(Steel and glass canopy over Pagoda Street, Chinatown)

Among the “China towns” I have checked, Singapore’s is the cleanest so far. Not really surprising, it is Singapore after all. The intended two-hour visit was unrealistic from the start, especially if you are going with me who is much delighted with street photography. Hence, we did the necessary timing adjustments. That’s one of the pretty facts when you are traveling on a do it yourself phase. To begin with, Singapore is very tourist friendly that joining a tour is so remote to me.

The shops’ colors and beauty are shouting inside and out. My eyes wandered, very carefully, as I did not set foot to shop but to be fed by culture appreciation. Every corner and angle are photograph material, the calligraphy stalls, tourists and locals buzzing around, if only you can box in everything through a sole snapshot.

One of the interesting shops in Central Chinatown is Yue Hwa which used to be a premiere hotel decades ago. Currently, it serves as a rich source of Chinese products: traditional medicine, dried animals (e.g. bats, deer horn), porcelains, furniture, teas, and more.

(Yue Hwa)

Aside from the Red Dot Design Museum, the Chinatown Heritage Center is also widely visited. It chronicles the life of the early migrants and their contributions to the present Chinatown. However, due to lack of time, we did not formally go in and just tried to peek in from its souvenir shop.

Opposite the Chinatown Heritage Center is Olde Cuban where we took lunch.

For a Chinatown standard, the dishes in Olde Cuban were not reasonably priced but its area is among those more comfortably set. As we checked the hawker stalls later in the afternoon, theirs were expectedly cheaper (and taste better, recommendation to be mentioned later). The food was generally satisfying especially the mussels. The chili crabs were average.

After dropping by in a camera heaven within Pagoda Street and picking up some enhancement-accessories, we checked Mosque Street which was named after the mosque located on its end.

(Mosque Street)

It is apparent that Jamae Mosque’s entrance was influenced by Indian architecture. It is said to have been established by Tamil Muslims. Non-Muslims are allowed inside. Unlike in the nearby Hindu Temple, entrance is free.

(Jamae Mosque, also known as Masjid Jamae Chulia)

We randomly checked the Chinatown Complex which is opposite the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (from the back door). During our visit, there were locals doing aerobics, elders passing time with cards (I had to discreetly capture it), and other activities especially designed for the locals.

(Chinatown Complex)

While Chinatown Food Street and Chinatown Night Market are well-maintained for tourism, my interest was particularly piqued by Sago Lane for two reasons: that tourist-y me had wildly guessed its etymology exclaiming that “madami sigurong sago dito dati” (maybe this was home to sago) and we have found the best satay and and mango shake (I had to ask the owner about the mango source, i.e. Malaysia) in this area (stall’s name is Wonderful Satay).

(Sago Lane, also known as Street of the Dead).

(Too many nice stuff to delight your eyes. No, I did not buy any except for a small souvenir from the Chinese Temple.)

I must mention that the weather was so good during our entire stay in Singapore. It used to rain for a couple of hours at 3:00 AM everyday, made us feel the December cold in the morning, then it was fair-weathered the rest of the day. But when we were about to enter the different temples, raindrops came (which I enjoyed a lot! forgive the reaction of a UAE resident). The umbrella did not stop me from shuttering.

The rainfall was just in time, too. It made the visit to the neighbors Hindu and Chinese temples more solemn and worthwhile. The hours consumed in appreciating the beautiful temples were the highlights of my Chinatown visit. Details on next entry.

Continued from Universal Studios Singapore (1 of 2)

As of its soft opening, the Universal Studios (Singapore) offers different attractions themed as the Ancient Egypt, Far Far Away, Sci-Fi City, Madagscar, Hollywood, and New York.

Ancient Egypt

The Ancient Egypt prides on the Revenge of the Mummy (you face warrior mummies in an indoor thriller roller coaster ride) and Treasure Hunters (you get to drive your own desert jeep through a manmade Egyptian excavation site). In the same area, a souvenir shop and restaurant are available, kookily named as Carter’s Curiousities and Oasis Spice Cafe, respectively.

Far Far Away

Probably the most popular among the visitors is the Far Far Away, not only because of the kingdomlike atmosphere but due to the activities in the area.

They have the Shrek 4-D adventure, Donkey Live (sing along with donkey in an interactive live show), Enchanted Airways (roller coaster) and Magic Potion Spin (kiddie ferris wheel).

