Malaysia for New Year

[Traveler]

Route thread: Kiev - Bangkok - Kuala Lumpur - Kuching - Santubong - Kuching - Kuala Lumpur - Bangkok - Kiev.
Starting flight by UIA to Bangkok, and then by Malaysian Airlines to Kuala Lumpur. Flight Kiev-Bangkok was excellent. The passengers were mostly asleep. The flight attendants are lovely and friendly girls. We were fed normally, let's say the portions were not exactly for slaughter, but quite sufficient. The first time we fed an hour and a half after takeoff. Choice of chicken or fish, with rice or noodles. Plus a bun, salad and ham, cake. After dinner, everyone was given a 0.5 liter bottle of water. Breakfast about an hour and a half before landing. Just a sandwich to choose from: with chicken or vegetables. And of course juices, teas, coffees.
The same low-quality films hesitated, and the cartoon "Panda Kung Fu", which is played on all long-haul UIA flights (when they flew to New York, they showed the same garbage). It would be better if something about nature, or historical cognitive offered. And not endless stupid fights and scuffles. There is no choice of entertainment on board. Therefore, I advise everyone to independently stock up on high-quality films on gadgets, books.

At the Bangkok airport, which I love dearly, as well as Bangkok itself, the transfer formalities went through quickly. You don't need a visa to transfer via Suvarnabhumi. Also, you do not need to fill out entry forms that are handed out on the plane. You only need to fill them out if you are going to go out into the city. The airport is huge, beautiful and modern. A variety of cafes and shops are concentrated in the departure area.

The stunning sculptural group "Churning the Milky Ocean" is presented in the center of Suvarnabhumi.

Somewhere in the endless expanses of the airport found comfortable couches. On which they lay and dozed before boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur.
In K.L. Arrived after dark. Ukrainians do not need a visa if the period of stay in Malaysia is not more than 30 days. Getting around in the Klia terminal is easy and simple on your own, or you can check the tourist information you need. After going through the formalities quickly, we bought tickets for the Aero-Express going to the KL Central terminus. We have booked a room at the Aloft Hotel on KL Central. It's just an incredibly convenient location for us. Since, in addition to the Aero-express, metro, commuter, regular bass and hop-on stations converge on the central. Directly from the Aero-express station, without going outside, moving along the escalator and covered passage, passing small cafes and shops, we get to the hotel reception. Check-in is very fast. We were given a room on the 22nd floor with a great view of the city. The room has a huge king-size bed, quiet speakers, all textiles are clean and fresh. In addition to a kettle and dishes, there was also an iron and ironing board. Which came in handy for us later.

in the cafe of the hotel "Aloft"

New Year's Eve celebrated in his hotel. With a view of the city at night, twinkling with lights and fireworks. On the left, the view from the window of the room is a bit obscured by some kind of office skyscraper. In the windows of which people were visible working at the monitors. Even on New Year's Eve. Here are the workaholics. I was amazed by what Dima Komarov told in his series of films about Japan and the Japanese. It seems that the Malays also like to stay at work. Because of this office, the shutters on the window had to be lowered for privacy.
In the morning of the next day, we leave our hotel through the transition to the central station. And following the signs, we exit to the metro line that leads to KLCC. This is the metro station at the Petronas Towers. The metro is quite clean, comfortable, air-conditioned, very similar to the metro in Bangkok. There is a police post at every station. Which is very good, because you feel safe, and you know who to contact with questions. Police officers most often speak English, and are friendly. As well as the majority of the population of Malaysia. Which is another advantage of this country.
Coming out of the subway, we went to the left, and ended up in a tropical garden. Exotic and beautiful both on its own and with its view of the Petronas and other skyscrapers nearby.

Most of the Malaysian population is Muslim. Therefore, most of the local ladies in closed clothes and scarves. But no one looks askance at tourists dressed in ordinary summer dresses or shorts.

In Malaysia, humid heat reigns, and it is especially stuffy before a downpour. A downpour does not cool the air, maybe a couple of degrees. But because of the high humidity, stuffy and parko even at +25. It is hard to imagine how people lived here before the invention of air conditioners. I personally could spend a maximum of a couple of hours outside, then it becomes vital to cool off somewhere under the AC. True, everyone has their own threshold of endurance.

