Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (short layover) 2017

Several 24 h layovers in Kuala Lumpur (2017)

Recommendations:

• Old China Cafe restaurant in downtown Kuala Lumpur
• If short of time, Uber is a reasonable and faster transport, but there is a wide public transport network as well

Places visited:

• Batu Caves
• Petronas Towers (KLCC)
• Dowtown (Perdana Botanic Gardens, Merdeka square and surroundings)
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a) Batu Caves:

• You can reach Batu Caves by public transport (Komuter to Batu Caves)
• Entrance is free
• Limestone caves which host one of the most important Hindu temples outside India
• Location of the annual festival of Thaipusam for Hindus
• Dedicated to Lord Murugan, lord of war, whose impressive iconin statue is in the entrance of the caves
  
• Reaching the caves require almost 300 steps where you can find plenty of monkeys (do not show them food!) and vegetation, as well as nice views of the city
  
  
  
  
• Once inside the caves there are several Hindu respresentations and the cave is beuatiful
  
  
  
  

b) Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC):

• You can reach KLCC by public transport (LRT to KLCC)
• Iconic Petronas Towers are found here
  
• I did not visit the observation deck, which can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday (monday closed as of 2017) for RM85 (approx €22)
• I heard that is better to visit Menara telecommunications tower for half price and better views, but I did not visit neither of them
• What I liked most about this area was KLCC park, nice area where best photos of Petronas towers are taken
  
  
  
  
  

c1) Perdana Botanic Gardens:

• In dowtown these Botanic Gardens can be visited free of cost
• It is a relaxing area a bit separate from the busy city

• The National Mosque of Malaysia is nearby and can also visited at some fixed timings
  
  
  
  

c2) Merdeka square and surroundings:

• Independence square where the Malaysian flag is rised
  
• Several relevant buildings are found such as Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad (several Ministeries here):
  
• or Kuala Lumpur City Gallery (I did not have time to see the gallery itself but I was told by a local that is a nice colorful gallery for whoever loves art):
  
  

• Nearby you can find Jamek mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur:
  

• A few streets after there is Chinatown, where you can find all kind of clothes and souvenirs. Roof has been added in part of it in order to be more "tourist friendly"
  
  
  
  
  

• Not far away there is a popular local street called Alor street, where street food night market takes place daily. It resembles somehow Khao San Road in Bangkok. However, I visited during the day and in Ramadan so obviously it was almost empty but I had the feeling it might be nice at night
  

• To finish my day properly, I met some colleagues for a late lunch in Old China Cafe. This popular restaurant combines Malaysian and Chinese tradition, is highly recommended in several websites, food was very nice and I personally recommend it as well (photo was taken pretty late but it was hard to find available table before 3pm):
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• I would especially recommend two dishes: Brinjal Belachan (kind of eggplant stew) and Chui Pei Tofu (crispy tofu which was delicious for someone like me who very rarely had eaten tofu before)
• Also, as a particularity, the blue rice you see in the photo is naturally made with blue orchid

• I spent a lovely day in Kuala Lumpur, hope it helps!

Athens & Santorini, Greece 2017

Athens & Santorini (8th-14th June 2017)

Brief introduction:

• I went to Greece for a week with my girlfriend and I would like to share the experience and give some tips and ideas. Comments are welcomed
• We spent the first day in Athens, almost next 4 days in Santorini, and last 2 days in Athens again and we felt timing was perfect

General recommendations:

• European university card allows free entrance to most monuments both in Athens and Santorini including Acropolis
• In Athens I recommend to rent a car for a day and visit Vouliagmeni and Sounio Cape with Temple of Poseidon by the sea with several beaches on the way as well. Once in Athens it is better to walk and use metro, which is very cheap but for the communication with the airport
• Accomodation in Santorini is very expensive but it is common to rent a quad or scooter to go around the island, taking maximum 40 minutes from one side to the other of the island, so if you are travelling on a budget it is better not to stay in the most popular areas in the North West such as Oia, Imerovigli or Fira but cheaper places on the Eside of the island (i.e. Perissa)

1- Athens:

• Places visited: downtown Athens & Cape Sounio
  

Downtown Athens

• Areas of interest: Acropolis, Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma square, Temple of Olympian Zeus, National Gardens, Mount Likavittos...

