Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip "Last Day".

Happy Chinese New Year to all my Chinese Friends.

For those of you who decide to travel period of 1st Feb-28Feb 2011 just logon to this web site 

FIREFLY AIRLINE

This is my last part about my trip to Kuala Lumpur which was fully sponsored by Firefly Airline and Tourism Malaysia.After having our breakfast at The Hotel Istana we go for a Kuala Lumpur City tour by 'KL Hop On-Hop off' double decker bus.

The Hotel Istana Lobby.......

KL Hop on bus service is great way to see the city of Kuala Lumpur without engaging a tourist guide and at a minimal fare.While on the bus you will be presented with multilingual commentary so that you will not be lost .

Beside the multilingual commentary there is also the availability of WIFI on the bus.This bus will take passengers to over 40 tourist spot within the city.We stop at bus stop #12 that is to National Museum or Muzium Negara.

The National Museum was very clearly laid out in different theme blocks, starting with the pre-historical times, continuing with the development of civilization and Malay royal dynasties, then occupation/colonial times (Portuguese, Dutch and British), and finally the part about independent Malaysia. There was a separate hall dealing with the national traditions, such as the birth, marriage, etc ceremonies, and a part concentrating on the national crafts. The visit took us around 2 hours and was a well needed introduction to the history and culture of the country .Then we are invited by the Dato' Ibrahim Bin Ismail the Ketua Pangarah of Jabatan Muzium Malaysia for a light refreshment .

Our group photo with Dato' Ibrahim and his staff.

From Museum Negara we proceed back to Hotel Istana  for Lunch with VIP from Tourism Malaysia and  before begin our dinner we introduce our self.....'Sesi Suaikenal Bersama Unit Perhubungan Media,Bahgian Komunikasi & Publisiti Tourism Malaysia.Here I would like to give a big Thank You to Tourism Malaysia ..I certainly support cuti-cuti Malaysia and our Community Airline 'Firefly's'.

After lunch 'FREE & EASY...I don't go anywhere I go back to my room packing and try to nap for few minutes as our transport to KLIA is at 16:30pm .

Photo by Justin KC Yap...

Firefly Airline check-in counter are located at its A3 and A4.Same lane of our way to departure gate.

Firefly's ticketing counter in KLIA & Firefly's check-in counter staff in action.......smile you are on candid camera !!!

I am not dreaming...can you imagine that budget conscious travellers like me flying on budget airline enjoying  KLIA and without doubt KLIA is a travel destination in itself, this is because here you will be able to find all that you need for business, entertainment and even relaxation. With the concept of efficiency, competitiveness and the desire to become the world-class airport hub in mind thus KLIA was conceived.

My flight KUL-KCH,ETD 2045 and ETA 2230 (FY630)..all the way the weather was fine and landed Kuching International Airport ahead of schedule .

End of my Trip and  from here I give a very big Thank You to our Community Airline 'Firefly Airline' and Tourism Malaysia...Thank You very much.

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip(part8) Selamat Jalan Malacca.

In the past , air travel was deemed to be a fantastic deal. People utilized to consider about it this way not just due to the fact they considered it risky but its high costs was one amongst the greatest reason. Yes, now everyone can afford to travel by air without burning a hole in his or her pocket. It has been observed that the numbers of competitors in air travel are growing even in Malaysia this has proved helpful for the users surely.

The most frequent cause behind selecting air travel is saving time and needless to say your efforts. However, all this time go waste when the people do not know the correct place from exactly where airline ticket booking need to be done. It’s correct which you can strategy different agents for the booking of tickets but you can by no means be sure whether they would be helpful or not. Numerous instances the agents charge additional amount of funds and book tickets in airlines exactly where their commission is more. Thus, in the event you need to keep all these complications away from yourself, then you really should book air tickets online.

Internet has really come to be our friend in performing all deeds of daily life and air ticket booking could be accomplished with ease. These days, different web-sites are present on web that assists in booking tickets of different airlines to nearly any corner of the world. Even though undertaking on the net airline ticket booking one benefit that may be availed by everyone is ease of looking tickets. Just by entering your specifications and hitting enter; you’d get the list in front of you.

