Trip - Genting Highlands Day 1

Good Morning Blog,

Today was the day that my elder brother had planned, invited, and paid all of my uncles and aunties to go on a big family trip together, while I tried to help him with flight, hotel, and transportation arrangements, causing a large hole in my wallet. But it was a kind thought and wish that he had since he was young.

After packing my hiking bag, I realised I looked disgustingly cute and took a selfie 🤳. Nah, I just realised that my bag is too small to hold my belongings for a four-day journey.

Speaking of his wish, we once travelled to Genting Highlands as a large family with my cousins when we were young. We had a great time having the entire bus just for our family. He sees that our uncles and aunties are getting older, and that travelling as a large group is becoming increasingly difficult these days, so he invited and treated everyone to join him on this trip; he had been discussing it with my uncles and aunties, even cousins, to set the dates for December 2023. To make a long story short, join me on this grand family adventure.

I spent the night at my elder brother's house so that we could take a taxi to get my uncle to the airport. My older brother threw in my all-time favourite Mr Bean neck support for this journey.

Hmm... I can not believe it! It cost me about $30 in the first minute of trying to find the correct address of my uncle's residential home and airport. After just one minute, it had risen to $32! Then I noticed a promotion tag for the airport and clicked to read and apply it, but only under certain conditions... I re-entered my information... It was $38!!!

Really a face-palm moment. 🤦🏻‍♂️ But the main concern right now was the traffic to the airport in the morning.

The driver warned us that morning traffic would be congested as everyone left for work and school... So, be mindful and try to arrive early on our future morning flights.

Fortunately, we were still early and avoided the jam.

Yippee! Safe! Time to check in!

This is my first time checking in at Terminal 4, and there are numerous self-check-in machines.

Check-in failed because I could not find my check-in printout, so I asked my mother to double-check hers to see if she had it with her during luggage check-in... She claimed it was not with her, so I had to go back and reprint it to realise it was... First hiccup in the morning... Oh well, I accepted it with a smile while waiting for the rest of our relatives.

One of Terminal 4's unique designs is the rooftop window that allows natural light to shine in; I wonder what it will look like in the afternoon.

This is our first family group photo on this epic trip. Hope for a memorable experience!

Another unique feature, but one that few people will notice - Terminal 4 focuses on a natural architecture concept that no other airports will want to try; they have tree-like plants (these are real plants by the way) growing in the airport to showcase Singapore's greenery, but maintaining the leaves will be challenging... I hope they get a good pay.

Looking down the aisle, it looks like a carpeted version of Singapore Street.

Hmm 🤔 our plane was late somehow...

After a brief wait, it arrived. This plane appeared to be constantly flying back and forth between Singapore and KL, as if after landing, it would pick up passengers in KL and return to Singapore, repeating the cycle.

Thank you to my elder brother for treating us on this trip!

However, my first rant of the day: AirAsia messed up the entire seating arrangement... I will skip the mess and refund my uncle and auntie, as it happened before... One of the passengers (my uncle - Uncle V) was reinstated to his flight and needed to check in, so I managed to get him a seat 33a... which was far behind everyone. When Uncle V went to the back with the printout I printed, he noticed there was no seat 33! Then he asked the crew, who told him to check in online, which was crazy! First and foremost, he barely knows how to use it, and do not expect him to check on his own. Second, the aisle was jam-packed with passengers attempting to load their luggage, and I could not reach him or even be aware of his problem. Third, the internet connection was poor! There is nothing I can do for him. As a result, he simply took an empty seat. Luckily, there was an empty seat!

Anyway, it's about time to fly and I almost got the window seat 💺! Better luck next time! At least, my brother got the window seat. Happy for him.

Watching the window changes the scene, teleporting to another world. Magical!

After we unloaded, the plane headed back to Singapore. Have a safe trip back! 🙏🏼

My first time landing at KL International Airport was very different from Changi Airport, which is not surprising given its ranking as one of the world's top ten airports! Not to say that KL airport is not good; I still enjoy it because it serves its purpose without resorting to posh displays.

