March 2017


LATEST TOWN STORIES AND VLOGS



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Stories of town explorations.
If you loaded this page expecting for tourist attractions to see in less than 24 hours in Kuala Lumpur, I'm sorry to disappoint you but this is not a story of tourist spots but tourist stops. Yeah, stop here, stop there, stop everywhere.
[Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory, Peninsular Malaysia, Federation of Malaysia]
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LORONG 177A, KUALA LUMPUR
LORONG 177A, KUALA LUMPUR
LORONG 177A, KUALA LUMPUR
LORONG 177A, KUALA LUMPUR
LORONG 177A, KUALA LUMPUR

Kuala Lumpur was the first national capital city I visited outside ▼ #MANILA
. Malaysia, on the other hand, was the first country I visited outside the ▼ PHILIPPINES
. If you loaded this page expecting for tourist attractions to see in less than 24 hours in Kuala Lumpur, I'm sorry to disappoint you but this is not a story of tourist spots but tourist stops. Yeah, stop here, stop there, stop everywhere.

For a Kuala Lumpur first timer doing it solo, getting lost is probably pretty common. I didn't care about the tourist spots. I prioritized to reach my ultimate stop—a place where I could rest.
Entering Kuala Lumpur
My portal of entry in ▼ MALAYSIA
was the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2). Actually, I thought the location of KLIA2 was an area that was under the jurisdiction of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. I later found out that KLIA2 is outside Kuala Lumpur (palรก). I discovered it when I checked-in on Facebook. Facebook's database showed me that it was in ▼ #SEPANG
town of Selangor state. So there. Sepang was the first town/city I've stepped onto outside the Philippines, not Kuala Lumpur.



Since Sepang is not a part of Kuala Lumpur, my story bank covering Sepang isn't included in this post because this one only covers Kuala Lumpur. (Sorry Sepang, you are KL's front line in the aviation industry but in this story, you're a pitiful backstage, charaught!)

Anyway, due to my delayed flight, I reached the city of Kuala Lumpur later than expected. Compared to my very own national capital city of Manila, Kuala Lumpur has less traffic congestion. There is actually, but not as hardcore as Manila.

I was able to sleep inside the bus. When I woke up, Kuala Lumpur's flyovers and skyscrapers welcomed me. Wow! Welcome myself to Kuala Lumpur.

On the flip side, I didn't notice the Petronas Towers maybe because we had a different route or maybe because we've already passed by it or maybe because I was sleeping when it was ready to be seen from the bus window.

One of the interesting things I noticed in Malaysia is the effect of the timezone. The Philippines and Malaysia have the same timezone but since Malaysia is less closer to the east than the Philippines, I was still able to see the sun at 7 PM (already dark in the Philippines).

We entered the very heart of Kuala Lumpur when it already started to become dark. Lights glittered in the city. The most memorable area I saw was the Kuala Lumpur's Little India. It brought me to another world really. The culturescape was new to me. It reminded me so well to wake up from daydreaming. Indeed, I was physically present in a city outside the Philippines.
First Tourist Stop: KL Sentral Bus Stop
I rode a bus from KLIA2 to KL Sentral. Obviously, the terminal was at the KL Sentral. KL Sentral is a centralized transportation hub in Kuala Lumpur. It also has rail stations.

KL SENTRAL BUS STATION
KL SENTRAL BUS STATION IS A POPULAR TOURIST STOP FOR TOURISTS STARTING TO GET LOST.
KL Sentral was my first stop in Kuala Lumpur as a first time tourist. Being unaware on how the building design of KL Sentral works, I asked for people around how to go to the Monorail Station. My asking strategy worked.

I used the elevator to reach the floor I was targeting until I entered a corridor leading to an office. So I had to stop walking to prevent myself from entering that office. I entered another corridor and I almost entered an office again. Ulkkkk! How could I exit this maze!!!

After several stop here, stop there and stop everywhere drama, I found the right place. I saw fellow tourists looking for their way to the station they wanted to reach. 
Second Tourist Stop: KL Sentral Atrium
I had big sigh of relief when I reached the atrium of the KL Sentral. With my heavy backpack threatening my spinal column and trapezius muscles, I wanted to exit all of these tourist stops quick! I'm done with the first. I'm on the second tourist stop. I wanted to stop seeing these tourist stops. I wanted to see a tourist spot for real!

