Picture courtesy :Google Images
Having written my travelogue to Hampi and Dubai visited by me during 2018 which was well received by many readers, I wish to post my experiences of travel to Malaysia and Singapore in the year 2010. Except a few photos taken from Google Images, all other photos in this article were taken by me in Canon Camera.
Links to my other Travelogues:
Getting VISAs for the journey:
After my retirement in June 2010, my son who was working in Malaysia wanted me and my wife to make a short visit to Malaysia and Singapore for sightseeing. We planned to start to Malaysia from Chennai on 20.8.2010 and return from Singapore to Chennai on 26.8.2010. After booking the flight tickets, I went to a Travel Agency for getting VISAs for both Malaysia and Singapore visits. On the day of getting the visas from the Travel Agency , my car broke down on the way and after one hour struggle it started. Since the air conditioner in the car was not working the driver drove the car keeping all the windows opened. I felt uneasy with winds of lot of pressure hitting my ears.
Vertigo attack:
On the next day morning when I tried to get up from the bed, I felt that the room was spinning around me.( I had a doubt if it had happened due to the entry of lot of air inside my ears with so much force.) It happened many times and I was taken to a Doctor by my wife and the landlord of the house where I was staying. Doctor advised me to undergo many tests including MRI. Even during the tests by the doctor and during various tests conducted in the Clinic, I was unable to lie down due to the dizzy feeling and I was unable to walk steadily. All the tests conducted showed nothing wrong with me. After seeing the reports the doctor diagnosed my illness as Vertigo and prescribed medicines. My wife asked the doctor if I could go for the trip to Malaysia, he said that we could visit and continue to take the medicines.
So during the entire trip to Malaysia and Singapore I was suffering from Vertigo problem though not severe as on the first day of attack.But I could manage to walk and see the places visited by us without much difficulty.
Trip to Malaysia:
On 20.8.2000 myself and my wife boarded Jet Airways and after three hours journey reached Kuala Lumpur. We were received by our son at the Airport and he took us to Cyber View Resort and Spa in Cyber Jaya where he had booked room for our stay. (Cyberview Resort & Spa is a 5-star boutique resort, a veritable paradise set on 28.8 acre of award-winning landscaped gardens, featuring world-class quality of service and unparalleled Malaysian hospitality. Surrounded by towering palm trees, lush foliage, splendid tropical gardens, and meandering paths, the resort effortlessly blends rustic charm and with its state-of-the-art comforts in all its one hundred and twelve lovely chalets, suites and bungalows. )
For further information and booking http://www.cyberviewresort.com/.
The resort's location and environment was very beautiful with plenty of flower plants and trees.
Cottage in the resort where we stayed
After taking rest in the room,we boarded a train in Kuala Lumpur railway station to go to Kota Bharu where my wife's sister's daughter and her husband were practicing as doctors. Kota Bharu is about 450 kms from Kuala Lumpur and we had to travel through forest area with tall trees and we enjoyed watching the beauty of the nature.
On the way to Kota Bharu
The nearest railway station to Kota Bharu is called Wakaf Bharu which is just a couple of kilometres to the west of the city. My sister in law's daughter came to the station to receive us and took us to her house.
Sight seeing on 21.8.2010
After a good night sleep ,next day we visited some Buddha temples.
Wat Phothivihan :About 15km from Kota Bharu, this temple houses what is claimed to be one of the longest reclining Buddha in the world. At 40m long, it is even longer than the reclining Buddha housed in the more famous Wat Chayamangkalaram in Penang.
Part of reclining Buddha
In another Buddha temple visited by us was at Wat Machimmaram where we could see a tall sitting Buddha
Sitting Buddha
After visiting the buddha temples and some shopping in Kota Bahru we returned to Kuala Lumpur on 23.8.2010 by train.
Sight seeing on 23.8.2010 in Kuala Lumpur:
On 23.8.2010 morning after taking breakfast in the Resort we went to Putra Jaya Railway station and took a train to go to Kuala Lumpur. We visited The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers, are twin skyscrapers. We went inside the tower and spent some time in watching a music program.