We decided to redeem our SGD 5 voucher from the Fairy Godmother’s Potionshop (houses the souvenirs). However, it was understandably not sufficient for the Shrek pillow, Puss in Boots stuffed toy and keychains that we have got. So many cute things inside. Although I am not much a fan of Shrek franchise, it was only from this souvenir shop inside the theme park we gave in to temptation

As mentioned in the preceding post, the queue to the attractions takes an average of two hours. Thanks really to the express pass. Since it is a little expensive though (additional SGD 30/person), I do not necessarily encourage you to buy it. But speaking from our experience during the weekend visit, it made everything smooth sailing. Imagine humbly skipping two hours of waiting time for most of the attractions. So, it’s up to your personal circumstance. But I am glad we opted for it.

Inside the Shrek 4-D cinema you will see, hear and feel the action from your seat to join Shrek the movie characters in their fairytale adventure. The story premised on the revengeful ghost of Lord Farquaad. Be prepared for water sprinkling while seated (part of the effects).

The meet and greet sessions for Shrek and Fiona generally occur infront of the castle. But in the morning we caught Shrek inside his house. Yeah, the ogre’s house.

In case he is not in, the visitors are always welcome. Take note of the giggly warning.

There are two restaurants within the Far Far Away vicinity: Goldilocks (no, not that one from Manila) and Friar’s (where we had lunch) which both serve sandwiches, fish and chips, etc. The Fairy Godmother’s Juice Bar, wherein you can mix your own colorful elixirs, is also available. We enjoyed lunching in this area because it was so refreshing from all angles – the cute poses and antics added to the cheerful air. Who knows, we probably were being photographed, too.

The Lost World

The Lost World houses the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, Canopy Flyer (inverted roller coaster), Dino Soarin (kiddie ride on a Pteranodon), Amber Rock Climb (you get to scale the walls to explore artificial precious stones and fossilised insects), and Waterworld (impressive live watershow as mentioned in the preceding post).

The Rapids Adventure was exciting but expect to get wet. We bought disposable ponchos (SGD 2) which are available in the Jurassic outfitters (sells themed hats, shirts, picture frames and more; there’s also the Dino Store).

You will probably get a little scared if you have a claustrophobia since you will be passing by an enclosed area which is intentionally packed into darkness, with complete haunting atmosphere from the dinosaurs. I remember closing my eyes. Haha. As you exit the hydroelectric plant, the boat will literally slide. Just so you can expect more splashes.

The Discovery foodcourt is probably the most exciting to try because of the jurassic setting. For quick bites, Fossil Fuels stall is also nearby.

Sci-Fi City

The Sci-Fi City houses the Battlestar Galactica (Cyclon – blue track and human – red track) and the Accelerator.

Madagascar

Aside from catching the Madagascar characters in the Move It dance show, you can also enjoy a river boat ride with them through the Crate Adventure. In the same area, there is King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round (carousel). If you wish to have some mementos aside from the photos during the meet and greet, you can check the Penguins Mercantile wherein they sell keepsakes inspired by Madagascar characters. Themed restaurants are Marty’s Casa Del Wild (serves Southeast Asian favorites such as Thai green chicken curry and tom yum) and Gloria’s Snack Shack (offers Japanese rice bowls and seafoods).

Hollywood

Just right after the park’s entrance, you would be strolling the Hollywood.

It is home to Pantages Hollywood Theater where you get to see the infamous Universal monsters in a rock and roll musicale (Monster Rock). We even watched Ironman, just a perfect way to rest the tired feet (and arms from shuttering) while waiting for the 10:00 PM fireworks display at the lake (available on Fridays and Saturdays only). The movie being screened changes every week.

This area has plenty of merchandise shops: Universal Studios Store which sells themed collectible, toys and apparels, The Dark Room (for visitor’s photo related needs), Star Characters, Silver Screen Collectibles, Super Star Candies, The Brown Derby (sells accessories and hats designed for the youngsters), and That’s a Warp (last stop by the theme park exit). Themed restaurants to choose from are Celebrity Cafe and Bakery, Hollywood China Bistro, and Mel’s Drive In (Classic 1950′s drive-in that serves All-American favourites/where we took dinner).

It is simply a colorful spot.

New York

As you turn right from Hollywood is New York, which is more colorful.

Its main attraction is Steven Spielberg’s Lights, Camera, Action wherein incredible special effects are showcased.

Do not miss the Filipino dancers in the Rockafellas.

Vintage cars were a favorite, too.

And after the exit, it is impossible to miss this Hershey’s store. I just had to randomly pick items/flavours which are not available in the UAE. But no, I did not get that biggest Hershey’s chocolate bar. It would be an interesting pasalubong though.

