Shoping Spree in Kuala Lumpur

The trendy shopping district Bukit Bintang is to Kuala Lumpur what Orchard Road is to Singapore but with one major difference. Everything is cheaper in Bukit Bintang. So after a steady breakfast at the Pancake House we hit the new Pavilion mall. It was a successful raid for the whole team. Nelly got away with most stuff as usual, she is after all our MVP. But mom and dad also scored. Dad got a new sweater from Ted Baker and a shirt from Paul Frank. While mom invested in a brand new laptop from Samsungs N-series.

Nelly plus entourage on the move again

We have crossed the border once again, gone from Singapore to Malaysia. The trip went smooth, just under one hour. Nelly is such a good sport when we're on the move and travelling with AirAsia is a breeze, Lufthansa has a lot they could learn from them.

Singapore was great, we were sad to go. Really expensive though, that's the down side but apart from that we loved it. They have a nice mixture of old and new that harmonize well! People are kind, everything is clean and the whole town just run like clockwork.

Our hotel Sheraton Imperial in Kuala Lumpur is great which is a breath of fresh air cause we really didn't care much for the one we stayed at in Singapore, The Rendezvous.

Here at the Sheraton in KL we have for example a walk-in closet which we turned into Nelly's master bedroom. She's sleeping there right now at the time of writing this, exhausted after a long day. Another great thing about our room is the huge window that goes all the way down to the floor, perfect when traveling with a small one. The view from 27th floor keeps Nelly occupied, sometimes for over 5 minutes. It takes a lot nowadays to amuse her after two months of adventure in Asia.

Sentosa Island

This morning we got a great start at the Coffee Bean Café, located not far from our hotel, the Rendezvous.



Since we arrived in Singapore we have tightened our belt strap and done free stuff like visiting the Botanic Gardens and exploring Little India. Today we felt it was time to let the dollars roll again. We took the train to Sentosa Island, Asia's favorite playground. There are an endless array of activities here, we had our eyes set on the Underwater world and the dolphin show.

The Underwater world has a really cool 83 meter long under water tunnel. We had ourselves a close encounter with sharks, sting rays and scary jelly fishes. It's not every day you see a shoal of piranhas swimming by if you look up! But to call this place a "world" is very misleading, it's more like a big room if you ask us. So we had 90 minutes left to kill before the dolphin show would start. They don't let you leave the underwater "world" to explore the rest of Sentosa Island so we had to stick around because the entrance is not the kind of fee you'd be willing to pay twice (read we were robbed).











Since we would have to wait for the dolphins we decided to do so in the what I guess you would call the VIP lounge. They have like 10 seats with comfortable armchairs. We get there and learn that there's a cover charge to sit there, you have to spend at least 10 Singapore dollars per adult, (50 SEK or 20 PLN). Fair enough, we do so on coffee and a sorry excuse of a cake. Martin jokes that he hopes it's gonna start raining now when we've paid extra to sit under roof. Two minutes later it's pouring down. Martin wishes for a million dollar and a house in Italy but it seems the gods are not granting us any more wishes today.



After a wait that seemed way longer then 90 minutes, the show finally starts. Ten minutes later the show wraps it up. We're still in chock. If you're gonna call it a show you really have to put on something longer then 10 lousy minutes. At the Singapore Zoo a show was 30 minutes plus (so go there instead). Not much left for us to do but leave. Obviously it's still raining. So kids at home, let this be a lesson to you all, be careful of what you wish for, it might come true.







Oh, and here some graffiti we spotted on our way back, seen in VivoCity, Singapore's largest waterfront shopping mall.

Singapore Botanic Gardens

No modern big city is of course complete without a set of lungs providing necessary oxygen to the people. Singapore's lungs is the Botanic Gardens and for more than one and a half century it has been "connecting plants and people" to quote their own slogan.

Walking around here at random equipped with some vanilla ice cream is a true pleasure reminding you that the best things in life can be, if not free, at least affordable.

It's perfect for picnics, dates and concerts. A part of the park near Symphony Lake is dedicated to the memory of Frederic Chopin, the Polish composer considered one of the greatest masters of Romantic music.

Poor in Singapore

We’ve gone from riches to rags, damn it’s expensive here. There will be no more pretending we’re wealthy. Prices in Singapore have very much resemblance to what you would find on price tags in Sweden, and we’re not used to that anymore, not after eight weeks in Malaysia. Probably there will be no fancy dinners for us here; we’ll save that till next week when we’re back over the Malaysian border again. Check this out: first thing we did in Singapore was buying a subway pass, very economical and environment friendly!

