Thursday, November 26, 2009

A Trip To Genting Highlands

I haven't been to Genting, The City Of Entertainment, for ages. So today, Aunt and I made our way up there.

We bought our return bus tickets yesterday from KL Sentral. Really, the bus tickets which were inclusive of the Skyway rides, sold like hot cakes, it being the school holiday season and all. The fare was quite reasonable too. The bus ride was RM4.30 and the Skyway was RM5.00 one way.

The bus departed right on time at 10.00 a.m. The journey to the Skyway Terminal from KL Sentral was slightly over an hour. From there, the Skyway ride up to the Genting Highlands Resort took about 15 minutes. The Genting Skyway is currently the world's fastest and South East Asia's longest cable car system at about 3.4 kilometres.

Picture taken from my cable car

As usual, Genting Highlands Resort is a really busy place. There are so many people there! I had to figure my way about in the chaos. And I did not know my way around at all. I had to rely very much on the signs, which were fortunately quite helpful, to move from one place to the other.

I only viewed the outdoor theme park from the outside. I could not go in as I did not purchase an entrance ticket of RM38.00. The First World Indoor theme park, on the other hand, is free of charge. This place is literally a circus!!! There were so many different types of rides cramped into one place!!

The Statue of Liberty @ First World Indoor Theme Park

I also went into the casinos to have a look. I did not really understand the how any of the games work. But it was quite amusing to see people gamble away. I shook my head in horror as a man lost RM200.00 in less than a minute. Another lady awed me as she won RM200.00 within minutes.

One thing about the casinos was that it was really smoky. It seemed to me that people smoked everywhere while they gambled away! I came out of the casinos covered in the smell of smoke.

View from Theme Park Hotel

A walk outside the hotels, on the other hand, were quite refreshing. The air was much cooler than I expected it to be. It was great to feel the cold wind brush against my cheeks. I wish there were more greens outside in the gardens. Outside the Theme Park Hotel, I saw these beautiful plants.

Pretty blooms

Bright bulb of flower

By the time we walked around the hotels, the theme parks and the garden, it was time to go home. We took the Skyway down to the terminal and waited for our bus, which was scheduled to depart at 4.30 p.m.

In my humble opinion, the management really needs to prep up the place with a new coat of paint. Many of the facilities look shabby and run down. First World Hotel's colourful facade too has faded and is in dire need of a facelift.

I've always found Genting Highlands Resort too commercialised, and that's why I stopped going there. I think it would be great if there were pretty botanical gardens for guests to stroll about outside. Not everyone likes theme parks and casinos.

Anyway, it is really easy and convenient to catch a bus from any of the bus terminals up to Genting Highlands. And I really do not mind going up again sometime.

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