TOLANIC's Travel Blog | Visit Malaysia

The night after Christmas, I was rushing from my home to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) (IATA: KUL, ICAO: WMKK) in Sepang, Malaysia to get a transit flight to Abu Dhabi International Airport with Airbus A340-600 by Etihad Airways.

The long tiring journey from Kuala Lumpur to Abu Dhabi took about 7 hours 20 minutes. The distance between these two cities is about 5,612 kilometers. There is nothing to see through out the window except the dark starry sky. I have spent most of my free time watching movies and playing games using the media player provided inside the cabin.

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Masjid al-Haram (Masjidil Haram / Al-Masjid al-Haram) is the most important place for Muslims. It is the largest mosque in the world and also known as the Grand Mosque. The second largest mosque is Masjid al-Nabawi and it is located in Medina. Masjid al-Haram is located in the city of Mecca (Makkah) Al Mukharamah, Saudi Arabia. Makkah is a Haram area, where the non-Muslims are not allowed to enter this area. Masjid al-Haram was built surrounds the Kaaba (Kaabah). Kaaba is a Qiblat (Qibla or Kiblah) for Muslims. The Qiblat is a center point of direction for Muslims. All Muslims around the world must facing toward Qiblat during the Solat (prayer). The Grand Mosque can accommodate up to four million people at one time.

Lately, the demand was increasing drastically because Islamic population getting bigger. The current size is very limited and not enough to fulfill the current demand. That’s why there is a quota to control the number of travelers from every country especially during the Hajj season and Ramadan season. The Saudi government is doing something to solve the problem.

Currently there is a mega construction to extend the mosque. This is a fourth extension which began in 2007. In the future, Masjid al-Haram can support more people from all around the world. The overcrowded problem is very dangerous to the travelers. According to the statistic, at least 2400 Muslim pilgrims have been killed in stampede since 1990. I hope with a bigger mosque, it can solve many problems.

The Kaaba.

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Stanley is one of the places that travelers must go in Hong Kong. Stanley is located on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. The name of Stanley was given by Lord Stanley who is the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies during the 19th-century. Stanley was the temporary administrative centre for British before they are moving to Victoria City (Central). Stanley was also a last stand place for Allied before they surrendering to Japanese troops during the World War II. Now, Stanley is a peaceful town and tourist attraction in Hong Kong.

The Boathouse at Stanley.

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Sentosa Island (formerly known as Pulau Belakang Mati) is located in the south of Singapore. It’s the most popular resort and theme park in Singapore. You can go there either by bus or cable car. Sentosa Island is a place where you can have exciting outdoor and indoor activities with friends and family.

It’s also a nice place for honeymoon because there are three wonderful beaches in Sentosa Island which are Palawan Beach, Siloso Beach and Tanjong Beach. Palawan Beach is the place where a suspension bridge links to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia (Asia’s closest point to the Equator). Sentosa Island has the biggest war museum in the South East Asia. It is the centerpiece of Britain’s spectacularly unsuccessful “Fortress Singapore” strategy in World War II. Sentosa Island also has an Underwater World where the oceanarium is home to more than 2,500 fishes from 250 different species. There are too many other attractions to list up.

I can bet that you will have an unforgettable traveling experience. It’s worth for you to spend the whole day for enjoyment. Have a nice holiday!

Sentosa Island.

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Marine Land is located inside Ocean Park. The most popular attraction in Marine Land is Atoll Reef. Atoll Reef is a three level giant aquarium and the design based on Indo-Pacific Coral Island theme. Atoll Reef is a home for around 1,500 underwater habitants from 250 types of species. Beside Atoll Reef, Ocean Theatre is one of the most favorite places to visit among the tourist. Ocean Theatre is a place where you can watch aquatic live performances starred by sea lions, dolphins and trainers. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit Marine Land if you come to Ocean Park!

Please welcome to Marine Land Ocean Park.

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Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are one of the largest parks in the heart of London, England. It is located on the south from Bayswater. These two parks are located at the same area. It is also one of the Royal Parks of London. The other Royal Parks of London are Bushy Park, Green Park, Greenwich Park, Regent’s Park, Richmond Park and St. James Park.

Hyde Park is open to public from 5am until midnight. Meanwhile, Kensington Gardens is open from 6am to dusk. The overall area is 625 acres. Both areas are planted with beautiful green trees and ornamental flower beds around the lakes. These two parks are very popular for sunbathing, picnics and other health activities such as walking, jogging, cycling and tai chi because of the peaceful environment and magnificent scenery.

Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens provides many varieties of fauna such as squirrels, pigeons, robin, dunnocks, tits, butterflies, buzzard, Egyptian geese, white swan and black swan. You can hear the birds singing while you walk. It is a suitable place for peace of mind seeker. This place is very relaxing. I believe after you went to this place, you won’t forget for your whole life!

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Firstly, I would like to say sorry because I abandoned this blog for quite long time. I didn’t update this blog about almost 3 months because I was too busy with meetings.

Secondly, I’m proudly to announce I will travel to Abu Dhabi for transit with Airbus A340-600 Etihad Airways departing from KLIA on Saturday morning (December 26, 2009). Just one day after the Christmas. After that I will fly to London Heathrow Airport. I’m going to stay at Hyde Park in London until next year. I cannot wait to feel the white snow. This year I’m going to celebrate New Year in Greenwich!

I promise starting from next year I will update this blog more frequently. Don’t forget to check my blog after New Year. See you all!

Today I went to Subang Airport to watch RMAF Sukhoi and USAF Thunderbirds Air Show 2009. I reached there about 2 hours early to avoid the mass traffic jam. The event started at 11am. I’m a bit disappointed because only 1 Sukhoi is performed. It will be much better if the Thunderbirds team used the colorful smoke instead of colorless smoke to make it more attractive. The air show ended at 12.15pm.

USAF Thunderbids.

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Few days before we leave Medina, we also grab the chance to visit other places of interest apart from al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina such as Uhud and al-Qiblatain mosque.

Uhud was located about 5km from Medina. The battle between the Muslims and the Meccans (Quraysh) was happened here at the valley that located in front of the mount Uhud on year 625. The Muslim army was lead by Prophet Muhammad, Saidina Hamza ibn Talib and Saidina Ali. There are about 70 Muslims died in this battle. The enemies are outnumbered about three times more than the Muslim army. The victory goes to Quraysh.

After that, we went to Masjid al-Qiblatain (Mosque of the two Qiblas). The historical event was held at this mosque where in the past the Muslims have been commanded to change the Qibla (the direction of prayer) about 180 degrees turn from Jerusalem to Makkah (Mecca).

Few days later, we left Medina and move forward to Makkah. I love al-Masjid al-Nabawi. I cannot wait to visit that place again in the future.

Al-Qiblatain mosque (Mosque two Qiblas) seen from outside. Architectural design which greatly good!

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al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet).

On last year, my family and I went to Saudi Arabia to do the Umrah. Before we do the Umrah at Makkah, we have visited Medina. We took Saudi Arabian Airlines. We arrived at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (IATA:MED – ICAO:OEMA) around 03:00 on April 18. This airport is the fourth busiest airport in Saudi Arabia and located in the western city of Medina.

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Ocean Park Hong Kong is the most famous theme park in Hong Kong. This place was opened since January 1977. The number of visitors is higher than Hong Kong Disneyland. It’s located in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island. Public can reach there by taxi or CityBus. The main mascot is sea lion named Whiskers (or known as Wai Wai in Chinese). There are so many side activities you can do in here, such as dining and shopping.

The Park opens at 10am and close at 6pm. The admission rates is HK$208 for adult and HK$103 for child.

I think it is enough with my short brief about Ocean Park. My conclusion, this is one of the places you must visit when you had a trip to Hong Kong. Have fun!

Welcome to Ocean Park Hong Kong!

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Bandung is a city in West Java, Indonesia. Well known for its many shopping malls, factory outlets, universities, denim jeans industry, textile industry, distros and roadside cafes. Located 768 m (2,520 ft) above sea level. Due to its elevation, the climate in Bandung is cooler than most Indonesian cities and can be classified as humid; the average temperature is 23.6 °C (74.5 °F) throughout the year. This city is surrounded by volcanic mountains. Bandung is located about 1,252 km from KLIA, Malaysia. The return-flight ticket fare for Kuala Lumpur-Bandung is around RM 544 with AirAsia. Bandung is the second biggest city in Indonesia after Jakarta. The population is around 3 millions. You can imagine how crowded the city is.

The worst thing I don’t like about Bandung is the traffic. The roads in Bandung are very small to support the 3 millions populations’ makes the traffic become very havoc. Most of them ignore the road safety and law. Traffic light is totally useless. Most of the drivers drive very aggressive. Believe it or not, this city is polluted with honk sound which is roughly at least 10 honks per minute.

There are tons of Factory Outlets in Jalan Dago (Dago Street). This is one of it. The price is quite cheap. I bought three good quality t-shirts from this shop with less than RM50.



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