On its soft opening, Universal Studios in Singapore is indeed impressive.

Impression on its soft opening, ticketing and theme park operating hours

Although Universal Studios (Singapore) is still on its soft opening (i.e. rides, shows and other operational aspects of the park are subject to being modified and improved as needed), we enjoyed it more than its rival theme park. We purchased our tickets a week in advance (online) when we heard that these are normally sold out earlier. This, we proved to be so. We intentionally timed our visit on a Friday since the park is operating from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM everyday, except for Fridays and Saturdays when it is open until 10:00 PM (only then the Lake Hollywood Spectular or fireworks at the lake is held).

After presenting our tickets to the counter, we were given the merchandise and beverage vouchers (SGD 5 each), we did the obligatory checking of maps and schedules for the day. We were optimistic that we were going to cover everything especially that we pre-purchased the express pass (additional SGD 30/person) which proved to be very useful. We were freed from the regular queuing that takes an average of 2 hours per attraction during a weekend).

Characters Meet and Greet

While the meet and greet for different characters is possible from 10:00 AM until 7:00 PM as indicated in the programme, we presumed that they might not be generally available each minute. Hence, we dealt with it on a per immediate encounter basis and for the rest, we randomly asked from different staff when and where is the best time to catch them. It worked.

(Except for Shrek and Fiona, they allowed more than one shot taken for the person/group who queued. Hence, if you happened to have been photographed as a group or as a couple, don’t freak out with your disappointment and just queue again if you want your “me time” with Shrek and/or Fiona. Anyway, the line reasonably progresses.)

(The best time to have your photo taken with the Madagascar characters is after their stage/dance show, Marilyn Monroe, Po Panda and Betty Boop in the morning, Shrek and the other characters in the afternoon.)

[I wished there was a Puss in Boots mascot. For the time being, this stuffed replica of him (which we got together with Shrek pillow) sufficed the imagination.]

Stage Shows and Street Entertainment

It is always a challenge to juggle among the attractions, souvenir shops, scheduled shows, hunger, queuing (gladly we skipped this time) and the allowance for getting lost when visiting a theme park. For those who are not intending to get an express pass, aside from prioritizing, applying a sense of anticipation and immediacy might help. As we have observed, those which seemed to be blockbusters in the morning were easy flowing in the afternoon.

(Dancing in Central Park Zooapalooza.)

Kowabunga Kove: Guys and gals sung and danced like teenyboppers in the 60s. The outfits were very Hairspray.
Madagascar Boogie!: The characters grooved into the I Like to Move It and other energy-sustaining tunes.
Monster Rock: A theatrical show which initially featured the computer genius, Henry Preston Jekyll III, who made monsters of the Universal Studios Classic do rock and roll, sexy dancing and other acts so unexpected of them. Just imagine Frankenstein, Dracula, the Phantom of the Opera, the mummy, wolfman, and more singing (and dancing) into Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life, Wondergirls’ Nobody But You, and a lot.
Donkey Live: Well, THE donkey, yes, the talkative donkey from Shrek the movie sung at least a couple of songs and chatted with the audience. His humour and on the side witty remark on random things about Singapore were remarkable.

(Left to right: Kowabunga Kove, Donkey Live (the guide was making introductions), Monster Rock – Pantages Hollywood Theater)

Waterworld. This sensational live watershow is not to be missed. Aside from the actors and special effects, the entertainment brought by the coordinators few minutes before the actual wave of thrilling stunts was impressive. However, take note of the splash zone seats/benches.

Rockafellas. B-boyin which emanated from the hip hop culture of American youth is featured. And surprisingly (or not), the dancers looked a little familiar. I realized that some (or all?) of them are from the Streetboys group from the Philippines.

They are performing at least five times a day and are intently followed by a lot. On the specific time that we checked, there were four participants from the audience. That definitely added to the crowd’s cheering and vibe.

To be continued:
Click to read about The Lost World, Far Far Away, more of Madagascar, Ancient Egypt, Sci-Fi City, New York, Hollywood, and more.

The first Shrek movie was a total hit to me. However, after the second installment I never had the drive to see the other sequels. When we visited Far, Far Away weeks ago, I cannot leave without getting this nice pillow (covering my face) among the many souvenirs. But had he not been the famous Shrek, making it a “nobody pillow”, I realized that it can be actually scary especially at night. Haha. Anyway, the Shrek we met was very gracious. Note that pat on your shoulder after the photo-taking, with Princess Fiona exclaiming, “Take care, Sweetie.”