After checking in at The Rendezvous Hotel we took the subway to Orchard Rd. All poshy brands are represented here; it’s Patrick Bateman heaven. Gucci is like Starbucks in Manhattan, one in every corner. But we didn’t shop much, no point really since we can find most of the stuff for similar prices in Stockholm, and we’ve never been that brand horny anyway. Plus our luggage already weighs over 50 kilo, (Nelly’s fault mostly).

Instead of shopping we will focus on doing what you can’t do back home, explore the sights that make Singapore beautiful and unique. We have heard good things about the Singapore Zoo, the Botanic garden and at Sentosa Island they have a dolphin lagoon, so that’s on top of our agenda now. More details coming as soon as we find an Internet Café that doesn’t charge 5 SEK (2 PLN) per minute.

Nelly’s new favourite hobby is standing up in bed (using the head board), and then on purpose losing balance, falling down in different constellations accompanied by a cheerful warning scream.

She’s remains the star wherever we might be. Still the center of attention in every store we enter, subway car we ride with or café we rest at. She’s gonna miss all the appreciation she receives daily from everybody when we are back in Sweden. Babcia and dziadek get ready to step up and entertain the diva!

George Town, Penang

We've been talking about going to George Town since we arrived in Langkawi six weeks ago. But for various reasons we never got around to, until this Wednesday. We blame our guide book for not writing a selling enough description of this charming place. Now after we've been there we only wish we would have discovered it sooner.

George Town is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. From its humble beginnings as a swampy British colony in the late 18th century it has developed massively, yet somehow kept the historic touches and can now be described as a busy modern city with the small-town charm intact. Here you'll find an interesting mix of nationalities, religions and cultures co-existing harmoniously.

Since teleportation isn't invented yet the communication network between the two islands is as good as it gets. You can choose to go by ferry (3 hours) or plane (25 minutes). For obvious reasons we chose the later. The trip went as smooth as smooth gets and not long after leaving our apartment in Langkawi we found ourselves checking in at G Hotel. We liked our new found "G-spot" right from the start. The homemade ice cream they treated us to didn't hurt.

After a nice shower we took a cab to Chinatown, a short while later we ordered some local Chicken Ginger with rice and BBQ Pork with noodles, delicious and the bill read only 12 Rinngit (24 SEK or 9 PLN).

Nelly was getting tired, it was time to head back to the G-spot. We found a cab and this time we instantly liked the driver so we made plans with him to pick us up at our hotel the next day for some sightseeing. In Malaysia taxis are cheap which makes them a convenient way to explore a new town.

After Nelly took a nap we went out again for some Bibimbap. That's a popular Korean dish with rice, egg, vegetables, carrots and sliced meat, very tasty. Later on we went back to the hotel for drinks in the lobby. It was still happy hour and all three of us felt very privileged to be there. Especially Nelly who was cruising around all over the place in her own very characteristic and flirtatious way.

Next day we called our taxi driver Ahmad who we met the day before. He picked us up right away and took us on a tour of the city. He showed us Little India, Chinatown, Fort Cornwallis, Pinang Peranakan Mansion and the very impressive Buddhist temple Kek Lok Si. Ahmad proved to be a terrific guide who knew Penang like the back of his hand so if you ever need a pleasant cab driver/guide send him an e-mail: ahmad.badrul@yahoo.com. We will definitely contact him next time we visit Penang or "The Pearl of the Orient" as the slogan says. Hopefully that's very soon cause our stay here felt way too short.

Nelly admiring herself.


The relaxing lounge Lobby at G Hotel.


Nelly takes a short break from raising hell in the lobby at G Hotel.


-These coasters go down real easy, are you sure it's just carbon paper?


Super cool make-a-wish fountain at the Dhammikarama Burmese Temple. One of the oldest temples in Penang, founded in 1803.


Guy with dragon tattoo in front of a dragon statue at the Dhammikarama Temple.


Vietnamese temple.




Bicycle taxi passing through a narrow alley in Chinatown.












The century old Pinang Perenakan Mansion (privately owned but opened for public).




Balcony at the Peranakans, also known as the Babas and Nyonyas.


Nelly and our Chinese Charlie Chaplin look-a-like guide at the Pinang Perenakan Mansion.


The Pinang Peranakan Mansion displays the typical home of a rich Baba 100 years ago.


Kek Lok Si tempel (or in plain English the Temple of Supreme Bliss). Construction begun in 1890 and hasn't ever really stopped. Sky's the limit!








Our nice taxi driver Ahmad taking a well deserved break with Nelly.






The pool at the G Hotel.








Finally after two busy days it was time to fly back to Langkawi. Check out the rhino on the woman in the seat in front of us.