If you decide that this information is inspiring you might also be interested in learning about online booking and you want to plan for your trip with your family by air so  try to logon to firefly's web sit below.

COMMUNITY AIRLINE'  Firefly Airline

Photo credit to Justin KC Yap.

OMG..not again..My camera battery ' low bat ' completely out.I forgot my spare battery in the hotel.Not to worry we have many good people carry camera and I want to say big Thank You to Justin KC Yap ....because I choose to use his photo in my blog..Thanks Justin...your are Rock man !!!! hahaha.

After river cruise we are heading for a walk.I mean walk at Malacca Jonker walk at Jalan Hang Jebat.

Photo Credit to Justin KC Yap.

Jonker Walk is a kind of street night market held every weekend and recently the jonkers say they extended to street night market to eve of Public Holiday.Its open early evening to late night.Have a leisure stroll along the street ''Don't forget to try Malacca cendol with gula Malacca..its 'awesome'.I have a chance chat with the jonkers and they are friendly people.I wanted to see those beautiful people of Malacca playing oldies 'Cha-Cha" dance but time did not permit me to join the cha-cha..next time perhaps.This is a nice place to shop for souvenir.

So our full day tour in Malacca almost ending...and before heading back to Kuala Lumpur..again our host Tourism Malaysia & Melaka Tourism bring us for a taste of Nyonya Heritage dinner at Restaurant Seroni.

Gula Melaka Cendol...don't miss this if you go to Malacca...this is totally different from what we have back home I mean our local ABC.

In between our exploration of the heritage site in Malacca we also experience Peranakan cuisine at Seroni Nyonya Cuisine restaurant owned by one of last descendants of the Baba Nyonya family.So we're expecting to taste authentic Nyonya cuisine ...there no need for me to tell you guys what we are having for dinners..'You want to know something..Oh my God..I'm so staving,I swear ..the food is 'AWESOME'..Marvelous.

Our Bus is waiting Good Bye Malacca...heading back  for two hours drive and all of the media friends relax and sleep .Every one of us hoping for the safe journey back to Kuala Lumpur.

What a  wonderful and unforgettable exploration we have here in Malacca..:)

Firefly Airline-Media Fam Trip(part7)Malacca Full day Tour.

I meet few friends recently who have flown with Firefly Airline and almost all of them give positive sign 'THUMB UP'.Beside enjoy comfortable flight onboard  a new fleet of B737-800 they also enjoy arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport,located just  28 minutes by KLIA Express Rail service and the best is that they won't have to cross the tarmac under hot sun or rainy day to board the planes.

Effective 24 January,2011 Firefly's KCH to KUL new schedule is 4X Daily, for booking online kindly logon to the web site of our Community Airline FIREFLY's

 

Now back to the Malacca Full Day Tour which was hosted by Tourism Malaysia,Tourism Malaysia of Melaka and Firefly Airline.As we have completed our morning tour and before we started heading to other tourist spot, first we have lunch at Restaurant Indori.

(photo credit to Indori) Indori Restaurant night view......

An average person like me  rated this restaurant 5 star !!!!.Delicious Padang menus , its a little bit expensive but still affordable .Value for monies.Don't forget to try the sambal,it was 'awesome' stunning food ever !! oh my..I'm hungry again thinking of this Indori..best Padang Food ever .

Photo by Awang.

Next stop is Museum  Istana Kesultanan Melayu Melaka and on the opposite is  prohibited garden palace which was only for the King and the Royal families.How great I'm that now I can share the modern garden with the Royal Family hehehehe......

Photo by Awang.

Lovely decorated bridge that we use to cross Melaka River that lead us to Kampong Mortem.

Photo by Awang.