More details about them and their friends and neighbors on next entry.

Thanks for bearing with my national sentiments shared through my two preceding posts. We are back to “regular programming”. I am concluding my Malaysia-related posts with its famous landmark, the pretty Petronas Towers.

Continued and concluded from [the monkeys and fireflies of Kuala Selangor] [Putrajaya] [Malacca at a glimpse] [A Famosa and Saint Paul Church] [Taman Rama-Rama and its tortoises] [Mini Malaysia] [Bukit Bintang] [Pasalubong from Malaysia]

(Two of the UAE’s leading broadsheets)

Much has been written worldwide. One can write about it objectively or not. Of course, it does not help if it is stated in bad taste. The photos were a combination of statements as reported in Khaleej Times and The National (the more objective).

There goes the people around me reading the biggest news, giving the OFW me all sorts of look – horrified, objective, blank, quizzical, empathizing, and the indescribable. Though I braved to wear a mask by trying to be insensitive, but when I am all alone I can not fake it. I can just imagine those who are in Hong Kong and those somewhere else but dealing with Hong Kong nationals. For a while, one may have thought that it is so ironic that a slice of my job is to give value added recommendations on how to improve and/or strengthen an organization. (It should begin at home eh?) And this news repels it. Just the same, I have no other recourse but to move forward. I AM my country – might be imperfect but ALWAYS do try to shine during the most trying times.

I know, I am not the only one sleeping with a heavy heart despite self-boosting my positivity. Whenever I feel like this, I do call my movie bestfriend, Facing The Giants. Good night, everyone. Tomorrow is always a better day.

(From the front page of Khaleej Times as photographed, 24 August 2010 issue)

I am writing this after watching President Noynoy gave his statement, which I consider to have come so late, on Manila hostage crisis. He was calm (yet the smiling could be disturbing, but I think that’s inherent of him) when he was asked by the media. This probably had you wished to see a little more outrage. On the other hand, had he appeared a batshit insane, you would wish that he would be reasonably reactionary. It depends on how you will view it – that he graced under pressure or the statements had no backbone at all. If you will ask me, I was not impressed nor disappointed. What matters to me as a Filipino citizen (and to those who are not) is his recourse on this crisis, regardless if he delivered it calmly or not.

One of the interesting questions asked of him was about the lessons learned from this untoward situation. That linked every element altogether. President Noynoy thought that the media coverage hampered the negotiation with the hostage-taker. This probably will lead to the needed establishment of self-policing mechanism for all concerned. Another issue is not only the insufficiency of equipment in SWAT Team. What happened today could have happened in any other country. But the quality of negotiation is the deal breaker. What we have witnessed calls for a much needed enhancement of negotiation skills. I am no expert. But for anything suicidal, you tend to come to promise the moon and the stars and even the sun. Considering that person is in his less amenable state. As it progressed, you can always (not so obviously) renegotiate.

Who are (some of) on the hot seats today?
(a) A colleague who is in Hongkong right now. She fears that she will get radical reactions from her counterparts. That she cannot fearlessly roam in the touristy spots until she finishes her short stay there. I would love to be in her shoes. Well, maybe it is easier said than done. But I guess she is in a perfect situation to speak for our government and the Filipinos. I have had my share of queries from different locals and expats in the UAE, ranging from serious yet obvious problems in the Philippines to urban legends. It is always challenging but delightful to speak for the Philippines. I remember the day when I returned to office after my whirlwind vacation in September last year and was significantly affected by typhoon Ondoy. My employer and a number of colleagues teased me that I must consider moving permanently outside our motherland because of the storms, volcano eruption alerts (Mount Mayon was moody that time), instability, and more. I politely and proudly said that I will always be a Filipino and I know in my heart that Philippines is the best place in Earth because we have everything in there, including the problems that bind all the Filipinos.

(b) The Filipinos based in Hong Kong and other places who need to deal with Hong Kong citizens. National sentiments are understandable but can go beyond our understanding. I pray that they will especially be objective to our kababayans who are gracing domestic help.

(c) Venus Raj who is currently competing for the Miss Universe title. I bet she is anticipating more than enough that she will be asked to comment on the issue. Grace under pressure is much relevant. (Edit: 25 August 2010, she made it to top 5! We can joy-jump and scream all we want.) I am not competing for any title, but I am sure that tomorrow I will be asked to comment on this particular issue, especially that it will probably make it to tomorrow’s UAE broadsheets. Just like they asked about President Noynoy’s victory, Ampatuan case, and other matters.

