Trip To Malaysia - Shopping

The Sungai Wang Plaza
In the afternoon and later in the evening.





Hello,

Coming back to the trip to Malaysia I start where we left off in our last post.
After the lunch at Sagar we were given the option of either going back to the hotel for rest or take a trip for the shopping malls of Kuala Lampur.

Except for a few elderly couples the rest of us opted for a visit to the shopping malls. We had heard a lot of the Malaysia shopping festivals and were hoping to get some good buys.

Our guide Mr. Homi gave us the idea that the things to buy in Malaysia should mainly include ladies handbags, chinese silk dresses or dress material and shoes. He made it clear tough that shopping would not be a major attraction as the electronics was available at much cheaper prices in India.

So we were dropped at the Bukit bintang and the Sugai Wang Plaza which was considered the middle class shopping malls of Kuala Lampur.

The mall is huge with a large number of outlets. In contrast to the Suria KLCC shopping mall which is located in the Petronas Towers, the Bukit Bintang and the Sungai Wang Plaza does not have big name shops. Selling local and international goods the shops are small in size, more or less in the style we see in India. Fakes of branded items are available. They say it is better than fakes made in China.

There are several shops selling electronic goods like cameras,mobile phones, laptops and other items but we did not get to see anything that could attract our attention. At one shop when I asked for the calculator to work out the price of a particular Nokia mobile in rupees the shopkeeper helpfully suggested to refrain from doing the hard work as the prices in Malaysia would be higher. Once we had it from the horse's mouth we stopped looking at the electronics.

Mayank had by now started insisting on buying a pair of 'converse' shoes. So both Mayank and I started looking for shops selling thses shoes while Radhika and Ruchira went their own way looking for clothes in special chinese design and handbags.

When Mayank fixes his mind on something he makes sure that we reach the conclusion and therefore we did manage to find out the only shop in the plaza that was selling 'converse'. A kind of canvas shoes, I was made to understand that the shoes were in the design used by Basketball players in USA. I fond it strange as they are quite bulky. Anyway, no option. We did a quick calcualtion in rupee and found that it would be almost the same price we pay in Kuwait. Now that his shopping was done Mayank insisted on completion of his next agenda 'a burger at McDonalds'. As usual I obliged.

We were waiting for Radhika andRuchira at the exit and it transpired that they had already finished their tour, buying just one of the chinese dresses and a handbag. They said that the handbags were good but as both of them are shoppers who buy according to practical needs they restricted themselves to the two items. This too according to them they could have done without.

We had completed our shopping trip that included a cursory look into the malls located next to the plaza as well by 6.30 pm and it was now time for us to make our trip back to the hotel before starting for dinner.

We had the option of taking a taxi which wuld have dropped us directly in front of the hotel or take the metro rail where the station at the destination was some distance away from the hotel. Mr. Tanwar and his family had also finished their shopping at the same time so both families opted for a metro trip.

As expected the efficiency was impressive. The stations look clean and well kept, the trains run on time and the ticket vendors are efficient. Most of the stations are also associated with a particular brand and therefore we get in at say 'Toshiba' and get down at 'Sony'.

The walk down to the hotel from the station where we got down turned out to be longer than what we had thought and therefore the ladies were bundled into a taxi while Mr. Tanwar, his son Bhanu, Mayank and I walked it. We had to cross narrow alleys to reach the hotel and these alleys were as clean as the alleys we have in Mumbai Colaba. Nothing better.

The dinner at Aryan, another Indian eatery was OK.

We were now ready to move out of Kuala Lampur and proceed to Al Famosa Restort. This was to be a one day stop before we made our onwards journey to Singapore.

Malaysia is actually not a shoppers paradise as it is made out to be. Of course you can get some good quality fakes of ladies handbags and carry bags, but that is it. Bhatia and family purchased the Petronas Tower T shirts and they were wearing it at the dinner.

Best wishes,
Manoj

To be continued....