Kampong Morten is a riverine Malay village on the banks of Melaka river. It is the only traditional Malay village in the heart of the historical city Melaka. It is considered as a living museum as many of its villagers are still preserving its age-old living style apart from the unique architecture of their traditional houses. A visit to Kampung Morten is a good chance to experience the lifestyle of the local Malays. The village is named after Frederich Morten, a British Land Commissioner and has 85 homes including 52 Malacca traditional houses... The village sits on land located at the edge of the Malacca River and used to be a mangrove swamp foliaged by dense nipah jungle until Morten opened up the land with the assistance of Othman Mohd Noh who is credited to be the founder of the village... Despite  the years, Kampung Morten is the only Malay village in Malacca to have maintained its customs and traditions... The village's houses were built according to the Malay design of having long roofs and tile-covered stairs made from stone... Intricate wood cravings can also be found on the verandah of these houses... Various flowering plants decorate its lawn... Kampung Morten was gazetted as a traditional Malay village of heritage significance and turned into a tourist attraction by the State government in 1988...

Photo by Awang.

Villa Sentosa a Living mesuem.

This Malay Kampung House is open to public. When we came, we felt very welcome. The owner showed us the house and told us the history of his family with a lot of passion. You can view a good collection of costumes, Malay embroidery, furniture, and other interesting relics.

Photo by Awang :)

I was surprise to see Malacca have monorail service.This monorail is spanning 1.6KM from Taman Rempah in Pengkalan Rama to Kampong Bunga Raya Pantai along the Malacca River and is part of the State's aim to tap the potential of the river as a tourist attraction.

 

Photo credit to Justin KC Yap.

After a trip to Kampong Mortem home stay and Villa Sentosa  we are now heading for the Malacca River Cruise.The moment I set foot there around 05:00 pm my concern was the weather which has been unpredictable these days and its might rain or thunder storm  anytime.At 06:30pm in Malacca is still very bright compare to Kuching so I suggest if you have plan to hop on for Malacca River cruise...do it at 07:00pm as we could see light bulbs strung everywhere on a building as well as on the trees that line the 4.5km stretch of Malacca river.Overall I enjoy the cruise and this is fun for a family trip.

Our next stop is Jongkers Street night market and dinner for a taste of Nyonya Heritage at Seroni Restaurant.

To be continue............

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(part5) Malacca Full Day Tour.

When Firefly Airline started the jet fleet services using new fleet B737-800s.The people now started to compare between Malaysia first budget airline using fleet A320 by Airbus and Firefly's is using B737-800s by Boeing.'Which is better A320 or B737-800 ??'
The B737-800s and A320 are quite similar as they are both rigid and sophisticated.The B737 -800s is a huge sucess story as it very popular with the latest 1028 ordered by the airline business company.The most successful two airlines in the world use only B737-800s are Ryanair and Southwest Airline.However none of these airplane is better to the other, one might be better for an airline due to operating cost,but for the average person it does not make any difference.
The Firefly Airline is using new fleet  B737-800s flying from Kuala Lumpur(KLIA) to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu for booking just log on to their web site
Firefly's Holiday

I was told that our day two of this Fam trip hosted by Firefly's and Tourism Malaysia that we would be going on full day tour of Malacca.I have been to Malacca before but there's just something about this place that attract my attention and that this Malacca City does not get old no matter how many time I visit.I always fell a sense of peace through me the instant I step into its boundaries


Media friend taking a short ride by trishaw (another trade mark in Malacca City).
After getting our breakfast at Istana Hotel in Kuala Lumpur we pack ourselve  into a tourist bus and begin our 2-hours journey to Malacca.Along the way everyone of us is sleeping and I guess everyone sleep late last night.If you know what  I mean,,,those blasting night life at Bukit Bintang area . Come on people don't be naughty ..we are just sleeping in a bus so we can have a fresh and tip-top energy in Malacca. After all there is nothing to see when your bus is at 100 KM per hour

In Malacca  our first up on the itinerary is the Duck Tour using the World War II waterboat that travel by land and water.We hopped  aboard the duck tour with a few Tourism student and few members of Melaka Tourism official .The duck tour bus located beside Menara Taming Sari,the ticket booth for this tour is easily noticeable with its bright yellow colours.

This is Duck Tour Bus..a WWII water boat that travel by land and water...The Chief Minister of Malacca is a creative Tourism minded person...Congratulation to the people of Malacca.Malaysia's First Land and Sea Adventure.So when the duck almost reach the water the driver seat is taking over by the Captain and only the qualified person certified by Marine Department are given a permit to pilot the Duck .The duck went splashing into the water..
 