KL SENTRAL
PHOTO BY WAYNE LIEW: LINK SOURCE HERE: http://www.kuaby.com/kl-sentral/
KL Sentral was actually more than just a transportation hub. It was also a shopping center and a great tourist stop if you're tired. It was air-conditioned so you could stop all you want. You could stop to eat. You could stop to unload at the restroom. Indeed, it was one of the greatest tourist stops in Malaysia for those tired tourists hungry for rest and comfort.

I again applied my asking strategy and this time, it didn't work. Some people I asked either couldn't speak English or had an accent I couldn't understand. I just searched for the Monorail station on my own way.

I followed some white tourists in trolleys where they were heading. I realized later on that there were many stations in KL Sentral. Uh! I wanted to stop this excruciating search for tourist stops. This unplanned itinerary covering tourist stops in KL was not really fun.

Where's the monorail station!!!???

After several minutes of figuring out which is which, I finally reached my third tourist stop, the monorail station. 
Third Tourist Stop: Monorail Station
I was not enjoying this instant unplanned itinerary covering the beautiful tourist stops in KL. I was so desperate to get out of this concrete maze and put an end to this itinerary. My hopes came back when I finally reached the monorail station.

KL SENTRAL MONORAIL STATION, KUALA LUMPUR
KL SENTRAL MONORAIL STATION WAS A GREAT TOURIST STOP. DUH!
However, upon reaching the counter, there was no personnel! I waited like a stupid duck in front of that fiber glass and stopped for few minutes. Ok, confirmed. This tourist stop was the greatest... the greatest tourist stopper in KL.

After stopping for few minutes, an Indian woman came to say that I had to get my monorail token at the self-service machine beside the counter and stop again and again to watch the people how they did it—such a great tourist stopper.

I was able to continue moving though. I thought I was gonna stop here until the date of my return flight. Duh!
Fourth Tourist Stop: Berjaya Time Square
Berjaya time square is a favorite place for tourists to stop for a while if they wanted to take a break from fooling themselves. It was already almost 10 in the evening and this search for tourist stops was not yet over!

BERJAYA TIME SQUARE
PHOTO BY WAYNE LIEW: LINK SOURCE HERE: http://www.kuaby.com/berjaya-times-square-shopping-mall/
I stopped here for few minutes to check out my Google map screenshot because Berjaya Time Square was an important landmark for me to finally see my final stop.

I was confused of my direction. I stopped here and there. At some point, I about-faced like a soldier after sinking in to reality that I was taking the wrong direction.

Thanks to these three policemen who were standing that time. I approached them but they didn't know where was the place I was pointing on Google map in spite of the fact that Berjaya Time Square was well identified on the map. Uh! Thanks for stopping me more. This fourth tourist stop made my instant tourist stops itinerary even more excruciating.

Because I couldn't decipher the direction, I checked all the directions until I finally reached my favorite tourist stop in this tourist stops itinerary for less than 24 hours.
Fifth Tourist Stop: The Hostel Where I Would Sleep. Yey!
Yehey! The misadventure was over when I found my ultimate stop—the ▼ HOSTELIRSIA BED AND BREAKFAST, KUALA LUMPUR

I stayed in a dormitory-type room with bunk beds. There are other guests when I entered the room. They were all white travelers. I was the only Asian inside our room.

where I would be sleeping that night. It was the greatest tourist stop I experienced in Kuala Lumpur in this less than 24 hours itinerary.

IRSIA BED AND BREAKFAST
THE MOST DESIRABLE TOURIST STOP IN THIS ITINERARY WAS MY HOSTEL ROOM! 
Reaching my ultimate stop was a show-stopper 'cause finally, I gotta stop here not to punish myself but to pamper my body with this pleasure called rest.

Near this hostel were signs that I was already experiencing the true tourist spots that I really wanted to stop for pleasure (not for pressure) where I could take time to feel, see, taste, smell and learn their warmth, beauty, flavors, aroma and history.