What particularly pleasantly surprised me in K.L. It is the cleanliness of streets and parks. Cleanliness is everywhere. No dirt, no dust. Here it is constantly raining or downpours, because of which we would have mud up to our knees. And everywhere there are quite a lot of people hanging out, both locals and tourists, who may well leave behind mountains of garbage. The absence of dirt and debris is a huge plus and achievement of this city. Our city services would learn how to maintain order.
The air here is excellent, as for a big city, because there are many green spaces. There are even mini-gardens on the roofs of skyscrapers.
I also couldn't help but like the fact that in public toilets, both in shopping centers and in cafes, or in parks, there was never a stink, and it was always clean and tidy.
True, we did not visit areas such as little India, or Chinatown, or remote from the tourist center. Maybe it's different, I can't say.
In K.L. there were a lot of temptations in the open air. These are parks of butterflies, birds, orchids. A botanical park, and a park near Petronas, as well as a decent kind of jungle next to the Menara TV tower. In the jungle near the Menara, there is an awesome suspension trail above the forest. You can admire nature from a height of several meters. Very unusual and beautiful.

[Traveler]

Our visit to the Petronas Towers was scheduled for the evening, according to pre-purchased tickets. In the meantime, having admired them from the outside, we took the subway to the theme parks. All these parks are located next to each other. The first one we visited was the Butterfly Park. It is small in area, but very pretty, with a net stretched at a certain height so that the butterflies do not fly away. There are really a lot of them, all kinds of colors and sizes. Entrance cost about 20 ringit.

orchid park

Entrance to the orchid garden is free. In addition to the various orchids themselves, many hibiscus bloomed here. The orchid garden is also notable for its beautiful mystical view of the Petronas.
After walking through the orchid park, we slowly went to rest at our hotel, before visiting the Petronas in the evening. We walked through the botanical garden, which is next to the orchid. The botanical garden is also free to enter.

[Traveler]

The evening view from the bridge and from the upper floors of one of the Petronas towers is mesmerizing. The ticket costs 80 ringit and must be bought in advance. Either online or at the box office downstairs. Tourists rise by elevator in small groups, accompanied by employees. The night view from the bridge between the towers disappointed us a little. Because the windows were fogged up, and it was hard to see. But the view from the top floor was excellent. We spent a total of an hour and a half on this tour. We admired the still nightly illuminated skyscrapers from the park, which is next to the towers.

The next morning we go down to the first floor of our hotel. We eat an excellent breakfast - buffet, with a huge variety of dishes of European and Asian cuisines. I especially liked the fact that Indian dishes were offered, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
After breakfast, we go down the passage and the escalator to the komutera station, which should take us to the Batu caves. Komuter are commuter trains. There were many people at the station, mostly foreigners eager to visit Batu. And I will say that it is by no means in vain, since this is one of the coolest attractions in KL.
We were surprised by the cracked windows in the commuters in which we traveled from KL to Bata and returned back. Not completely broken, but covered with a network of cracks. It was like someone was throwing stones at them.
We drove from KL for 40-50 minutes, several stops along the way. The caves are the final stop. They are very close to the commuter station. Just follow the flow of people, and you get to the entrances to the caves. There are several of them, it's not difficult to figure it out on the spot. You must follow the dress code to enter. Shoulders and knees should be covered. I had short shorts, and the girls on duty at the stairs rented me a piece of fabric for 5 ringit. From which I built something like a skirt. On the steps that lead to the entrance to the caves, many monkeys climb. They take away ice cream from tourists, and other items of interest to them.

The caves are huge and mysterious. It was the first time I visited such huge caves. There are many beautiful murtis (statues) of Hindu Deities in them, and even small temples fit. I would like to visit here in solitude and silence. But this, perhaps, is unrealizable in everyday reality.

at the entrance to the cave

view from the steps

In the cave

[Traveler]

After breakfast, we leave the hotel, through the passage we get to K.L. Central, go outside, and get to one of the tour stops. bass. Hop-on here is in ringit, I don’t remember, but I remember that the equivalent is 20 dollars.

Half a day we ride a hopon, looking around the city. We got off at the stop near the Menara Tower. We didn't go to the tower. But we walked through a piece of the jungle, which is nearby. It turned out to be a very beautiful and informative walk. We got a lot of pleasure, a little tired of stuffiness.

And on the next hop-on we went to the bird park.
The bird park is just an amazing place. Birds live their lives, that is, they walk, sit, sleep and eat right next to you. Free range, so to speak, and not in confinement, as in some terrible zoos. Only a few of the bird species that may pose a danger to their relatives, or people, live in spacious, really spacious enclosures. And most of them roam freely. You feel some kind of childish happiness in such places.

