#wentravelogue1 and #wentravelogue2

Now playing: Ed Sheeran - The A Team 

Just the kind of song to describe my mood now, calm and highly satisfied from 2 rewarding trips 

Day 1 (14 March)

Went for my 3rd Silkpeel treatment which I regretted cos my complexion was horrible through the whole journey :( 

My first ever backpacking trip and it's with Cadence. Made a big mistake of bringing a pretty F21 polka dotted "gym" bag which couldn't withstand the weight of my many unnecessary items. The whole trip was basically budget. Took an MRT to Kranji before crossing over to take bus 170. It was a couple of stops before it reached Woodlands Immigration and up till now, I have no idea why people were running. 

Reached JB around 7pm. Went to City Square Mall. Dinner + walking around + sitting aimlessly while waiting for the train to KL, which finally came at 11.30pm.

Train tickets: KTMB. $30 for two ways (JB-KL, KL-JB) 

Day 2 (15 March) 

Reached KL at about 7.30am at KL Sentral. The 8-hour train journey was uncomfortable and horrible and I just couldn't sleep well. 

Went to explore KLCC and eventually went to the hotel (Grid 9 Hotel, Maharajalela) to put down our bags as it was toooo heavy and comfortable for me. Basically hung around Berjaya Times Square (Imbi), went to cut our hair and had yummy korean food (Dubu Dubu). Went back at about 4pm to prepare for the concert, Future Music Festival Asia 2014 (FMFA2014), held at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Sadly, it got cancelled. Still remembered the whole scene. Was in the train, about 30minutes away from our hotel. Met an angmoh-looking guy from India. It was his third day, it was our first. We were talking about our favorite DJs and I was super excited to see Martin Garrix, Porter Robinson and Knife Party. I wanted to feel the "Tomorrowland" experience, at least slightly. Went out of the stadium and saw many people waiting outside the Stadium. We couldn't even exchange for our wristbands. We waited and waited, while in envy of those who came in big groups. There was a loud announcement, but we couldn't hear it. People were screaming "Fuck you, fuck you" and I knew it was something bad. Turned around, and saw that the concert was cancelled. I could not believe my eyes, not at all. It was unexpected and I was so hyped up. 

Pissed, we decided to go drink, at Changkat Bukit Bintang (Bukit Bintang), which is similar to Clarke Quay. However, it was a scary walk there. Decided against it and went to walk around Sungei Wang, and had Macdonalds for dinner. Went to the hotel, drank Apple Cider Somersby (RM16) and had a good night’s sleep.

Hotel: Grid 9 Hotel. S$50 per room per night.

Day 3 (16 March)

Slept in. Till about 11am. Started by exploring Chinatown and Central Market which was just about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Bought myself 2 Vans tee and a Marc by Marc Jacobs cosmetic pouch. 

 Had some really good beancurd.

Decided to head to Berjaya Times Square again to catch a movie – Need for Speed. Guess I’m biased towards the actor, Aaron Paul who acted in Breaking Bad. Movie ended at around 9.40pm and rushed back to the hotel to catch our train at 10.30pm at KL Sentral. We were, by then, sweaty, tired, smelly, disappointed and just unsatisfied. Had a bad 8-hour train journey back to JB once again.

Day 4 (17 March)

Reached JB at around 7am. Waited at KFC for B, XZ and GJ. They finally reached at 8.30am. and #trip2 starts here. Was feeling really dirty and smelly. Had lunch at some restaurant in City Square Mall – Kuromonto, some ramen with yummy broth. Yummy. Rented a car for 5 days and drove to our hotel for 1 night, AmanSari. It was just about 5 minutes’ walk from JB Sentral. Washed up, rested and proceeded to explore JB. Went to Area Penangi (supposedly the best mall but er..) and KSL City. 

Salt baked chicken + Carrot cake

Had some food along KSL City and this was our first dinner together. ^^ Yumz + cheap again. At night, it was Jagermeister + beer. K.O.

Car: 900RM for 5 days. Supposedly 1050RM but nego-ed.

Day 5 (18 March)

Had a hangover and went down for hotel’s buffet breakfast. It was pretty simple, decent and filling. Started our journey to KL. 

Kind of forgot what we did today.. Just went pass Malacca.

Reached KL at checked in to our hotel, Victory 2. (Bukit Bintang) Had some seafood & Vietnamese cuisine which was kind of disappointing and spicy!! Went to walk around Sungei Wang and Pavillion.

Day 6 (19 March)

Headed over to the restaurant opposite our hotel for some yummy lunch. It was really cheap and the food was great. Service was great too. Had the nasi lemak, which everyone orders. Guess I have the habit of looking at majority of the people order, assume its really nice and order it. 

Drove up all the way to Genting, which was about 2 hours long. B andI Went there to walk around, enjoy the coldness and of course, drink the Starbucks there while XZ and GJ went to the casino. The drive up was terrible because I have motion sickness.. L 

Went back to KL and had BKT for dinner. This was the BOMB. Everything we ordered was damn out-of-the-world man (Y). Bill was about 120RM which is damn cheap! Headed to the hotel to wash up. Siam tiu night, at some random siam tiu. Bottles were slightly cheaper. Opened a Chivas (336RM) with free flow mixers. Guess my alcohol tolerance really improved. Yay

Day 7 (20 March)

Headed back to JB today. Passed by Malacca again and went to many random shops and places which we will never ever go back to. 

Had the most awesome chicken rice and I’m not even exaggerating. Even the black sauce and chilli sauce were the bomb. The egg was damn flavourful too. 

Reached JB really late at 8pm and had dinner at some Indian restaurant opposite our hotel. It was satisfying after a 7-hour drive. Rested early tonight as we were too tired. Booked another hotel this time round which was much better but harder to locate.

Oh ya, and a joke of the day. We went the wrong way and ended up at the Woodlands customs. Had to go into the customs office and went to the reject lane. A good but scary experience.

Hotel: Hotel CIQ. 98RM for 1 room, 1 night.

Day 8 (21 March)

The last day of our adventure has come to an end. L Headed to Legoland today. Had awesome breakfast at the Pancake House. The portion was generous and the pancakes won Strictly Pancakes hands down man. It was a hot day today and we were perspiring like mad, it’s not funny. Played the same old games and it was all laughter and fun. :D Went off at around 4.30pm and had lunch/dinner at some random Chinese restaurant (TS Restaurant). Ordered a feast since we were all hungry. Guess the good thing about travelling with all guys is that they have a humungous appetite.

Ordered a set for 5-6 people and we finished them all! It was damn satisfying and the soup was refillable too. Double yum. Took a cab back to JB Sentral and headed to take the bus back to Singapore (bus 950). Reached around 6.15pm and finally reached home at 7.15pm. And then… this concludes the end of #trip2. It was awesome and my first ever road trip! Makes me even more excited for future trips. Travelling definitely bonds you (or tears you apart..) and lets you see each other at your worst (both physically and emotionally).

Now, let’s wait for #trip3 in 4 days. :D