Travel: Malaysia Day 3 & 4: Genting Highlands

We took a limousine service - provided by ResortWorld Genting - to Genting Highlands. It is a relatively high area in the mountain; and much like Macau, the hotels there house some casinos.
The limousine service costed us MYR180. Well I guess taking public transport would have been much cheaper, but I could not be bothered -_- especially with the hot weather (yeah, I am a winter girl).

The trip took about 1 hour through winding mountain road.
Visitors could take the cable car to take them to the main area where the hotels are. The experience would undoubtedly give pleasure to the sight with beautiful mountain view. However, instead of taking the cable car, we just asked the driver to take us straight to our hotel - Genting Grand; as it was quite foggy and I doubt we would be able to see much from the cable car.

tea provided while waiting for Check In

 Our room is Grand Premier room - costed A$175 booked through Agoda. Room is spacious and the Jacuzzi in the bathroom is huge.

See that nespresso machine? We made an espresso and bought an ice cream from the convenience shop to make our own affogato :P

The vicinity of the hotel is beautiful, and it is also linked by underground shopping strip and stalls, to other hotels in Genting Highlands. There is no need to step outside to get to other hotels and the indoor mall/theme park.

Lunch was at Genting Palace, located on level 1 of Genting Grand hotel. It serves yum cha as well as some a-la carte dishes.

Chrysanthemum Tea (MYR18) served as a palate cleanser with generous amount of chrysanthemum flower. Char Siew Puff (MYR9) was a delight, crisp layers with juicy char siew pork inside. The Loh Mai Kai (steamed sweet glutinous rice - MYR10) was nice too, but couldn't say the same about the Har Gow/ Prawn Dumpling (MYR13). It was kinda ordinary and I found the outer skin was a bit soggy.

Chicken Pie with Black Pepper (MYR10) was actually just chicken patty drizzled with somewhat sweet black pepper sauce. It was OK, nothing too special. The Prawns Stuffed in Tofu with Yamato Ajitsuke mushrooms (MYR12) was also so-so. The Crispy Fried Duck (half - MYR56) was drizzled with lots of chopped fried garlic. Duck meat was a bit dry.

We took the free shuttle bus to Chin Swee Cave Temple. The bus could be taken from the bus terminal located just outside First World Hotel.
Build along and within the cliff itself, the temple is an interesting place to visit, and the view of the mountains you would get is breathtaking.

There are also figures from various Chinese legends, one of which is the famous Monkey King Sun Wu Kong from Journey to The West.

What I found most intriguing though, is the 'Path to Enlightenment' - depicting the 10 stages of hell a living being must undergo after they pass away. Depending on the karma a human accumulated from their life, they would be judged accordingly, and would either be ascended to heaven as heavenly beings (if they practically did not do any bad deeds), or reincarnated to different forms - including humans, animals, or lesser animals.

WARNING: from now on, the pictures posted here would be quite graphic. Read on at your own risk.

The figures depicting the hell were so depressing -_- There is a punishment for any sin imaginable.

So when we die, we would go to the registration office where they would check our record and got sorted into different stages of hell or got directed to heaven.

And then the various stages of hell herewith - depending on the sins committed...

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Self-reflection time: I guess I will spend quite some time in hell?

-- Graphic images end

Heading back to the hotel vicinity, we headed to Imperial Rama - a Thailand-Chinese fusion restaurant.

Clear Tom Yum Soup (MYR18.50) was delicious and although it was a different  version from the redder version I was used to, it was still tasty and true to the tangy and sour nature of a good tom yum. The Prawn in Salted Egg Yolk (MYR77) was amazing. 1/2heart said it was insanely delicious :D I agree. It was by far the best version I have had so far. The Lilly Bulb with Spinach Salad in Orange Sauce (MYR30.50) was tangy and refreshing, and was a very good choice to eat in between the other heavier dishes as this was light and easy to digest.

Baked Rice in Pineapple (MYR31.50) was OK, nothing too special. Pork Ribs in Guiness Stout Sauce (MYR41) was very good, had slight twinge of the alcohol, and just flavorsome.
For dessert, we had Durian Tempura (MYR11). OhMyDurian, this was a heavenly combination - durian puree encased in thin tempura batter deep fried to perfection.

Dinner was much better than lunch.

I just need to also mention that M Spa - the relaxation centre in Genting Grand Hotel - is worth visiting. The place is beautiful and patrons could use the steam room, sauna room, and big Jacuzzi before or after their chosen treatment. The treatment itself was heavenly, although I could only get 1 hour session due to them being almost booked out.