We went to the hotel through the botanical garden, which is next to bird park. Entrance to this garden is free, unlike the bird park. We would have taken money for entering such a first-class garden. Since the garden is huge, very well maintained, with all sorts of bells and whistles, such as fountains, bridges over streams, flower beds, etc. All this requires financial investments and a lot of work.

And night views from about the 35th floor, which houses the bar and pool on the roof of our hotel.

[Traveler]

Flight to Borneo from K.L. fast and comfortable. At the Kuching airport, we rent a car, in which, after all the formalities with the rental office, we go to our guest house in Santubong. The renters are very kind and friendly. Not many people rent a car in this part of the world. So every client is important and valuable to them. The machine is simple, local "Proton", but with AC, which is the most important thing for us. Since we are melting from the heat here. Roads in Borneo are well paved. But the traffic is high because the roads are narrow. And at the exit from the airport there were toffees. Until the turn to Santubong.

The nature around is lush tropical greenery. The climate is hot and humid, and the sun has been more visible here than in Kuala Lumpur. Which I didn't really like. Since I can not sunbathe, and I do not like this action. And you have to avoid the sun with hats, etc.

In general, I felt far from the best in this climate, as I had to use medication more often due to a slight exacerbation of asthma. Constant contrast, sometimes stuffiness and humidity, sometimes cool and dry, air-conditioned air does not improve the state of health at all. Keep that in mind, asthmatics and allergy sufferers. And check with your doctor before you travel. To take into account as far as possible all the risks, and jointly decide whether it is worth the risk and go to such a climate. Because from home everything seems so romantic and so simple, in reality, everything can turn out harder. And it is necessary to foresee everything that is possible so that, due to a deterioration in well-being, the whole trip does not go down the drain. True, in spite of everything, it is irresistibly interesting to see nature, climate, a new continent so different from ours, and this gives strength.
In general, for any chronic diseases, trips to tropical countries, to countries whose climate is very different from the climate of the country of main residence, should be prepared more carefully.
Thank God, Malaysia is a civilized country. Everywhere air conditioners in transport, and in public places. The level of medicine is quite high. The air is clean, even in Kuala Lumpur, not to mention the Malaysian part of Borneo.

We climbed in the jungle here, of course. Because of them, in fact, they flew to Borneo. Entrance to the national park, located on the slopes of Mount Santubong, is free. You need to check in with the Rangers at the entrance. Although everything is not as strictly observed here as in the same Khao juice. Where we first felt what a real jungle is.
There were no lychee (leeches) attacks here, as in Khao Sok. The fact that on the trails in the local nat. there are no leeches in the park, both the owner of the guest house in which we lived and the park rangers assured us. We were convinced of this from our own experience, there were no attacks on the trails. But you should not go off the trail, it is strongly not recommended.
Some discomfort during the walk was present. At least from the realization that there are a lot of green, and not only, cute snakes that climb trees perfectly. You will hardly notice such a snake in the lush thickets, among which a narrow path winds. Until you come face to face with her, so to speak.

snake in the yard of guest-hus

In Borneo, I saw fireflies for the first time in my life. This is a mesmerizing magical sight. Just to see it, it was worth going here. We watched them flicker in the jungle from the window of our room.
Unfortunately, fireflies are difficult to capture with a camera, given the night time, the fact that there were not so many of them here, and the fact that they are constantly moving. Impressions of them in our memory.
And here are some pictures from different parts of Santubong.

трек на вершину местной горы

In Santubong, in addition to the jungle and beaches, and climbing Mount Santubong, it is also worth visiting the Sarawak cultural village. Sarawak is part of the island of Kalimantan (Borneo), which belongs to Malaysia. The cultural village presents the dwellings of various ethnic groups inhabiting Sarawak, and also reproduces their way of life and way of life. Morning and evening dance performances are given in the theater in the village. Paid entrance. Together with the tickets, they issued such special passports, in which it was necessary to put stamps in each of the visited dwellings. In some huts they played music. instruments and sang, in some they prepared and made something. The buildings themselves are very unusual for Europeans. Somewhere in the outskirts of the village, we accidentally came across a small jungle waterfall. In general, we learned a lot of new things and got a lot of positive emotions.

