Genting Highlands (Pt.1)

I can’t believe I didn’t write about this place sooner. To be honest I had this image in my head that I already wrote a piece on this place and earlier today I was checking out my post's titles and I was like, man can’t believe I left this place out, such a disgrace. Anyways the place I'm going to talk about is Genting Highlands, one of the most touristic areas in all of Kuala Lumpur. It is definitely a must see place in all of Malaysia (remember, you guys should be marking my must see places, because I really mean it when I say must see!).

(View of Genting Highlands from the above)

Source

Anyways, Genting is great to get away from the unbearable heat and humidity for a little while, but Genting’s breezy and foggy weather isn’t the only good attribute of this place, chosen as one of Malaysia’s top attractions, there is no way you guys would get bored in Genting. Genting used to have this great theme park back in the day, we used to love coming to Genting back then, it was always adventurous and not even that expensive. But then they closed the theme park so that they could build a super huge theme park instead of it, it’s construction is still on going, there is going to be a 20 th Century Fox theme park. The theme park has been talked about for years now; the hype about it is endless.

(I'm just creating some hype, they should really be paying me for this)

Source

Some fun facts about the new theme park, it has cost more than 330 million USD, just let that sink in, it was supposed to be opened by the end of 2016 but now it has been postponed to the end of 2017. But don’t worry even if you go earlier than that, Genting is still pretty memorable. But first let’s see how on earth we can get you guys there.

How to get there:

Okay, so the cheapest way to get to Genting is by bus, there are these buses from KL Sentral that go to Genting, there are a couple of them every day but you need to reserve in advance and check the bus schedule, the fair is relatively cheap, about 10-15 ringgits go to and the same amount to come back. The bus will drop you off right at the cable car station and then you can take the cable car to go up to the resorts, restaurants, shops and the casino. The bus is the cheapest way to get to Genting; the other means aren’t as cheap.

(The kiosk to get tickets for buses from KL Sentral to Genting)

Source

The cable cars costs about 6 ringgits for a one way ticket, but buy a two way ticket for about 12. 80 ringgits to be exact. The cable car ride is pretty enjoyable, although I definitely think it goes too slow. You can get to enjoy the scenery and see yourself get surrounded in a fog as you go up. The view is breathtaking so don’t miss out on it.

(The Genting cable car)

Source

Anyways apart from the bus, you can go to genting with a cab or using “Grab”, it costs about 70 ringgits to go and pretty much the same amount to come back. Normal cabs are more expensive than cabs you get on Grab. I honestly recommend you guys going by a bus, because it is way cheaper and has proper schedules. Just a tiny piece of advice, make sure you come back down on time because the cable car ride is usually crowded as hell during the afternoons, so make sure you come back down ahead of time or else you are going to be missing your bus, that happened to me every time, no joke.

Description and experiences:

After getting off the cable car you enter Genting resorts, now here there are a bunch of stuff you could do, which I will mention them on a list below. Oh, and before I get to anything else please know that, food and fast foods are generally more expensive in Genting. Like McDonald’s, that is a few bucks more expensive, and so are all the other fast foods. I don’t know why, I guess they are charging for their transport cost to bring all of their products uphill all the way.

Indoor theme park

So one of the things you can do is to enjoy the indoor theme park, it's not that special but it is entertaining nonetheless. It is mostly entertaining for kids, they have rides like the mini train, merry-go-round and safari ride. They are mostly not that thrilling but the Genting arcade is good, they have lots and lots of computer games to the point there is no way you can play all. The basketball game, the car games, and the other games I don’t know the name of and of course those try your luck games so you can win a teddy bear and impress your significant other; but you really never actually win and just end up wasting money. Like, honestly, the Times Square indoor theme park is so much better than the Genting one. But then people don’t actually come to Genting for the indoor theme park, so it's fine.

Source

Inside the indoor theme park there is also a stage which many dancers and singers come to perform, specially during the weekend. It is very entertaining and cool. Check it out.

(One of the arcades in Resort world, Genting)

Source

Snow World

This one has absolutely no attractions for me whatsoever, given I'm from Iran and we have actual snow, in fact there is actual snow in my doorstep right now, so I guess it is more attractive if you come from a rather tropical country or area. It is actually more intriguing for Malaysian themselves; they get to play around in a temperature of like -6 degrees Celsius. I realized that in the manner that I'm explaining Genting you guys would so lose interest, I'm sorry it gets better trust me, Genting’s soft breezes and the air so full of pure oxygen makes up for it.

(Snow World)

Source

The Genting casino

First of all you need to be over 18 to get into the casino, even for just seeing it and not actually playing. I mean, on the website it says at least 21 years old, but honestly I'm not even 20 yet and I got in every time so did my friends, they never even asked for IDs, I guess we looked grown up enough. Please don’t tell anyone that. Another fact is that the Genting casino is the only casino is Malaysia, I guess this basically makes Genting the Las Vegas of Malaysia.

(The Genting casino)

Source

The casino is equipped with every type of game, most of which I have no idea about, ok why lie, I don’t have any idea about any of them. I just know the names and punto; some of the games include blackjack, roulette, electronic game boards, cashless gaming and some Chinese traditional games. The casino is open every day of the year, you are supposed to be dressed very decently, sunglasses, slippers, shorts are all prohibited in the casino. You also can’t take in any photographic device; there is strictly a no photography rule in the casino. Don’t miss out on the Genting casino, it is probably the highlight of the whole place but I'm not encouraging trying your luck, don’t you guys get sore over losing money and then blaming me. I personally never ever gamble, so I'm safe.

Source

Nike factory store

I guess this doesn’t count an entertainment source but I'm going to add it here anyways, because if you plan on shopping Nike goods, this is the place to go to, this is more like a factory outlet, so the prices are cheaper than retail prices. Actually, every time we wanted to go sneakers shopping, we took a trip to Genting and it became like a good shopping experience and a good excursion. Well the thing is most of their models are a little old, so don’t expect to find the latest sneakers there, because you aren’t going to. The prices here are really good and their sizes finish up fast, so it all depends on your luck. The exact location of the store is First world plaza, level 2B. Good luck.

Source

Food

I'm not going to dedicate a section to Genting’s restaurants, because well it doesn’t have anything special, all of them are normal establishments. The diversity is astounding though, so the choices are endless. There are quite a few Chinese, seafood and barbecue restaurants. Among the coffee shops The Bakery is my favorite, their prices are not that expensive and their pastries are delicious, trust me I'm a pastry addict. It's located on the lobby floor and it is usually open till 12 at night. I also recommend their coffees and light snacks; I have never tried any meals there.

(The bakery in Genting)

Source

The rest is written in another post.

Cheers