Malaysia Day 3.

So I’ve been meaning to get a haircut for weeks. The combination of hot weather and a very unkempt hairstyle is a big no no for me so first thing we did was head to the local salon (Yes, before eating any food. Can you believe it? I can’t. Especially since I only woke up at noon again and lunch time was beckoning). A whole bunch of us got our hair cut (me, wifey, sister-in-law, grandmother-in-law).

Haircut at the local salon. Cheap and good. Can’t go wrong.

So today’s plan was to go to Genting Highland. This is basically a casino area, high up in the mountains. There are many shops, food and drink outlets and entertainment activities. So off we go.

Driving to Genting Highland.

The drive is about an hour from KL. The roads are ok but there are a lot of curvy left and right turns as you go up the mountain. It wasn’t my turn to drive so I occupied myself in the backseat by taking some photos and dozing off.

Artistic shot attempt in the car on the way up the mountain to Genting Highland. Matching gear.

First stop was a halfway point up the mountain. Time for eating.

Somewhere halfway up the hill to Genting Highland. Lots of shops, hotels (for those who can’t get bookings at the main casino hotels, this is where they stay) and of course, restaurants.

And finally lunch time! Some food at last! Hurrah! I’m freaking starving. Please put food in me now!

“Restoran Foon Lock”. What a lovely place. Fast and great tasting food. The broth they used in all their dishes was so delicious. I would be content with having a bowl of white rice and just the sauce.

So now I’m happy and satisfied. Let’s continue our journey.

We arrived at the car park and made our way to the cable car station. The one we went to is the newly built extension so here we are checking it out for the first time.

Cable cars run from I think 6am – midnight. And you can bring a bag with you, as long as it meets the following requirements.

I interpreted this as “If you can fit one person in the bag which doesn’t exceed these dimensions, go ahead and bring on board!”

If your bag is bigger than this, or if you have more than one bag, there is a MYR 20 additional charge. Next part is lift off!

Artistic shot attempt through the viewing pane of our cable car before it launches out from the station. Yes, it was drizzling.

I have never felt at ease with hot air balloons and cable cars. But its been a long while since I’ve been on either of those. Perhaps this time it will be ok?

Up we go the mountain. My facial expression doesn’t show it but I was terrified.

The view was nice. But I was sh*tting myself. I’m such a wimp.

So here is the main concourse. Huge LCD screens adorn the walls and light up the whole area with life.

Beautiful large LCD screens at Genting Highland’s newly built extension.

LCD screens everywhere. They absolutely lit up the place and really made the whole hall feel alive.

A wefie of the wifey and I.

Then we made our way into the gambling zone.

Note that they have a ‘no back pack / ruck sack’ policy. If you have a sling bag or hand bag, then that’s ok. Oh yes, bring a jacket. The weather up here is much cooler, and combined with the air conditioning, it can be quite chilly.

After getting through security, we walked in and wow were we impressed. The area was so huge and there were so many gambling tables, machines, screens etc. Once again, LCD screens were everywhere. They had them on the ceiling and the walls. It was actually quite magical.

I’m no gambling man. In fact, I have zero interest and talent in gambling. But I do enjoy watching other people play. Watching their expressions change from ‘ahhh I know I’m gonna win this time’, the ‘awww f*ck I lost’ to the ‘ok let me give it one more try’ was quite entertaining for me.

Coffee, tea, juice and water are free. I guess this helps keep the pundits refreshed and keep them at the gambling zone. After a couple of hours, we headed to the bar.

My 94 year old grandmother-in-law enjoying a cold pint of beer, exhausted after hitting the gambling tables (no big bets of course, just some fun). Respect.

Though I wasn’t gambling, people watching can be quite exhausting too. Time for food again. This time we headed to a restaurant inside the casino. There were quite a few selections on offer, ranging from chinese to western types of foods.

A place of ‘Char Kway Teow’. Typical fried flat noodles with pork fat, egg, chinese sausage and bean sprouts. Extremely popular local dish which you will find in most restaurants.

A hot bowl of ‘Ba Ku Teh’. This is a pork bone broth that is very popular in Malaysia. This particular version we had contained too much ginger in my opinion. This dish is served with a large bowl of rice and should always be accompanied by a bowl of chopped chili and soy sauce. A great combination on a cold day.

After dinner, we left the gambling zone and walked around the retail areas. There are a ton of restaurants and cafes. Had a coffee at ‘Street Churros’.

A hot cup of ‘Spanish Latte’ from Street Churros, located within the new extension of Genting Highland. Sweet and gooey.

Then we made our way down back to the car park. Time to get back on the cable car again.

A photo from our cable car viewing pane on the way down.

Came across this funny looking plug on the way to the car. Cute huh?

Hello Mr Froggy. That’s what the socket on the right looks like to me anyway.

And then we called it a day. We head back to Bangkok tomorrow.

Ciao.