took a coach ride which will arrive in Hatyai/Haddyai, Thailand in approximately 14 hours’ time. It will be a long, body-aching ride to Thailand, not something a very prone to motion-sickness me is going to like. Ouch... This is a wonderful chance for a getaway of course, the old me would have said no and stayed on in Singapore for the rest of my summer break. So perhaps it was ... read more

I travelled to Georgetown on Penang Island with Andrew, a Canadian who I had been trekking with in Cameron Highlands. On arriving in our 'recomended' place of stay, he discovered Bed Bugs in his mattress. At this he got really depressed, while I sat feeling slightly bemused at our luck. Neither of us were particularly willing to stay - but the owner changed the mattresses, and as it was late in the day, we risked it. Although neither of us were bitten, I for sure did not sleep. Little creatures somehow manage to prevent sleep more than the big ones. The rest of the hostel was really clean though and had a good atmosphere - so with a new room key in hand - we boldly stayed put. Georgetown was just another city in Malaysia though, ... read more