travelbosing

A Day Trip to Malacca

Posted on December 13, 2017 by travelbosing

Malacca is one of the most beautiful state in Malaysia and a must to visit if you are happen to be in Malaysia. It is located about 150KM from Kuala Lumpur and will take 2 hours by car or public transportation (bus) . I have visited Malacca on 24th June 2017.

I took a bus ride from KLIA2. Surprisingly the bus fare from KLIA2 to Malacca is much higher than the fare from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur. I paid around RM25 for the bus from KLIA2 to Malacca and RM12 from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur (Bandar Tasik Selatan). Anyway, forget about the bus fare, it is still affordable compared to an arranged tour.

For a budget traveler like me, i choose public transportation to save my travelling cost. I spent around RM100 in Malacca… i guess? A day trip in Malacca is sufficient as most of the main attractions located side by side and just a walking distance.

I left KLIA2 around 6.30am and arrived at Melaka Sentral around 8.30am, and i took Grab Car to the city centre, fare was around RM5. As usual, the city was occupied by tourists from China. I didn’t take breakfast in KLIA2 because no outlet opened at early morning, and in addition, it was the last day of fasting season.

The Jonker Walk

I was hoping to try the famous Chicken Rice Ball in Jonker Street but the restaurant was occupied with people…. and again, tourists from China.

Kedai Kopi Chung Wah, where you can try the famous Chicken Rice Ball in Malacca. A must to try but you need to queue up as it is always full.

They even queued up outside the restaurant. I decided to have breakfast at the restaurant next door.

Famosa Chicken Rice Ball located next to Kedai Kopi Chung Wah. Anyway, it is just a typical Chicken Rice. the ‘ball’ make it famous LOL

After i had my breakfast (brunch) , the first place i visited was the Christ Church Melaka, The Queen Victoria Fountain, The windmill and Malacca Clock Tower/ Tang Beng Swee Clock Tower which is located at the Dutch Square. Dutch Square Malacca is the most picturesque area in Malacca.

Dutch Malacca (1641–1825) was the longest period that Malacca was under foreign control. The Dutch ruled for almost 183 years with intermittent British occupation during the Napoleonic Wars (1795–1818). This era saw relative peace with little serious interruption from the Malay kingdoms due to the understanding earlier on forged between the Dutch and the Sultanate of Johor in 1606. This time also marked the decline of the importance of Malacca. The Dutch preferred Batavia (present day Jakarta) as their economic and administrative centre in the region and their hold in Malacca was to prevent the loss of the city to other European powers and subsequently the competition that would naturally come with it. Thus in the 17th century, with Malacca ceased to be an important port, the Johor Sultanate became the dominant local power in the region, due to the opening of its ports and the alliance with the Dutch. – Wikipedia

After taking few pictures at Dutch Square, I walked to the the famous St Paul Church which is a walk distance from Dutch Square. For those who love heritage and historcal site, St John Chuch Malacca is a perfect place for you. Exterior is really picturesque but interior is quite disappointing. Not really informative. I spent my time there for at least 1 hour, take pictures and walking around.

St Paul Church:

The heritage trails in Malacca is well trailed, there is a stair from St Paul Church going down to Kota A Famosa, one of the most famous landmark in Malacca. A Famosa is actually fortress that was built by the Portugese after defeating the Malay arm forces in 1511 (correct me if i’m wrong). Anyway, to know more, please google it.
My final destination (Final Destination??? weird haha) was Jonker Street/Jonker Walk. The street is filled with historical houses along its left and right sides dating back to 17th century. It also has shops selling antiques, textiles, foods, handicrafts and souvenirs. The street is famous for a night market where you can see so many stuff there and decorated with beautiful lights at night. It is also a place for those who like beer, you can find few bars there. My favorite was the Geographic Cafe and Bar.

All the attractions in Malacca Heritage City is a walking distance, so it is quite easy, no need to take Cab/Uber/Grabcar actually.

One of my biggest mistake was when i understimated the distance from the city to the Bus Terminal. Quite far.. I walked from the city to the bus station because i want to save RM5, Grab Car’s fare… Next time no more!

Thanks for reading guys..

Day Trip in Malacca

Posted on June 22, 2017 by travelbosing

Hello there!

I hope all of you are doing fine. I want to write a little bit about my upcoming trip which is on 23rd-27th June 2107 to Kuala Lumpur. It is during Hari Raya, time to escape for a while from my home town! Yes!

