Each year slowly and steadily my travel bucket list gets ticked off. I can proudly say that in my lifetime at least all parts of Asia will be covered. We usually take a trip at the end of the year but this time I managed to combine work with some fun. After a lot of thought regarding where to source for my next shoot I zeroed down on Malaysia and it was just perfect. We made it to Kuala Lampur and Langkawi.
KUALA LUMPUR
We took a direct flight to Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian airline and I have to say it was the worst one ever. It was made terrible due to one horrid man and a lady serving/not serving us on board. I requested for a glass of water while sitting down before take off and had to keep asking till they started serving the meals. When I asked again she said post we finish our meal service. We had to demand that water be given to us right away did she make a face and get us two half filled small cups. As for the man, sadly whose name I do not remember, behaved like he was god’s gift to mankind and that he couldn’t believe we had dared to sit on his flight. All in all concluding that I will never take the same airline again. After landing we had a great time and didn’t let this bother us and our remaining trip.
Touristy picture in front of The Petronas Towers
We stayed at The Westin in Bukit Bintang district and it was perfect. The hotel had the best staff that I have ever come across. I got an Executive club membership room that allowed us exclusive access to the Westin club floor where between 6pm to 8pm you can get a lovely buffet of evening snacks, salads, assortment of desserts, wine and liquor. An all you can eat and drink with no extra cost. I loved it and tried to make it all the days that we were there.
Posing in front of Pavilion mall.
Akshay enjoying his chip at Madam Kwan’s
The Pavilion shopping mall, one of the biggest in Kuala Lumpur was right across the street which was perfect and the reason to book The Westin. The mall had one of the best food courts I have ever seen and I would keep stopping to see the different kinds of breads and cakes.
Outfit- Dress from Thalassa boutique in Goa, slippers are Aldo (similar), bag from Kate Spade’s.
I did most of my work at Pavilion itself so staying across the street made my shopping and sourcing, the work that I had come for so easy. I think the area is the best place to stay, in the six days that we were there, we realised nothing was more than ten to fifteen mins away.
Bread at the food court bakery
I went a bit crazy in the shopping department and had to pay a lot of money for excess luggage. Ill keep the shopping list for a different post. Besides all the shopping we managed to go see the Petronas towers one evening and ate some yummy food on our way back.
Matcha pudding which I didn’t get to try.
TRANSPORT AND COMMUTING
I should tell you a bit more about how we got around in the city and in the island. For those of you who don’t know about Grab, please do find out. Its an application to book cabs and the taxis literally reach you in two mins once you book. The counters at the airport quoted us two hundred Ringets to reach Bukit Bintang while on Grab I paid eighty five. All the drivers were sweet and friendly and took us to the correct spots.
Chip at Madam Kwan’s
Akshay and I did some amazing food tourism and drank at some lovely bars besides the happy hours at the hotel. Do not miss ‘Omakase + Appreciate’ a speakeasy-style bar with a secretive entrance and really good cocktails. The other one we went to was the Skybar, a bar on the 33rd floor with a lovely pool. There is a place called Trec which has lots of bars and restaurant in one lane where you could bar hop or sit at a single one , we had a fun night.
Beer-pong at Trec
What I love to do is to try iced coffee at the road side stalls and vendors because they always seem to make it exactly how I like mine.
Our first stop to eat was at one of our favourites. Din Tai Fung, their soupy momos are legendary and I love their egg fried rice. I even tried some pork.
Cucumber wrapped in Jasmine pork
Our next stop was Madam Kwan’s where they serve Malaysian cuisine and the food was really tasty and without meaning to offend anyone I have to tell you, Akshay tried their Durian ice-cream and for the first time I saw him dislike a dish. In all my years with him I have never seen him find it hard to eat any particular food.
Durian ice cream at Madam Kwan’s (not so good)
He has an evolved palette, unlike mine, I’m really fussy about food while he is always ready to try everything. What I loved was the variety of cheesecakes that were available. I tried quite a few and came to find my favourite. A brand called Komugi. If ever in Malaysia it is a must try.
LANGKAWI
Now coming to the best part of the trip. Once all my work was over we took a flight and headed to Langkawi Island. I have been here once before and had fond memories of it. The water is a lovely shade of green.
Our resort there called Dash was absolutely brilliant and not just beautiful but full of fun. Right on the beach with an infinity pool whose edge was made of glass. It has its own beach club and had the right number of people partying and enjoying themselves.
It had a lovely dry area with beds in the middle and a bar on the side. I tasted a good Long Island iced tea which I hadn’t in a while. I always carry my own alcohol buying it from the duty free once I reach my destination. It’s really convenient that way and cheaper on your pocket.
Only issue we both had was the weather. It was sunny and hot. We only dared venture to the pool after 6 pm. Akshay had his cute hat. He bought it from the souvenir store which I promptly forgot and left at the airport on our way back.
Yes, I own one pair of sunglass. At least it matches my dress.
Outfit detail : Dress from Bershka, bag is from Kate Spade’s, slippers are Aldo and sunglass Ray-ban.
Outfit detail : Tshirt and joggers from Padini Concept Store, shoes are Adidas (similar), sling (similar), watch is Gshock.
Barbeque at the Dash Resort
On our last day we took a ride on the cable car known to be the steepest in Asia. From the top we could see almost all of the island and even smaller ones far off. We had a great trip and now looking forward to the next one!
View of Langkawi
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-Bidisha.
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