THE BEST PLACES IN JAIPUR V

Hello,

Site # V - What else but the beautiful Ramniwas Garden and Albert Hall. If you stay in Jaipur and have not seen the Albert Hall change color from morning to evening and into the night you have missed something. If you have not seen the pigeons flock at the Albert hall you have missed something.

When I first came to Jaipur in 1985, Ramniwas Bagh was not as crowded as it today. In fact the whole city of Jaipur was less crowded and walking around was so easy.

But I did not recognize the beauty of the Albert Hall then. It is only later when one started to appreciate the beauty of nature and the impact it creates on the creation of mankind did Albert Hall and Ramniwas Garden come to notice.

Albert Hall was built in the 1880's when King Edward the then Prince of Wales had come down to Jaipur. I sometimes find it funny that along with the foundation stone for the Albert Hall the other building that is associated with his visit to Jaipur is the Polo Victory Cinema, which was always associated with movies like 'Pyasi Jawani' and 'Waasna Ki Aag'. He must be turning in his grave or should I say maybe getting a 'hard on' in his grave.

Anyway getting back to where we started. Albert Hall is so beautiful from the outside that you can spend hours just covering it from all angles. The view when you enter the Ram Niwas Garden campus from the side of 'New Gate' leaves you awed as you get a glimpse of the arches and domes that dominate the structure. It is said that the design is a copy of the Victoria and Albert hall Museum in England.

The Museum has a large collection of the usual stuff but it is worth taking a look. There are some wonderful sculptures and carpet designs which catch the eye.

The Zoo and the aviary are small but it is interesting as the animals are closer to you and the kids really enjoy the trip.

Ravindra Manch keeps throwing up surprises every now and then and I have watched several interesting plays and dance recitals.

The lawns that surround Albert Hall are extremely inviting and there is hardly any place to sit during summer evenings when people come down in droves to enjoy the pleasant breeze. Just imagine the crowd that gathers after you link it with the 33 acres of land in which it is spread out.

On the left (From New Gate entry) we have the zoo and the Ravindra Manch and a pathway that leads to Sanganeri Gate on the right we have an aviary and a pathway that leads to Ajmeri gate and a small area earmarked for eateries. I know people who will travel long distances for the food stuff sold here.

The unimaginative city planners have created a parking stand within the Garden and several of the lawns on the left are untended for long.

Warnings:
Some times the smell of zoo gets overpowering and you may have to cut short your picnics.
Never walk down the path that leads to Ajmeri Gate. It is more often than not used as an open urinal and if you are unlucky you may witness human bunnies defecating as well.

Personal Experiences:
I got first hand experience of the helpful attitude of the people in Jaipur when once while driving through the garden my Maruti van had stalled. There was something wrong with the cooling system and the coolant had evaporated. We had people from the Scouts and Guide office located in the park helping us with water to fill up the coolant tank and one gentleman on a scooter gave me ride to the mechanic shop so that we could get him to check what was wrong.

People in Jaipur are generally helpful. If you ask for help they do so and in the case of my friend Sanjoy, you do not even have to ask. He will help irrespective of invitation.


Happy picnics,
Manoj

THE BEST PLACES IN JAIPUR IV

Hello,

The place IVth on my list is not exactly a place but an entire road stretch.

Site # 4 is the stretch of road from Paanch Batti to the new secretariat.
There are so many things on this road that one could virtually spend days and days on this road itself. That is if you are a leisurely traveler and not a rushed for time tourist.

Paanch Batti, is one of the landmarks of Jaipur. The four havelis on all four corners have almost similar design, although greed and commercial considerations have changed the face of Panch Batti. I have also contributed directly to the commercialization of Panch Batti by managing to convince the owners of the khandelwal House to allow UTI Bank to pur up a ATM. Great visibility and business for the Bank but poor aesthetics. But why should only I take the blame when Tholia House now has the gaudy lights of McDonalds attracting the attention away from the symetry of Panch Batti.
The Panch Batti as shown in this picture is after the designer lights were put up but before the tree on the side of Tholia House was cut down.
The tree was unique growing on one side of the most important intersection on MI Road and was cut down to allow smoother flow of traffic.
You need to start your journey from a little bit inside the MI Road, towards the Ajmeri Gate. Start with a thrist quenching Kulhar Lassi and a Samosa or Mirchi Vada opposite Niros. The taste is out of the world and you do not have the taste of Jaipur if you do not taste the stuff served here.

