Greatest Ramadhan Bazaar.

Indian Muslim Mosque in Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Masjid India (or Indian Mosque Street in English) is one of the oldest streets in the city, named after the Masjid India mosque beside the street. The mosque is about 140 years old, built in 1870 for the Indian Muslim population that originally lived there.

Ramadhan Bazaar @ Masjid India Street Kuala Lumpur.

 

Jalan Masjid India has a reputation of being a shopping haven since a century ago and is still going strong today. The official site at jalanmasjidindia.com describes it as a shopping paradise for locals and foreigners alike and it is well known for both wholesale and retail shopping and famous among locals as well as foreigners for shopping, food and discovering the real Malaysia.

locals as well as foreigners for shopping,

 

Despite being busy during normal times, the street really comes to life during the Ramadhan (Islamic month of fasting) season, where it will play host to an exciting and happening Ramadan Bazaar every year.

Police and Local City Hall Officers monitor the traffic @ Ramadhan Bazaar.

   Stall selling food to cater to the fasting Muslims@Ramdhan Bazaar.

An innumerable number of traders (mainly selling food to cater to the fasting Muslims) will set up their stalls on the street. Together, they turn Jalan Masjid India into one of the biggest and most colourfull Ramadan Bazaar in Malaysia-stretching all the way from the Masjid India Mosque till the end of the street or in every back lane of the street.

Another part of Ramadhan Bazaar @ Jalan Masjid India KL.

Other than food, visitors can easily find Hari Raya-related goods such as textiles, clothes,  Raya decoration and cake/cookies in the bazaar, aimed at those celebrating Hari Raya  which happens at the end of the Ramadhan fasting period 31 August 2011.

Income Tax Office .

To all Sarawak Malaysian tax payer...LHDN or Income Tax new office at Tabuan Road in Kuching,Sarawak.Perhaps this is also the new house for  Akademi Percukaian Malaysia (APM),Sarawak Campus.

Tea or Teh.

TT session (short for 'Teh Tarik' - a Malaysian special hot tea with milk & shake, a common drink when we hang out).

I have variety of Tea bags of many kind of flavour at home and I love drinking tea.

Do you know that drinking tea benefits similar to water.The recent studies were made to analyse the health effects of having tea more than 4 to 6 mugs daily. The results of drinking tea for more than 4 to 6 mugs of tea, is similar to that of having liter of water that keeps your body hydrated.However, this is not at all because of the caffeine contents in the tea, its only about drinking water that saves from dehydration and maintains the water levels in the body. However, the findings also proved no major negative health effects of drinking tea. While the practical tests were held, people were served with one liter of warm tea in total amount for the span of 12 hours period, which leaved the similar effects of having that much of warm water. However, the contents of the tea were limited to 20 ml of semi-skimmed milk and no sugar.

Drinking warm water keeps the person healthy and rejuvenated. As far as tea is concerned, it is the healthier way to provide body with the essential nutrients and this will also help to keep a check on the body water levels. Additionally natural tea serves with the essential flavoniods that are responsible for reducing the chances of heart diseases and stroke.

Firefly to make Senai next hub ?.

Technorati Tags: Airline,firefly Airline,low cost carrier

Firefly looks set to use Johor's Senai Airport as the second hub for its jet planes and is eyeing regional destinations like Jakarta and Bandung in Indonesia.

Photo Credit to  Senaiairport.com

 

Firefly has leased two Boeing 737-400 planes, and these will be positioned at Senai Airport. It is not known if any of the Boeing 737-800 planes ordered by the airline will be joining the fleet of Boeing 737-400 jets at Senai Airport.

It is understood, however, that Firefly is leasing the two planes on a short-term basis. Sources said subject to traffic rights approval, Firefly aims to operate the jets from Senai by the first quarter of 2011 and is eyeing routes such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Bandung, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu

"There is also great potential for other international airports like those in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Penang to serve as subsequent hubs for Firefly jets," one source said.

Making Senai Airport a hub may also help spur the airport and the Iskandar Malaysia region.

Senai Airport:

The airport, meanwhile, can expect to be infused with a new lease of life, following many repeated attempts by other airlines which had previously introduced international and domestic flights.These efforts had not taken off, resulting in an under capacity at the airport, which has recently been upgraded with a first of its kind Aeromall.The airport is currently served by Malaysian Airline,Fireflyz and AirAsia.

