It's a travel journal. Summer is just around the corner, is it a stupid idea to go to the tropics to escape the heat?
10:03 Take train 1301 from Beijing Railway Station to Tianjin. Arrive at Tianjin Railway Station at 11:48, have lunch at a Malan ramen restaurant near the station, and then take the bus to Tianjin Binhai International Airport. The bus station is in the square behind the railway station, because the railway station is still under construction, to go to the bus station you have to go in from the entrance of the railway station, to the waiting hall on the second floor, turn left after going to the end, go downstairs to the first floor and then turn left out of the station, more than 100 meters away is the bus station. Buses depart every half hour, on the hour and half-hour. If you take a taxi, the price of the black brother is 80 yuan!
We took the bus that departed at 13:00 and arrived at the airport in 27 minutes, which was convenient.
When I went through the immigration procedures, the border police saw that I had 5 Malay visas in my passport and asked me a lot of questions, such as "Why do you want to go to Malaysia when you get old?" "One category, just like when I went to Thailand a few years ago.
Boarding on time at 15:00, but like the one in April, the departure was almost an hour late. The occupancy rate is much higher than in April, and the cabins are basically full, and the good times when one person sits in three seats are not there. During the flight, I saw a magnificent sunset over Vietnam.
At 22:15, the plane landed on time at the LCCT terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in heavy rain. After completing the immigration formalities and going to the ATM to withdraw money, just like last time, UnionPay cannot be used, maybe it is too late? However, there is no indication of out of service on the screen. I had to exchange 500 RMB for 215 ringgit, the exchange rate is too bad! You can't just bring a UnionPay card without cash! Three withdrawals, two failed to make it!
Walking out of the airport lobby, the rain had stopped, the night wind was gusting, and it was obvious that the weather was much cooler than when it came in April. Compared to the hot weather in Beijing at the time of departure, it was too cool here. Rest for a few hours at the Tune Hotel (the room is small and expensive) and wait for the next morning to change flights to Sabah in East Malaysia.
Saturday Sabah.
The hotel is a 7-8 minute walk from the airport departure hall. Check-in at 06:20 and proceed to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, East Malaysia. At 06:50, the plane took off on time, and the cabin was basically full, unlike flying to Penang in April, where the cabin was half empty. 09:20 Arrive in Sabah on time.
At the ATM at the airport, I used a UnionPay card to withdraw 1,000 ringgit, and the text message was reported immediately, which was equivalent to 2,136 yuan. My friend went abroad for the first time and was puzzled, "Why can a Chinese card take out foreign money?" "Haha!
Turn right out of the airport hall, there is a row of chairs at the door on the far right, there is the 16A bus station, there is no stop sign, there is no sign, I asked the two European tourists sitting on the chairs, confirmed that it is correct, and so on. 16A I don't know how long to come, but the waiting time is just right to study the map of Kota Kinabalu (free from the airport). After waiting for half an hour, the bus came, a very small and old minibus, far worse than the buses in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. 16A is a circular bus that passes through the beautiful First Beach, the most beautiful beach in Kota Kinabalu City, and finally arrives at the bus terminal in the western part of Kota Kinabalu City. The fare is RM1.
Transfer to City Bus from the main station to the city center, 0MYR 5. A little girl of mixed Chinese and Indian race in the car enthusiastically pointed the way. In fact, the main station is very close to the city center, just walk to it. At the city center, I met the two European foreigners who took the same route 16, and they walked over in the same time as we took the bus.
I had lunch at a street-side Indian restaurant, which was very cheap, and the freshly squeezed juice was only 3 ringgit (about 6 yuan) a cup, and it tasted great.
After dinner, take a taxi to Tune Hotel for RM15, in fact, the free shuttle stop of Tune Hotel is near Warisan Square, opposite the seafood restaurant in the night sky, we are too lazy to find.
The car travels through the city and along the beautiful coastline to the east, passing by the Royal Navy Base, Likas Beach, the Floating Mosque, the Sabah ** Tower, the University of Sabah, and finally to the Tune Hotel, the largest shopping mall in Borneo.
The room is booked 10 months in advance, and the double room is a total of 200 RMB for 5 nights! The room was small but clean and functional and impeccably clean. I have stayed in five hotels in LCCT, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Penang, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, and Le Ji, and this is the sixth one, all of which feel good, and the best is still Penang.