[Traveler]

There are not many cafes in the Santubong area, and they do not have the largest selection of dishes. Therefore, from time to time we went to the local supermarket for the usual products. First of all, I wanted yogurt and cheese. As it turned out, the choice of dairy products here is not large. But still there were fresh normal yoghurts. Milk is only very long-term storage. And oddly enough, with vegetables and fruits, too, tension, as well as with the choice of cheese. For example, in our most ordinary supermarket in February, several varieties of red tomatoes are sold. Sometimes even with a taste and smell close to a summer, garden, real tomato. I also remembered what awesome vegetables, still warm from the sun, we were treated to in Jordan right from the beds. In Jordan, please note. Here, in the tropics, tomatoes were sold almost green, seedy. The situation was saved by cherry tomatoes, plus a lot of any greens. Cucumbers are awesome too. They look like a hybrid of huge zucchini and durian in appearance, I don’t know how to taste. In general, with our favorite salad vegetables strained. Fruit also did not have such a huge variety as you would expect to see in a tropical country. We were later surprised that the sliced ​​fruits bought in the winter in a Zurich store (mango, melon, strawberry, tangerine) turned out to be even tastier than similar ones in Malaysia. Although much more expensive, of course.
My favorite was frozen yogurt with all sorts of fruits, which I tried for the first time in Malaysia. It is not as sweet as ice cream, but it is cooling and nutritious, delicious. So I ate them every day.
Once in a supermarket cafe in Kuching, we decided to have a bite of mushroom soup and tea with cakes before returning to Santubong. The cake was chosen not by its name, but by its appearance on the menu. In general, one cake was fresh, pleasant in taste and appearance, with peaches. The second one tasted and even smelled so vile that at first we thought it was rotten a week ago. Although it looks like nothing, it seems like a fresh one. Then we still bothered to read that it was a cake with durian. Gods, what a vile muck. I tried a small piece out of curiosity. But I still remember this taste, it cannot be confused with anything.
Durian fresh we have not yet dared to try. Once we drove by car through a village in the vicinity of Santubong, and there they were selling durians on the side of the road. How do we sell potatoes or apples in the villages in autumn. We drove slowly, there was a speed limit, but with the windows closed, as the AC was on. But the smell from the cut durians still penetrated the salon, although it quickly disappeared, fortunately. It stank of a mixture of garlic and some kind of rotten meat, the smell is difficult to describe, but it cannot be confused with anything. And there is absolutely no desire to try this fruit.
By the way, it is forbidden to smoke in a rental car, as well as transport or eat durian. A fine of 500 ringit if they sniff at the return of the car that there were violations of the prohibitions. It is said that it will stink for several days after the durian has been transported. Also, because of the terrible stench, it is forbidden to bring it to most hotels. I think that is quite fair.

We dined a couple of times and drank ice tea with lemon at the Escobar in Santubong. Despite the name, you can eat well and tasty in this place. We had grilled fish and salads plus cold drinks. It turned out for two about 100 ringit, which is equivalent to 26 dollars.

In the guest house, we had breakfast included in the price of the room. They set the table in the open dining room from 8 to 10 in the morning. On three sides, the dining room is surrounded by lush thickets, in which, in addition to birds and butterflies, snakes also hide. True, we are used to this, and somehow calmly perceived this fact, as well as the owners of the house.
There is one huge table, all the guests who want to have breakfast gather at it. The choice is small, but enough for the morning. They offered boiled eggs, bread, butter and jams, honey, muesli and milk, coffee or tea. Plus, we also bought ourselves yogurts and cookies.

A young couple from the UK, our neighbors in the guesthouse, impressed us with their high-speed ascent to the top of Santubong. The girl especially took off like a goat. That segment, which usually everyone goes for 4 hours, she raced in one and a half. An excellent example to follow.

Beautiful views on the way to the top. A lot of people are coming. But the path is quite difficult. If you are in good physical shape and have gone to the mountains before, then there will be no particular difficulties. But an unprepared, untrained person should think. However, you can always turn around and go back if it gets too difficult. It is interesting to just wander along the trails there, without climbing to the top.

Summing up, I can say that it is worth going to this corner of the world in order to go to the top of Santubong and climb through the jungle. In the evening you can see fireflies in the jungle. Another worthwhile place here is the cultural village I mentioned above.
The beaches here are not so hot. I'm certainly not a special specialist in beach holidays. But here the truth is not so hot, this is the opinion of everyone with whom we talked. Just for the sake of a beach holiday, you should not go to Santubong.