2011 was the first year I decided to go on a birthday trip. I chose Singapore and Malaysia since I was gonna fly solo and these were the safest countries I could think of. I had a lot of friends living in Singapore at that time so in case I ran into any trouble, at least, they would be nearby. It also reduced my expenses on accommodations as I could stay with them while in Singapore.
August 18, 2011
I arrived at Singapore Changi Airport at 2AM and since I wasn't willing
to spend on a nearby hotel or a cab ride to my friend's place, I slept
at the airport instead. A lot of my friends always get surprised at how
brave I am to have done this. But honestly, the Singapore airport
benches were not that bad and I slept for only four hours. I couldn't
have killed time in a more practical way.
The first bus to
Malaysia was to leave at 6AM. This was to take me from Changi to Johor
Bahru in three hours. It was easy enough to find the bus terminal. I
just asked the airport personnel. They only accepted Sing dollars though
and in exact amount. So I changed my US dollars and bought breakfast
inside the airport. The bus fare was Sing $7.
We reached Johor Bahru in about two hours. The bus conductor pointed us, passengers, towards the immigration center. It was very efficient. I just showed them my passport and answered a few questions (How long was I staying in Malaysia? For what purpose? Where was I staying?). In a few minutes, I had officially arrived in Malaysia!
After passing through immigration to get my passport stamped, I had to find another bus to get me to Larkin Terminal. I went back to the area where our bus from Singapore dropped us off and found another bus which had "Larkin Terminal" posted on the front.
I was the only tourist who stepped on the bus I chose. Most were Malaysians. I didn't notice it at first but the women were segregated from the men and were staying in front. I got nervous that I had ridden the wrong bus so I asked the guy beside me if this was heading to Larkin Terminal. The man did not answer me though, and even waved me away. Fortunately, this kind old man approached me and told me that the men were forbidden to talk to the women. I took advantage of his disregard of this propriety and his English-speaking skills and asked about how to get to Kuala Lumpur. He affirmed my decision to ride this bus and instructed me to board another bus from Larkin Terminal to TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan), where I could then take the train to Kuala Lumpur central.
The old man's kindness did not stop at his generous explanation of the Malaysian transport system, but he sneakily paid for my bus fare as well! I didn't even see it happen until I saw the women watching us throughout our conversation smiling. The conductor passed by me and I asked him how much the fare was but again I was waved away. The kind old man simply told me, "It's okay. It's been paid for." Truly, God has angels on earth taking care of lost travelers.
I thanked my new friend and bid him goodbye when we reached Larkin Terminal. I easily found the kiosks that sold tickets to Kuala Lumpur. They looked similar to the bus terminal windows in Manila.
I bought one regular ticket to TBS and boarded as soon as I saw the bus. It was a two-floor bus and I immediately regretted not getting the special ticket which would give me a second-floor seat because I wanted to get a better view of the roads.
The conductor stamped my ticket while I was seated on my first-floor seat. I kept looking around the bus and it seemed a long time to wait for other passengers. Most of them were walking up to the second floor and my face probably showed my dismay for the conductor finally asked if I wanted a seat upstairs. I promptly said yes and so he exchanged my ticket for a special one. I was getting out my wallet when he said in a low voice that the upgrade was on him. Yes! Another angel in Malaysia! Thank You, Lord!
The bus left a few minutes later and we were off to Kuala Lumpur!
The bus arrived at the newly-constructed TBS after about three hours. I had to walk a few minutes to the LRT station and rode the train going to Hang Tuah.
Since Hang Tuah is already near Bukit Bintang area, I decided to start walking and acquaint myself with the city. It seemed safe enough and looked similar to the streets in Manila.
I walked through busy streets until I reached Jalan Alor where I would check-in at Apple Hotel.
The single room I got was perfect for me. It was small but roomy enough for a small person like me. I had my own TV and bathroom.
I loved the apple theme that was consistent everywhere - from the lamp to the chairs and even to the bathroom sink!
I had a good view of the street from my room and so I got excited to explore more of KL.
I walked all around the streets of the commercial district of Bukit Bintang. At that time I didn't know it yet, for this trip was in 2011, but Malaysia was ahead of its time in Asia with all their street performers similar to those I saw in Europe in 2013.
Their buildings reminded me of those in Makati and Shanghai.
Like in Makati, they also had a lot of malls. Good to note is their awesome Sephora building with its modern structure!
I could see the Petronas towers peeking from behind the buildings. I planned to see it the next day.
I could never really resist the urge to go shopping when in a foreign country. So I found myself buying hats at a cute store in one of the malls.
