Short trip to Kuala Lumpur

Last Friday, 14th of March 2008, me and my family make a lightning dash to Kuala Lumpur for a much needed break from Singapore hectic life. My dear children were all amazingly very excited. Ibn kept on dashing here and there. Bint were all smiles and giggles. They really appreciated the long trip away from home and we had good quality time. We took the Transnasional express (economy) bus (from Lavender to Pudu Raya - 8:30am) which is surprisingly cheap and comfortable enough. We arrived at about 3:30pm due to jams and a strangely very cautious driver. We hopped into a cab at Pudu and got to our Sucasa Apartment in no time. (Warning: (1)Do not pay in Singapore Dollars - it costs much more! (2)Always get into a cab with a meter.)



We settled in and after a short rest, we headed to Pak Ngah Ali's house at Bangsar. His bungalow is the last few remaining Malay-owned bungalow in the Bangsar estate. Pak Ngah Ali still look healthy and his mind is still very sharp after all this years. We discussed mainly on Malaysian Politics and the womenfolk update each other oh what was happening in Singapore and KL. Through him, I got to know all the unsettling things about Anwar, Abdullah, Najib and Khairi. Politics is never clean these days. The future of the Malaysians are in great jeopardy. Ibn oblivious to all this, plays the piano full of passion and concentration. Bint was busy exploring the carpet, however she was often interrupted when she gets lifted by her aunties. Mak Dah could actually sense that we were coming and had made preparations. Kak Zal also mentioned that if we informed them earlier they could bring us around KL. I regret not staying at their place. We had a good dinner and on the way home, they showed us the Kampung Bharu area where cheap and good food can be found.

Next day on Saturday, after Subuh and breakfast, I made a trip to KLCC using the public bus (Metro No. 28 = 1RM per trip - Ampang to KLCC). I had to line up to get tickets to go up the KLCC twin tower bridge - managed to get the 11:30am slot. Ibn showed a slight discomfort due to being claustrophobic. Before we go up the tower, we were lead into a 3D-screening showing background information on the Twin Towers. The twin Towers is built on foundations that represents Islamic principles and the aspiration of the Malaysians. The external part of the building is covered all with Stainless Steel and that is why it is shiny. It can withstand winds up to 290km/h. We took the high speed lift (6-8m/s) to the 47th floor. Except for the slight sensation in our ears, we couldnt feel the lift moving up. The bridge has two levels - one for visitors and one for staff). From up here we can seen mountains of Pahang (I think....) and almost all of the city. Impressive view! My children's need prevented us from going to our second destination. We went back to Sucasa and have restful afternoon.






On Sat night we managed to catch a glimpse of Sheikh Afifuddin Al-Jilani teaching Tasawwuf - Bab Taubat at Masjid Baitul Aman. I noticed there are quite a few Iraqians around. Ishak prayers only commence after the class. Meals are provided after his class. The next morning we quickly pack up and leave as our bus would depart at 8:45am. The journey home is surprisingly much faster. I wished I could stay there longer...