In the afternoon, we wandered around 1borneo shopping mall, which is the same as all shopping malls in big cities, and had a Chinese dinner at the newly opened Food Count.
Take the free shuttle into town at 7:30 PM. The free shuttle bus is located at the north gate of the mall, and you can get there from the Tune Hotel and walk through the mall. To take the free shuttle, you need to register in advance, and you can pick up your ticket 10 minutes before departure. There is one bus every hour in the morning, starting at nine o'clock and departing on the hour; Break at noon, after 2 p.m., every half hour, until 10 p.m.
Borneo 1 (1borneo) is about 10 kilometers from the city center, near the city shuttle station is the famous Philippine market, where the fruit is so cheap, cut mixed fruit 1 ringgit a box, mangosteen 3 ringgit (6 yuan) 1 kilogram, rambutan 4 ringgit 1 kilogram. We bought 2 kg of mangosteen and it was very fresh.
The nights in Sabah are very cool, and the rooms do not need air conditioners or fans at all, and they have to be covered with thin blankets when sleeping.
Sunday Sabah City Tour.
9:00 Take the first free shuttle into town. Have breakfast at the corner "Mong Kok Tea Restaurant" with fried noodles and chai with vegetables, prawns, and chai. Then go to the Sunday Market.
The Sunday market is on Gaya Street, and tourists and locals from all over the world seem to flock here. The stalls are next to each other, and the goods are dazzlingly displayed, and the dazzling array of handicrafts is strange and cute, including handbags, small money bags, wooden photo frames, ethnic dolls, as well as colorful decorations such as wind chimes, bracelets, necklaces, rings, buckles, etc., clothes and pants imprinted with wax drawings, and various T-shirts printed with the word "Sabah". RM11 for two T-shirts.
MPs in Kota Kinabalu City have opened a mobile service station here to provide all kinds of help to voters. Medical institutions also hold free clinics here.
After visiting the weekend market, we went to Independence Square. Performances are being held at the plaza to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of Kota Kinabalu, and the city's security, fire, medical, education, and municipal departments have set up booths here to provide consulting services.
Afterwards, we will visit the Atkinson Clock Tower. The bell tower was home to Francis George, the first governor of Kota Kinabalu. Ageen's mother, Lady Mary Edith, was established on Brace Hill in 1905 to commemorate the Governor's son, who died young at the age of 28. From its construction until 1956, the bell tower was used as a navigation device for ships entering the harbor to orient themselves.
From the clock tower, follow the stairs and road to the Signal Hill observation deck for a panoramic view of Kota Kinabalu city. Looking north from here is the southernmost part of China's territory, Zengmu Dark Sands, where the 1954 Kashmir Princess incident also took place in the sea. Here I met two female tourists from Chengdu and Hangzhou, one of whom was studying at the Sabah Theological Seminary, both of whom were missionaries. When they heard that we were coming from Beijing on an independent trip, they were amazed and thought it was incredible to be able to come here by themselves, and I laughed secretly in my heart, what is so difficult about this? They kindly asked us to take a tour with them, but we politely declined the invitation because we had our own plans.
Coming down from Signal Hill, I visited a few shopping malls before taking the shuttle back to the hotel to rest.
After enough rest, I took the shuttle bus into the city again in the evening to eat. At the famous Double Heaven Restaurant, four large sea crabs cost only RM12, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables is RM15! The shrimp are also fresh and cheap.
Monday Sabah.
Today is a day trip to Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. Book made at Tune Hotel the day before, RM80 per person. It's cheaper to get to the pier on your own.
The hotel car took the three of us to the marina in the west of the city, which is a private marina full of beautiful yachts. The tour guide accompanied the three of us on a special boat to Manukan Island. Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park consists of five small islands, with Manukan Island being the largest. The boat arrived at the island in ten minutes, the coast slope in the north of the east coast is relatively deep, there are large corals in the sea, and you only need to swim out a few meters to a large area of coral, and you can see schools of beautiful tropical fish. Stop at the shore where the water is crystal clear, colorful corals loom in the sky, all kinds of tropical fish swim around, and many schools of fish that you have never seen before pass by. There are also many seats on the beach for visitors to rest, picnic and watch the sea.