Fireflyz-New Hub & New Route.

Firefly said: Firefly starts a new chapter in its expansion plan with a new hub in Johor Bahru.The new routes is from Johor Bahru to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

Fireflyz   offer daily direct flights 2 times a day from their new hub of Johor Bahru (JHB) to Kuching (KCH) and Kota Kinabalu (BKI).The aircraft Boeing 737-400 first flight began on May 19 and June 16, 2011 .

In conjunction with celebrating the introduction of these new routes,fly for free promotions as low as RM9 one-way ticket (Fare RM0.01 + RM8.99 tax) for online booking starting from Feb 22 until Feb 28 2011

 

Photo credit to Airliner .net.                      (The interior view of Boeing 737-400)

The new exterior look, the new owner should consider retrofitting the seats, by just replacing the Business Class seats with normal Economy seats. Through this option, the Boeing 737-400 will have slightly more capacity at the same time retaining the luxurious seat-pitch it currently have.The new hub "The Sultan Ismail Airport" Johor Bahru is the first step to make it the site for Firefly continues to expand, especially in the next plan to introduce new international routes flying from Johor Bahru to Jakarta , Surabaya and Bandung .  Obviously "orange power" Firefly is now more advanced and faster after the successful invasion of the blue cloud of direct flights of Boeing 737-800 aircraft from their new route to KLIA to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu since January 15, 2011.

Congratulations ......

FIREFLYZ.COM

Tip from me:  All low cost carrier in Malaysia  is a perfectly good airline to fly if you book early, don't carry much luggage, have no special requirements, and you are certain that nothing will arise that will require you to engage with any aspect of the airline's "customer service". .

Museums in Kuching City.....

Honestly,I have found the most reasonable air fares directly from the official airline websites.And if you subscribe to their newsletter or like their facebook or twitter you are always informed of the upcoming discount or package well in advance,sometime even before it's out in the press for e.g.

Firefly Airlines

We have an EXCITING announcement tomorrow that involves NEW routes and LOW fares! How low can we go? Check back tomorrow (Feb 22) after 3pm (local time) for the juicy details... :)

Firefly Airline is flying to KCH from KLIA .....

 

The Sarawak Museum.....

If you have no time to travel to the entire Sarawak, you owe a visit to the Sarawak Museum. Some travelers commented that simply spend an hour at Sarawak Museum is as good as traveling to the entire Sarawak for a week. There are simply too many things to tell you about Sarawak in this museum. It’s located right in the city centre, and within a walking distance from major hotels in Kuching, especially Merdeka Palace Hotel. The best part of it is, the entrance to Sarawak Museum is free of charge, and no ticket purchase needed, nothing, so why not?

The rear view of Islamic Museum.....

The Islamic Museum is open daily from 9 am to 4.30 pm.It is located on Jalan P.Ramlee in the beautiful restored Maderasah Melayu Buildinh (1930).It is also accessible from the rear of the Sarawak Museum's new wing.The Islamic Museum present a clear picture of the rich historical heritage and special culture of the Muslim community in Sarawak and throughout the Malay-Indonesia archipelago,the traces connection with the development of Islam in the rest of the World.The museum consists of 7 galleries set around a central courtyard garden.each with a different theme.

Muslim Celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad.

Muslim in Sarawak today (15.02.2011) braved the rains to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad in Kota Samarahan.Mor than 8000 peoples from various sector,organisation and school participated in a procession and gathering  at Dewan Saurah field .The procession was led by the VVIP & VIP of Sarawak.

 

 

He say something here...1 Malaysia , 1 Ummah.

Fishing Village-Kampong Bako in Kuching.

The traditional Malay fishing village situated about 37km from the city centre 'Kampong Bako'. The mood of transport for the villagers here is a boat.

Kampong Bako is nothing new to tourist,locals and foreigners alike as the village is the gateway to Bako National National park.South East Asia's smallest National Park in Sarawak.

Kampong Bako is famous for the production of shirmp paste commonly known as 'Balacan' by the local through cottage industry.

