| Page Views: 111 Last Visit to Genting: May, 2005 | Wannabee Las Vegas by 34N118W - last update: May 22, 2005 |
Best laid plans... I had never been to Malaysia before this trip, so I left a lot of the planning to my wife. She booked a package from Singapore which included a whirlwind tour of Kuala Lumpur and Genting. It seemed a bit expensive (roughly US$600) and terribly rushed, but I just went with it. I figured any new experience would be fun and a package would make it easier... WRONG!* |
Trouble from the start We figured going through a travel agency would eliminate the hassles of getting around and negotiating for transportation. At first our assumption appeared to be correct. Upon landing at KL airport, a driver was there to pick us up along with about 6 other Chinese tourists. I'm generally able to travel in the roughest of conditions, but when I'm travelling with my family I want everything to be comfortable. I was immediately disappointed in our transportation which was an old, beat up mini bus. For the price of our package, I expected something more presentable. "No fuss! It'll be better once we get there", I thought to myself. Our first stop was in Genting Highlands. We were able to get a glimpse of Petronas towers at night on the way. I couldn't believe how far the airport was from KL. I took a little over an hour! Genting was about an hour further still. At our gas top, the driver tells us in his broken English that we have to pay him 5 RM per person to take us to the top. However, our package details stated that we were suppose to receive door-to-door service. He wouldn't hear it and told me to complain. I refused to get out of the bus and he refused to continue. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was the principle- sth very important to people from my part of the world. We were at a stalemate until one of the Chinese tourists told him they would pay. I figured I'd pay the Chinese guy back, but there was no way I was going to hand this thief any money. We ended up arriving in Genting around midnight on a holiday weekend. The lobby of the hotel was so packed that we were given a number and told to wait for check-in. We sat in the lobby for another hour completely exhausted. We didn't make it to our room until 1am! Needless to say we passed out the instant our heads hit the pillow.* |
Genting Genting is a retreat in the highlands near KL. The whole place is a cheap mixture of Dineyland and Las Vegas. We stayed in First World Hotel which was a bad knock off of the Venitian Hotel in Las Vegas. The hotels in Genting were massive. They were huge towers painted a variety of the brightest colors they could find. It was a bit sad to see what they've done with the place. You find the same sort of thing in Vietnam, where I presently live. They took a place that once must have been very beautiful. Then they chopped down all the trees and replaced them with these monstrocities. Genting wasn't all that bad though. It's good fun for kids with plenty of rides and games. There are also casinoes for those who like to gamble. I'm not much of a gambler, so we stayed away. We didn't have much time to enjoy ourselves though. We only had half a day in Genting before we had to meet our pick up to take us to KL. We were supposed to meet him at noon, but he never showed. Luckily, we discovered that the travel agency we were using had a kiosk near the hotel. They promply arranged transportation for us, which ended up being a supped up car. I immediately recognized that the driver was into the street racing scene, which was also an interest of mine back in high school. However, I wasn't crazy about the white-knuckled ride we received all the way down the winding road from Genting. This guy thought he was in the Grand Prix zig-zagging through traffic and taking turns at breakneck speed. We were all happy to have our feet back on the ground when we arrived in KL.* |
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| Pros: | "Fun for kids and gamblers" | | Cons: | "Cheap knock off of Vegas, ruining what was once beautiful scenery." | | In A Nutshell: | "Don't go unless you're looking to entertain your kids or gamble your money away" |
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 Comments for 34N118W about Genting | | | | |
edachsund Fri Jun 3, 2005 06:31 UTC
what a story! sorry to hear that experienced from you jason. I supposed there are lots of other alternative to reach KL which is much more cheaper and comfortable for a family guy like you. Maybe next time, I lay u a tips to get around. | BorderHopper Tue May 24, 2005 00:25 UTC
U ringgit pincher!! It's all about the principle man! Well, that was one interesting write up about your misadventure to Genting. Sounds a bit blah for the adventure-set. Funny story about ur white knuckle ride down the mtn. |
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