(d) Our tourism. It is a fact since the day we were born that Philippines is beautiful. And as I get to travel to other countries, the more I realized that it is indeed beautiful. I would like to speak for my fellows who are categorically OFWs. Did you know that without us knowing, we willingly promote our country in between conversations with non-Filipinos whenever necessary? It just comes, you have a casual chat with some people planning their vacation, and you cannot help but be proud of our country and ask them to go to Philippines instead of the other less beautiful and overrated islands. We feel triumphant when we get to convince them not in a way that it was mainly sales talk, but because it is a labour of our sincere words and pride. However, I must admit that majority of those whom I have talked to are either not aware of the beauty of the Philippines or oriented but have so much hesitation to come there because of the different concerns – safety, weather (believe me, there are people who are afraid of raindrops), and more. And then this hostage crisis occurred out of nowhere. The government of Hong Kong issued a travel ban to Philippines (under the severe threat category: avoidance of all travels). I think that the reaction was understandable, but that is too much. If we will consider the gravity, it is like they are quantifying the risks tantamount to the concerns why Filipinos are discouraged to travel to Iraq. It is immature to judge a nation just by the action of one man.

As I have tweeted earlier, I would like to put it here:
Is this the death of tourism in the Philippines? NO. We CAN always rebuild, if we want. An isolated case cannot put a good nation down.

(Taken inside Beryl’s Chocolate Kingdom)

My preceding post about Bukit Bintang might have led you to think that I did a lot of shopping. However, that scenario/possibility remained just like that. The recent trip to Singapore and Malaysia was actually meant to just enjoying the place, though I was open to spending a little on shopping. Maybe I have successfully reversed psyched myself that I did not buy much and if there were few, most were not even for myself. Yehey, my “the-stuff-that-I-really-need-are-free” and “the best-souvenirs-will-be-my-photos-and-memories-beyond-forever” pysche helped. Haha. Anyway, here are some of the things that I was not able to resist:

(a) Beryl’s Chocolates

(Malaysia’s chocolate kingdom!)

If you are regular to this blog, you probably know by now that I am a big fan of ANY chocolate. And you can just imagine how happy I was when we went in this chocolate kingdom. Beryl’s Chocolate is like UAE’s Patchi and Philippines’ Choc Nut. Not to be missed.

They offer taste tests inside for the many selections. I brought home the durian (with real durian fruit as filling), tiramisu and almond – all dark chocolates (the choco milk version is available).

(Durian chocolate)

(If only I were not worried about my luggage and weight lifting, I probably have copied most of the customers who bought boxes of, packed in carton boxes of chocolates.)

(b) Cloud 9. Yes, “our” yummy chocolate is also available in Malaysia. But theirs is more delicious than Philippines’. I “hoarded” several packs. I bought from 168 Store, that’s beside the popular massage and spa center Reborn.

(c) Nips. It follows that it is also there! I missed this, I can trade M & M’s for this. If only Flat Tops were also available, that could have been a complete package. Luckily, when I returned to Abu Dhabi from this trip, 300 pieces of Flat Tops (and other stuff) were waiting for me. My family sent it through a kababayan who vacationed.

(d) Batik

From our Putrajaya visit, we dropped by in this grand batik shop wherein we got the chance to observe the batik process. I got a really nice blue-themed rectangular multi-purpose scarf.

They also have a gallery for paintings.

(I had to discreetly take photos of my favorite. Speaking of, Petronas Towers will be on next post.)

During our three-day visit to Malaysia, we intentionally stayed in Bukit Bintang. It is home to shopping malls, hotels, specialty shops, cafes, pubs, hawker-style eateries, restaurants, and more. Although we spent most of the day time outside Kuala Lumpur (the preceding posts can tell you that), at night we devoured what Bukit Bintang has to offer.

(I liked the Malaysian dishes and one of the tastes that I wish to revive over and again are those with Malaysian sambal sauce, including KFC’s ayam goreng.)

(Each corner has its own story to tell.)

(The KL Tower, as well as Petronas Towers, is significantly present from many angles.)

(Bukit Bintang is also popular for spa and massages. This fact is too obvious to miss that I actually coined one area during our first day as “massage street”. But where is the best massage/spa heaven within this stretch? It is just opposite the hotel we have stayed in (uhm, I mean no harm to the hotel’s own massage services). Look for the foot signage – establishment’s name is Reborn. They have the cleanest fish spa in this area. We have tried it (there goes my feet being kissed by the fishes!) and the foot reflexology as well. Lucky me, their best reflexologist was assigned to me. If you will swing by, look for Yaw Shou pronounced as Yo-shu, a guy from Myanmar).

