Tag: kuala lumpur

Somewhere I Belong

I am like a newspaper. When something major happens, I tell myself. Wait a minute, I have some pictures of Linkin Park somewhere. Problem is finding them from my blogs.

It was October 2003, Stadium Merdeka. I saw the concert with first time concert goer Florence Wan. Maybe she can remember the setlist?

I wrote:
“Last night’s Linkin Park concert was closely watched by a man in a serban and another in a bow-tie. The rap-rockers, the concert-goers and their minders behaved as the strict rules dictated. Nevertheless, Linkin Park rocked the stadium and even chanted ‘Malaysia Boleh!’ to the delight of the energetic, multi-racial crowd. Some opponents of the concert may not have realised that some half a century ago, at the very same venue, modern Malaysia was born. Our founding forefathers, gathered there, intended a place for every one under the colourful Malaysian sun. Somewhere we belong”

Bow tie man was the then Tourism Minister and the man in serban was part of PAS energetic protesters and that was 14 years ago. Three years later in 2006, I saw them again at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Indoor Arena, They were not the headliners. I met Sharon Lam there.

I like Mike Shinoda’s wasteland rapping in In The End:
I tried so hard
And got so far
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter
I had to fall
To lose it all
But in the end
It doesn’t even matter

Le Apple Boutique Hotel KLCC

Monalisa Ding (@monalisading on IG) from Sarawak is a smart shopper. The last time, I featured her, was about her stay in a strategically located hotel in Penang, booked through MyCen Hotels. This time she found another ‘value for money’ deal in another big city, Kuala Lumpur. She booked via my website again and I am grateful for her consistent support.

She sent me a pic of her room. Beyond the boutique hotel moniker and stylish exterior, the room looked basic but functional. The real attraction may be its location at the heart of Kua;a Lumpur, Petronas Twin Towers and Suria KLCC are a short walk from the hotel. So is the Ampang Park LRT station, The chain has another hotel of the same name in Bukit Bintang.

See rates, view the gallery and book the hotel here:
https://www.agoda.com/partners/partnersearch.aspx?cid=1775757&pcs=1&hid=686956

#kualalumpur #klcc#hotel #mycenhotels #travel #appleboutiquehotel

Riccarton Capsule Hotel Kuala Lumpur

What do we know? Kuala Lumpur has a new capsule or pod hotel in the Tiitwangsa area known as the Riccarton Capsule Hotel.

It is in Wisma Q, opposite the McDonald’s Drive Thru in Jalan Pahang.

The lobby seems very spacious and nice. The pigeon holes in the lobby scared me at first. They can’t fit me or midgets, I thought. Turned out to be lockers cabinet for guests to store their shoes after exchanging for slippers and they are not capsules or pods. Lol.

Beside capsules, the budget hotel has regular rooms with double beds too (at a higher rate than pods, of course).

Book or view more of this new, clean budget hotel here

*Pics: External view by me and rooms by hotel’s website and agoda

Flamingo by the Lake Hotel

The Flamingo Hotel was one of the earliest suburb hotels. Since then, there are now other neighbourhood hotels such as Maluri Hotel in Taman Maluri and Sri Petaling Hotel in Taman Sri Petaling. Flamingo hotel is now correctly branded as Flamingo by the Lake. If you get a room with a balcony facing the lake, it is quite nice. Seems like a quiet hidden getaway and a suitable honeymoon suite with the romantic and picturesque surroundings.

I can’t remember if they had flamingos on the lake but in the early days, there were probably a few pathetic swans, I think. If you want to see flamingos, drive to the zoo nearby.

They say 2 star hotels and a pair of tight jeans for men have something in common. There is no ballroom. The hotel is more than 2 stars and it has a grand ballroom that can accommodate 1500 pax.

I remember attending Malaysiakini’s 5th anniversary dinner here in 2004 where it was joked that should the ceiling collapse that night in the ballroom, the government would have unwittingly gotten rid of all opposition members, critics, dissidents, anti government cartoonists, bloggers, candlelight vigil types and NGO members in one fell swoop. Haha.

I have also stayed there after all night drinking sessions to avoid getting into trouble with roadblocks. It is never a good idea because when you get up with a massive hangover, it is already check out time. This was why Japan came out with cheaper capsule or pod hotels to cater to drinking executives. People just want a simple roof when they missed the last train. But this a story for another day.

We KLites may scoff at the congested Ampang Jaya junction location but for the out-of-towner, it may be a quick drive to the National Zoo or an easy drive to or from the city by the Ampang Elevated Highway or by DUKE. The nearest similar or higher class hotels are De Palma Hotel Ampang and the new Elements @ Ampang Hotel (behind Gleneagles).

Book Flamingo By The Lake here.

Address: 5  Tasik Ampang, Jalan Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tourists From China At The National Palace

Tourists From China At The National Palace.

The palace is probably closed today for the installation ceremony of the new King. It is a public holiday here. I went to the palace on a normal day and had so much fun mingling with busloads of tourists ftom China. I asked the Chinese tourist dressed in the Singapore Airlines uniform to pose in front of the mounted palace guard. You won’t believe what happened next. Haha.

She roped in her friend, also from China. Without any prompt or discussion, both girls lifted their hands in synchronicity like the cabaret showgirls of Paris and Las Vegas! The horse trotted forward as if on cue. There were multiple praises of “cōngmíng” (聪明) or intelligent and golf claps from the rest of crowd for the horse. Kudos to the palace horse and the sombre rider for understanding the importance of tourist pictures.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 640, f8, 1/1250 sec.

#istananegara #palace #nationalpalace #tourists #horse #guardsonyalpha #a7r #samyang