Glad that i took a trip just days before the global lockdown.
The world that we knew of, the well connected, thriving economy, globalized and all the adjectives used to describe this world in this 21st century was all going to change. We have only seen this world through a lens that our previous generation has created. So the world view, the global village as we used to describe this globe, was not developed in a couple of years or decade even. Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennial and Generation Z, all these generations have developed a view of our globe and passed it on to the next generation.
As such what this global outbreak of a pandemic COVID-19 has caused is a damage to our world view. A global lockdown is implemented to ensure the spread of the virus, flights operation suspended, nations closing their boarders, all this is sometime we have never experience in our lifetime and neither has the generation before us. Now this makes me think of some of my friends who use to wait for a perfect time in their life to travel. Some waiting to take an early retirement, so that they can travel the world. I on the other hand have always been a fan of the quote "Travel when you have the time, your money will always come back"!! So after my marriage i always wanted to plan a trip to Malaysia, because my brother-in-law along with his family were settled and working in Malaysia. And finally i planned a week long trip from 5th Feb to 11th Feb, 2020.
Now owing to the situation of COVID-19 around the world, travelling to Malaysia seemed a bit scary and like going into the eye of the storm. Our family members had their fair share of concerns to0 about our visit, considering Malaysia was a thieving economic center with frequent flight from Wuhan, China. News about the virus outbreak was out from the beginning of the New Year. Travel restrictions were luckily not implemented yet. So even with all the above worries, I decided to complete my trip keeping my fingers crossed!!
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in southeast Asia. Kuala Lumpur is the national capital and the largest city in Malaysia. Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government. The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. About half the population is ethnically Malay, with large minorities of Chinese, Indians, and indigenous peoples. While recognizing Islam as the country's established religion, the constitution grants freedom of religion to non-Muslims.
Malaysia is also described as Asia's cultural melting pot, with a heritage of diverse influences including a long period of British colonial rule and an economically powerful Chinese community, Malaysia is one of the most multicultural nations in southeast Asia. The country is a treat for tourists with majestic mosques and temples, a gorgeous coastline to cater to all your travel fantasy.
Day 1:
Our Malaysia airlines flight was booked for 5th feb evening. We had a layover in Chennai for a couple of hours. It was going to be a very tiresome journey before we reach Langkawi. It was Mumbai to Chennai, Chennai to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi! This time i didn't have to convert any INR to dollars, because I planned to take Malaysian Ringgit from my brother-in-law and later pay in INR. This sure offered me a lot of convenience.
We finally reached our hotel in Langwaki on 6th afternoon. Hotel was a prime property near the Cenang beach. With access to the Underwater World at a walking distance from the hotel. Cenang mall too can be reached easily from the hotel, which is 10 mins away. Since this is a prime location we could easily find Indian food near by. A local market with street foods too could be explored easily.
Find the hotel details in the below link: http://cenang-view.alllangkawihotels.com/en/
Eagle square
Since we didn't have much time in hand, so even though we were tired be decided to head out to explore the Eagle square.
Underwater World Langkawi
Underwater World Langkawi is one of the island’s best-known attractions. Located at the southern end of Pantai Cenang (almost at the border of Pantai Tengah), beside the Zon duty-free shopping centre, it is Malaysia’s largest aquarium. The huge white-washed structure houses more than 200 different species of marine and freshwater fish including harbour seals, rockhopper penguins, sharks, giant rays and the enormous Amazonian arapaima – the biggest freshwater fish in the world.
Day 2:
Second day in Langkawi was something i was looking forward to eagerly. The Langkawi Skybridge was the reason behind my excitement. Being an Shah Rukh Khan fan, i was amazed by the thought of being at the very bridge where shooting of movie Don was done.
Oriental Village
The bridge is located at the peak of Mt. Mat Cincang. You will need to take the Cable Car ride from Oriental Village in Pantai Kok area, go up to the top station and then access the bridge through a stairway. That is the only way you can reach the skybridge.
Apart from the skybridge there are other attractions too in the Oriental village like 3D Art gallery. It will easily take half a day to explore all the attractions.
Cenang Beach
A cozy beach to spend the evening, watching the Sunset and enjoying some chilled beer. The beach is very serine with white sand and spectacular view of the surrounding.
I have written an exclusive article for Langkawi. Please check the below link. Langkawi is an island overlooked by many when choosing a honeymoon destination. Langkawi surely has all the attractions to make your honeymoon a memorable one.
Day 3:
We had a delayed flight to Kuala Lumpur from Langkawi. This meant we would only be able to reach my relatives place by afternoon. We walked out of the KL airport and waited for my brother-in-law, who was coming to pick us up. They reside in Cyberjaya, which is around 25kms from the airport. It took us around 20 mins to reach home.
Now we had planned this trip in such a way that we would be in our relatives place on the day they celebrate their wedding anniversary. So it sure was a special moment and we had to pick up a cake from one of the nearby mall.
After a splendid lunch and resting for sometime, we decided to head out and explore Cyberjaya and Putrajaya.
We visited a local park, the Putrajaya city mosque, the Prime minister office premise and to finish the day we visited a temple of Lord Muguran.
Day 4:
When we talk about Malaysia, the first thing that comes to our mind is the Twin tower. We decided to start our day early. We wanted to visit the Twin Towers, Minara(KL Tower) and cover the Batu Caves before finishing the day.
Roaming around in KL town is a very refreshing experience. The well maintenance roads, well designed skyscrapers, well connected public transport systems, it is all in all a man made wonder.
Twin Towers
Menara (KL Tower)
Batu Caves
Batu Caves, one of Kuala Lumpur’s most frequented tourist attractions, is a limestone hill comprising three major caves and a number of smaller ones. Located approximately 11 kilometres to the north of Kuala Lumpur, this 100-year-old temple features idols and statues erected inside the main caves and around it. Incorporated with interior limestone formations said to be around 400 million years old, the temple is considered an important religious landmark by Hindus.
Day 5:
This was our last day in Malaysia. We planned to visit a couple of nearby spots, some less known tourist spots.
Taman Botani Putrajaya
If you love nature then this botanical garden is a treat to visit. It definitely provides attraction for a day tour/picnic. If you are visiting Putrajaya anytime in future, do make sure to visit the garden.
We went on to visit a couple of nearby malls before concluding our trip. Though the time of our visit to Malaysia was around the Chinese New Year, places were less crowded comparatively because of the fear of COVID-19 situation.
To get a glimpse of my KL city tour please check the below photoblog :)
