Jun
27
Jenesse and I have now been in KL since Tuesday (25th June, 2008) and despite the crazy funky (re: smells) town we have taken it quite easy. We are not rushing around trying to fit it every touristy thing. Guess we are still sort of in island time mode.
The first night in KL we caught up with Shane and Liyan at the Prince Hotel. Along with their entourage (family and friends) we went to a Chinese restaurant at the new Pavillion Shopping Mall.
On Wednesday, we went to the KLCC Aquaria to remind ourselves of the fishes we left in the Maldives. This aquarium had some interesting fishes and even reptiles and creepy crawlies.
On Thursday, we did the KL Hop-on Hop-off city bus tour. This was good value and despite the 22 stops, we only got off once for the Central Markets. As the bus continued around town, Jenesse slept for most of the way. That afternoon we went for High Tea at Carcosa Seri Negara, a very fancy pants hotel where the famous (Presidents, Royalty, celebrities and CEO’s) stay. After our three courses of cucumber sandwiches, tarts, apple crumble, scones with cream and jam, and strawberries and cookies we had a private tour of the hotel suites. This was quite impressive, both the tour and the rooms. For 1500++ ringits a night, you have your own butler and driver as part of the B&B package.
That night Donny and Mitzy joined us for some dinner and drinks at the Rainforest Sports Bar. There was a birthday party at the next table, where we saw the birthday boy drink two flaming lamborghinis, four tequila shots and copious amounts of beer. He held up quite well but alas the alcohol caught up to him and he rocked his way to sleep on the table.
We did well ourselves and downed two Calsberg Beer Towers and a bucket too. Responsible binge drinking? Especially when happy “hours” runs from 11am til 9pm!
Unfortunately by Friday, Jenesse had caught the KL Belly bug. At 5am we rushed to the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre, where the doc gave Jenesse a cocktail of prescriptions to settle her tummy. We were supposed to go on a bus tour with the wedding entourage but Jenesse has been ordered to rest and take it easy on Dr Mellican’s orders.
KL photos are on Picasa Web.
Jun
23
It’s our last day at Conrad Maldives. I received a surprise at breakfast. Four staff came to our table, presented me with a birthday cake, card, champagne and sung happy birthday. Jenesse apparently setup the birthday cake surprise. Thanks Jenesse!
The weather was a bit unstable this morning, but has fined up again. We spent the day strolling around the island and then enjoying the view from the Rangali Bar. We are now packed and ready for a late afternoon sea plane flight out to Male, where at 10:20pm we will then fly to Kuala Lumpar. Despite being sad to leave this awesome resort and making promises to come back real soon, we are looking forward to the sea plane flight over the atolls.
Last photos of Conrad Maldives are on Picasa Web.
Jun
22
Earlier today we took a walk around the island and toured around the Spa Villa accommodations. These overwater bungalows are huge. Along the way, we saw many Black Tip Reef Sharks and a huge sting ray frollicking in the shallows.
Our last night on Conrad Maldives was celebrated with a Candle Light Beach Dinner. The setting was very romantic, table and chairs setup on the edge of Rangali island, with our own butler and chef. We chose a seafood menu which had five courses, champagne and a bottle of Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc (Cullen, Margaret River). This was a feast, so much food no one could possibly eat everything.
This was the menu:
Glass of Champagne
Canapes
Warm Garlic Bread
Grilled Tiger Prawns
Marinated Vegetables Salad, Feta Cheese, Sun Dried Tomatoes
Seafood chowder
Whole Baby (Rainbow Runner) Reef Fish
Black & Green Olives, Garlic and Herb Butter
Baked Potato and Wok Fried Vegetables
Tiger prawns, Indian Ocean Lobster & Squid Rings
Steamed Rice
Plate of Tropical Fruits with Creme Fraiche
The experience was very special and ended our last night on the resort on another high. It was almost not to happen, with the late afternoon monsoon showers threatening the event. But we got a few hours repreive from the weather to go ahead with the dinner. Afterwards, we had a cocktail at the Rangali Bar and talked to the bar staff about their resort and famous guests who sometimes can spend up to 6 months staying in the US$4000 a night Sunset Villa! By midnight, the monsoons came and it poured all night with fierce winds and lightning.
When we arrived back to our Beach Villa, we discovered a letter from the resort telling us they had extended our check out time til the last seaplane out, 4:15pm tomorrow afternoon. Sweet! One more day to soak up the resort luxuries before our late flight out to Kuala Lumpar at 10:20pm that night.
Check out today’s pics on Picasa Web.