Malaysian food were served in local restaurants. I experienced for the first time the warmth of the restaurant staff for a tourist stopper and spotter like me. I ate my ▼ FIRST FOOD IN THIS CITYMALAYSIAN FOOD

The moment I saw the food, I was at least relieved to know that the food is somehow related to my Filipino comfort meals.

—such an achievement. After these series of tourist stops, I can't wait to see the tourist spots. Welcome to Kuala Lumpur! | end |

This is the Chapter 01 summary of Blogserye 03.

✈ BLOGSERYE 03: MALAYSIA-THAILAND BACKPACKING AND MOTORBIKE RIDING FOR THE FIRST TIME OUTSIDE PH

This blogserye is a series of narratives, stories and insights about my first travel outside the Philippines.
CHAPTER 01:CHAPTER 02
CHAPTER 01 ► Five (5) Tourist Stops (Not Spots) to Spice Your DIY Itinerary Below 24 Hours in KL.

Chapter 01 is all about first-time stories. Will this boy from the province with relative fear in roaming a big city survive his first day in a big metropolis for the first time outside PH?

✈ EPISODE 01: ▼ Flying from Metro Manila to Kuala Lumpur with Drama in Between

I was shaking, quite speechless for outspoken words but the voice within me is speaking too much that it's so hard to handle...



✈ EPISODE 02: ▼ Travel Drama in Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2)

My anxiety as a first-timer almost escalated to panic level. So there's no such thing as overacting because sticking to reality is the name of the game here.



✈ EPISODE 03: ▼ KLIA2 to KL Sentral by Bus: My First Land Travel Outside PH

I was showing physical awestruck signs overtly while inside the bus because I was seeing different races. There are Malays, Indians, Chinese, black and white men. This country is so multicultural! This is my first bus ride in Malaysia!



✈ EPISODE 04: ▼ Reaching KL Sentral and How I Acted Dumb Stupid

You may not believe this but I felt so ignorant about this. There's no train station in our province so encountering a self-service machine like this in actual setting is new to me.



✈ EPISODE 05: ▼ KL Sentral to Bukit Bintang: My First Train Ride Outside PH

The monorail runs overground. I saw the city of Kuala Lumpur in a general perspective up close—the modern skyline, the lush parks, the mosques, the busy roads and the residential areas. I enjoyed it.



✈ EPISODE 06: ▼ Lorong 1/77a: of Endings and First Times

This street was where I ended my first day in Malaysia but it served as the rendezvous of my many first-time experiences and encounters so it meant so much for me.


Coming Soon!

BLOGSERYE 03 SUMMARY: ▼ MALAYSIA-THAILAND BACKPACKING + MOTORBIKE RIDING FOR THE FIRST TIME OUTSIDE PHINDOCHINA

As a millennial, this is not conforming to the 'trend'—doing it because your friend do it. For me traveling is a form of continuous education. No masteral and doctoral degree could ever teach you the way traveling does.



Map Showing the Location of #KualaLumpur

MAP OF KUALA LUMPUR
► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] The above story is the Chapter 1 of Blogserye 3.

[2] This post was filed under the category "#TownExplorer Collections." See more posts related to this below.


[3] The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

[4] Some photos are owned by Wayne Liew of www.kuaby.com.

[5] The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try or see the properties or places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time so it's not my responsibility to update all the information on this blog because once published, I already consider it an archive and I won't update my narratives because I want them to become my references of what have happened in the past. I'm very particular of the dates because I want my amazing readers to understand that I am writing stories based on my perspective and insights on the day of my visit. You can see dates almost everywhere on this blog. Exempted from this rule are my travel guide posts that need to be updated.

LATEST STORIES COVERING #KUALALUMPUR | SEE ALL #KUALALUMPUR STORIES »

MORE STORIES COVERING PENINSULAR MALAYSIA | SEE OLDER STORIES »

MORE FROM THIS CATEGORY (#TOWNEXPLORER COLLECTIONS)
SEE OLDER STORIES COVERING '#TOWNEXPLORER COLLECTIONS' »

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:
P SVD V SF L N S L B
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.