Play here until 12 o'clock and then take a boat to Sabi Island (Sapi), where the coconut grove is shadowed and the water is clear and the sand is young. The reef is close to the shore and is suitable for diving. The sea here is rich in fish, colorful tropical fish.
I planned to play until three o'clock, but the black clouds overwhelmed the city at two o'clock, and the heavy rain was coming, so I had to go back to the mainland in advance.
In the evening, I watched a movie "Ip Man 2" at the cinema in Borneo No. 1, and the ticket price was RM7, which was really cheap. The dubbing of the film is Cantonese, with Chinese, English and Malay subtitles, which fully reflects the characteristics of a multicultural country.
Tuesday Sabah.
In the morning, take a bus to visit the Water Mosque. There is no bus stop here, so it is convenient to stop at the roadside beckoning and ring the bell before getting off the bus to stop at any time.
The Kota Kinabalu Municipal Mosque is a quintessential contemporary Islamic building, and this municipal mosque located on the shores of Likas Bay is one of the largest mosques in the city and one of the most magnificent in Malaysia. Built in 1997, the one-hectare mosque can accommodate 9,720 12,000 worshippers. It is built on a man-made lake in Rikas Bay and feels like a mosque floating on water. Such a stunning white building shape is perfectly integrated with the blue sky.
Coming out of the mosque and lounging along Rikas Beach, it's quiet and almost touristy. When you're tired of shopping, just stop a bus on the side of the road to the bus terminal and take 16A to Tanjong Aru beach. It is a relaxing place for tourists and Sabah locals. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, the sea is open and the horizon in the distance can be seen at a glance. This is the go-to place to watch the sunset. King Fili's Park next to the beach is a beautiful garden and a great place to offer recreational activities. Nearby open-air stalls offer visitors a wide range of culinary options. Sitting there savoring the delicious coconut water, the waiter finally chops the coconut open and invites you to eat the coconut meat. The freshly squeezed dragon juice there was so delicious that I asked for two glasses at once.
In the afternoon, we were faced with a dilemma, we wanted to rush back to the city to eat seafood again, and we wanted to stay here to watch the sunset. Because it rains here every day, we were afraid that we wouldn't see the sunset, so we decided to go back to the city to eat seafood. But after waiting for an hour, we didn't see the 16 A bus coming, so we had to go back to the beach and wait for the sunset.
It was raining heavily, but the distant dusk horizon was still shining brightly, and we enjoyed a fantastic view of the sunset in an extremely rare rain.
After watching the sunset and taking a taxi back to the city center, the weather was too cool, I put on a fleece jacket, I asked the driver to turn off the air conditioner in the car, the driver took us as Taiwanese tourists, gloated and said, "Didn't you read the newspaper?" You Taiwan are all hot to death, let's be cool here. ”
It's incredible, it's more than 4,000 kilometers south of Beijing, close to the equator, and the height is about the same as Beijing, but the temperature is nearly 10 degrees lower than Beijing, which is really a good place to escape the heat.
Back at the hotel, the shopping mall is hosting performances of the International Folk Culture Festival, where people from many countries wear beautiful national costumes and perform the most distinctive national art programs. Unfortunately, there are no literary and artistic groups from Chinese mainland, and a folk song and dance troupe in Taiwan is the focus of attention here, and everyone gathers around to take a group photo after the performance.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Sabah - Kuala Lumpur.
At 9 a.m., I left the hotel by shuttle, and after breakfast at an Indian restaurant in the city, I went to the Philippine market to buy a lot of fruit to bring to Kuala Lumpur.
The plane departs on time at 12:30 and arrives at LCCT Airport in Kuala Lumpur at 15:00 on time. Take the sky bus into the city, the fare has been prepaid when booking the ticket, and you can get on the bus and show the payment page of the ticket itinerary.
The bus arrives at the Central Transport Hub and takes a taxi to Tune Hotel for RM15. After checking in, go to the food stall near Sogo for dinner. It's still good and cheap, and I often go there to eat in April, and the boss recognizes me.
