Travel

Craving for a short get away but don’t want to splurge on flights? Just book a $60 bus ride from Singapore to KL! Staying in serviced apartment via Airbnb is affordable too! But, the concern is, what to do in KL besides cafe hopping and eating to your heart’s content? Thankfully, my friend did some research and have discovered a few interesting places to go to up your Instagram game (just kidding). Little did I know, there are a couple of places in KL that is perfect for photography purposes!

1. Selfie Museum (NOW CLOSED)

📍 2.28, Level 2, Fahrenheit 88, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Opens daily: 10 am – 10 pm
Ticket price: RM20 (Adult) / RM10 (Child)
Website: https://www.selfie.com.my/

It was indeed the selfiest place on earth! There were a total of 9 dessert-themed rooms full of interactive exhibits created for a mini photo-shoots.

2. French Village at Berjaya Hills

📍 KM 48 Persimpangan Bertingkat, Karak Expy, Bukit Tinggi, 28750 Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia

No driving license? No problem! Just head to Berjaya Times Square one day in advanced to get your shuttle bus tickets to Colmar Tropicale! Head over to the hotel lobby to inquire at the reception counter on where you can get the tickets. For more info, please visit their website at http://www.colmartropicale.com.my/contact-us/shuttle-service/ In my opinion, a day trip to Berjaya Hills is enough because there is not much activity to do.

3. Astaka Morocco

📍 Presint 1, 62000 Putrajaya, Malaysia
Opens daily: 9 am – 12 pm, 2 pm – 5 pm (Closed on Tuesday)
Ticket price: RM3

Want to go to Morocco but could not afford it? Fret not! You can now pay a visit to Astaka Morocco museum to see Moroccan architecture. It is just a 40 minutes ride away from the city. Travelling via Grab from the city centre cost us about RM40 per trip. Honestly, it is such a beautiful place to do photo-shoot! Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures in the museum unless special arrangements were made. It is still worth the visit though, because there are many potential scenic places outside the museum for your pictures!

4. Skydeck KL Tower

📍 Kuala Lumpur, 50250 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Opens daily: 9 am – 10 pm
Ticket price: Get it via Klook for cheaper price!

The best time to spend time in the tower is just before sun goes down – which is around 6 pm until 8 pm. You get to take pictures when it is still bright outside, followed by watching the sun goes down, followed by gazing at the night city lights. My favorite part was when the sky turns from pink to purple; simply breathtaking.

So that concludes what I did during my 5 days visit to Kuala Lumpur. Who’d knew that there are many interesting places in KL to be explored?

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It all started with a casual conversation with my colleagues at lunch, “I want to go to Cebu.” My Filipino colleague who has been there before said, “You should.” We started asking around and six of us had actually agreed to proceed with the plan. What are the odds! Fun fact, we were promised that there is a company bonding trip held each year before we joined the company but that never happen to us so instead, we plan our own trip at our own expenses.

We had booked a 2 days tour via my colleague’s acquaintance (I wish I had the contacts so I could share the info – but not to worry, you can easily find tours via Klook). This 2 days tour cost us $158 SGD and the package includes:

1 night accommodation
Transportation
Canyoneering at Kawasan Falls
Snorkeling at Pescador Island
Sardine Run
Swimming with sea turtles
Swimming with whale sharks in Oslob
Tumalog Falls
Sumilon Island

FYI, the bigger your group is, the cheaper the price of each pax will be. Thus, it is recommended to go in a bigger group. Else, you can always join a non private tour for cheaper options. I did not know what to expect of the tour at first, but now that I know, let me share with you my experience.

Day 1 – Moalboal & Badian

Got ready as early as 5 am in the morning for the tour to pick us up at the hotel in Cebu City. We thought that we could take a nap in the van but boy, were we wrong! The ride to Moalboal was so SO bumpy – it was as if we were on a roller-coaster ride throughout. We had arrived at Moalboal around 6:30 am and we were already up and about for our snorkeling session. I had my GoPro with me but the tour guide was so kind to help us take videos and pictures throughout the tour. The corals at Pescador Island looks healthy and they are breathtaking, as expected. Next up, we got to swim with MILLIONS of sardines. You have no idea how epic it was to get so close to them. Watching them dancing in the water was thrilling! Last stop was swimming with the sea turtles! This was quite an appealing yet painful experience because there were so many jellyfish – too many. It was all worth it though, because how cute are those sea turtles! You guys, I am not even an animal lover so if I say they are cute, it means they ARE cute.

Right after the swimming session, we head back to the van all wet, drove to a fast food restaurant to grab a quick brunch, before heading to Badian for our canyoneering session. I have never done canyoneering before, nor have I done cliff jumping. I was terrified – but willing to give it a try. There was a 15 – 20 minutes hike before reaching the falls. First stop at the falls was that 4 meter jump; my first jump. I was wearing my contact lens but that first jump shook me till I forgot to close my eyes. L-O-L. All in all, canyoneering was so much fun. It is a perfect activity to do during summer especially, because the water is so damn refreshing. Our activity ended around 4 – 5 pm, and we drove back to Moalboal for the night. I did not actually take a picture of our accommodation, but it was rather pleasant. Not a 5 star kind of stay yet comfortable.

Day 2 – Oslob

The next morning, we had to meet our driver at 3 am in the morning for our ride to Oslob which took us about 2 hours to get there. We were told to arrive in Oslob earlier as it was a Sunday and it can get very crowded. When we arrived at Oslob, I was most excited about swimming with the whale sharks! On top of it all, we managed to watch the beautiful sunrise while waiting for our number to be called. In case you did not already know, whale sharks are the largest fish on the planet! I believe we had about 30 minutes to swim with the whale sharks, just enough time to admire them in the wild. I loved that experience, and I would definitely do it again! After swimming with the whale sharks, we head over to Sumilon Island for its white sandbar. Spent around 1 – 2 hours here taking pictures and snorkeling. Honestly, at this rate we were knackered. Plus the amount of sea water we drank by accident is unaccountable for, L-O-L. Right after that trip, we were given some time to freshened up, changed to our dry clothes before heading to Tumalog falls. It is a nice place to take pictures but not so recommended for swimming.

So that sums up the 2 days tour! It is totally recommended and save the hassle. On top of it all, you get to enjoy your own private tour with your buddies. What a better way to enjoy the tour! I LOVE CEBU and I would definitely come back again. Shout out to my colleagues (now ex-colleagues) for making this trip happen!

Extra info for tourist

Tourist are required to pay a terminal fee of 850 Peso ($23 SGD) at departure hall of Mactan Airport *for international flights only. This is something new for me as I have never been asked to pay for terminal fee at any other airport, so, good to know! Also, if you want to buy souvenirs back to your hometown, please get it at the city markets. The goods at Mactan airport are way TOO overpriced.