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Stories of town explorations.
I thought twice. It was so expensive for me. I checked out the time and it was running so fast. I was tempted to go because of the time constraint but I tried to haggle down the prize again...

[Luzon Island, Philippines]
VIRON BUS TERMINAL, VIGAN

It was very early in the morning when I left home to catch the early-bird bus ride at the Viron Bus Station. My hometown ▼ #VIGAN
was just waking up when I reached its poblacion. 
Vigan's Early Morning Charm
Vigan's main road was empty except for fellow early birds who need to wake up for different reasons. Me? My reason was to reach Cubao on or before 3 PM 'cause I have a flight at 07:20 in the evening.

SIMBAAN A BASSIT, VIGAN
VIGAN'S SIMBAAN-A-BASSIT LOOKS PEACEFUL AT 6 AM.
While waiting for the bus, I was able to see the face of Vigan that's not so familiar to me—its early morning look. I said it's not so familiar to me because I'm normally a nocturnal person that waking up early is a great achievement.

I discovered that the early morning charm of Vigan was the charm I used to see when I was a little kid—when tourists were not yet here, only us, locals.

QUEZON AVENUE, VIGAN
THIS IS QUEZON AVENUE, VIGAN'S MAIN (AND BUSIEST) STREET AT 6 AM. YEAH, 'BUSIEST' STREET.
Vigan's early morning charm was—it's a travel blogger clichรฉ but—nostalgic. It brought back the good, sweet, old memories of being a kid and a dreamer.

Quezon Avenue, Vigan's main street was a deserted road lined with mid-rises. Stores were closed. No economic activity yet. It was like a ghost town. However, at 7 AM, this road transforms fast like a wildfire.

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This is a typical scene in Vigan before the tourists came rushing in. Uh! Childhood memories also came rushing in this moment.

QUEZON AVENUE, VIGAN
This is Viron Bus Terminal located along Quezon Avenue.

VIRON BUS TERMINAL, VIGAN
Quezon Avenue is deserted at 6 AM.

QUEZON AVENUE, VIGAN

Fast forward, I reached Cubao 9 hours after.
The Cubao Drama
I reached ▼ #MANILA
from Vigan 9 hours after. I asked the conductor of Viron how to go to ▼ #PASAY
. They suggested I'd take a taxi because I might get late for my flight. The time then was 4 pm and just thinking alone that I might be left by the plane was haunting me like a ghost, creepy.

I haggled with a taxi driver because I wanted a cheaper fare. It wasn't a good idea probably but my hope was high for a discount. He charged me with 500 pesos. I asked if his cab was metered but he answered me that if he would use the meter, I'd add 150 pesos. I thought twice. It was so expensive for me. I checked out the time and it was running so fast. I was tempted to go because of the time constraint but I tried to haggle down the prize again to 400 but to no avail. He reasoned out that the traffic would cost him more than what he would earn. Haaaay. Welcome to Manila!

A security guard from Viron asked me where I was going while haggling with the taxi driver. I said, "Pasay. NAIA."

Then he told me, "Just take a bus." He asked the time of my flight.

I said. "7:20 PM."

"You might get late. Take a cab instead." He replied. I asked him how much should be the justifiable fare for a taxi ride from Cubao to NAIA. He told me at least 300 pesos. So now I'm at least more confident to haggle more. I ditched the first cab.

When a new cab arrived, the kind guard assisted me to deal with the driver. The driver charged me with 450 pesos. The guard haggled for me down to 350 pesos. The driver didn't agree. "I said 400 please", while I put my palms together in front of my chest and took a bow as if I was begging. The driver agreed. I thought it was already a good deal. Yey!
EDSA Notes
On the road, I asked the driver how far NAIA is when there is no traffic. He told me it's normally 1 hour. Wow! For me, that was still a slow drive considering Cubao is two cities away (Pasig, Makati) from Pasay via EDSA (I hope I was right). I was thinking that the Vigan to Laoag route which are 12 towns away via the Manila North Road could only cost me an hour if there is no traffic so I concluded that EDSA would always be a traffic-congested road, at least for now. I asked the driver if we could reach NAIA by 7 PM. He shook his head sideways. Oh no! Creepy.