It was approaching dinnertime and I was starting to get envious of the customers lounging at the bar street, not unlike our own Greenbelt 2 strip.
But because I had already spent some of my ringgit shopping, I decided to save for dinner and walked back to Jalan Alor, where the meal would be cheaper.
I also reasoned that eating along Jalan Alor would be practical. If I ever got drunk, Apple Hotel was just a few meters away. I could just stumble into my room. With all the promo girls shoving bottles of beer and other forms of alcohol to my face, which I all but accepted graciously, my decision was further affirmed.
The Apple Hotel stood out amongst the grimy buildings in the area. I applauded myself for finding such a good deal.
August 19, 2011
I woke up on the day of my birthday, energized to start a new day, a new year. I started with stretching my legs and walking to the famous Petronas Towers.
I no longer went up the viewing deck as I really only wanted a photo in front of the majestic building. At that time, selfies weren't big yet, so the photo below was one of my first ones, I guess.
After taking a selfie at the Petronas Towers, I walked back to Apple Hotel and checked out. I rode the train back to TBS and boarded a bus to Melaka.
I arrived in Melaka after two hours, took a taxi to Hallmark Hotel and dumped my bags in my room. I was eager to check out this famous place and maximize what little time I had left to spend my birthday.
I had to cross a bridge to get to the tourist attractions from my hotel's area.
This was already my first glimpse of the famous Melaka or Malacca River.
I was greeted by the sign that proclaimed this city as a World Heritage site.
And of course, that merited a selfie.
I proceeded to walk towards the Christ Church plaza, which is one of the old structures built by the Dutch when they occupied this area.
I clearly saw the Dutch influence in the windmills and flower garden in the plaza. It was all very charming!
Walking along the streets, it was as if I was being transported into a different era, with the old buildings and street art.
I saw a group of cyclists and regretted not renting a bike from the hotel to make my sightseeing easier. I always like riding bicycles in foreign countries! (Check out my posts in Nara, Japan, Xi'an, China and Cambodia.)
Since I already started walking, I walked some more anyway, even traversing the streets parallel to the Melaka River.
It was actually pretty cool, seeing bars overlooking the river.
Everywhere I looked was simply lovely! I couldn't contain the happiness that was mounting inside of me. So I walked further and found the Church of Francis Xavier where I offered a silent prayer for all the things I am very thankful for - this wonderful opportunity to spend my birthday in a new city, the beauty that surrounds me, and all the blessings I've received thus far.
After my birthday prayer, I headed over to Jonker Street which was busy and bustling with vendors and tourists.
There were all sorts of stuff and knick-knacks sold along the street - drawings, toys, fashion accessories, clothes, lanterns, and of course food.
The place was just so vibrant and colorful!
There was even a stall selling Durian pancakes!
I was fascinated by the cute cocktail bottles and bought some for dinner.
Of course I started sipping one bottle before I even stepped away from the cart. It was my birthday and I was celebrating! Haha!
When I got hungry, I checked out one of their local "carinderia"-type restaurants and bought the Hometown Chicken Chop. It was a meal of breaded chicken chop with sweet chili sauce, boiled cabbage, scrambled egg and plain rice. It's basically their version of our "chicksilog".
I enjoyed my meal while watching the program happening on the stage on the street. I couldn't understand any of the songs or the comments of the hosts, but it was all so fascinating to me anyway!
After dinner, I walked some more, while sipping my third bottle of cocktail. People started gathering in a square and I realized that there was a performance to take place. I thought it would be a dance number but it was a martial arts demonstration by an old man instead. I stayed and watched anyway.
It was already late at night when I started walking back to the hotel. I couldn't figure out the streets, what with the houses all looking the same at night, like those identical windows in our very own, Vigan.
I also misjudged the effect of the bottled cocktails, so I ended up walking around and around, making wrong turns and ending up at the same square where the stage was. Panic started to sober me up and I decided to ask for directions. Unfortunately, there weren't many who spoke English. But there was a kind soul who accompanied me to the main street, where I was able to figure out my way to the hotel from.
I ended my birthday with a mix of emotions - relief from finding my hotel, a little bit of loneliness from spending my birthday on my own, but a great deal of happiness from simply being in a foreign country (and possibly the slight inebriation). With these thoughts I drifted off to the wonderful land of slumber. The door of my Room 115 of the Hallmark Hotel would be shut to the world for quite a few hours from then.
I woke up the next day feeling fresh and energized to go back to Singapore and continue on with the rest of my birthday trip. I took a cab once again to the bus terminal and hopped on the three-hour bus ride to Singapore.
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