So here we are – six of us at the airport,
excited and raring to go to the land that’s truly Asia, complete with shiny
towers and loads of lovely laksa. Our over enthusiasm, however, has led to us
arriving at Dabolim way too early. But that’s perfect too because it gives me a
chance to have a quick chat with Neil and Damien, friends of mine whom I barely
get to see due to their odd-hour shifts at the airport. They in turn introduce
me to Clive, the man in charge of the Air Asia counters, who very sweetly sorts
out all our check-ins, seats and boarding passes. Now I must say I’m pretty
chuffed about Air Asia because apart from having really great, helpful staff,
they’ve just shortened the distance between me and my home town and the rest of
the world. With direct flights from Goa to Kuala Lumpur at steals and crazy
deals, the world doesn’t seem so out of my reach any more!
We board the flight after a few airport
selfies, a couple of coffees and some pretty questionable noodles and settle in
for what proves to be a quick flight to our holiday destination. The great
thing about the flight from Goa is that you arrive at the break of day, the
perfect time to indulge in a sinful breakfast at the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International
Airport), one that puts a spring in your step and helps you out the sliding
doors to take on the city through the rest of the day. And so we do – we chow
down on our first official meal in Malaysia, roll out with our bags, hail a
maxi cab, make our way to our superbly centrally located hotel (thank you
Rashmi and Melina), check in, freshen up and run straight out the door… What
you must know is that unlike my friends/travel companions, I’ve only got three
days in this scintillating city, while they have five. So we haven’t a moment
to lose!
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Day one starts off with posed pictures next
to a drool-worthy Lamborghini Aventador, a long awaited stop at the first
Starbucks we find and then the ‘touristiest’ thing to do when in Malaysia – a
trip to the amazing, sky-scraping Petronas Towers. Multiple selfies with the
towers: check! From there it’s on to the KLCC Aquaria where we get up close and
personal with some incredible looking fish and even though I’ve seen a number
of them before, they still never cease to amaze me! A gazillion attempts at
getting a good shot of the finned folk: double check! After all that walking,
it’s time for lunch (yay!) and for a truly authentic Malaysian fare we head to
the highly recommended Madame Kwan’s. The flavours surpass our expectations and
the portions leave us wanting more – more space in our stomachs and more
willingness to carry doggy bags around the mall! But we have to bid adieu to a
copious amount of leftovers and make our way through the many levels at Suria
KLCC. I make a pit stop at the Harley Davidson store, discover the quirkiness
of Typo, try on a leather jacket at Zara, get bowled over into buying adorable
outfits for my nieces and then catch up with everyone at the steps of the
fountain for a breather, chai and more selfies. From there it’s back to the
hotel to dump our shopping, shower, change and head to Hard Rock Café, KL, and
a literal yet unforgettable night out on the town. In all this, my pedometer
app racks up 22,100 steps for day one!
Day two finds us at the largest walk-in
aviary in Asia – the KLCC Bird Park where it’s picture after picture of our
feathered friends. From there we fly onwards to Sungei Wang mall where, amidst
a yo-yo competition and the many bargain stores, we find the legendary Pappa Roti
and then make a stop at Sushi King. Twenty-five plates of sushi and a shower
and change later and it’s time to make our way to the much awaited Bon Jovi
concert. An underground train, a mono-rail and a sky-rail ride later and we’re
here, rocking out to ‘It’s My Life’ and ‘We Don’t Run’. Could life get any
better? It definitely could with the street fare treasures Malaysia has to
offer and boast of! Sinfully satisfied, we call it a day and tack up 13,800
steps for day two.
And then day three dawns, much sooner than
I’d like. While the original plans had a day trip penned down for all of us,
reality sees us spend most of the morning taking down H&M, Krispy Kreme, my
last tuck-in of Malaysian laksa and decadent desserts at Espresso Lab. We still
manage 11,800 steps so I don’t feel so bad! And before I know it, I’m packed,
bidding adieu to the friends I now call family, off to the airport and back on
another brilliant flight to Bangalore, ruing the statement that all good things
must come to an end.
