Monday, September 13, 2021

Malaysia (Covid-19 National Recovery Phase 2 - My Staycation No 1 to Kuala Lumpur City Center) Sept 12 2021 Part 1

Mitsui Shopping Park Lalaport,
Bukit Bintang City Center (fomer Pudu Jail site)
Wall Art Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 

Petaling Street (Chinatown)

" Enjoy the little things in LIFE, because one day you will look back, and realize they were the big things" 

" My Staycation & Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) solo free & easy day trip to Kuala Lumpur city to visit Little India (Brickfields), Chinatown (Petaling Street), Wall Art Changkat Bukit Bintang, Nu Sentral Mall, Berjaya Times Square / Pavilion Kuala Lumpur Shopping Mall, Bukit Bintang on Sunday Sept 12 2021 (09.30>14.00); travelling by Rapid KL LRT & Monorel trains from 1) SS15, Subang Jaya > KL Sentral > Hang Tuah 2) by MRT train from Bukit Bintang > Pasar Seni & 3) return journey by LRT train from Pasar Seni > SS15, Subang Jaya; my 1st outdoor trip after a National Lockdown (Movement Control Order / Emergency) imposed by the Malaysian Government on May 6 2021 due to a spike in Covid-19 cases; a National Vaccination campaign is currently being implemented by the Malaysian Government (1st phase started in Feb 2021), Selangor (my home state) is now placed under the National Recovery Phase 2 (NRP2) which permits individuals with vaccination digital certificate or card for cross district travels, dine-in in restaurants, hotel accommodation & homestay, outdoor sport & activities within the same state " 

Expenses incurred (4 Rapid KL LRT, Monorel & MRT train rides): Rm2.10 + Rm1.40 + Rm0.70 + Rm1.90 = Rm5.10 (US$1.20 senior citizen 50% discount). The distance from Subang Jaya (my home place) > Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur is approx 23km.


Rapid KL LRT, Monorel, MRT trains from SS15, Subang Jaya > KL Sentral > Hang Tuah; Bukit Bintang > Pasar Seni > SS15 Subang Jaya (Home Sweet Home) - another of my "sing my own song" outdoor day trip amid the Covid-19 pandemic !  


My home cooked lunch ie fish head rice vermicelli + green vegetable soup (prepared by my wife) - hot & yummy ! 


1) Mitsui Shopping Park, Lalaport, Bukit Bintang City Center, Kuala Lumpur - a new shopping mall in KL, former old Pudu Jail (built in 1895) site, yet to open to public but it will be soon, hopefully in time for Christmas ! 


2) Jalan Alor Food Street, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur - now that dine-in is allowed under the National Recovery Plan 2, by evening or night this food street hopefully will return to their glorious days & local night "owls" or "mid-night cowboys" hunting for food or supper in groups will make this gourmet street a lively place one more time !  


3) Alor Backspace - the start of an old alley in Changkat Bukit Bintang to Street Art, one of the coolest graffiti walls in Kuala Lumpur ! 



4) Wall Art Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur - colorful & attractive, Instagram spot, a street art alley with fewer people at this early morning hour, ideal for a leisure walk in this touristy Bukit Bintang ..... 


5) The Ship Restaurant, 102, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur - this iconic 1972 steak house was started by a Malaysian that cooked on a British merchant ship, currently has 6 outlets in Malaysia; in the early 80s (my Good Old Days) while working in Kuala Lumpur, together with my colleagues, I used to frequent The Ship which served the best steak in town, I simply enjoyed eating their oxtail soup & pepper beef steak ! 


6) Petaling Street (Chee Chiong Gai) & Chinatown area, Kuala Lumpur (12.30>13.00) - quiet streets, shoppers lacking, eatery & street food stalls 30% opening, totally no foreign tourists ... sooner or later, when the economy is opened up, this place will be alive again; between lives & livelihoods, a tough balancing act for Government to pick ! 


7) Kwai Chai Hong (Little Ghost Lane), Lorong Panggung, City Center, Kuala Lumpur - closed at the time of my visit !  


Sunday Sept 12 2021 (07.00>07.30) - my early daily morning walk around my neighbourhood in SS17 Subang Jaya area, cool & breeze, slight drizzling, gloomy weather ..... 


My early morning breakfast taken during the Movement Control Order period in 2021 - simple & filling ! 



King of the fruit in Malaysia - Durian, a green thorny fruit favoured by locals, bought 2 kilos of "Black Thorn" variety Rm48 (US$11.40) per kilo last month at SS14 Morning Market - just for a bite only, yummy yummy taste ! 


Saturday Sept 11 2021 - today marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack in the U.S which killed  nearly 3,000 people, an annual commendation ceremony will be held at the Memorial Plaza on this anniversary day, family members of 9/11 victims will gather at the site to read aloud the names of those killed in the 9/11 attacks & in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing; in May 16th 2019, I did a free & easy travelling to East Coast of USA & Canada & visited the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum site & nearly area in New York .



Relaxed SOP for Selangor (my home state) National Recovery Plan Phase 2 (Friday Sept 10 2021) - individuals with vaccination digital certificate or card are allowed inter-district travel, dine-in, tourism activities including hotel accommodation & homestay within the same state etc


Thursday Sept 16 2021 is Malaysia Day (Hari Malaysia also a public holiday) - commemorates the 58th anniversary of the formation of the Malaysian Federation ie Malaya, Sabah & Sarawak which took place on Sept 16 1963. Malaya achieved her independence (Merdeka) on August 31 1957 from the British hence Malaysia has 2 different national days ie one on Aug 31 & another on Sept 16, both days (embedded with tales of sacrifices & freedom) are recognized as honorable days by Malaysia, major shopping malls use the national flower ie hibiscus as "celebrity flower" as the main theme of decor in their central court for this anniversary day to attract shoppers ! Happy birthday, my beloved country, Malaysia ! 

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