THE amazing race!!

I marvel if there are people who’d go around the world alone. See the beauty of it without someone to talk to and share the amazement and wonder while looking at it. But when you’ve got nothing else but your passion, you’ll be surprised at how people could push beyond the need of company, and actually make this possible.

We met a 30ish American girl in Kuala Lumpur on the lift going up to Petronas Tower’s sky bridge (viewing deck). She’s amazing. Why? Because 1) She’s traveling alone. 2) She’s traveling alone. 3) She’s traveling alone, for a year, as we speak. She’s a teacher by profession, and according to her, she’s not earning enough. So she sold one of her investments in real estate, and used that money to literally travel the world. Wow!

The idea has actually crossed my mind, several times now. It makes me feel excited and nervous just by merely thinking about it. Someday, I would. But maybe not in the same way as her. In a destination as big as THE world. Man, I need company, if not, I’d probably be going back home talking to myself or something close to that. Haha! Good thing, the lady has no “horror” stories throughout her trip. And I think, that’s the what-goes-around-comes-around thing’s all about. I mean yes, if you’re nice to people and strangers (especially in a foreign place) they’ll be nice to you as well. Though not at all time. There are people who are really assh*les no matter what. =p

I have TAMADitis to detail our entire trip. After all, you can find a lot of travelogs and websites if you want information about Singapore and Malaysia’s must-sees. That can be more credible and interesting than I am. =p

In general, Singapore is by far the cleanest city I have seen. Its streets are very sidewalk oriented, that makes it easier to explore the city through foot. Not to mention the side-activity of shopping, as on their MRT stations are filled with shopping malls/boutique. This makes the paglalakad extra enjoyable (and costly). We were there on the week before Chinese New Year, in time for sale-brations and BIG discounts. Ohh la la..

One thing I noticed about Singaporean also is that commuting is a part of their everyday lives. Maybe because their country is such a small place, that having a car becomes a drawback rather than an advantage. For one, parking is so limited. Two, because it’s limited, it’s pricey. The city is very MRT-connected anyway, so there’s no need really to have a car. Plus the fact that cars there are allowed to use for a max. of 3 years (I think). That then oblige the owners to dispose it afterwards or (which is the usual practice) to re-sell it to 3rd world countries (us, not included because theirs are right-handed). That’s why; walking around Singapore has added the cars that run on their highways as an added tourist attraction for me. I’m like OHHing and WOWing every minute or two. Commuting is very normal activity, even for the above average citizens. For them, it’s not an indication of their status in life, unlike the connotation we have here. Owel.

Singapore is a very progressive country, clean and orderly. Yes. But sure there’s a downfall, and for me it’s just that if you want to unwind or go for a different aura, mood. You can’t find one. Yes, there’s the Sentosa, pero iba pa rin e. Like for us, there’s the ever reliable Tagaytay or Baguio or Ilocos or Palawan. Ganon. But over-all Singapore is a very impressive country. That, I can assure you.

The dreaded and exciting cable car ride to Genting. A must-try experience!


Malaysia or Kuala Lumpur on the other hand, is as equally remarkable. Not in physical characteristics but on the amount of amazement I have had from the actual place that I saw against my initial expectations. Though similarities like traffic and pollution are visible, in general, I can say that KL is more progressive, urbanized and clean compared to Metro Manila. I think it’s safe to say that we were able to see the entire KL, and there’s no area close to the likes of Tondo or a large group of slams for that matter, that we saw.

Ingat lang sa mga taxi dun, nangongontra din (ng sobra-sobra).


Batu caves, though not in the city proper should be visited as well. A giant giant statue of gold Buddha will welcome you, including the almost 300 staircase you need to climb up to see the other statues inside the cave. Very tiring talaga. Our feet was shaking literally after this ordeal.


Genting, is not to be missed when in Malaysia. For me, this is the most thrilling and enjoyable part of my Malaysia trip. Theme park-slash-casino-slash-hotel-slash-restaurant-slash-malls. Lahat na. Added by the super cool weather and exciting skyway ride (cable car) of 20 minutes or so, na super taas. Whew!
at my back is the World's Largest Hotel the First World Hotel.

More more...

-Reverse Bunjee Jump at Clarke Quay.
This is expensive for me, but you see for the heck of experience I did it. Coz at the end of the day, you will not remember how much money you spend but how good the experience was! :D So I say, try this when you're there.

Sentosa Island bus. Had a funny experience here.
We’re following a map, and we thought that to go to the next attraction all we need to do is walk. So obviously we got lost. Because the little paths in our map is to be traversed by the bus not by our foot. Hay, best things in life are free.
* Finding Nemo’s relatives.

* A Japanese genus crab. Still in Sentosa.
* Cable car to Sentosa Island.

* Our bus to KL, Malaysia.
* Outside the KL Sentral Terminal Station - The traveler's hub.




* Guards at King's Palace. Its gates are accentuated with gold patterns.
* One of the musuems in KL. Pls notice the crystal clear water at the bottom.



If you don’t know anything about the place you’re planning to visit. Wikitravel and Lonely Planet are your best friends. =) Ciao!

Next? Clue: Tomb Raider! =D