Firefly away to KL, Putrajaya & Melaka

I know, I’m lacking in updates, but I just can’t help it. There’s so many things to do, and so little time to do it.  Sarawak Bloggers is taking up quite a huge portion of my life, but I’m keen to make it succeed.  With that said, I decided to skipped two major events in Kuching and asked Norman to handle it, while I took the flight paid by Firefly to KL to make Sarawak Bloggers a little more well known over the South China Sea.

The whole trip or tour was named “Sabah/Sarawak Media Familiarization Trip” and the tour involved 3 major places, namely PutraJaya, Melaka and Kuala Lumpur.  As for accommodation, we were placed in Istana Hotel, which is about 10 minutes away from Bukit Bintang.  It was a lovely hotel, but with the tag ‘5 Star’, what would you expect?  Okay, let’s go through this part by part.

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THE FLIGHT
Let’s put it this way. When Firefly said “New B737-800” fleet, we were expecting a spanking new plane which was still ‘bau Cina’. However, despite the glittering and beautiful paint job on the Firefly’s “new B737-800”, the inside was disappointing as it was clearly evident that this was not a new plane. In fact, the representative from Firefly answer my query about the phrase “New fleet” was “It did not mean we are acquiring brand new planes, just a new planes to add to our fleet although we do not discount new brand new planes in the future”. Well, if you ask me, it’s a little deceiving when compared to their statement of “Brand New Fleet”. Anyway, Firefly does give you better option when flying as they are charging RM59 all in fare to KLIA. The only thing you should note is to add an extra RM35 for your ERL ticket to get to KL. According to the Firefly rep, there are also plans to add in the ERL charges in the future, but like what we experienced during the inaugural flight to KL, there is a lot that Firefly could learn from rivals, but I believe they are on the right track.

Overall however, the flight was not bad, although the seats were smaller than a rival airline. If you were to choose a meal, I’d recommend the Nasi Lemak (RM10) – same as a rival airline =P

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PUTRAJAYA

I’ve been to Putrajaya 2 times before, and this trip was my 3rd, and by far the best and most mind blowing. The Lake Side Seafood restaurant served us well, but the best part of the whole experience was the Cruise Tasik Putrajaya, which you should not miss. If you had limited time in Putrajaya, make it a point to go on the cruise. I’d be damned if you didn’t appreciate PutraJaya in a whole new way.

As I quoted Fahriee “The way Putrajaya managed to incorporate traditional Islamic architecture with modernity is indeed stunning”, and I couldn’t agree more. Priced at RM30, the cruise is a MUST!

Another place you should not miss would be the Moroccan Pavilion which was made literally from materials from Morocco as every bit of the material was shipped over to Putrajaya. Entrance is only RM4 per adult, but you get to see and learn about Morocco, plus enjoy the architecture and surroundings of the building which I felt would make a good place to host a garden wedding.

Our last stop was the Maritime Center, which was said to be the next big thing in Putrajaya as it’s home to practically any water sport you’d be able to name.

Dinner was at a lovely Balinese Themed Restaurant called BoraOmbak in Ampang, and the mocktail of Kedondong juice was to die for!

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MELAKA

Just like Putrajaya, Melaka is a place I’ve visited before, and I also went there last year. Therefore, I’d not want to dwell on what we did visit that much because I’m sure the usual suspects would involve the Dutch Square (where A’Famosa stands) and locations nearby.

However, I’d like to note the Baba & Nyonya Museum which we visited somewhere along Heeren Street (parallel to Jonker Street). The museum was indeed a delight as you got more than a quick glace towards the good old days of Puteri Hang Li Po which was the era where the Baba & Nyonya started. A guide name Christina gave us the tour, and information was relayed in a very precise and effective manner making worth your RM10. Christina looked a little tensed (probably due to giving out to many tours), but she did get the tour well guided and entertained with small jokes and remarks.

We also managed to go on the Duck Tour (which is the one and only in Malaysia!), visit a few Malay homestays at Kampung Morten, and tried out the Melaka River Cruise.

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KUALA LUMPUR
Oh, I bet most have been to KL, so there isn’t much to talk about.

We visited the National Museum and used the Hop on, hop off bus going to the museum. I thought the bus ride could have been better, and I was a little disappointed with the fact that the audio information was not working hence disabling full use of such a wonderful idea. Other than that, KL proved to provide what you’d expect on your normal day visit in a city.

Well, the trip back on Firefly was smooth, and the whole tour was indeed very eye-opening particularly Putrajaya. As for my mission to make Sarawak Bloggers better known, I believe I struck a chord somewhere along the trip, and managed to make Sarawak Bloggers a little more noticeable 🙂

And last but not least.. yes.. I met a whole bunch of very interesting people, including our ‘Denggi busters’ in Kingsley, Fahri and Justin. Guys, “sebagai wakil pihak tourism Malaysia, saya berterima kasih di atas usaha pihak tuan yang sentiasa peka terhadap keperluan negara dalam membasmi Demam Denggi.”

Do pardon my photos.  Wasn’t in the mood to snap that much.

Another wonderful location to visit is the coastal city of Paphos, and be sure you get cheap flights to Paphos because the extra cash you save can make the visit much more pleasant.