To go here take a red bus known as Rapid Kuching Bus from the city centre and that's will cost you Rm3.50 per trip..don't go by taxi and its might empty your pocket for the day..Rm45.00 per trip.

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip(part6)Malacca Full Day Tour.

Before I continue  writing about our day tour in Malacca let me share something about seating on the airplane and why I am so concern about where I want to seat on the airplane.Airbus A320 vs B737-800,Which is smoother? funny question isn't it...ok,ok now look here the smoother of the two is always the one not in turbulence.Where you seat on the airplane has an effect on how much 'TURBULENCE' you perceive.The further you away your sit from the centre of gravity the greater the moment .The aft section of any airplane is always not the passengers first choice .So  if you  plan to travel with firefly's I suggest you pre book your seat.

What is a Standard or Premium set of services on Firefly Airline ?

Standard and Premium are great ways for passengers get more value for their money when they fly on our Boeing 737 aircraft or B737. When booking your ticket, opt to purchase the Standard set of services for just RM38 and you’ll enjoy an in-flight meal of your choice, bottle of mineral water, freedom to choose your seat (subject to terms and conditions) and 20kg checked-baggage allowance. Purchase the same services individually, and the cost would be RM64.

Although the B737s offer all passengers sufficient legroom and ample overhead cabin space, there are selected seats with more legroom and seats that let you disembark faster. To ensure you get to enjoy these Preferred seats, passengers have the option of reserving them when they book their tickets online or purchase their tickets at a sales office for a fee. To enjoy even greater savings of up to 40 percent, opt for a Standard or Premium set of services that include Preferred seat selection.

Let me continue about our fam trip , Malacca full day tour......even on the bus I chose the front seat so I can  view the cityscape scenery clearly .

Before heading for lunch we go to Dutch Square and Stadthuys,Muzium Warisan Baba & Nyonya Melaka and Muzium Samudera.

Photo Credit to Justin K C Yap.    Dutch Square and Museum Samudera.

Don't tell me if you have been to Malacca  and you did not go to this two places Dutch square & Museum Samudera.You will see all the heritage building at Dutch square are red in colour.There are many fascinating tourist spots here in Malacca, aside from the above mentioned. Malacca is a compact town filled with many tourist attractions which delight tourist all over the world.

 

No photo shot are allowed inside the Museum  Warisan Baba & Nyonya Melaka.

The men are known as the 'Babas' and the women 'Nyonyas'.  The Babas & Nyonyas are said to be very Chinese in spirit and tradition but Malay in form.They also know as Peranakan the Strait-Born Chinese.They speak Malay mixed with Chinese phrases.I have a chance to join the media to the  museum and I can see the beauty and uniqueness of Baba-Nyonya traditional costume,antique furnitures and wood-work art.

But you are allowed to have a photo shot outside the building.

A visit to the house would be an unforgetable experience of a journey back in time.

 

Lunch @ Indori restaurant.  Photo Credit to Justin(Sarawak) and Norfazlin Nor (Melaka).

Every one of us from Sarawak & Sabah enjoy every meal we have.Day one we have Seafood Lunch at Putrajaya and Balinese dinner at  Borak Ombak Restaurant in Ampang and day two in Malacca we have Minang food lunch at Indori Restaurant and  a taste of Nyonya Heritage dinner at Seroni Restaurant..

After lunch, I was told  that we are heading for Museum Kesultanan Melayu Melaka,Bukit St,Paul,Porta De Santiago,Kampung Morten(villa Sentosa) Homestay  Kampong Morten ,'Old Town' Harmony Street....

To be continue.......on part7.

This entry was written offline via Window Live Writer and will be Publish late then I expected because on this date 25th January at 10:00AM my 5 years old USB HuaWei E220 was send to KL (free of charge of course) for upgrade .And If I'm not occupied somewhere, hopefully I can surf the net at WIFI station in my area.Meaning here I maybe offline for time being..

Thank You for the support & Cheers everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip (part4) 'Kamik Nait Belon Firefly'.

Firefly Airline is a subsidiary company from Malaysia Airline offering budget flight mostly in the Peninsular Malaysia,taking over MAS route flying from south to north and east to west.January 15th in the year 2011 firefly's offer flight from KUL (KLIA) to Kuching and Kota Kinablu.When firefly's announce new route last December 2010 every Sarawakian especially those from Kuching was delighted to hear which mean there will be a choice of lowcost or budget Airline from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur .

More information about firefly's promotion just log on to their web site   KAMEK NAIT BELON FIREFLY

In case you guy confuse what is 'Kamek Nait Belon' this is local malay Sarawak for" Let's us fly by Firefly Airline "(correct me if I'm wrong)

The word belon mean  aero plane.Beautiful isn't it, Malaysia has so many beautiful dialect .

I'm still on day one of the  Fam trip hosted by Fireflys's & Tourism Malaysia and our last stop before heading to Kuala Lumpur and check-in at Hotel Istana is the Putrajaya Maritime Centre, which was said to be the next big thing in Putrajaya as it’s home to practically any water sport .I don't snap any photo here..well,you see  so many people swimming in the pool .You know what i mean don't you...women swimming gear and people relaxing at pool site.They don't want to be disturb.

Photo by Justin KC Yap...(Thanks Justin )

The handsome uncle our tour guide from day one till last day of our tour.Thank You uncle, for your hospitality and he's  kind of happy go lucky person.Some time he talk alone as many of the media are tired and sleepy .No wonder, no matter afternoon or night whenever he started to say a word.. he say 'Good Morning People' ..,

Photo by Justin KC Yap.

Thank You to the Hotel management .I have XXXL size polo t-shirt and cap ,complimentary from Hotel Istana.This Hotel is one of the 5 star hotel around Bukit Bintang.We reach hotel quite late due to traffic congested.We stay here  for 2 nights including breakfast and hosted by Tourism Malaysia.Thank You to Tourism Malaysia.

 

I was impressed with the friendly greeting by the hotel staff and was amazed to see such splendid decor in the lobby area.
The rooms were comfortable, modern, well equipped and the bathroom was modern, very spacious and clean and soundproof! The housekeeping staff were very efficient, we only had to wait a matter of minutes when requesting extra towels or what ever etc.Breakfast buffet was delicious with lots of variety - hot and cold food. The restaurant staff were helpful and made polite conversation although not overbearing.The perfect location for sight seing and only a 10 minute walk to the Pavilion and other shopping centre.I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wishes to have city break in Kuala Lumpur and of course we have to poke up more monies from our pocket (in case you pay by cash).Me..hehehe.all paid by Tourism Malaysia or Firefly's.

 

Photo by Justin KC Yap.

Our mission is not complete yet,I only have one hour break for a shower ( hot shower of course).I am rushing, the bus is waiting to take us to Ampang.

Photo by Justin KC Yap.

We had dinner with Tourism Malaysia officers at Bora Ombak Restaurant in Ampang.The food was scrumptious with modest presentation (picture above) and most of them are unique to me as it was my first time tasting this kind of food.It had a Balinese theme scenery .We  arrived quite late  because of traffic congested.We sit indoor due to humid and raining has started.We are a group of 20 people and the only customers at that time.I look around as there are still ample seats empty.To be honest,do you know that for a free meal some people would go to the end of the earth almost. hehe..he.

Anyway I enjoy the food, like i said my first time haha..Our tour guide purpose a mall tour for us at Bukit Bintang area but not for me as i need energy for day two of our Fam Trip that is we are heading for Melaka at 0745 hours.

End of day one and my next entry is trip to Melaka. Watch out guy........more photos  on next entry.

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip (Part3)

First of all many Thanks to Miss Sin Hoi from firefly's marketing & communication team being so kind greet & meet us at Kuching International Airport and flew with us onboard FY601. And  also, thanks for arranging  in flight meal for us.

FY601 new fleet B737-800 touch down KLIA smoothly  and the flight slightly delay  from ETA: 11:15 to 11:35 AM...That's normal .To the fleet Captain and the crew ,congratulation and job well done .I know few of the passengers onboard comment negative about the in flight services and I  agree with them but we must bear in mind that most of the cabin crew are new to this kind of working environment with 190 seated aircraft .I am very sure they can improve when most of them have clock about 10 hrs flying and get use to serve the guest by asking what the passengers wanted for meal etc,etc..Like I say during my trip back KUL/KCH the cabin crew have improve a lot and the services is just superb for a low cost fleet...Well, I suppose 'We get  what we pay for' & this is low cost premium flight that I am really proud off and I'm sure you guy should continue to support our Community Airline.

