Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Indonesia.....any advice/ tips please?

Leica All Day

Leica All Day

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Hello everybody,

I'm hitting the road this holiday season and I'm going to visit some places that I've never been to....I figure a couple of days in KL, a couple more in Singapore and 2 weeks in Indonesia...

I already know what gear and film I'm bringing, but I'd like to know if there are any 'must see' places that I should check out....I plan on just wandering around KL and Singapore for a couple of days and check stuff out...but I'm going to have some time in Indonesia to travel and I'm just curious if any of you guys have any 'favorite' places.....

Also, if anybody wants to meet up for a frosty beverage, let me know....and if there are any cool camera shops that are worth a visit, let me know....

Cheers, Michael
 
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I had the pleasure of hanging out in Bali for a week or so. The only thing that comes to mind is that it rained all the time. Bring some gear you don't mind getting wet.

As for places to check out: Kuta is amazing for surfing and the ocean, Uluwatu is great for resorts / touristy stuff as well as a great temple. Ubud is good for cooking / silver smithing classes and rubbing shoulders with locals.

There's a hotel in Ubud called the "honeymoon guesthouse" Best hotel I've ever stayed in, and it was cheap: $40 US gets you a room bigger than most apartments, breakfast and a spa for cheap.

I've got some photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xbleh/sets/72157607649754301/

Enjoy your travels and post some photographs!
 
Thanks for that info....the only name that I recognize above is Bali.....i plan on getting a Lonely Planet later today to just give me some general ideas about the islands and what's out there....

Thanks for the tip about the weather, I'll bring my waterproof bag...

Cheers, michael
 
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KL, if you are wow about the view, expect to queue from 6am to get the free ticket to Petronas tower bridge.
On your way down, you can stop by Malacca, a must see place for few days.
 
Michael,
"Must see" in KL include the
(a) Petronas twin towers (mentioned by mervynyan)- get a ticket for the 48th floor for panoramic views
(b) or the top floor of the KL tower for panoramic views- revolves & has restaurant
(c) the bird park in the Lake Gardens area (actually the S'pore bird park is better!)
(d) The Lake Gardens area is also where the national monuments
(e) Batu caves, on the outskirts of KL

Melaka (Malacca) is must see; this is 3 hrs from KL on the main highway to Singapore.
If you have time- at least 2 days, I'd say, make a trip to the Camera Highlands (max altitude about 2000m) & see a tea plantation or two. About a 3 hr road journey from KL each way.
 
Oh, bring film.. not easy to get in KL, cheaper in Thailand. Can re-stock at Ruby Photo (Peninsula Plaza, North Bridge Rd.) S'pore
 
Michael,
What islands will you be visiting?
There are 5 big ones, and supposedly 13,000 islands in total. I'm from Indonesia, but have been here in the US for a couple of years. And no I've not been to a lot of places I would like to go.

In general Bali is always the popular destination. More smaller islands are to the East of Bali.
Java has some big destinations, Jakarta is an interesting to see, but maybe similar to other capital city in the region.
West Java Province, Bandung is my home town. A lot of Art Deco building. When the Dutch occupied us, the city was plan to be the new capital.
Central Jave Province, Yogyakarta has Keraton culture (kingdom) some very interesting scene can be seen. Here you can also see candi Borobudur and candi Prambanan.
Sulawesi, a known place is Tana Toraja and Bunaken National Park (north).
Some suggestions. Hope that starts the search.
 
When will you be in KL?

In KL there are easily accessible wet markets, Chinese and Indian temples, street markets, outdoor food stalls.
 
Thanks guys for the info...I'm going to be flying in to KL next Sunday....I have a week to read up and get some ideas....some good info so far....I plan on bringing all the film I'll need but it would be nice to check out some stores and see what's available and perhaps pick some stuff up that's not available over here..... I imagine Singapore would have sone cool stores to check out, but I have no idea...

Cheers, Michael
 
michaelbialecki said:
Hello everybody,

I'm hitting the road this holiday season and I'm going to visit some places that I've never been to....I figure a couple of days in KL, a couple more in Singapore and 2 weeks in Indonesia...

I already know what gear and film I'm bringing, but I'd like to know if there are any 'must see' places that I should check out....I plan on just wandering around KL and Singapore for a couple of days and check stuff out...but I'm going to have some time in Indonesia to travel and I'm just curious if any of you guys have any 'favorite' places.....
Click to expand...

