Chinese New Year in KL, part 2 - Avenue K

Avenue K has these put up.

This is the big installation in the main area

Decorations outside

Chinese mandarin orange tree

Interesting thing about the Chinese traditions - food may have special significance during Chinese New Year because of the way the Chinese word for it sounds. Tangerines and oranges are passed out freely during Chinese New Year as the words for tangerine and orange sound like luck and wealth, respectively.

There is also a golden shiny disco ball horse

Some details

Chinese New Year in KL, part 1 - Pavilion

With Chinese New Year just a few days away I decided to post a few photos of decorations around central Kuala Lumpur. 

This is how they have transformed the Centre Court of Pavilion which is one of the central malls in KL. 

On a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is the best, how would you rate the decorations of Pavilion? More more about what CNY is all about & posts with photos to follow.

Palau Tioman part 3

The day we went on the boat trip and we visited the main part of the island there was a wedding. We saw a banner announcing the wedding date and we even got invited.

Apparently everybody on the island was invited to that wedding and they even got a ferry to bring the friends and relatives from the peninsula. I was curious to see a traditional wedding but unfortunately we were in a group and we didn't have enough time to go and check the wedding out. There was no other way to go back to the resort than by boat and we decided to stay with the group.

Tioman is a very traditional and unspoiled island. Simple and relaxing. The locals are muslim and very kind. We saw a local woman with her two little kids sitting on a bench by the sea. They were happy to be photographed.

I made new friends on the boat. Meet Akin and Tashya from Johor Baru.

They were shy at first but after a while they forgot about the shyness and practiced their English with me. They even showed me their talents - the little boy sang me a song and the girl drew a little picture of me - so cute!

We returned to Genting to have a big seafood barbeque. It was awesome. The last day I went for a swim and after that I took a few photos around Genting.

Every shop you walk in and the breakfast area of our resort were shoe free areas.

Not sure what sport this was exactly but kudos to the locals for being active!

Pisang goreng (fried banana) in the making.

I guess my final thoughts are for all the readers that are interested in visiting Tioman to have the chance to do so. You can easily go about without shoes/phone/watch but don't forget to bring your camera, sunscreen and mosquito repellent. And try the pisang goreng. Available only at lunchtime.

Palau Tioman part 2

Cool thing about Malaysian beaches is that they never seem to be very busy because it is summer pretty much all year round and there is always an island that is in season. As far as I understand when it's monsoon season on the west side the east side would be dry season and vice versa. Pretty cool.

We stayed at the beach until the sunset and then had dinner - simple local food.

The following day we went on a boat trip around Tioman and the smaller islands surrounding it.

We did snorkeling and saw some very beautiful colourful corals and fish.

Found nemo too.

We then had lunch at a little beach with white sand and got on the boat once again to see the main part of the island. We went for a stroll and got some fresh coconut.

After we had the coconut water the coconut man halved the coconuts and made little spoons from them so we can enjoy the coconut flesh - awesome!

tbc

Palau Tioman part 1

Tioman island is the second Malaysian island that I had the pleasure to visit. Much smaller than Langkawi, Tioman island is accessible by air and sea. We went there by car from KL to Mersing and then we reached the island by ferry.

It was a long journey but aboslutely worth it. Big parts of the main highways in Malaysia are lit and that meant we could easily leave in the early hours of the night to arrive at Tioman as early as possible. Malaysia is very green and we drove though palm plantations and by fruit orchards too (not sure if they are called orchards in this part of the world) - it was interesting to see the rambutan trees covered in the bright red or yellow fruits. Along the way there were many places where you could stop and buy fruit and of course we did. Locally sourced and seasonal fruits are the best! We had mangosteens, kilos of rambutan and we also tried custard apples.

The ferry ride takes approximately an hour and it's in a big air conditioned ferry boat so having something to cover yourself up with is a good idea.

As soon as we arrived we got off the ferry in Genting and made our way to the little resort we stayed at. Genting is large village along the west coast of Tioman island and offers budget hotels and local restaurants along the beachfront. We stayed in a little bungalow up on a hill from which we could see the sea. It was clean but one definitely needs a stong mosquito repellent for the evenings and nights.

We checked in and went to the beach.

Life without music is no life at all

I cannot imagine life without music. And I don't mean those hits that you hear over and over everywhere you go. They might be catchy and enjoyable for a while but after all they only exist to turn profits in for whoever is behind them as an artist or I guess mainly as the label company. I am talking about music recorded with real instruments and by really talented musicians and artists. My preferences go to instrumentals and to songs in languages I don't understand.

Some of favourite songs are instrumentals, because I like to listen to the different instruments, to the rhythm, to the beat, to all the different layers of sounds and to ultimately interpret them as I want to, to enjoy them either as I go about my activities or as I get lost in my thoughts.

I particularly enjoy listening to my favourite songs in foreign languages because on top the music I like, the artists' voices carry a vibe, that is like vibe you get off when you meet someone that doesn't speak any of the languages you speak. I believe that because you cannot communicate verbally, you just get a "feeling" about them. You sense and it almost always represents the way that person is. So those songs in foreign languages are very genuine, a way of sharing an emotion, a feeling, a much more powerful way of sharing emotions rather than using lyrics.

Of course it goes without saying that there are many songs with very deep lyrics, lyrics that make you think and that make you ask yourself questions. I like it when I get to hear and understand something new about a lyrical song I like. It's like discovering its full meaning.

The other great thing about music is that it can take you back to a period of your life that you associate with a certain song or album or playlist. It is fascinating how it brings back not only memories but also feelings about that particular period of your life.

And music is also great because of its diversity to suit your mood.

Langkawi

Officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah, the beautiful island has a lot to offer. It is only an hour flight away from KL which makes it a perfect weekend getaway for those who live there. There are flights from KL to Langkawi daily and at various hours which makes it very convenient to get to. The airport is also located very close to the coast and the beach that we went to called Cenang. We stayed at an interesting homestay place located near Cenang. They offered bikes for rent which was the perfect way to go around. After we checked in and had a tasty breakfast on the deck we hopped on the bikes and went to the beach in front of Babylon (a really cool bar on Cenang). We spent the whole day at the beach, enjoying the sun, eating local rambutan, swimming and relaxing.

Towards the end of the day my friend got stung by something in the water and we had to go to the hospital, luckily there was a local to help us get there. After a few shots she said she felt better and that she was hungry so we made it back to Babylon for a tasty dinner.

We tried barbecued fish, prawns and satay and for those that don’t enjoy very spicy food a piece of advice is to ask for the chilli sauce on the side. After dinner we biked back to the homestay place and after chilling a bit on the terrace by the sea listening to the waves and to the chillout music played on the speakers and enjoying the sea breeze.

The following morning we had breakfast and then returned to the rooms to chill because it was drizzling on and off. I found the rain relaxing and went around the place we stayed at to take a few photos.

We relaxed until lunch and then the rain stopped so I got on the bike to explore. I went as far as the main road by the beach went and then left the bike and continued walking. Wide beach, clean and surrounded by a lot of vegetation. Like a little piece of heaven.

Langkawi is a place I would return to and I would like to see more of, I know about the cable cars that take you up to the peak of GunungMat Chinchang, where the Langkawi Sky Bridge is located. And they also offer craft workshops and I read about its museums. Hopefully I will be able to stay there for longer next time and tell you more about it.