Travel Experience....

Lately I try to conduct my own research and talk to people who have flown with Firefly Airline.I ask him about how you manage to book your low fare ticket.Firefly has a pretty easy to use Firefly's website and I am able to pick seats and order meals in advance. It is user friendly and I also like the fact that it offers a Premium package  which include a free hot meal, bottled water, extra legroom seats, baggage allowance and priority baggage delivery and he say It will be nicer if it can include priority boarding.

Kuching International Airport Boarding gate.......

Now can you tell me the check-in process at the counter in Kuching International Airport?? I find this experience to be the most disappointed part of the whole travelling experience.In KIA the MasWing conduct the check-in and boarding and two counter are used for check-in activity .The agent (MasWing) was not particularly friendly or polite and were really slow in processing the check-in especially with bags.

Kuching International Airport night view........

What about boarding activity ? . Well in KLIA boarding supposed to take place according to row number and of course ended up like everyone board at once.However the boarding staff  at KIA just let every passengers board at once,except the family with small children or special care passengers.There was no attempt to form a single file line and it was chaotic.I think if they should enforce the boarding order,the boarding would take much shorter time.

Firefly Airline is adding a 3rd aircraft, a B737-400 to its fleet very soon, and it will be used to serve destinations within Peninsular Malaysia. Firefly Jet's flights also code share with MH's.For more information and online booking just log on to firefly's web site 

FIREFLY AIRLINE.

My Breakfast-Ubi Kayu Rebus.

I woke up this morning,it's raining outside and it is cold.The coldness have brought me to the memory of boiled tapioca or in Malay 'Bandung Rebus or Ubi Kayu rebus'.Actually there are two way to serve bandung rebus.First would be with coconut sugar and grated coconut.I like the second one that is served with ground chillies with shrimp paste or sambal ikan bilis and slated fish is optional .The second one, it is hot but are best served with hot coffee a simple black coffee....

Public Transport-Kuching City.

Kuching is considered a non-active city at night, therefore public transportion after 7 pm may be limited to certain locations within Kuching or outside. Taxis are available 24 hours but also limited to those who used to travel at night and have a place to book for oncall taxi or rent a car at reasonable rate. Since all tourist spots in Kuching area is located quite far from one to another, therefore rent a car for convenience, you'll be able to visit more places. Unlike Kuala Lumpur City, Kuching serves without Train, no LRT, no commuter except for Bus/Water taxis (Sampan).

If  bus is your mode of transport in Kuching City ..first you need to study the bus route and make sure you know where you are going.

To be honest to visitors...While in Kuching City don't expect nice,cosy,air-condition bus station ..

My experience..If you want to go to Semenggok Wildlife Centre to meet Ritchie and family the Urang Utan.Go early in the morning take bus number K6.Don't take on noon e.g 13:30pm bus from Kuching because you might miss the return bus you go at noon returning is difficult .Go at 07:00am and are just in time to see Ritchie and friends 'The Urang Utan' feeding time that is at 09:00 am everyday.Spend few hours there and return by bus at noon is easier, but not after 04:00pm it might be difficult.

** Ritchie is the oldest urang utan at the wildlife centre in Semenggok.

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.