After dinner, go to Petronas Twin Towers. The Petronas Twin Towers are located north of the Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle business district, at the junction of Jalan Jl Ampang and Jalan Jl P Ramlee. I wanted to take a stop on the city railway, but after waiting for half an hour, the train didn't come, and the platform was crowded with people, so I guess there must have been a breakdown. We had to get a refund and walk to the Petronas Twin Towers.
It's the third time I've been here and the Petronas Twin Towers still fascinate me. In front of the building's fountain, two handsome European men used the flow of water to imitate the action of urinating, laughing to death.
Thursday Kuala Lumpur.
Full-day Kuala Lumpur city tour. The weather is still cool.
From the hotel, walk straight across the road and walk for 1 km to the flag pole of Independence Square. High Court (Sultan Abdul Samad Building) On the edge of Merdeka Square, further south is the Old Town Hall. Merdeka Square is located opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It is home to the world's tallest flagpole of 95 meters.
From Independence Square, head south to the National Mosque. Admission is free every morning. This was followed by a visit to the National Observatory and Police Museum at the train station and Lakeside Park. In the police museum, I saw ** yellow *** ** cracked in the 60-70s of the last century, Chinese poems and paintings, without the slightest sense of eroticism, and the cultural differences in Islamic countries are still very large.
In the afternoon, I went to Chinatown, ate at the central market, and went back to the hotel near SOGO to shop.
Friday Singapore Funvee Bus City Tour.
05:40 Leave the hotel and take a taxi to KL Sentral. The Indian driver working at the entrance of the hotel offered RM30. I refused. The last time I came in April, I had an Indian driver on the side of the road cheat me out of RM20, and I don't trust Indians anymore. Take a taxi on the side of the road and say that it is good to play the meter, and it will be 12 ringgit to the station. AirAsia buses drove at 06:15 and arrived at the airport in just over an hour. I still had breakfast in the "staff restaurant" of the airport, and then went to check-in and exit procedures.
10:00 Flight AK705 departs on time for Singapore.
Arrive at Singapore Changi International Airport on time at 10:50. The airport is really big and modern. AirAsia's aircraft landed at Terminal 1. After going through immigration procedures, take the rail transit bus in the station to Terminal 2, and the subway to the city will be at Terminal 2. I bought an e-link card at the MRT station for S$15, of which there was a non-refundable cost of S$5. Transportation in Singapore is still relatively expensive, with an average daily transportation cost of S$8.
In the afternoon, I bought a Sia Hop-On city sightseeing bus ticket (S$12). This is designed for visitors to freely explore and experience the historical heritage and cultural attractions of the heart of Singapore, accompanied by an introduction in English and Chinese on the bus tour**.
The tour route includes all the major attractions in the city, such as Raffles Hotel, Opera House, Singapore Flyer, Merlion Park, City Hall, Grand Bazaar, Asian Civilisations Museum, National Museum, Singapore Art Gallery, Raffles Landing, Boat Quay, St. Andrew's Church, Clarke Quay, Botanic Gardens, Orchard Road, Little India, Chinatown, ** House, etc. Tourists can hop on and off the bus at any time, and there is a bus every half hour.
Many people say that Singapore is small and that one day of play is enough. It is estimated that these are all lies spread by Chinese tour groups. After turning around, the tour bus realized that Singapore is too big, and the tour bus turned around for nearly an hour in the downtown area alone. There's no week to be fun.
We first took a tour bus around the main attractions of the city center to get an overall impression of the downtown area of Singapore. On the second lap, get off at the Ferris wheel and take a ride on the Ferris wheel to see the whole island of Singapore. Then get back on the bus and go to the Boat Terminal. Unexpectedly, Singapore is so big, and the originally planned half-day bus tour plan only dropped off at two locations.
Went to Merlion Park and Clarke Quay in the evening, nice view and cool breeze. Clarke Quay at night is more chaotic, but it is very lively, because it is a weekend, and it is crowded with people, as if people and tourists from all over the country have come here.
From Clarke Quay, take the Northern MRT to the terminus Punggol, and change the LRT to a friend's apartment in the garden of Edgedale Plainss Street.
Saturday at Sentosa Island, Singapore.
Full-day Sentosa Island excursion.