[In the same area you will find shopping malls such as Pavilion, Berjaya Times Square, Lot 10, Low Yat Plaza (one-stop center for gadgets, bought an extra battery for the point and shoot camera, which was used to take all the photos contained in this entry, from here at a very reasonable price), Sungei Wang Plaza and more.]

(It is absolutely more colorful at night.)

Just as any place transforms at night, I think that this talented artist is one of the armies holding Bukit Bintang as the entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur. He does sketches so well in a matter of minutes. During our entire visit, we noticed that most of his clients are Arabs and he seemed to be perpetually “fully booked”. He only comes to this corner at night.

(His fashion sense adds to the total appeal to his clients.)

Continued from [the monkeys and fireflies of Kuala Selangor] [Putrajaya] [Malacca at a glimpse] [A Famosa and Saint Paul Church] [Taman Rama-Rama and its tortoises]

To visit Mini Malaysia was one of the random suggestions given by our guide while on our way to the heritage-rich Malacca. Considering that we “overtimed” in Taman Rama-Rama (from our 30 minutes intended visit turned to an actual 2 hours), “Do we still have time? Is it worth it?”, I asked. Before he can even respond, I inquired further and pre-concluded, “Why is it called Mini Malaysia? Is it a village showing the more traditional side of Malaysia or is it a museum showcasing miniatures of interesting places in Malaysia?” He simply replied, “You will like it.”

(Do not miss our very own – the Philippine flag)

As we approached the entrance, we immediately noticed the flags of Southeast Asian nations. To the other side are the seemingly emptied flag hang ons waiting (used) to be filled.

(As we proceeded, we saw the flags of the states of Malaysia.)

Mini Malaysia is a cultural park and not a museum. I had an instant appreciation of everything that I saw right from the entrance. Showcased are replicas of traditional houses from the 13 states of Malaysia and a few from other Southeast Asian countries. Hence, this park is officially known as Taman Mini Malaysia and Mini ASEAN. Even though the inclusion of replica traditional houses from those outside Malaysia is a work in progress, the ones existing are already very representative of its neighbor countries.

(Traditional house in Penang, one of my favorites.)

At first glance, I thought that the houses are just the same. But with scrutiny, you will distinguish one house’s beauty and peculiarity from the others.

Our visit and the place itself became more meaningful with the presence of students. I learned that the “researchers” are a regular here since they are encouraged to augment their knowledge derived in the classroom through this. During our limited interaction with them, we felt their dedication and enthusiasm (some groups even came with their teachers, not necessarily a field trip) while embracing this classroom extension.

Any visitor is allowed to peek in each of the houses, with footwears removed. Inside are handicrafts originating from each of the state or country. There are also life-like figures of “inhabitants” for each house. Due to limited time, I deferred the chance of visiting each home. But I still remember how enjoyable it was from the minute I stepped on the “ancient” stairs (with the feeling that it might fall apart, where in fact it won’t) to feeling the wood flooring through my skin. It was significantly reminiscent of one of our used to be ancestral houses in my mother’s hometown, while in my father’s, to this date they managed to maintain (since they opted to keep it).

(Popular for those who had extended/several families living in the same house.)

Inside Mini Malaysia, you would be trailing the entire “community”. It is like visiting your friends and/or families from each Malaysian state.

(Another favorite, a Malaccan traditional house. No matter how similar they are at first glance, they are indeed different – from the roof style, fence, and more.)

It is impressive that they recreated the very details of history and culture.

(We chanced on the dance troupe who was practising for the cultural dance shows performed during the weekend. Hence, that is a nicer time to visit.)

(Part and parcel of the cultural shows)

(If you wish to do some retail shopping, some stalls are available.)

It really proves that it is worthwhile to check the seemingly less popular attractions. For all we know, we have different levels of appreciation and I go for the less explored and not so touristy. But in general, I think I am deep and shallow rolled into one that I appreciate anything – from a foodcourt to a historical site.

[More photos of Mini Malaysia]

Taman Mini Malaysia and Mini ASEAN
Ayer Keroh, Malaysia
Contact numbers: +606-232 1331 / 1351
Open from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
(Best to drop by here en route to or from Malacca)
Entrance fees: Adult (RM 4), Children (RM 2)