Finally, I met Mr Cheah (transport in charge) for the first time. I had been trying to source affordable transport and reliable service with the help of my ipoh friends. He did his best to meet our needs (especially my elder brother, who had specific requirements for the driver and other details, and even requested that Mr Cheah sign a transportation agreement if you are interested; fortunately, I had ChatGPT to assist me.)

Here we go!

We had hired two vehicles, and some of my uncles and aunts joined mine, while my elder brother joined the other.

Gloomy sky today.

Wah, there was a heavy traffic jam from KL to Genting. According to Uncle Seah's explanation, next week was Malaysia's school holiday week, and they had four days of public holiday, so many Malaysians will take leave on Friday to enjoy a long weekend and travel to East Malaysia for a family vacation, and to make matters worse, this motorway is the only way to get to East Malaysia, which is also the only way to Genting Highlands. I overheard one of my mother's friends, who was also going up to Genting but arrived late in the afternoon, being stuck in traffic for nine hours; when they arrived at the hotel room, it was already 2 a.m. So this small jam was the best of the worst.

Following the traffic jam, we began our twisting and whining journey to Genting Highlands. This is a place that every racing driver will enjoy.

A new condo with a "silent hill" environment! If I am wealthy, I will invest in Antara Genting Highlands.

Finally, we arrived at Genting SkyWorlds.

SkyWorlds is a theme park.

SkyWorlds Hotel is a themed hotel with a nature theme.

Compared to other hotels I have been to, this one has a more fun vibe.

Ooo, pitcher plant seat. I wanted to sit in it and take photos with it, but no one could help me. 🥲

I looked up as if I were going for a walk, admiring the woods and the sky. What an interesting view.

This themed hotel has animal mascots with names, but do not get attached. 😂 I only like the dinosaur 🦕

So far, so good, but behind me, there was a family conflict near the counter... We had reserved seven rooms for seven families, and there were three rooms with two queen size beds (supposed for families with more than two members) and four rooms with a king-size bed (family of two), so the entire situation should be simple if there is a paper note and proper arrangement, but one family is unable to travel, one family has a special request for two beds, and check-in was done in front of the kiosk, complicating the situation even further... My older brother has the entire plan mapped out in his head, and he does not need paper to tell everyone to do what he says. Just to add fuel to the fire, my aunties wanted to offer their advice on the entire situation, while my mother stood there making a big fuss about how messy my brother was and adding negative remarks, which was not helping the situation... For my part, I simply let my elder brother handle the situation, which he needed to manage for the first time; however, I must say that he did an excellent job of controlling his emotions. Oh well... Sorry for such a lengthy rant... The second rant... Why can not everyone just relax?

We headed to our rooms after the chaos in the lobby. The hallway is simply carpeted with no design and lit like a cyber light.

My older brother booked us a special room with three queen-sized beds, which is enough for a family of six.

Simple layout

And a simple bed on a platform

Double-deck beds to save space.

A doodle representation illustrates how to access the upper deck from here.

The most important aspect is a clean and neatly folded bed, particularly for guests who plan to spend the night.

One more interesting concept is the doodles around the room.

So cute

I wish these doodles could be the main focus throughout.

However, they are underappreciated by many.

An elongated toilet layout like a community toilet

The scary thing was that you should not stay in a room with this type of toilet with friends, especially if there is a troll in the group. Confirm becoming the nightmare fuel for introverts and shy people.

Overall, I liked how the toilet was lit.

Interesting curtains too.

Looking out the window of our room, I can see Skyworlds Theme Park, which my brother wants to visit but no one can go because everyone has to bring their parents and navigate the building maze.

