We all need to take a break every now and then. So it was with me. I decided to head down to Kuala Lumpur (KL) for a quickie—3 days, 2 nights. I flew this time and stayed at The Gardens Hotel, which is linked to two huge malls: The Gardens Mall and Mid Valley Megamall. I wasn’t planning on shopping—just browsing through the two big bookstores there—MPH and Borders. I really wanted time by myself to think, to contemplate…It was a very restful and enjoyable trip as the following pictures will attest.
(Above) I had a very nice room on the 20th floor, equipped with all the amenities I could ever need. The king-sized bed was very comfortable and most importantly wireless broadband was available at no extra charge.
(Below) The bathroom and shower area. Just look at that huge basin! There were mirrors everywhere for the narcissist in me, LOL.
(Above) On my first night I decided to give Tony Roma’s a try…and I wasn’t disappointed. I ordered the 8oz Fillet Mignon with broccoli and loaded mashed potato with ham, rice, and all kinds of goodies. Washed it down with bottomless iced tea—yeah, I decided to stay sober, heh heh. I was so full I couldn’t order any dessert.
(Below) I requested a morning call at 7 in the morning. After a quick shower to wake me up I headed to the 6th floor for my buffet breakfast at The Spread. This is a very nice all-day dining restaurant; the food was good and the staff pleasant and attentive. I even spoke to Sahadi, a tall girl who was interested in photography but was too shy to have her picture taken. Look at the goodies I’ve availed myself here—guava juice, black coffee, yogurt, some dim sum dumplings, sausages, hash browns, baked beans, mushrooms, and Danish pastry. Needless to say, I skipped lunch and spent the afternoon walking in the two malls.
(Above) I was tired out after doing so much walking so I was looking forward to putting my feet up on this wonderful couch made for one. I then realized that I had to take some self-portraits, otherwise who would believe I was there? My Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom came to the rescue. This little fella is ideal when travelling due to its light weight and portability. I know this isn’t my photo blog but I’m going to give you the details anyway: I used my Canon EOS 550D with the Speedlite 580EX II in bounce mode. The little white reflector in this amazing flash puts some catch lights in my eyes. I took around a dozen shots, this one was the most likable.
(Below) A shot of the lobby area in the hotel. I took this handheld without flash, and was amazed that it came out so well. The horizon is perfectly level (yeah, I’m boasting) and at the wide-angle end of my Canon 18-135mm IS zoom lens, it’s pin sharp. The pretty lady walking by was an added bonus!
(Above) Here’s Bel (on the left) from Pakistan and Vicky from China. They both work at Tony Roma’s and I had the pleasure of talking with them. They made me feel so at home I decided to return again for more on the second night.
(Below) Here’s a photo of me and Vicky. Direct flash from my Speedlite 320EX was used since the ceiling was a tad high and dark brown in color.
(Above) Second night at TR’s and this time I’m on to a 10oz New York Strip. The beef was tender and succulent; coupled with my favorite broccoli and a baked potato for a change (loaded with goodies). I had to give their desserts a miss again, I was so full after this fabulous entrée.
(Below) On my third and last day I was so glad I could meet up with Emily, a fellow blogger that I hadn’t met before. She was so kind to take a day’s leave just to meet up with me (thank you, Emily). We headed to Chili’s at Mid Valley for some Tex-Mex food and had an enjoyable time chatting like old friends. I was still reeling from the hotel’s buffet breakfast but I put on a brave front and decided to give it my best shot, ha ha.
(Above) Emily chose the fire-grilled Chicken and Portobello mushrooms while I sheepishly ordered the Caesar Salad with grilled chicken (below) The portions were American-sized, meaning huge! It was delicious through and through.
(Above) We threw caution to the wind and ordered a dessert monster, the Molten Chocolate Cake. Fortunately we ordered just one. Shamefully decadent dark chocolate cake with a large dollop of vanilla ice cream on top, smothered with tons of thick chocolate sauce. Both of us could barely finish this dessert so Emily took the rest of it home. It’d be a shame to waste it, no?
Soon after lunch I had to say goodbye to Emily, check out of the hotel, and make my way to Subang Skypark Airport. Till the next time—arriverdecci, Gardens!
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