Once you have done that you walk down towards the Statue Circle on Bhangwandas Road and on the left see RajMandir. A Cinema Hall. Once, in 1985, this cinema had the biggest lobby and the pathway to the various classes were perfumed. It was one tourist attraction and the guide would point out the gaudy green, red and other coloured lights of the cinema from atop Nahargarh Fort. The First Cinema outing with Radhika in 1986 was at Rajmandir. It was the noon show of some english movie on a Sunday. I forget the name but I remember that we had walked out midway through it. Mayank's first movie was also in this movie hall in 1999 and he kept saying "Bada TV nahi Dekhna Hai". Till the 1990's Rajmandir dominated the skyline at Panch Batti. Now a number of shopping malls have come up adjascent and opposite to the Cineman Hall and they literally dwarf it. Sooner or later it may be replaced by a multiplex.

Further down on the same side we have schools that several Jaipurites have a strong association. The St Xavier's and St. Soldier schools fall on the left before we reach the statue circle. St. Xavier's was established in 1945 and has several famous alumni. One of them Hemant Kaul is well known to everyone from SBBJ and UTI (Axis) Bank.

Statue Circle is a beautiful patch of green and the start of a stretch of road towards the new secretariat where the temperature is lower by at least 2 degrees.
The Statue circle was a spot for evening walks, lovers rendezvous and evening snacking. Immediately after sunset every summer evening people from far off places in Jaipur would make a trip to Statue Circle and spend their entire evening there. Walking, Lazing around, gossiping and eating the chats, dosas, bhelpuri and other stuff that was dished out by the thadi walas who would appear magically every evening. The place was also the favorite haunt of the corrupt police as they searched for young love birds to scare them into shelling out a few bucks.
Statue Circle has the Statue of Sawai Jai Singh.
After I had taken Radhika to Jamwa Ramgarh on our first date and still did not want to part company we had spent time at statue circle. The grass was wet and I had taken out my handkerchief for Radhika to sit on. One of the rare chivalrous actions of my life. It was beyond 10 Pm and the thullas were already eyeing us as potential blackmail victims so we did not spend much time there.
Before this the memories associated with Statue Circle as some early morning walks from our Staff Training centre at Sarojini Marg.

A small detour to the left takes you to Birla Planetarium and Auditorium. A new addition it is built in the traditional style and gives a majestic feel to the circle.
Slightly ahead on Prithviraj Road is the entrance to the Central Park. This Park which has been developed in the last 10 years has slowly replace Statue circle and is now the fovored destination with walkers, joggers, picnic goers and lovers. A green oasis in the heart of the city it has a jogging track and plenty of space for a relaxed picnic and time with your loved ones.

Coming back on Bhagwandas road and moving towards the new Assembly building you have the Secretariat on the right and the golf club on the left. These are the two places I spend a lot of time during 2003-04. Getting Government business in the secretariat and playing golf at Rambagh Golf club. Tucked in between the golf club and the Birla Auditorium is the Ashok Club which serves fabulous meals in their green lawns. The drinks are cheap as well and my friend Julius Samson was kind enough to invite me a couple of times to his club.

The secretariat was supposed to be the residence for part of the army of the maharaja and also had stables for the horses. An imposing structure it form the backdrop of a tee shot we take at the Golf course which we hit towards the Moti Dungri (A small quaint looking castle of Maharani Gayatri Devi just above the Birla Mandir)
A walkway surrounds the golf and polo clubs that share the same entrance and the tempreture goes down another couple of degrees when you enter the club area.
Golf is one of the best way to relax and spend time with friends. It is a very good mental and physical exercise as well as it tests your endurance and intelligence. I was lucky to get the membership of this club and spend some wonderful time learning and playing golf.