Petronas Towers
Music Program inside the tower
In the evening we went to see Putra Mosque in Putra Jaya. It is located next to the Perdana Putra, which houses the Malaysian Prime Minister's office and man-made Putrajaya Lake. In front of the mosque is a large square with flagpoles flying Malaysian states' flags.
Putra Mosque on the left and Perdana Putra on the right of the picture
Picture courtesy: Google Images
Putra Mosque
Perdana Putra (Image Wikipedia)
We also saw the Seri Wawasan Bridge which is the most elegant of the bridges in Putrajaya. Its futuristic design combines cable back stays and standard steel tie backs. Its curvaceous and slender profile is easily visible from many vantage points in the city. At night the bridge is illuminated with changing coloured lights. The bridge is 240m long and the main span is 168m long. There are 102 cables used in its construction.https://www.malaysia-traveller.com/bridges-in-putrajaya.html
Seri Wawasan Bridge
Sight seeing on 24.8.2010
On 24.8.2010 we went to the famous Batu Caves Hill temple of Lord Muruga. Batu Caves in short also referred as 10th Caves or Hill for Lord Muruga as there are six important holy shrines in India and four more in Malaysia. The three others in Malaysia are Kallumalai Temple in Ipoh, Tanneermalai Temple in Penang and Sannasimalai Temple in Malacca.(Wikipedia)
While we could worship the deities at the bottom of the hill and saw the tall Muruga Idol, I was unable to climb the steps of the hill due to vertigo problem to see the deity on the top of the hill .
Temple at the foot of the hill
Idol of Lord Muruga at the bottom of the Hill
Travel to Singapore on 24.8.2010 by train:
On 24.8.2010 night we boarded the train at Sentral station Kuala Lumpur to reach Singapore. I was surprised to see the railway station at Kuala Lumpur looked like a airport in appearance and maintenance:
Sentral station in Kuala Lumpur
We traveled in sleeper berth coach and slept well. Basic amenities in the train were just like the amenities available in India, The train stopped in one station in the middle of night when all the passengers had to get down from the train for stamping the Passport at the Immigration counters in the train. After the formalities of immigration check up we had to board the train again which reached Singapore next day early morning after about 9 hours journey.
Sight seeing in Singapore on 25.8.2010
On reaching Singapore Station we were picked up by my friend and bank colleague Mr.Moreira who was kind enough to accommodate us in his house.After taking breakfast we went for sightseeing by one of the tourist bus Duck and Hippo tour .
Duck and Hippo bus
We rode around the city sitting on top of the bus covering sites such as Chinatown, Little India, Botanical Garden. We could listen to commentary as we passed the most important landmarks in the city.
We got down at the Botanical garden where we could see many beautiful flower plants and trees.
Plants in the Botanical garden
After visiting the Botanical gardens we visited a Hindu Temple and worshiped the deity there.
Temple in Singapore
Lord Ganesha in the Temple
After taking lunch we went for the tour again in the bus and could see many places on the route like Marina Bay Sands SkyPark Observation Deck, Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel etc.
Marina Bay Sands SkyPark Observation Deck
Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel
We also had the experience of going round in the Singapore Flyer Ferris Wheel which is one of the tallest Ferris wheels in the world. Standing in the glass capsule on the Singapore Flyer, we could gaze out upon sights including the sculptures springing out from Gardens by the Bay and the gleaming architecture of the Marina Bay Sands. It was really a thrilling experience for us.
View of Singapore from the Capsule
During the end of the day after taking our dinner we spent some time sitting in a place watching the illuminated buildings and the laser shows from the high rise buildings.
Return to Chennai on 26.8.2010
After completing our trip to Singapore on 26th Morning we reached Changi Airport, Singapore which is one of the largest transportation hubs in Southeast Asia.
Picture Courtesy : Google Images
It gave us an opportunity to see and admire the grandeur of the Airport which is rated as World's Best Airport for many years. We returned to Chennai by flight on the same day.
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