Did you know that many of us are guilty of neglecting our own country’s beauty… Most people I know, and myself included, take for granted the treasures and amazing tourist attractions that other visitors to Malaysia travel all the way here to enjoy…

And so yes,it is definitely one of my New Year’s resolution to see more of my own city and country… after all, if and when we take the time to look, there are just so many gems to be uncovered every corner…. Even in our own backyard, or city…

Yours truly here was blessed to have been selected as part of the Tourism Malaysia #AboutKL bloggers in the #AboutKL2.0 this round….

#AboutKL was recently officially launched by Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, at the Malaysia Tourist Information Centre (MaTic) a few days before along with the KL Hop on Hop off bus tour’s 10th year anniversary.

The programme saw a total of 15 bloggers including me, hehehe – smug face, social media influencers and members of the media taking part in the 3-day 2-night programme filled with activities focused on the theme of heritage/culture, food and arts, giving them/us a better understanding of Kuala Lumpur and all that it  can offer as a choice tourist destination.

Our experience began at MATIC, where we got to check out various cultural, current and interesting new tourist destinations at the little carnival booths… in the evening, we were then brought for dinner at GravyBaby along Jalan P Ramlee where we were simply wowed by the ritzy night lights and décor of the place while indulging in some pretty yummy pies, lemonade and special tea infusions…

We then continued back to MATIC where we had dessert in the sky, a heart pounding, butterfly in the stomach experience which was however just so satisfying and something we were proud off, since it meant we faced and conquered our fears ….at least for half of us there…and yes,  having a yummy strawberry kiwi shortcake 45 metres above the ground with the Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower and other nearby skyscrapers is a priceless experience… the staff members and safety officers at hand were great at telling us stories, and also helping us settle our nervousness and help us take photos… hahahah

My legs were still a little shaky when we got back to the ground but our hearts were contented that we challenged our own fears and did it….

We were then sent back to our home for two days, the Avenue J hotel, a 3 star which is located just right next to the Malaysian Bar Council, in front of the Old Market Square, and right behind the Central Market…

I had a good night sleep indeed in my comfortable Double Queen Room… the room may not be as spacious or big as what you might get at a 5 star hotel, so do not expect it… but it is perfect and comfortable for travellers or people who are here for business…

I woke up fresh the next day and we had a heavy breakfast at the historical Kafe Old Market Square consisting of typical Malaysian breakfast of Chee Cheong Fun, Hainanese noodles, Nasi Lemak with Ayam Rempah/ Rice cooked with Coconut Milk and served with a beautifully spiced fried chicken, half boiled eggs with toast and some Pasembur/Rojak with Squid…

After breakfast, it was time for some walking… my most favorite activity… heheheh… and we walked to the Pasar Seni /Central Market LRT and took the LRT to KL Sentral and from there, we walked to  Brickfields’ Little India to check out some of the monuments , shops and the heritage of the area…. Did you know Brickfields was very instrumental to the rebirth of the new Kuala Lumpur after it was razed to the ground and also swept away by a huge flood 100 years or so ago…… this is because it was where the bricks were made and stored all here at Brickfields….

We then headed to Annalakshmi at the Temple of Fine Arts, passing by the Tamil Methodist Church and a 100 year old Buddhist Temple there…. And taking a quick peek at one of Ananda Krishnan’s home there…

Annalakshmi is an amazing place to dine… you will never believe it and I could not believe it also until I was there… it is a volunteer place where most of the staff there work as volunteers… it is perfect if you are feeling lonely, sad, or just want to feel the warmth of human interaction… because believe me, you will definitely feel like you have entered someone’s home and is their honored guest and your host is there to make sure you eat enough of their home made food….the food is vegetarian and just plain authentic with a combination of South Indian cuisine and Northern Indian cuisine…  you can choose to dine in style at the restaurant on the ground floor for a fixed buffet price of RM18 -20 per person…. Or head over to the canteen at the basement level and eat the same kind of food and pay what you can afford or want….

After getting all the fuss and coaxing into eating by the amazing Mummies there who seem to want to fatten you up… heheheh…. I surrendered because I was just too full….

We then took those Grab cars and Uber to Petaling Street…where we traipsed along Petaling Street/ China Town where we got to sample some street food from Taufufah, Roasted Chestnuts, Apam Balik, checking out some roasted duck feet, mua chee and Chinese New Year not halal necessities like the waxed duck and lap cheong/sausages which is only available during the Chinese New Year season while learning more about Kuala Lumpur’s history…

It certainly was a day of gorging ourselves silly/eating…. Huhuhu…. Since we headed over a pretty interesting café built in between shops in a former alley way called Ali, Muthu and Ah Hock for some snacks, local kueh and also some chee cheong fun and drinks…

Then we headed to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple where the yearly Thaipusam parade will normally start from and where the devotees will trek 13 km to the Batu Caves… We took a few minutes to admire the elaborate entrance to the temple before heading to the Sin Sze Si Ya Temple that pretty much looked like a drive in temple at a glance from the main road… heheh.

The Sin Sze Si Ya temple is actually the oldest temple in Kuala Lumpur and the establishment of this temple comes with some pretty fascinating epic stories. It was built by Chinese Kapitan Yap Ah Loy to commemorate his boss, Kapitan Sheng Ming Li and his chief commander, Chung Lai…

Our afternoon then continued with a tour around Pasar Seni/ Central Market and some Nyonya style high tea at Precious Old China, a quirky nyonya restaurant filled with old antiques and trinkets located next to the food court on the first floor…..

The highlight of the programme was of course at the Gala Night in the 113-year old theatre, Panggung Bandaraya. I have heard tons about this production and have always been meaning to want to see it, and haven’t had the chance until now… It sure was a most fascinating performance of MUD KL that tells the story of Kuala Lumpur’s founding.

This is followed by a fashion show by leading designers Bon Zainal and Jo Disaya whose artistic designs were just mind blowing gorgeous on the runway, there was also a special collection for Man Kidal by Bon Zainal….

The party continued for some of my blogger/ social media friends who were still pumped up for more at Nagaba in Bukit Bintang, but for a few of us, we called in a night and seek the comfort of our individual hotel rooms and beds…

Our last day was sad, as it was where we have to take leave from our newly made/found friends . We checked out and headed to the National Museum for the ‘Wayang Kulit Nusantara’ special exhibition that was on and will be on until end of February 2017 …

…and also take a peek at the ‘Queen of Fabrics’, the gorgeous songket which was on exhibition too, but unfortunately, the exhibition was already ending end December…..

The #AboutKL programme is planned to be organised regularly as a means to update the social media community on the latest attractions and news on Kuala Lumpur… and I am grateful and proud to have been a part of this amazing endeavour. Thank you to #AboutKL and Tourism Malaysia for this amazing opportunity and I hope to be a part of future events…

For more info, do please follow https://www.facebook.com/aboutkl.my/