Although further down Bhagawadas Road you have the SMS stadium, The Amar Jawan Jyoti (A new addition) and the new assembly I wold rather take a detour into Bhawani Singh Road towards the non existent Rambagh Circle and enter 'Rambagh Hotel' .

The Rambagh Hotel is one of the several heritage hotels that dot the state of Rajasthan. Built in 1835 for the queens favourite handmaiden Kesar Badaran, it was later refurbished as a royal guesthouse and hunting lodge. In 1925, Rambagh was converted into a palace, and became the residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur. In 1957, when it was first converted into a luxury hotel by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and in 1972 that Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces took over the management.

The Rambagh Palace Hotel and particularly the Maharani and the Prince's Suite makes you feel like a real Maharaja. It is understood that Maharani Gayatri Devi continues to stay in a private portion called the lily pool just behind the Hotel.
Rambagh Hotel had been intimidating till a few probationers of the 1985 batch made a spur of the moment decision to get in and have atleast a cup of tea. This was in 1986 and the cup of tea cost Rs. 21/- for each person.
The verandah has beautiful lawns in front and a wonderful view of the Moti Dungri. The dining halls/ restaurants with the high ceilings and beautiful pictures kept attracting me to the hotel time and again and Radhika and I also celebrated one of two of our wedding anniversaries with a dinner at the restaurant. No big deal. The food is nothing special.
In 2002, I arranged for the UTI Bank meet at the Rambagh Hotel and had the opportunity to explore the entire hotel as our guests from the head office stayed there for a few days.
Radhika and I also witnessed a very special show of the 'Sound of Music' at small auditorium attached to the Hotel. During the show we shared snacks with Maharani Gayatri Devi, saw her nonchalantly handle her drinks and her cigarette as well. She was pretty old then but the operative word even then was pretty.
Rambagh hotel had launched a special bar in a train just alongside the entrance of the hotel which became a favorite haunt for me and my friends from the Rajasthan Dental college, Bagru for some time.

People who visit Jaipur should surely visit this road stretch and enjoy what Jaipur has to offer.

Happy tourism and living,
Manoj

THE BEST PLACES IN JAIPUR III

Hi,

Site # 3 - City Palace

Finally we come into the city. Jaipur became the capital of the Kachawas after they shifted from Amber in the 1700s and the city palace complex is part of the planned city of Jaipur.

Very few people know or have ignored this information but the plan of the pink city which is placed alongside is as important as the ruins of Mohenjodaro as it gives us an idea about the way our ancestors planned our cities. The plan of the Pink City as it is known is also called the nine square plan and if you love Jaipur you will surely go up to Nahargarh fort and see for yourself how well the squares are etched out.

The city palace as you will see occupies a major portion of the plan (two of the nine sqaures and one seventh of the total area) and is well protected from all sides with the exit route towards the hills clear of any inhabitation.

With this kind of planning it is no surprise that Maharaja Jai Singh could imagine and help in creation of this marvel.

Most tourists enter the City Palace from the Jaleb Chowk entrance but i believe that the main gate of the city palace is from the side of the Tripolia Gate. When you enter the gate you immediately come to the Mubarak Mahal. Although Mubarak Mahal is a latter addition credited to Madho Singh, this appears to be the main entrace as the Rajendra Gate opens to the Dewan-e-Khas. In comparision the gate from the Jaleb Chowk side connects to the main courtyard and the Dewan-e-Khas through a narrow entrance.
Anyway this is besides the point and most probably the tourists are lead into the Palace through the other gate for the convenience of the bus operators.

The Mubarak Mahal and the Rajendra gate are excellent appetizers to the main course that awaits you inside. Do not miss a picture of the Rajendra Mahal. It comes out really good and also a must is a picture with the marble Elephants that stand on Rajendra Gate.

