Christmas in Kuala Lumpur...and beyond

Christmas is here again! Let's head down to some of the shopping complexes. No, not just to shop, but to feast our eyes. Yes, that's right! All the major shopping complexes are decked with such bright and beautiful Christmas deco that even Mr Scrooge would jump with joy and be excited for the coming festival! 

Christmas trees with baubles and bling-bling; gingerbread houses with gingerbread men; snowmen and snowflakes....SNOW, in Malaysia?  Yes, and we're talking about real (ok, man-made) snow that melts...not your typical styrofoam white snow. To catch the snow, head to Pavilion KL. But a note-of-caution from me....the crowd can be crazy. As one can imagine, snow-deprived Malaysians are all there to catch a snowflake or 2. You'll be lucky if you can get yourself a 1X1ft square standing space. Check this out... courtesy of ubivios of YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72XTO4s8Sgo

You can catch the snow daily between 26 November-26 December 2010 from 8pm.


Another shopping complex that is highly popular among Christmas-deco-hunters like 'moi' is Mid-Valley. Themed Funtoystic, Mid-Valley has gone all out to bring in gigantic toys to pull in the crowd. 

From lovable toy soldiers to adorable puppets,
come and see them all at the Mid-Valley shopping mall.

A humongous Jack-in-the-box that at one glance, looks rather sinister...
but fear not, he's all smiles and seems ready to pose with you for the camera :)

A giant cuddly teddy bear....
whose heart wouldn't melt at the sight of this lovable toy?

If you are already at Mid-Valley, why not catch the KTM Komuter train to Empire Gallery in Subang for your next Christmas-deco-hunt. The main attraction here is a train-ride for children through a fantasy Winter Wonderland. No real snow here, but they did a good job with the white cotton and styrofoam. So, if you're dreaming of a White Christmas on a hot and sweaty afternoon in Kuala Lumpur, come to Empire Gallery in Subang and chill out with a cold drink as you watch kids riding gleefully on the train around their garden of cottony snow. You'll be envious of them for being young enough to enjoy such pleasure rides.

A garden of 'snow' in Christmasland.

The delightful train ride for kids
through Winter Wonderland.

The Curve in Damansara is another delightful place to visit this Christmas season. Similar to Mid-Valley, cute-looking toys are used to brighten up their Christmasland. But instead of gigantic teddy bears, life-size dolls are the main features here. And of course

Life-size dolls welcoming Christmas shoppers.

If only these plants are real!

Giant hearts hanging from above...
a great reminder of what the season is about...
Divine Love from above,
coming down to earth to reach out to man. 

Must-try in Malaysia...Durian, the King of all Fruits

Yummy Durian!!!

If there's one thing that most Malaysians do not agree with the rest of the world, it's the taste of Durian (note: the use of upper case D here...:)
To many non-Malaysians (unless they are from Indonesia, Thailand....or some other SEA countries), Durian is the worst, foul-smelling fruit on earth. But for us, it's taste is simply heavenly...a gift from God... fit only for the kings. Hence, we crowned this fruit, the King of all Fruits!

Durians oh durians!

Watch out! Never sit under a durian tree :)

Must-try in Malaysia

A tempting dessert you simply can't miss
if you are travelling in Malaysia.

ABC in Malaysia is the tasty acronym for a delightful dessert, Air Batu Campur (literally, mixed ice). It consists mainly of shaved ice, beans (red beans), jelly and syrup.

A prairie dog! For the first time in my life I saw ... not one but a few prairie dogs!!
Devil's Lake is apparently one of the best places to spot prairie dogs.

Aren't they adorable and cute?!!!
Prairie dogs are herbivorous mammals. Their favorite food include grass, roots and seeds.
Wanna learn more? There's a website dedicated to these rodents...PrairieDog.com
(oppsss...just kidding....that's Prairie Dog, Le Patissier...visit it to order your birthday cake...hahaha)
Ok...to learn more about the REAL prairie dog, go to
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/prairie-dog.html

Devil's Lake, North Dakota

My first glimpse of dawn...as the train approaches the station in Devils Lake.

Devils Lake! What a name for a place that's both charming and peaceful!


Summer 2009...I was getting ready to return to my home country after 2 years of studies in Florida. Because of my love for Amtrak, I've decided to treat myself to another train journey....this time, cross-continental...from DC to Los Angeles. As I looked up the list of possible towns/cities I could stop by along the way, the name Devils Lake caught my eyes.

Devils Lake?!!! Hmmm....spooky....

I read the description on Amtrak's guide regarding Devils Lake...

The Indians called this remnant of a glacial sea the “Evil Spirit Lake” because they believed its shattered walls and loose rocks were the result of a mammoth struggle between thunderbirds and water monsters

...Ah...how interesting!!!

I did more research on the Internet and found beautiful, breathtaking pictures of Devils Lake... I was captivated! That's it....Devil's Lake would be one of my stops.
I was there for about 24 hours only...but in that 24 hours I discovered so much about Devils Lake that it remained till today, one of my favorite destinations. More than just a beautiful tourist spot, I learned that Devils Lake is a place that's rich in history...