On arrival we are introduce to firefly's local staff and to our tour guide which is arrange by Tourism Malaysia.Later we go to Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant as a special guest launch with Tourism Malaysia staff and we are then introduce our self .The media from Sabah could not join us for lunch due to unforeseen problem but manage to join us for the tour.Our lunch at Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant is superb and the food is 'Marvelous'. Thanks to Tourism Malaysia

 

Photo of Putrajaya Seafood Restaurant by Justin KC Yap ( Business reporter from The Borneo Post) Credit to Justin's Photo.

The 5 star services & the food 'marvelous ' .....Credit to Justin's Photo.My new friend from Sarawak Tribune (sub-editor) enjoying the food.

Credit to Justin's Photo.

This are the transport that carry us from Seafood restaurant to Taman Botani,Morocco Pavillion and Cruise Tasik Putrajaya.If you are in for a little exercise and some leisure activities then the lake Boardwalk is absolutely perfect for you.Tram ride (picture above) around the park is suitable for families

 

After lunch we proceed to Taman Botani where we are being brief by the Senior Officer from both  Taman Botani & Perbadanan Putrajaya regarding the tourism product, Q&A from the media etc,etc..very educational information indeed .

The photojournalist in action at Moroccan Pavilion in Putrajaya and we discover the unique and amazing Moroccan Pavilion.

 

The architectural features based on the heritage of Morocco are actually inspired by the world of plants.Here, you can plan your exciting family day or even a splendid garden wedding at a very affordable price.

We are welcome by the crew members of Kelah Cruise  in Putrajaya lake.

 

The best way to see and experience or discover Putrajaya is by taking a leisure cruise to see and marvel at the city's many attractive landmarks and view the beauty of the lake and I can see and experience the most breathtaking sights of Putrajaya.

For those of you who is planning for a family vacation I suggest this is the place.To discover Putrajaya  fly to KLIA from Kuching by  logon to Firefly Airline web site.

Next entry I will blog about our trip to Putrajaya Maritime Centre ..still on first day of Familiarisation Trip.Isn't it wonderful in just 2 night and 3 days I can discover Putrajaya,Melaka and Kuala Lumpur.

So see you guy on part4 ...Cheers.

Aviation in Malaysia.

Source: Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.

Traffic continues to grow in 2010. In the third quarter of last year, passenger numbers were up 12.5% at KLIA, with regional airport growth just over 7%. In both cases, international traffic growth was outperforming domestic traffic.

Malaysia Airports is currently constructing the brand new KLIA 2; a low-cost carrier terminal that will initially be used exclusively by AirAsia and will be able handle 30 million annual passengers.

According to schedule data from OAG, AirAsia now operates more flights and more seat capacity at KLIA than Malaysia Airlines, even before AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia and Indonesia AirAsia are taken into account. However, Malaysia Airlines does serve more destinations non-stop (66) from the airport than its low-cost rival. A total of 53 airlines currently offer scheduled services from KLIA including KLM and Lufthansa from Europe, but there are no US carriers present at the airport. In fact, the airport still has no direct flights to any US airport.

New services launched from KLIA in 2010 include AirAsia to Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Yangon; AirAsia X to Delhi, Mumbai, Seoul and Tokyo Haneda; Malaysia Airlines to Bandung; Oman Air to Muscat; and Royal Jordanian to Amman. AirAsia X has already announced Christchurch and Paris as new destinations for 2011.

Firefly's plane Boeing 737-800.

Cabin interior of B737-800.

 

 

 

A significant development starting this weekend is the introduction of Firefly service between KLIA and Kota Kinabalu (three daily flights) and Kuching (four daily flights) using the airline’s recently acquired 737-800s. Firefly is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines that until now has operated purely turboprop aircraft from the old Kuala Lumpur airport at Subang.

Beyond Kuala Lumpur, there are seven airports which handled more than a million passengers per annum in 2009. Kota Kinabalu is the leading airport in the Malaysian region of Sabah while Kuching is the busiest airport in Sarawak.

More information about Firefly's click

H E R E