Inside we get into a wonderfully huge courtyard with the Palace complex looming over it and the Deewan-e-Khas standing out as a solitary lotus in the midst of a pond.
Most of the Palace continues to be the private residence of the Maharaja and is out of bounds but you can get a glimpse of what can be inside by looking at the beautifully carved doors, the memorable pictures adorning the walls and the royal looking passages and verandahs. Do not forget to take a look at the largest Silver Urns in the deewan-e-khas. The local guides will have wonderful stories to tell about the Urns. One story that I know of is that there were actually three urns and one of them had to thrown into the sea when the ship was hit by bad weather on it's journey to England.

Why is it Special for me
Site # 3 has special memories once again dating back to 1985. SBBJ had loaned the royal family a small sum for the Rambagh Hotel project and in order to show their gratitude the royal family had allowed access to SBBJ officials to some parts of the royal palace which was generally out of bounds for the genral public. I am sure SBBJ abused this invitation and as part of this abuse we visited the part of the palace which faces the hills of Nahargarh and the Govinddevji Temple and had tea sitting in the verandah of the Palace.

Then in 2002 when I was the Assistant Vice President of UTI Bank, I used my connections to have the North Zone Branchheads meet at the City Palace Restaurant run by the royal family. The Palace restaurant was specially opened for us during the night and and we also had a conducted tour of the Palace. (Most probably the parts that are not used by the Royal family). My Chairman, PJ Nayak was suitably impressed by the tour and arrangements which had us coming through the Rajendra Gate on car into the main courtyard to the sound of the bugle and nagaras. The welcome and the entertainment of that night when drinks flowed uniterrupted is a memorable event in my life.

Later in 2003 I had the good fortune of being a guest of Kuwar Narendra Singhji, the son in law of Maharaja Jaipur Brigadier Bhawani Singhji. We had tea together at his office in the Palace.

It is not all
But don't go away after you have done the tour of the city palace as the tour will be incomplete if you do not visit the Jantar Mantar and the Govinddevji Temple which lie on opposite sides of the Palace.

The Palace verandah which I talk about is visible from the Govinddevji Temple and gives you a different view of the palace. There is a pathway that leads from the palace to the temple and is used by the royals when they come to the temple.
The Govindevji Temple also includes a sometimes beautiful park (othertimes neglected) and the Talkatora.
This is an artificial pond created to trap the rain water and is another example of the ingenuity of the town planners of that time.
The Jantar mantar house the biggest accurate sun dial and some of the instrments are so accurate that it leaves you astonished. Do not give it a miss as most people do that thinking that there would be no further attraction to engage you after you have been awed by the Palace.

And if you still do have time do feed the piegons in the outer courtyard towards Jaleb Chowk.

The Royal had leased out part of the Palace Complex to the Government of Rajasthan for the Assembly and this is one part of the complex that has detoriarated faster than the rest. i believe they were getting peanuts as rent. Now that the assembly has shifted I do hope that better sense has prevailed and the property has been handed over to the Royal family.

Best Wishes,
Manoj

THE BEST PLACES IN JAIPUR II

Hi,

Site # 2 for me is Jamwa Ramgarh.

People who know Jaipur will wonder why Jamwa Ramgarh of all places. There are several wonderful places within Jaipur itself so why put this as # 2.

Well it is important that I clarify and my reason for putting Jamwa Ramgarh at # 2 is the joy I associate with the visit to the place.

The place has historical significance and is a tourist attraction for the beautiful Summer palace built by the Maharaja of Jaipur above the biggest man made lake in western India that till recently the only supply drinking water to Jaipur.

Jamwa Ramgarh was the capital of the Kachawas, the rulers of Jaipur before they shifted to Amber and then to Jaipur.

The old fort can still be seen on the hilltop when we move from Jaipur to Jamwa Ramgarh (28 Kms). We can still see some old milestones along the road which indicate that the road was an important route for travelers in the past.

