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Kuala Lumpur

in Expat Life, KL What to Do, KL Where to Go

KL Adventures: History in the heart of the City

July 21, 2014

Ah, so touristy of us! But you see, here’s my travel philosophy: Do the touristy stuff first, then do what locals do. Don’t you dare leave the country without doing both or else, the experience would be somehow half-baked. You see, I believe that touristy places are ‘touristy’ for a reason. (Read: When I say touristy, I don’t mean tourist traps!) They’re popular because they’re worth a visit. I’m a sucker for museums, national parks, and monuments as they are great places to learn more about the country’s history and people.

So – for my husband and I’s first free weekend here in KL, we went to Merdeka Square, the KL City Gallery, and the Central Market. Along the way, we were able to pass by beautiful vintage architecture as well as Masjid Jamek (This was around 3 weekends ago so I’m kinda late in posting this! So sorry about that – been rather busy). I haven’t been to Malaysia before and though my husband has been here a couple of times, he has never set foot in most of Malaysia’s historically important places. IMHO, going to KL just for shopping and not really appreciating the place is a complete waste of time and funds. The city is so rich with culture and diversity – it’s a must to get out there to learn and experience everything first hand!

Well, the husband does admit that his travels prior to meeting me were complete brouhahas and now, getting to visit new (and even old places) are more fun cos he now has better company. We’re cheesy like that. 😉

Where was I? Ah, our little field trip right smack in the middle of the city. We left the house at around 11 in the morning. The sun rises and sets pretty late here in KL this time of year so it wasn’t that hot yet but I still opted to bring a water bottle and stash it in my bag as we will be gone the whole day and I knew there will be lots of walking involved so I dressed for comfort.

We live within the City Centre otherwise known as KLCC and it’s pretty easy to get to our destination via the LRT (Kelana Jaya Line). For tourists, this is also the best way to get around the capital as traffic here can be pretty heavy. The best station to get off from is Masjid Jamek which is only 3 stations away from KLCC and 2 from KL Sentral (where a lot of the hotels are). The train ride costs RM1.60 (Php21.91, US0.50, EUR0.37) per person, one way. It’s a bit of a walk from the station to Merdeka Square which is our major destination but it’s the farthest thing from boring.

One of the fist things you will see after getting off the station is Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque) which is also known as the Friday Mosque. Yes, the train station is named after it so it’s easy enough to remember! 🙂

Masjid Jamek. One of capital’s oldest Mosques.

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in Diplomatic Incidents, Personal Musings

Adjustments

July 9, 2014

Now I don’t really remember anyone saying that moving to a different country and starting a new life (read: from scratch) was easy. That’s because though it’s fun and exciting, it’s no walk in the park.

It’s been 13 days since we arrived in KL. We have finally moved into our new apartment – a two bedroom, three bathroom unit with its own storage room. It’s huge for just Alvin and I and I feel like it’s empty most of the time. And that’s because it is still quite that – empty. We’re taking it slow when it comes to buying furniture as we want the condo to look exactly the way we’ve been planning without breaking the bank.

So far, we’ve purchased the essentials and we’re predicting my decorating plans will take about 3 months to fully materialise. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that I stick to my deadline and that I am able to have everything running by then as guests ranging from family and friends will be arriving in just a couple of months.

We were told by most of the people from the Embassy that KL is a post where you would definitely be getting lots of visitors due to its proximity to Manila. No complaints there, I say. As most of my friends and our family (even the ones in the Western part of the world) are already making plans to come over and it would be nice to show them around.

Speaking of visitors, the Ambassador recently hosted the son of one of the DFA Undersecretaries who was on a short trip to KL with his friend. We had dinner with them that night and shared lots of great stories over food. I had the pleasure of getting to know the Undersecretary back when I was part of the media, covering the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) back home. The Undersecretary’s son is fun and smart – just like his dad. My husband and I had fun pointing out their similarities as he seemed like the exact (only younger) replica of his father.

http://instagram.com/p/qAzYJ7iqXo/

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in Uncategorized

Hello from Kuala Lumpur!

June 26, 2014

Hello from Kuala Lumpur!

We arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday afternoon and I am loving Kuala Lumpur so far!

We’ve only been here for over 24 hours and we’ve already reserved a condominium unit where we’ll be staying for the next couple of years – all thanks to Alvin’s new colleagues at the Embassy. They’re all so nice and welcoming which basically completes the package. We’ve been discussing how lucky he is to be selected for this post (and his first posting at that!) as it’s one of the Philippines’ most important. The relations are multi-faceted, our Ambassador is a very intelligent and hardworking man, the city is beautiful, everything here is just so convenient, and the cost of living is actually lower than other posts.

So basically, he will be learning a lot from his new boss and colleagues while enjoying the perks the city has to offer. He will be very busy though because he will be swinging between the embassy’s political and economic sections, handling important issues. But that only makes him more excited due to all the things he will learn and the training he will undergo by working with some of our country’s top diplomats. I’m so happy for him!

As for me, I’ll be very busy in the coming days, making our place liveable. This weekend, we’ll be going out to buy our first batch of furniture. We’ll be renting an unfurnished apartment so I will be able to go crazy on furniture and decor shopping.

To be honest, prior to our move to KL, I have already set my sights on a couple of prints we’ll be hanging in the living room. I saw the prints online, fell in love with them, and was just too happy when I found out that the shop that makes them is right here in KL. I don’t need to have them shipped anymore, costing me less money! Yay! We even received beautiful photographs from a friend’s photographer boyfriend which I will have framed in the coming days – I will be using them to decorate the guest’s room and dining area. I’m just too excited that I’m already blabbing about my domesticated plans.

Kuala Lumpur’s City Centre is basically a huge shopping complex. Not really a shopaholic but it’s nice to know that they have 3 major sales here annually where malls go crazy when it comes to dropping their prices. The next one is this July and I’m already seeing signs that say “Sale”. Great! Just in time for our furniture buying spree! I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled and my fingers crossed for beautiful, discounted pieces. 😀

But first things first. We’ll have to submit papers, photos and other requirements for the stay, open bank accounts, get local phone connections – and do other errands that will make living here in KL official. Everybody at the embassy’s been so helpful, Rommel from the political section and his wife Grace who works at the cultural section even showed us around a bit today. We all had lunch at Din Tai Fung and Pavilion where I over-ate and then we had dinner at one of Alvin’s bosses’ house – Ms. Tonette. KL is like food heaven and we are being fed like crazy (Filipinos bond over food!) so I really need to find a yoga studio soon or start running at KLCC park as soon as our running shoes get unpacked.

More later,
Carol

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