• There are so many cute streets, restaurants, temples, museums, sports events... that obviously as many days as possible are welcome but in my opinion 2 days in Athens would be enough to see the main touristic attractions in downtown and enjoy local cuisine and lifestyle
• Visiting the Acropolis is considered "compulsory". Ticket is €20 unless you have European university card as I mentioned before, but you can also pay €30 for the entrance to all temples in Athens with a validity of 5 days
• Unless you pay a guided visit, you will enjoy the great views but it is difficult to learn something. I recommend at least to watch any documentary online to really understand the history and magnificence of this place
• The Acropolis is situated right in the center of the city uphill offering amazing views of the city including the Temple of Olympian Zeus or Mount Likavittos:

Several temples are seen in the Acropolis:

• Propylaia, ceremonial entrance to Acropolis (photo from inside the Acropolis)

• Erechtheum, Temple of Athena´s vistory over Poseidon:

• Parthenon, temple dedicated to goddess Athena which used to host her statue, now lost:

• Odeon of Herod Atticus, stone theater with capacity for up to 5,000 people:

Monastiraki:

• Flea market neighborhood north but next to Acropolis, with great views of it, several churches and a mosque, lovely restaurants and terraces, and several people selling amazing and cheap fruit, together with all kinds of souvenirs

Plaka:

• One of the most colourful and attractive neighborhoods in Athens together with Monasteriki, also great for trying local cuisine, walking, photography, souvenirs...
  
  
  
  

Syntagma square:

• Important commercial and political square with several metro and bus communications, where the Parliament is situated
• Nothing impressive in this area but if you pass by you can find the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier, a war memorial dedicated to Greek soldiers killed during the war, guarded by Evzones, the Presidential Guard

Temple of Olympian Zeus:

• Former colossal temple dedicated to Zeus, next to Arch of Adriano, considered the Gate of Athens:

National Gardens:

• Huge park including a small zoo, cinema, lakes or a convention center

Mount Likavittos:

• Just 3km from the Acropolis, Northeast, you can visit Mount Likavittos with excellent views all around
• Walking uphill takes 20 minutes and there is a small church at the top and a terrace from where you can appreciate great views of the city
• We did not take it but we heard about a cable car to reach the top

Cape Sounio (roadtrip)

• After almost four days in Santorini which I will describe later on, we were in Athens for two more days
• We rented a car for a day from the airport to be dropped next day in downtown, and we drove to the south of Athens. This area is very popular among locals and it is highly recommended
• In Cape Sounio you can visit the Temple of Poseidon very close to the sea (ticket is €8 but free for European university students)
  
  
  
  
   
• Nearby there is a small beach with a restaurant which is nice as well
  
• After a while we drove by the coast towards Athens. The drive is beautiful and we saw several nice beach spots
• These areas are not packed with tourists and feels very nice
• In particular we loved the area of Voula and Vouliagmeni lake
  
  
  
  

2- Santorini:

• Places visited: Fira, Imerovigli, Oia, Perissa, Akrotiri & tour Nea Kameni volcano-hotsprings-Thirasia
  

• No matter where you go the island is pretty and the coast looks wild with sharp hills
• We stayed the 4 nights in Fira because we found a very good deal, but if not I recommend to stay in a cheaper area by the East and rent a quad or scooter to go around the island
• Fira is one of the most popular areas and probably the best for nightlife
• A few kilometers south from Fira you can visit Santo wine winery for wine testing. I do not drink any alcohol but it is a lovely place to enjoy it, starting 6 wines for €15

Imerovigli:

• It was not in our plans but we really enjoyed a small trek in Imerovigli towards Skaros rock, a fortified settlement in the past where locals protected from pirates
• From Skaros rock there are nice views of Imerovigli and the trek is beautiful
  
  
  
  

Oia: 

• Probably the most popular area in Santorini, especially for sunset
  
• From Amoudi bay you can take a donkey (€5) to go uphill almsot 300 stairs
  
  
  
  

• The town is spectacular to walk for hours, really beautiful and 100% recommended but accomodation here is very expensive. Any corner, cafe or restaurant will offer grear views

Perissa:

• Beaches in Santorini are pretty but are mostly rocky
• Several black sand beaches are found in Perissa
  

Akrotiri:

• Not as popular as other areas in Santorini but offers points of interest such us:
• Red beach, called like that for the rock adjacent to it, which is red due to its high metal composition
  
• Akrotiri archaeological site (€12): very well preserved but covered, you can observe but not really experience. We visited but did not like it especially for that price
  
  
  
  
•  Akrotiri lighthouse, the furthest point in Southwest Santorini
  

Tour Volcano-hotsprings-Thirasia:

• Last day we took a 6h boat tour (€26) From Fira old port to visit Santorini volcano in Nea Kameni, the hotsprings in Palea Kameni and Thirasia. It is not a priority but if you have several days in Snatorini is nice to visit
  
  
• Santorini volcano in Nea Kameni: small trek visiting the active volcano, with different explanations of past eruptions
  
  
  
  
• Hotsprings in Palea Kameni: the water is a few degrees hotter thann the rest of the sea and gets a brownish color. Boat stops 100m before and you can swim in the hotspring for 10-20 minutes
  
  
• Thirasia: small town only inhabited by around 300 people, offers a few restaurants by the port and small trekk uphill with another restaurant
  

Closing:

• We really enjoyed our week in Greece. Places, people and food were lovely so the visit is 100% recommended
• I had the feeling I would be happy living in Greece
• I hope this blog helps someone :)