This is not a real holiday as i need to attend my brother’s wedding on 25th June 2017 at Seri Kembangan, Selangor. I purposely booked the flight on 23rd June, the last flight so i can save my budget. Travelling with family is sometimes can break your bank. I am the older brother in the family so i need to pay their return tickets from KK to KL and KL to KK. It is a festive season so the tickets is quite expensive, hmmm can u imagine 6 of us travelling?

I will arrive at KLIA 2 around 2 in the morning on 24th June so i decided to just stay in the airport until morning. Yes, i will SLEEP in the airport until morning. My 2nd time actually. Last time , 2 year ago? My connecting flight from KL to Melbourne was delayed by Air Asia for 12 hours? I was not informed by them. Sad!

This is my plan, I will go to Malacca early morning on 24th June 2017 by bus and will go back to Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon around 4pm. I booked my tickets via Easybook.com website. Very convenience actually, all transactions can be done via online. Please visit their website at http://www.easybook.com/en-my . Owned by Singaporean company i guess? and they will charge minimum administration fee. They provide travel insurance too.

So, what i can do there for just around 8 hours? For sure, I cant cover everything but will try to cover the most iconic places in Malacca. Below are my plans:

* I’m travelling alone so please expect selfies photo okay hahaha.

Cheng Ho Cultural Museum. – Never been here before but i will try to go there. Depends on my budget, they will charge entrance fee.
St. Paul’s Church – A must to go in Malacca. All these attractions are located next to each other and are free of charge. FREE OF CHARGE i cannot ressist LOL.
Stadthuys- Huh? never heard of this. Completed in 1753. The bricks used to build the church were specially shipped in from Holland. Interesting!
Christ Church – also known as Dutch Square. It dated from the 17th century and reflects the history of Melaka from Dutch colonization till today. Christ Church must be the most photographed item in Melaka.
Red Square (Dutch Square) – Located next to Christ Church. So glad, most of the iconic attraction in Melaka located in a city centre.
Queen Victoria’s Fountain – Yes!
Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball- What is so good about this. A must try for lunch 🙂
No 8 Heeren Street Heritage Centre & Jonker Street- Sadly it will be a day trip so unable to go to the night market at Jonker Street.

I will update some photo when i got back. See ya!

Sarawak withdraws from Tourism Malaysia after tax spat

Posted on June 12, 2017 by travelbosing

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KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Sarawak is withdrawing its representative from the Malaysian Tourism Board with immediate effect, following the state’s disagreement with the federal government over the introduction of a new tourism tax.

The decision was announced today by the Sarawak Chief Minister’s Office.

“The Sarawak state government has decided to withdraw the participation of its representative in Malaysia Tourism Board with immediate effect,” it said in a statement.

“The state government deems that the participation of its representatives in Tourism Malaysia is not necessary as this is duplicating the role and functions of the Sarawak Tourism Promotion Board.”

Sarawak Tourism Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah previously urged Putrajaya to defer the July 1 implementation of the new tax for Sabah and Sarawak, saying the federal government should respect the Malaysia Agreement 1963 when deciding such matters.

This led to a rebuke from Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who yesterday told his Sarawak counterpart not to be confrontational over the matter.

Nazri also said the tax would benefit Sarawak more than it would affect tourism in the state, noting that luxury hotels that would attract the highest tax rate were a rarity in the state.

The new tax will be levied starting July 1 on all patrons at a rate of RM20 per room night in five-star hotels, RM10 at four-star outlets, RM5 for three- and two-star hotels and RM2.50 for orchid and other non-rated accommodation premises (RM2.50).

Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board chairman Datuk Siew Ka Wei previously said the tax would ensure the industry’s sustainable growth and provide financial support for aggressive marketing campaigns.

Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/after-tax-row-sarawak-yanks-rep-from-malaysia-tourism-board

My comment: The tourism tax will be implemented on 1st July 2017 instead of 1st August 2017. What is a tourism tax? Basically tourism tax is a tax that collected from any tourist who will stay in hotels in Malaysia. The purpose of this tax is to contribute to the development and promotion of tourism in Malaysia, so in easiest way to understand is, people come to Malaysia, they will pay for the development of tourism in this country.

Is it logic or illogical? Yet to read bout this matter but personally, this is ridiculous! The government should invest more money to attract more tourist to fill in the hotels. To collect Tourism Tax from them will kill the industry slowly!