It's easy to get to Sentosa, and the southern terminus of the Northern Line metro is the ticket office on the island. Known as Singapore's most charming resort island, Sentosa is a 390-hectare gem of fun with a variety of recreational facilities and leisure activities. Once a small fishing village, it was converted into a military base after the British occupation, and then transformed into a laid-back resort again in 1972.
First of all, I went to see the newly built Cassino, which is free for foreigners with passports, and Singaporeans are not allowed to enter. Universal Studios sold out tickets, just look outside, and then go down to the 37-metre-tall Merlion Tower, a tourist icon of Singapore, and head to the beach.
Sentosa Beach consists of three distinct beaches: Tanjung Beach, Palawan Bay and Siloso Beach, which stretch for 3 km. We went to Barra Bay and Siloso Beach in the central and western regions. The sea is not good, it is dirty, far inferior to the beaches of Sabah. Good beach sports and game facilities, volleyball courts, football fields, basketball courts. The road along the beach is accessible for cycling and roller skating.
In Sentosa, nature is everywhere. A Nature Walk in the Mount Imbia Nature Reserve takes you over the intermediate rainforest to the peaks of Mount Imbia for a bird's-eye view of the ocean and nearby islands. Unfortunately, time was limited, so we only walked a short distance.
In the afternoon, we visited the Siloso Battery. Fort Siloso is the only relatively well-preserved fort in Singapore, originally built in 1880 to protect ships entering and leaving the port of Singapore, and was held by the British during World War II to resist the Japanese army. After the surrender of British troops to Japan on February 15, 1942, Fort Sisolo became a prisoner of war camp for military and civilian personnel. There are underground tunnels, arsenals, lookouts, lighthouses, gun emplacements, artillery and so on. Walking through the gun emplacements and tunnels, you can see wax figures of the life of the colonial barracks, small sound and light shows, and the prison life of prisoners of war, allowing you to step through the fog of history and step into the life of the concentration camps of that period.
In the evening, a large-scale sea sound, light, electricity, water and fire performance "Ode to the Sea" will cost S$10 and will be performed twice a night, one starting at 7:40 and one at 8:40.
This is the best part of Singapore travel, and I haven't heard about it before. The "Ode to the Sea", staged on the sea, is so brilliant that you can see the reflection in the sea and hear the echo of the sea. The flames on the beach turn people's faces red and roast them warm; And when the water curtain fountain is swayed, the water droplets will also be sprinkled on the hair; It seems that the ** person is not sitting in the stands, but in the plot of the whole **fountain drama. The 2,500-seat amphitheater was packed.
The length of the show is 25 minutes. The plot is simple, the young singer stands on the rocks of the beach and sings, singing to evoke the spirit of the sea, to the devil, to the beautiful girl who has lost her smile and magic. But the audio-visual effect is very shocking, the sound, light, water and fire show takes people to the sea breeze by the sea, under the starry sky, a giant water curtain up to 40 meters high, 69 water jets that can shoot up to 40 meters in the air, plus a 20-meter-long flame, and the laser effect made of the latest diode technology. To add to the visual effect, a 120-meter building was also built on the sea.
After the performance, the evacuation of tourists was in an orderly manner, and thousands of people were evacuated in 20 minutes.
Sunday Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.
In the morning, I first went to the ** house, and then went to the city hall and the Merlion to have a look, and the main project was the East Shore Park. To East Coast Park, get off at Bedok MRT Station (EW5) and change to bus 401 (only on weekends and festivals). It's a beautiful place with a beautiful beach on one side and coconut groves on the other, with dedicated bike tracks and dedicated walking trails. A lot of people run, ride, roller skate here. It's very close to Changi Airport, so you can make a special trip to roller skate.
Arrive at Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 18:00 to check in for departure and check-in, and take flight AK716 back to Kuala Lumpur at 21:20. Arrive at Kuala Lumpur Airport (LCCT) on time at 22:30, and the transit visa procedures are simple and 15 minutes. As soon as it was done, a regiment of more than 50 Indians came.
There are no rooms left at the airport's Tune Hotel, so you can only spend the night in the departure hall. After eating, go around, drink two more cups of tea, look at the ** taken all the way, find a café that closes and lie down, and the hours pass quickly.
I really didn't expect Sabah and Singapore to be so cool in July. In the future, Futian will go there to escape the heat!