Become one of the guest is definitely the most entertaining way to explore Malacca.The 45 minutes touring is entertaining when the ducky tour guide entertain us fact about  duck tour in a TV show presentation style (picture above).Every line of his  presentation will end up with beautiful 'Tuan-tuan dan Puan-puan' and last 'Terima Kasih and Thank You'.For me I enjoy every view and scenery of  a clam blue ocean from the boat especially the Mosque.


Masjid Selat Melaka, is a mosque on the man-made island of Pulau Melaka near Malacca Town in Malacca state, Malaysia. It looks like a floating structure if the water level is high. Construction cost of the mosque is about MYR10 million. The Opening Ceremony was done in 24 November 2006 by the Supreme Ruler of Malaysia ( Yang di-Pertuan Agong) Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail
Well it almost time for lunch at Restoran Indori.
To be continue...................

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 (Part 2)

PRESS ADVISORY

Firefly, Your Community Airline and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, is pleased to invite you to the launch of our inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur International Airport in our newly announced Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

In conjunction with the inaugural celebration, we will also be organising a MEDIA FAMILIARISATION TRIP from 15 – 17 Jan 2011. The journey covers top holiday destinations and activities that will give the targeted audience of your media a good insight of what West Malaysia has to offer.

Details of the event are as follows;

Date    : 15 – 17 Jan 2011

Venue    :  Kuala Lumpur

Time     : 8.00 am (Advised time to be at Kuching International Airport)

                Inaugural flight departing at 0935 am.

* Enclosed is the complete itinerary for the trip with flight details

We look forward to hosting a reporter and a photographer in this trip. To ensure smooth planning, we would appreciate if you could send us confirmation of attendance with the full name, designation, identification number and contact number of participants.

To be honest,I was too excited about the invitation by firefly's.I'm ready for the journey and memorable day.The time has finally come,15th January the year of 2011 was a very special day for firefly's  our Malaysia Community Airline. I'm not alone as there are two social media guy from Sarawak Blogger 

ARI IZZAD   and  The founder of Sarawak blogger CYRIL and the rest are from media like The Borneo Post & Sarawak Tribune

In-flight service started the moment the seat belt signs were switched off. Boarding pass was used as reference for meals that was pre-ordered through standard and premium packages.Set of meal and 350ml drinking water.

 

There are so many reason that we should choose firefly's .First firefly's is low cost flight with new fleet Boeing 737-800 series,flight to be check-in  from KLIA & boarding the aircraft thru aero bright .

The tree handsome commander of the new fleet B737-800..

With two flight from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur .One flight in the morning and the other late night around 11:00 pm and soon they will introduce 4 flight per day.My personal opinion is the services is as good as any premium airline and of course 'You get what you pay for'.

I wish all the best to firefly's for more info do log on to their web site

F I R E F L Y  A I R L I N E

My next post part 3 is the journey covers top holiday destinations and activities that will give the targeted audience of your media a good insight of what West Malaysia has to offer and our transportation,hotel,food and the tour is arrange by Tourism Malaysia.

Firefly Airline-Media Familiarisation Trip.(Part 1)

Firefly,Your Community Airline and wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines,is inviting me to the launch of  their inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur International Airport in their newly announced Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The new fleet of Firefly Airline B737-800.

On the 15th of January ,2011 Firefly Airline made a history the firefly's flight number FY602 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Kuching International Airport touch down on time and the traditional aviation welcome the new fleet by spraying the water from the rescue unit water engine.As promise they use the aero bridge for the convenient of the passengers.

 

My media pass and the photograph of coming guest from Kuala Lumpur been greet by traditional dance of Sarawak.

The best is as a blogger and freelance photographer .A very big Thank You to firefly's for inviting me to be part of this great event.

Passengers to Kuala Lumpur at departure hall and on board the B737-800 fleet.

The flight crew of firefly's........

I'm one of the first guest that flew from Kuching to KLIA with the new fleet B737-800 and if you guys want to go to Kuala Lumpur with lower fare just log on to firefly's website    F I R E F L Y    Airline   .

This is part 1 of my blogging about my FAM Trip with firefly's and InsyAllah will continue part 2 in few days time.

Cheers and Thanks.