He didn't answer me instead he made a way to make it faster by using his driving skills in EDSA. I didn't talk. I didn't want to think negative. OMG, I didn't want to be left in NAIA. But you know what, when we were in Ortigas, EDSA cleared. Miracle! Thanks universe! Thank God! On the road, I saw the Newport City performing center and it was my first time to see it. I knew it because I saw it on TV. Then I noticed this Marriott Hotel and Solaire. The latter is famous because it is the venue of some ABS-CBN shows that I watch at home. OMG, I'm so promdi, so overwhelmed to see landmarks that are so "normal" for Manila residents. Newport city looked elegant and neat. I love the building designs. They were so Romanesque.
Reaching NAIA
I finally reached NAIA. A security guard asked me which airline. So I told him the airline where I booked a very cheap flight. It was 5 PM! If I should have known it could be that fast, I should have taken a bus so that I could limit my expenses. 400 as fare was expensive for me. But what could I do? I've done the deal. Anyway, at least I arrived safe. So I have to wait for more than two hours more which I could have used to commute the cheaper way.

This was my first solo backpacking using an airplane. My previous solo backpacking trips were all land trips so this one is a bit different. Did my promdi-ness made me stupid inside the airport? Was I able to follow the airport procedures (first time to do it by myself)? What happened inside the airport while I was waiting? | to be continued...

This is the Episode 01 of Blogserye 05.

✈ BLOGSERYE 05: MY FIRST SOLO BACKPACKING USING AN AIRPLANE

My 20-something spirit wanted to explore the Philippines without riding an airplane. I wanted to visit as many towns as possible in the Philippines via land and sea travel only. However, some airlines' cheap fares were just irresistible, hence, I traveled solo for the first time by flying. Blogserye 05 is a series of narratives and stories about my first solo backpacking using an airplane.

Chapter 01Chapter 02
Chapter 01: Flying Solo for the First Time

This chapter is a series of narratives and stories about my experience of flying solo for the first time.

✈ EPISODE 01: ► Bus Ride Diaries: From Vigan to Cubao to NAIA

✈ EPISODE 02: ▼ Ninoy Aquino International Airport: Notes From My First Solo FlightNAIA TERMINAL 3

I learned from them that physical deficiencies are practically non-existent. It's all about how you maximize your life to the fullest. No one is really handicapped. We could live as a normal being if we choose to.



✈ EPISODE 03: (Up Next)
Coming soon!

✈ BLOGSERYE 05: MY FIRST SOLO BACKPACKING USING AN AIRPLANE

◄ BLOGSERYE 04BLOGSERYE 05

Map Showing the Location of Luzon Island

MAP LUZON ISLAND
► FOOTNOTES, DISCLAIMERS, ACKNOWLEDGMENT, ETC

[1] The above story is the Episode 01 of Blogserye 05. You can bookmark this if you wish to follow this series..

[2] This post was filed under the category "En Route Stories." See more posts related to this below.


[3] The maps I used on this post are from maps.google.com.ph.

[4] All photos are mine.

[5] The insights, condition and name of places or properties I mentioned here are based on the facts and situation on the day of my visit. Take note that you may have a different experience when you try or see the properties or places mentioned here. Names of places and properties may also change by time so it's not my responsibility to update all the information on this blog because once published, I already consider it an archive and I won't update my narratives because I want them to become my references of what have happened in the past. I'm very particular of the dates because I want my amazing readers to understand that I am writing stories based on my perspective and insights on the day of my visit. You can see dates almost everywhere on this blog. Exempted from this rule are my travel guide posts that need to be updated.

LATEST STORIES COVERING LUZON ISLAND | SEE ALL LUZON ISLAND STORIES »

MORE STORIES COVERING LUZON | SEE OLDER STORIES »

MORE FROM THIS CATEGORY (EN ROUTE STORIES)
SEE OLDER STORIES COVERING 'EN ROUTE STORIES' »

MORE TOWNS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO EXPLORE:
P SVD V SF L N S L B
NAGUSTUAM DIAY NABASAM/NAKITAM? MABALIN MO MET I-LIKE.