Cute doodle sticker print

I heard that Skyworld hotel has two towers because most of my relatives' rooms were in another tower, and to get to another tower, they would need to go up to level 3 from the lobby (tower A) and cross this long passage with interesting old school game design, and then go to level 7 of another tower to get to the other levels. Do you find this confusing? I did not understand at first, but now that I know how the building was built, I completely understand why it works the way it does.

Wow! Here's a picture of my relative's room with two queen-size beds.

We dropped our stuff in the lobby and gathered ourselves. Then, I stepped outside and admired the naturally creepy, chilled vibe, similar to Silent Hill.

When you play the background music from Silent Hill, you can feel the loneliness and chill in the air.

You can play this music to understand what I meant.

Being an Urbex enthusiast, exploring this abandoned place alone in such an environment added a lot of excitement to the whole experience. (IF)

(Credit ZF) I wanted to snap many pictures around these buildings.

It was so much fun, but I was with my family, so I could only imagine!

Genting Skyworlds

Family group photo! Thanks to insta360!

Shopping mall!

After the chaos and traffic delay in KL, everyone was hungry. We visited Madam Kwan's for our first meal of the day, but it was close to dinner time.

I love the hard-covered menu, It shows the dedication and investment of a restaurant to maintain professionalism and earn respect.

They had a vegetarian option. I love the fried rice so much!

After meals, time to explore the shopping mall.

I love this part of the Genting shopping area. Why? Because it has a large display screen, not just a big screen...

The mall was filled with organic-curved LCD display screens everywhere, giving it a very futuristic look.

We decided to take Skycar to go to Genting Highlands Premium Outlets.

Excited to take this journey through the mist.

Smile everyone!

Yippee! FLYING THROUGH THE CLOUD!

Overall view of the place!

Come on mother, smile!

Snap snap snap

Sometimes I will experience out-of-focus.

Silent Hill music just kept on playing in my mind.

If Heaven were to reward us with a beautiful sunset, it would be wonderful, but this one was quite pleasing as it was.

A long journey ahead, the mist has cleared.

Let's hope that no serious accidents occur with these cable cars in the future.

Genting Highlands Premium Outlets

Genting Highlands Premium Outlets is essentially a shopping mall spanning two or three floors; frankly, it's quite ordinary.

The sky started to turn dark.

Imagining a beautiful sunset in my mind.

Currently, I have nothing to purchase, but if I have sufficient funds, I might consider acquiring something here.

My mother was looking to purchase luggage, so we found her a branded set at a great discount. However, we were unaware that I would need to buy an additional cable car ticket for the luggage, which ended up costing more than a round-trip ticket for a person.

Upon returning to the top, each of my relatives expressed a desire to sign up for a Resorts World membership. 

So I got mine with an ugly face =_=

We returned to the Skyworlds Hotel, where there was a colourful water display, and...

...the sky was CLEAR!

Because my uncle and aunt can't go on this trip, I HAD A ROOM TO MYSELF! YIPPEE!

Clean toilet

A room with a king-size bed.

I just need a basic room for my stay. I wonder how long the room will stay clean if I'm given one like this. I'll do my best to keep it clean and use another room to store my belongings.

I bought a box of soy protein meat for myself today.

At one point, I felt tired and started dreaming about...

...In an alternate dimension of my room.

Pop! Travelled through a different timeline...

...The place looks familiar...

The lighting had an otherworldly quality...

Something glowing here

I'm feeling a bit chilly here... Everything is so quiet.

I entered the room, which looked like mine, but it was messy.

From the TV, I see the room where I was from.

From the feeling of the bed...

...it was the same as my initial room...

No matter what room is it, messy or not...

Comfortable bed matters.

I feel like I'm in a dream world. After a restful sleep, I'll return to my correct timeline.

Overall, my first day at Genting Highlands was refreshing, but navigating the malls felt like being in a maze. I had trouble finding my way around at first, but as time went on, I started to get a better sense of direction. I wish I had more time to explore. Tomorrow, I'll try to explore more. Time to sleep. Good night, Genting.

Jeff