Why we need to live with so many tax in this country? We have GST and i heard that the government collected so many under GST. Take small portion from GST for Tourism Development?

For the 1st 9 months, the GST in Malaysia collected almost RM55 Billion revenue. Just assume that the Malaysia Government have collected RM65Bil from GST last year , 5% for the tourism development is more than enough.

I would like to 100% support the move that Sarawak Government has made. That is a very good move! Dont easily get bullied by the federal law makers! Next is Sabah. Just wait and see what Sabah will say?

🙂

Hiking or Jungle Trekking Shoes in Borneo ‘Adidas Kampung’

Posted on June 8, 2017 by travelbosing

Adidas Kampung which is available in local outlets in Sabah

Adidas Kampung is a generic name for cheap black rubber shoes that can be found in local outlets in Sabah. Being made 100% out of rubber, they are waterproof, easy to dry, and thus ideal for trekking in tropical weather. They gained attention when they were featured as having been used by local climbers to win Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon held in Sabah.

Adidas Kampung is up for anything. They are shoes for jungle hiking. Great footwear for tropical water paddling and they make excellent tropical shoes for river crossing and general camp wear.

Why is shoe called Adidas Kampung? Its similarities to the famed stripes on Adidas shoes earned it the moniker Adidas Kampung, or the Village Adidas.

In the Borneo Jungle especially in Sabah, crossing rivers and being drenched by constant rain makes any pair of our normal shoes a nightmare to walk in. This shoes is a very basic footwear but very comfortable. Most of the local communities in the rural areas use this shoes as daily foot wear in their plantation (of playing football in kampung).

Adidas Kampungs are easily found in sundry shops in the villages of Sabah for under RM10.00. I would say 30 times cheaper compared to the hiking shoes in shopping mall LOL.

Kirongulad Water Fall Tambunan, Sabah

Posted on June 7, 2017 by travelbosing

It is nearly 30m high! believe or not? Pack your bag check it out!

Have you been to Mahua Waterfall in Tambunan? It is beautiful right? Would you like to see more about Tambunan? Have you heard about Kirongulad Waterwall? No right! It is a hidden gem located ar Kg Tikolod Tambunan. Yes, Kg Tikolod is famous with Ginger and Traditional Music but recently we have discovered this beautiful waterfall, nearly 30 Metres. Believe or not? Time for you to discover by your self.

Photo with the waterfall. Couldn’t go nearer as the water spalsh is very stong and not safe for camera.

It is not far from the town, around 20km 😂 ? I would like to recommend this beautiful waterfall for adventure seekers out there. To go there, you need to drive 1.5 hours from Kota Kinabalu to Tambunan town. And another 15 minutes to Kg Tikolod Tambunan (Jalan Keningau). Well, the road is paved but going to the waterfall starting point, you need a 4 wheel drive. But don’t worry, you can park your car at the kampung area and the villagers can send you using ‘Pikap’ car. It is 4-wheel drive car (RM5 per person). Please drive slowly and keep an eye on the roaming dogs, buffaloes, chickens and duck, belongs to the villagers. They don’t even bother about approaching cars.

You need to bring light and comfortable backpack.

Comfortable hiking shoes. The journey is mostly wet, so I would recommend Adidas Kampung 😂. A very well-known Sport Shoes by the local community. Less than RM10

The trail’s difficulty is moderate , less hiking, mostly river trekking. The trail is quite flat and wet. Watch out for the slippery mossy surface.
Sounds easy but very challenging.

This area is an important water catchment area. The vilaggers also get a fresh water source from that area, gravity water system and it is free charge.

There is no hut shelters, benches, trash bin and toilet along the trail, so it is kinda back to basic or back to nature kind of things. The only place you can do picnic and barbecue is at the Malugung Sub Station, salt trail starting point which is not far from the waterfall’s starting point.

Ancient tree along the way. It is a very big and interesting fig tree I guess.

It is a virgin forest. So many big trees, lianas, orchids, wild ginger. If you are lucky, you can see wild boar, barking deer, samba deer, monkey, slow loris, western tarsier, hornbill, endemic birds and etc. Easy to see during fruiting season and night time. You also can spot many insects and bugs wandering among the undergrowth, ferns and shrubs along the trail.

Please bring your own food, toiletries and mini 1st aid kit. .