I've been to Singapore and also have spent some time in several places in Indonesia.

In Singapore, there is a photo shop called Alan Photo Trading. I went to the location at Sim Lim Square in Singapore. I bought a very nice photo vest (even if it did say "Canon" on it :D) at a very reasonable price. I was able to bargain them down on the cost of the photo vest, just so you know that you don't have to buy at the stated price.

While I was in Singapore, I visited the Singapore Zoo. I can't emphasize enough that this zoo is a great place to go with a camera. They also offer a breakfast at the zoo, which gives a fantastic opportunity to take images up close and personal with the animals. I allowed someone else to use my camera to take an image of me with a snake at this breakfast. I also was able to take an image of the rare white tiger at the zoo.

I've also been to Indonesia and I would highly recommend visiting Bali, especially Ubud and Monkey Forest, which is in Ubud. I paid some money to have a private driver for a half day, which was well worth the money spent. He is Balinese but speaks perfect English as he had lived in the United States. Eddy took me to places I wanted to go to, where I was able to make purchases of gifts for friends and relatives at excellent prices. PM me if you would like contact information for Eddy, should you decide to visit Bali.

Have a great time!

Ellen
White_Tiger_Singapore_ZooDSC_3219.jpg


Singapore_Zoo_SnakeDSC_3190.sized.jpg
 
Hi michael, I'm living in Jakarta, Indonesia.. What cities are you planning to visit? and what is your interests? our country famous for rich culture and also landscapes. Not to mention in Jakarta, you can find the cheapest lab and films available :)

and that just a small part, you can also try to visit Karimun Jawa Island, cheap and beautiful

http://www.karimunjawa-islands.info/

And if decided to go to Bali, dont forget to visit Lombok Island too :)
 
Hi Michael,

If you're visiting Singapore drop me a line... Indonesia has great opportunities but language can be a real hurdle. If you can meet up with people there who can show you around that would certainly help. I have both Indonesia and Singapore stuff ion my Flickr; if anything there is of interest I can provide details...
 
Thanks a lot for the info again....I really dont have any clue what I want to see or photograph on this trip.....I really like wandering around big cities in this part of the world and checking things out... That said, I'd like to travel around Indonesia for a little bit and see something besides Jakarta....when I get home later today I'm going to check out some of the photos that you guys posted links to......

Hey Craig I'll drop you a pm, would love to hook up for a coffee/beer if you have time....

Thanks everybody
 
If you are going to Jakarta, better to go as well to Bandung, 2 hour driving from Jakarta, you can get there easily with public transport/train. some call it The Paris of Java. It is a city surrounded by mountain, so you can get some crater view as well. If you do, enjoy visiting Tangkuban Perahu, and Kawah Putih, these are two wellknown crater on top of the mountains..
Enjoy Indonesia !!
 
Hi Michael,

Drop me a PM if your in Jakarta or Bandung, maybe we can hang around a bit when your in Indonesia.

Some photos of Jakarta and Bandung can be seen on my flickr site, but there are so many things in Jakarta that I have not explored as well.

Adit
 
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pb908 said:
If you are going to Jakarta, better to go as well to Bandung, 2 hour driving from Jakarta, you can get there easily with public transport/train. some call it The Paris of Java. It is a city surrounded by mountain, so you can get some crater view as well. If you do, enjoy visiting Tangkuban Perahu, and Kawah Putih, these are two wellknown crater on top of the mountains..
Enjoy Indonesia !!
Click to expand...

+1. Tangkuban Perahu ("upturned boat" in Malay) is an active volcano but currently quite safe to explore the summit crater
 

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Thanks a lot for the info , I really appreciate it.....and thanks for the offers...

Craig, thanks for the PM, I definitely want to hook up with you while I'm in Singapore..I'll contact you a couple of days before I get there and hopefully we can hook up....

Nick, I would like to meet up with you in KL if you have some freetime on Monday.... I'll send you a PM in the next couple of days..thanks

Adit, I would be happy if you and I could meet up in Jakarta, I am sure I'll have some questions for you...will send you a PM

Seriously, a big thanks to all who took the time out to reply and make suggestions....very cool....

I am going to start reading about Indonesia and check out some photos and get some ideas for my trip....thanks again

Cheers , michael
 
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