I first visited Jamwa Ramgarh in 1985. The probationers of the 1985 batch of SBBJ made a day trip to the lake and I remember that almost all the guys immediately took to the water. The Asiad rowing competitions were held in this lake and in 1985 October it was overflowing.

A major picnic spot during and immediately after rains it is best to avoid the place on weekends when it is extremely crowded.

The trip I enjoyed the most was my first date with Radhika, my wife, in 1986.
We were in the nascent stages of our courtship and an unexpected holiday in the middle of the week gave us a chance to have our first date.

I persuaded Sanjoy to lend me his motorbike and waited, waited and waited for the day to start. When i got up that morning it was raining, it was not hard but a trip on a motorbike surely seemed impossible. Now this was an era when telephones were a rarity. Although Radhika had one in her hostel we did not have it at Sanjoy's place where we were camped. (Seshadri, Ashok Shukla and myself). So there was no way I could have canceled the date. Not that I wanted to.
It was one of the days I prayed real hard and by 10.am the rains had stopped. Although it was still cloudy I took the bike, filled it up with petrol on the way and reached the Ladies Hostel. The caretaker, who was an idiot, told me that Radhika had already left.
Perplexed and disappointed, I was on my way out of the Hostel when I saw her come out from the other wing. She had been chatting with her colleague in another room. She was dressed in her favorite salwar kameej and the morning had turned brighter for me.
The basic plan was to spend time together, but how, we had no idea. We started for Jamwa Ramgarh in a spur of the moment decision. I still do things this way.
As we entered the Jamwa Ramgarh road from the highway, it started raining again, but as large trees shadow the road for most of the journey, we had a natural umbrella over your head. The umbrella being leaky we did get wet.
As we came nearer to the lake we had the company of gurgling rain water flowing steadily towards the lake and we were splashed at least twice by cars making their way back to Jaipur. There was greenery all around and the weather turned beautiful when we stopped at the lake.

Jamwa Ramgarh lake and Lodge is a sight to behold immediately after rains. If the lake is full and the sun starts peeping out you have the wonderful reflection of the lodge in the lake and the rainbow somewhere in the sky. If you are lucky you can see the dancing peacocks.

A picture from that date adorns our bedroom walls.

The things you should not miss when in Jamwa Ramgarh:
1) A leisurely ride on the road. Do not hurry and take a detour to the dilapidated fort. Be careful of the pigs in the village.
2) On reaching the Lake take a break before you cross the dam. Eat the pakoras and have tea at the stalls that line the entrance to the lake.
3) Walk down towards the lodge. Have a tea break at the lodge as well. The open verandah with a view of the lake is a place you should sit.
4) Stay at the lodge. Not expensive but a feel of royalty. One of the rooms has a Gayatri Devi picture. You know why she was amongst the most beautiful women in the world. The lodge has been used as a location for several film shoots.
5) Walk down to the edge of the lake. Take a picture.
6) Spend time sitting near the lake. Soak in the beauty. The greenery all around has a calming effect.
7) Walk towards Raisar. The hills get closer and it is very pleasant. You are one with nature.
8) Do not go back to Jaipur. Visit an old castle some distance down the road. This bat infested castle has one of the best Bal Krishna temples inside. Visit the temple. Sit there and talk to the Pujaris.
9) if you are religiously inclined there is another Mata temple near by.
10) Take a detour and visit the stud farm in the vicinity. If you are lucky you will find polo players in practice and their girlfriends taking a sunbath. Some of the girls are polo players themselves. The horses are well groomed and the playing area is well maintained.
11) visit a rose cultivation. There are several of them on the road as well.

I am sure you will not regret a visit to the lake immediately after the monsoon and if you are accompanied by your loved ones. A perfect picnic spot, I never got bored of the place even after going there daily for one full year and more. I was posted as Branch Manager of the SBBJ branch in Jamwa Ramgarh during 1999-2000. My picture receiving the top branch award may still be found in the Branch Manager's cabin.

Best wishes,
Manoj